Headline News:
South Yorkshire Tram-Train launch marred by collision, Network Rail outlines £200m Werrington Junction plan, German high-speed train gutted by fire, ScotRail InterCity 125 passenger debut, tributes flood in for RTC founder Nigel Dobbing and ace photographers Malcolm Ranieri and Colin Garratt.

Track Record:

Steam & Heritage - Meiningen wins 'P2' boiler design contract, BR black 'Saint' for Didcot event, short-notice WSR visit for Llangollen 'Standard 4' tank, Bahamas stars at Tyseley 50th anniversary event, 'Pannier Party' for South Devon 50th gala.

Industrial Steam
Steam Portfolio
Narrow Gauge
Irish News
Freight
Miniature
Network - Derby remodelling completed on time, station improvements for Aberdeen and Bristol, ScotRail reveals major timetable upgrade for December, new smartphone app to assist disabled  passengers.
Railtours
Classic Traction
World
Metro
Traction & Stock - Siemens Class 717s start work on Moorgate route, new livery for Virgin Class 221, first Class 315 EMU sold for scrap, approval for Overground Class 710s, braking issue grounds Class 385s.
Traction Portfolio
Stock Update
Operations

Regulars:
Railways in Parliament  - Retaining Heritage Skills for the Future Meetings
Subscription Offer - Subscribe today to receive your monthly copies of The Railway Magazine from only £20.
Panorama - Our monthly gallery of the best railway photography.
From The RM Archives - Find out what The RM was reporting 20, 50 and 100 years ago.
 Heritage Diary - Details of when Britain’s unique collection of heritage railways and railway museums are open.
Prize Crossword and Where Is It?

Features:
Thames Valley Transformation - Keith Farr starts a two-part study of train performance on the Great Western Main Line from Paddington, which has seen an evolution from steam to diesel and now electric and bi-mode trains over the last 60 years.

Nodding Along: The 'Pacer' Story - In the second part of his detailed look at the development and career of the 'Pacer' family, Gary Boyd-Hope considers the first production designs – Class 141 and 142 – and the experimental railbuses inspired by them.

Night Shift - For 79 days between July and October, East Midlands Trains used Barrow Hill as a temporary depot for servicing HSTs and 'Meridians'. Ben Jones spent a night with the team.

The day after steam ended - David Percival provides a personal account of what railway enthusiasts did immediately after BR standard gauge steam ended on August 11, 1968.

Christmas Gift Guide - The RM's annual digest of gifts for the railway enthusiast and historian – everything from books to DVDs and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

1968: The Year of the Long Knives - Although famous as the year BR dispensed with steam traction, 1968 actually saw BR withdraw more diesel locos than steam. John Crosse tells a sorry tale of failed designs and wasted investment.

Fabulous at 50 - No fewer than 11 Class 50s were present at the Severn Valley Railway in October to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of this cult diesel class.

COVER: Restored North Eastern Railway Petrol-Electric Autocar No. 3170 hauls an NER autocar  trailer at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway on October 19. 

INSET: An EMT ‘222’ visits Barrow Hill for overnight servicing. BEN JONES

INSET: Vintage Trains’ first steam run. VINTAGE TRAINS

INSET: BR’s cull of non-standard diesel types in 1968.