TRACTION 229 and TRACTION MODELLING

[steverabone]

The new edition of TRACTION, issue 229, is published on Friday 7th August.

 

   This edition  has a distinct bias towards freight train operation, which is a subject that I know many readers find fascinating. We start with a detailed look at ‘RAILFREIGHT AROUND EXETER IN THE SPEEDLINK ERA’ by David Mitchell. In the first of a two-part article he considers freight services on the former Western Region lines.

 

 

    Robin Morel returns with another article about when he worked at the Wembley European Freight Operating Centre and recalls an interesting operational situation with a pair of Freightliner Class 86s in ‘THE CAN MAN – CAN’.

 

 

    Bill Jamieson’s two part article featuring 1970s freight operations in Derbyshire concludes with ‘CLASSIC TRACTION AROUND CHESTERFIELD: PART 2: SEPTEMBER 1971’.

 

 

     However, for real heavyweight freight train action there is simply only one place to go in Europe and that is the line between Kiruna in Sweden and Narvik in Norway. In ‘IRON ORE GIANTS’ Colin Boocock describes the powerful locomotives needed to shift the enormously heavy iron ore trains over the mountains of northern Scandinavia. If you haven’t seen these trains yet, you don’t know what you’re missing!

    

 

Back in Britain Graham Bell spent his teenage years watching trains on Teesside. In ‘RECOLLECTIONS OF A BILLINGHAM SPOTTER 1973-75’ he tells the story of his spotting days in and around this North East town.

 

 

    Moving north to one of your editor’s favourite railway locations, Gavin Morrison presents another selection from his photographic treasure chest; this time they are of the ‘HIGHLAND CAPITAL – INVERNESS’

 

 

    Many enthusiasts have fond memories of those British Rail excursion trains run under titles such as ‘Mystery Excursion’ and ‘Holiday Preview Train’. Andy Sparks and some friends embarked on one from Manchester to Great Yarmouth. He tells the story in ‘GREAT YARMOUTH – AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY SUNDAY 1977’. The text is backed up by photographs by Ray Briscall, who went on an identical excursion exactly a year later.

 

   Not many writers have considered it worthwhile to look at the performance of those mundane suburban multiple units that provided services south of the Thames but, in this issue, Andrew James considers those ‘PERFORMANCE CINDERELLAS:  SUBS AND EPBS ON THE SOUTHERN REGION’

 

 

    Mark Brammer wanted somewhere in Devon where he could watch and photograph trains. ‘AN AFTERNOON ON RATTERY BANK’ provided the answer, watching a succession of locomotive hauled trains - and the sun shone!

 

     This issue’s TRACTION MODELLING concentrates on N Gauge with an article by Andrew Gibbs describing how he built ‘MOTORAIL VEHICLES FOR N GAUGE’. They are destined to run on his new layout based on Kensington Olympia. Another location where these models would be useful would be on a layout of  ‘CARLISLE NORTH END’. Peter Welsh suggests that the north end of Carlisle station would make an interesting and yet relatively modest layout in the smaller scale.

 

 

    TRACTION issue 230, will be published on 2nd October 2015.

               

[acg5324]

Looking forward to this, can recommend the Andy Sparks books so the article has good pedigree.

[Ben04uk]

I found the the ‘RAILFREIGHT AROUND EXETER IN THE SPEEDLINK ERA’ article by David Mitchell very interesting and am looking forward to Part 2.

[david12345]

I have always liked this magazine but always struggle to get it. Is it only available in WH Smith ?

[steverabone]

TRACTION should be available in virtually all High Street WH Smiths and nowadays on almost all railway station bookshops. Otherwise it is down to what the smaller newsagents choose to stock.