Headline News
ERTMS goes live, but steam axed; ‘Deltic’ hired for GBRf freight trains; Bittern emerges as Dominion of New Zealand; NRM+ project cancelled after funding snub; Scrapyard re-think after travel chaos; EC raids DB offices; Mallard lined up for Germany visit; Tornado boiler re-fitted.
Track Record
64 Steam & Heritage
King Edward II?hauls passenger trains again; G-WR?humbled by kindness of other railways; Bodmin line repaired; ‘Dukedog’ in South Devon.
74 Railtours
‘Jacobite’s 28th season; Britannia back on main line; Sunday steam focus at Bristol.
78 Traction & Stock
East Coast axes restaurant for Eureka!; Arriva refurbishes Class 158; Facelift for ScotRail Class 314s; Class 172s on test.
84 Network
£200m investment for Cardiff &?Valleys; London Midland drivers’ strike settled; Bridge donation to GCR.
86 Freight
89 Narrow Gauge
92 Classic Traction
‘Western’ tuned up; Lottery win for pioneer railcar; DMU?service at G-WR; DMU?in scrapyard SOS.
95 Metro
98 World
South African tank loco for UK; Vivarais - a new life; Kolkata Metro extended.
100 Operations News
A round-up of news from the train and freight operating companies.
107 Traction Update
Scrapped, repainted, named or sold? Full details here.
Regulars
12 Multiple Aspects
12 Railways in Parliament
20 Location, Location
This month’s selected photo location is Greenholme, near Tebay.
39 Panorama
A selection of the best in railway photography in our monthly showcase.
47 Readers’ Platform
Your lively letters page.
51 Subscriptions Offer
52 Reviews
A selection of the latest books to be reviewed.
108 Meetings
Details of railway society meetings that are near you.
109 Heritage Diary
A comprehensive listing of the dates when heritage railways and steam centres operating this Spring.
110 100 Years Ago
A look back to what Britain’s senior rail title was reporting 20, 50 and 100 years ago.
114 Prize Crossword
114 Where Is It?
Features
14 Eastern Promise
In this month’s Practice & Performance, John Heaton takes a cab ride in a Class 91 on East Coast’s ‘Flying Scotsman’ service.
22 From Red, White & Blue to Silver
To mark the 25th anniversary of Network South East, Chris Green, who launched and managed the BR sector, tells the full inside story for the first time.
28 Vatican City Railway
Rex Carver takes a look at the world’s shortest state railway in the Vatican City.
30 The Conwy Valley
Beginning a new and occasional series on branch lines, Chris Milner visits North Wales to discover the scenic delights of the Conwy Valley line.
34 Ecclesbourne joins the big league
In April, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway joined the preservation big boys in a Railway Magazine-backed event. Full story and pictures.
36 The First Railway Murder
Kate Colquhoun tells the tale of the first recoreded railway murder, which took place back in July 1864.
42 All Change at Eridge
Rex Carver reports on the opening of extension of the other SVR - the Spa Valley Railway - through to Eridge and an interchange with national rail services.
54 The Railway Art of John Austin
It was 17 years ago that Peter Kelly first met railway artist John Austin. Peter pays a return visit to Bridgnorth to see some of the magical images John has painted in that time. In 16 of the past 17 years, John Austin’s work has won the Guild of Railway Artists’ public ‘Picture of the Year’!
On the cover
MAIN IMAGE:
A4 No. 60019 Bittern has been repainted in garter blue and renumbered as 4492 Dominion of New Zealand. It is seen on the ‘Great Britain IV’ tour near Ferryhill on April 16. PHIL?WRIGHT
INSET 1:
‘Deltic’ No. 55022 Royal Scots Grey on freight - see p9. LINDSAY?ATKINSON
INSET 2:
NRM’s impression of a black Flying Scotsman