Digging their own graves: four colour shots of Irish 2-6-4Ts on the Magheramorne spoil trains in 1969BackTrack Cover December 2008.

1962: The last real summer? - J. Crosse reflects on the year before things changed irrevocably on the Western Region of BR.

The Aviemore Line: Anne-Mary Paterson on the building of the Highland's direct line to Inverness.

How Permanent is the Permanent Way? - Michael B. Binks explains how railway track is constructed and maintained.

The Bodmin & Wadebridge Line - Part Two - David Thrower concludes his history of this historic Cornish branch.

The GWR '28XX' Goods - colour spread on these hard-working 2-8-0s.

When Mail went by Rail - three pages of colour by Hugh Ballantyne on the last years of the mail trains.

Well done, the High Speed Trains! - a colour page by Gavin Morrison.

Stations without rails - Keith Scholey looks at London's railway offices.

Railway Docks, Harbours and Shipping Interests c1900 - by John D. Flann.

The Development of the Large British Passenger Tank Engine - Part Four: The illusion of standardisation - the concluding part of Michael Rutherford's wide-ranging survey.

A Few Words of Sympathy - a Victorian poem for the Christmas season.

Rolling Stock Focus - Longmoor Military Railway - colour pictures by Roy Hobbs of pre-grouping rolling stock on this army railway.

A Day Out - 1950s style - John W. Lumley recalls seaside outings on the Southern Region.