TRACTION issue 243

[steverabone]

Welcome to the January/February 2018 issue of TRACTION.

You will notice that the magazine has a slightly different look as we are using the letter style adopted by British Rail and known as the Rail Alphabet. For a magazine that focuses largely on the BR era we feel it’s a logical step. Let us know what you think!

 

Moving on to the contents of this issue, David J. Hayes continues his in depth look at the North & West line through Herefordshire, with the focus this time being on freight traffic. Backed up with a superb selection of photographs by Phil Baldwin, it’s a reminder of how varied the freight traffic on this line used to be.

 

Moving north to Scotland, Class 60s on the Grangemouth to Prestwick Airport aviation fuel trains are the subject of Stuart Fowler’s article. Interestingly, this service still runs today and is still frequently hauled by Class 60s, nowadays in the striking livery of Colas Rail.

 

One of our regular contributors, Bob Dunn, explains what made him become a volunteer driver on the Severn Valley Railway. Whilst his day job is hurtling up and down the West Coast Main Line driving ‘Pendolinos’ and ‘Voyagers’, he also delights in helping to maintain and drive preserved Class 50s.

 

After his introductory prototype article in TRACTION 242, Simon George starts a series of articles about his enormous O Scale layout based on Heaton Lodge Junction. Prepare to be impressed by the level of detail and commitment to accuracy that is involved.

 

For those modellers working on a more modest scale Will Thompson explains how he took a Hornby model of a Regional Railways liveried Class 31 and converted it to EM Gauge, detailed it and weathered the model to improve its appearance.

 

The BR Sulzer Type 2s, or as they were later known the Class 24 and 25, are featured in a selection of photographs by Gavin Morrison. Many enthusiasts, including your editor, remember these small and unglamorous locomotives with affection.

 

Colin Boocock continues his series of articles about managing the changes in British Rail’s rolling stock and locomotive maintenance procedures. In this issue’s article he describes an exchange visit between Willesden depot and the Danish State Railways’ depot in Copenhagen and how each railway benefited from sharing ideas and methods.

 

Railtours, with their frequently unusual routes and motive power, have long been popular among enthusiasts. Ray Briscall describes one such tour, ‘The Woldsman’ from Liverpool to Cleethorpes via the Woodhead line and Tinsley Marshalling Yard. I’m sure it will bring back many happy memories of similar tours.

 

Richard MacLennan’s railway career based at Inverness depot gave him plenty of opportunities to get to know at first hand the performance of Class 40s in the Highlands and it’s clear he had a good opinion of them. His article describes his experiences with the ‘40s’ both on and off the footplate.

Edited December 4, 2017 by steverabone