Headline News

£5bn investment planned for Great Western; ‘Scotsman’ return delayed again; Passengers can pay more for online tickets; 50,000 sign Bombardier petition; Tube train plan for Harrogate; Peak Rail opens to Matlock.

Track Record

The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest

62 Steam & Heritage
Telford line closes after volunteer injury; Steam plan for Wensleydale; Fast-track overhaul for ‘Duchess’ No. 6233.

72 Railtours
Drivers take on charity steam special; Stanier man creates A4 timing record; Outing for ‘Queen of Scots’.

78 Traction & Stock
New ‘Pendolino’ in service; GBRf shows off day-night livery; DRS?holds successful open day’; Eurotunnel buys Class 92s.

84 Network
Whitemoor recycling centre opens; Invensys wins London Bridge resignalling contract; Landmark goes.

86 Freight

89 Narrow Gauge
Llanberis celebrates 40 years; Historic train on Welsh Highland; Wicksteed Park steam swansong.

91 Metro

92 Classic Traction
Class 306 for main line return; Railbus trust formed.

96 World
Turkish high speed takes off; Saarbrucken tram-train expansion; Chinese steam update.

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.

42 Subscriptions Offer

53 Readers’ Platform
Your lively letters page.

55 Panorama
A selection of the best in railway photography in our monthly showcase.

108 Meetings
Details of railway society meetings near you.

109 Heritage Diary
A comprehensive listing of the dates when heritage railways and steam centres operating this summer.

113 Reader Services

114 Prize Crossword

114 Where Is It?

Features

14 End of train building in the UK?
The RM looks at the cause and effect on Bombardier following the decision to give two train contracts worth £9bn to non-UK train manufacturers.

16 Interhub, Intermodal
This month’s Practice & Performance sees John Heaton in the cab of a GBRf Class 66 working an intermodal service from Trafford Park to Barking.

22 How to drive a diesel
Nick Pigott spends a day as ‘the pupil’ on a course that teaches you how to drive a diesel loco.

26 Scottish Steam Memories
Born before the formation of the ‘Big Four’, former footplateman William Gilmour tells of just how tough life was working with steam in its heyday.

33 The Man in Seat 61
Nick Pigott meets the man whose advice through the website of the same name has helped thousands of passengers to confidently travel the world by rail.

38 Premier Performance
Chris Milner looks at how Network Rail and operator East Coast are working together to improve performance.

40 Tribute to Thornaby
Last month Thornaby depot was demolished. The RM?presents its own tribute to a popular North East depot.

44 C Hamilton Ellis
Robert Humm celebrates the life of a writer and artist who inspired thousands of enthusiasts.

51 Hand to Mouth
The former communist country of Albania, with its mysterious railway system, is finalling moving into a more modern era, as Colin Boocock discovers.

This issue originally came with a "How to Drive a Locomotive" DVD