on the footplate: fraternity at fratton shed - Starting work as a 14-year-old at Fratton locomotive depot at Portsmouth in 1943, Geurge Blakey was plunged into the deep end, as shortages of men saw him face a steep learning curve.
from the air: ripple lane marshalling yard - Aerofilms took our bird's eye view of Ripple Lane Marshalling Yard, East London, on August 2 7 1961.
at the lineside: pride of the LNER's Pacifics - Few periods in railway history compare with the exciting events just before the Second World War, when new records were being made with frequency by the east and west coast rivals. In June 1935 the late Kenneth Oldham made the first of many visits to Doncaster to see Gresley's 'Pacifies' and witnessed an extraordinary range of locomotives parading by.
To the midland for tea and trains - In search of more variety and somewhere new to watch trains, young enthusiast Arthur Haymes chanced on the little station at Long Preston, on the Midland Main Line from Leeds to Carlisle and Carnforth/Morecambe, where he found a warm welcome, plenty of railway tea and trains.
comment - How Britain's railways could have been so different
call attention - More oddities, suggestions and comments from the steam years.
my love affair with 'A4S' - In the second part of his recollections, having been captivated by 'A4s' - and in particular their Scottish exploits - no sooner had Derek Cope ended his trip to Scotland, than he was saving up for another, but this time a whole week's 'bash'.
of people and places...Concluding his biography of life as a fireman at Edinburgh, the late Charles Meacher turns his attention to the many 'characters' that, good and bad, made up the workforce.
how to subscribe to steam world...You can save nearly 22p off the cover price of every issue and get the magazine posted to your home at our expense before it's in the shops!
that reminds me...Drawing on material from his late father's collection, Andrew Dow recalls a proud, bit sad occasion when the last steam locomotive to be overhauled at Crewe Works was photographed before returning to traffic.
platform - Debate and discussion on a wide variety of topics - across the entire steam scene.
from our man in the van...Having suffered two accidents, a third besets goods guard Ron Wellings. But it is unsocial hours and low wages, together with impending network cuts, that force a change of direction for him in the final part of his account of railway life at Shrewsbury.
the fastline files - Using superb black and white images from the infrastructure archive of Fastline Photographic Ltd, Andrew Dow looks at the work of Hartlepool Sleeper Depot, using pictures taken by a BR Eastern Region official photographer on December 13 1956.
buy A steam world video! - Steam World's own video archive - using readers' footage - has expanded to a 14th volume. The latest release covers the North East and the complete collection covers almost every area of the country!
steam IN THE QUARRIES - The increased demand for iron-ore during the Second World War saw more quarries opened. Brian Syddall concludes his examination in words and pictures of the latter days of the East Midlands ironstone quarries.
A southern TRIPTYCH - Concluding three 'panels' of work, Ian Krause recalls the final year of Southern steam and the frustration of trying to photograph filthy locomotives.
next issue - Don't miss our peek at next month's timetable, to find out what's going to arrive in the September issue of Britain's top-selling historical railway magazine. Don't miss out!

ON THE COVER: BR '6P5F' 4-6-2 No. 72008 C/an Macleod is at its home shed, Carlisle Kingmoor (12A) in September 1962.