Headline News:
Blaze shuts Channel Tunnel; New plans for Birmingham New Street; Images of Freightliner diesel; Covenentors become first to ride behind Tornado; Vandals derail train; Americans buy Dartmoor and Weardale lines; FIRA backs threatened Sittingbourne line; Reading redesign unveiled; Pendolino lengthening deal signed. 

Track Record - The Railway Magazine's monthly news digest:
Steam News - Evening Star returns to Swindon; Two ‘Edgcumbes’ for Tyseley event: 12 locos for Llangollen gala; Fireless move
Railtour News - Union of South Africa off the main line; Rundown of Old Oak Common begins; Standard 4 given sea water to drink!
Narrow Gauge News - Welshpool buys The Wasp; New hope for Donegal railcars
Miniature News 
Traction & Stock News - New Class 378s unveiled; Loco-hauled in North and South Wales, plus a list of all new rolling stock orders
Network News - TfL bridge slip report issued; £20m facelift for Preston
World News - World heritage status for Swiss line; New trains for Belgium
Classic Traction News - Colourful line-up at Nene Valley; MR-B’s colliery branch shuttles prove a hit; Sulzer duo for Gloucs/Warks gala 
Operations News - Our monthly round-up of news from the passenger and freight operating companies and the various workshops
Disposals and Stock Spot - Repainted, sold or scrapped? Get accurate details here

Regulars:
Where Is It? - Our just-for-fun quiz of trying to guess the location featured in the photograph
Location, Location, Location - Our linesider guide tells you how to get to the best (and often most remote!) locations for railway photography 
Heritage Diary - Where to go for steam in October and November
Subscription Offer - More and more of you are subscribing. Why not join them and never have to worry again about The RM being sold out? 
Meetings - A summary of club meetings and film shows of interest to railway enthusiasts
Reader services - Details of how to get in touch with us and how send in digital photos
Prize Crossword - Your chance to win £100-worth of books in our railway-related crossword puzzle

Southern Railway Special Section:
The Maunsell Era - Keith Farr looks at the career and locomotives of Richard Maunsell, the Southern's first CME.
Colossus of Steam - O.V.S. Billleid was one of Britain’s most controversial designers; Keith Farr examines whether he was a maverick or a genius.
The Sparks Effect - Chris Wilson provides an introduction to a ‘railway within a railway’: the SR's sprawling electric network.
Introduction to the SR - The Southern was the smallest but most efficient of the ‘Big Four'. David Stewart-David sets the scene.
The Constituents - A summary of the constituent companies that came together to form the Southern Railway.
The BR Era - In 1948, the Southern was nationalised, yet Bulleid Pacifies were still being built. Ian Day tells the story of the next two decades.
Dual Fuel - In Practice & Performance, John Heaton looks at the performance of the electro-diesels that worked the Southern rails.
Back to the Future - Chris Milner brings our Southern review up to date with an overview of the main franchises carved out of the Southern Region in the mid-1990s.
Keeping alive the SR spirit - The societies that keep the Southern spirit burning.
The SR Family Tree - A family tree of the constituent companies.
The Mid-Hants Railway - Cliff Thomas profiles the Mid-Hants Railway, one of several heritage lines preserving the SR tradition.

On the cover: Rarely seen, due to the fact that it was never carried on locomotives, buildings or publicity, is the Southern Railway Company’s splendid coat of arms. (Readers should note that there are two versions of the cover in circulation this month, one in association with supermarket chain Asda, who are stocking us for the first time.)