TRACTION issue 250

[steverabone]

TRACTION issue 250 is published on Friday 1st February.

It’s a real pleasure to write this introduction to TRACTION as it represents something of a milestone for the magazine since it is our 250th issue. I know many of our readers have every issue since number 1!

The response to the increase in size of the magazine, which started with the last issue, has been completely positive with many readers taking the time to contact me.

We start this issue with a fascinating account of traffic on the Boulby potash mine branch during the 1980s by Geoffrey Allen. It’s the first of several articles about this interesting and, in places, spectacular line in north eastern England.

In complete contrast to this relatively quiet line, Andy Armitage begins a series of articles about his time working at Euston Power Signal Box in the 1970s. He kept detailed records of the traffic at Euston on a daily basis, noting incidents and the method of operations. In this part he looks at a week in September 1975 when he was on ‘late turn’ in the afternoon and evening.

For many years the North Wales Coast Line was a Mecca for enthusiasts wanting to photograph and travel on loco hauled passenger trains. Lewis Bevan visited the line several times in the 1990s to record these workings on film and presents a selection.

David J. Hayes returns with the second part of his article about the Wednesbury and the Dudley line in the 1970s with another superb set of images of those long gone days of old style freight operation.

Richard MacLennan was a driver based at Ayr depot and has already recounted his experiences about driving passenger trains to Stranraer. In this issue he describes driving freight trains over the hills of Galloway in ‘Wild Men and Wild Places!’

In the mid 1980s Steve Randall visited Taunton to record the final year of semaphore signal operation before the multiple aspect signalling swept away much that was attractive to the enthusiast on this part of the Western Region.

The humble Class 08 shunter has tended to be ignored by many enthusiasts so we felt it was time that it was featured in TRACTION’s pages. Gavin Morrison’s photographs show something of the variety of tasks that these useful locomotives performed all over Britain.

An almost completely forgotten railway is the Liverpool Overhead Railway which ran alongside the docks by the River Mersey. Colin Boocock tells us about the history of this fascinating line illustrated with many of his own photos taken in the 1950s.

TRACTION MODELLING features a delightful military inspired layout; Dovington Camp in OO Gauge, by Paul Taylor, features plenty of freight action, all in a highly realistic setting.

Will Thompson returns with another constructional article, this time an ingenious method of lighting the interior of ready to run coaches. Our review pages look at two recent O Gauge models; the Heljan Class 25 and Dapol HAA wagon are, I’m sure, enough to tempt many modellers to build a layout in this increasingly popular scale.

Edited February 1, 2019 by steverabone

[dj_crisp]

Congrats on 250 Issues!! Some of the prototype photos in this issue are superb

cheers

Will

 

[Kelly]

Look an interesting issue.

[caradoc]

Received my copy today and it is indeed an interesting issue; The features on Euston and the Wednesbury area are particularly good.

[ba14eagle]

Congratulations to everyone who has ever been involved with Traction magazine. I've every copy bound up - a great source of reference material.

However, I don't know what's happened to the picture quality in this issue - lots of the pictures (not models) seem really dark. A shame, because there is some really nice subject matter.    

[russ p]

Good issue

Loved the boulby article and am looking forward to reading Richard McClellan's article

[steverabone]

13 hours ago, ba14eagle said:

Congratulations to everyone who has ever been involved with Traction magazine. I've every copy bound up - a great source of reference material.

However, I don't know what's happened to the picture quality in this issue - lots of the pictures (not models) seem really dark. A shame, because there is some really nice subject matter.    

Yes, we agree that some of the photos have been reproduced too dark. This appears to have been a printing problem so we are putting measures in place to stop it happening again. Subscribers to the digital edition will not have this issue I'm pleased to say.

[Whitcan]

The Dovington Camp article was a surprise, as I had no idea that it was to be published. The content is an edit of the original BRM article from Dec 2016. There are a few mistakes in the edit, which is a little frustrating but the use of some different photos is pleasing.

 

The layout was out at the Erith club's Longfield show last weekend and was well received.  This was the first of many for the layout this year as it goes on manoeuvres across the country:

- Apr 27 - Fareham

- Jun 29/30 - Exeter (TBC)

- Jul 27/28 - Railex NE

- Oct 19/20 - Newark Show Ground

 

Hopefully, this will give people a chance to see it in action.   Please come along and say hello.

 

Paul

Edited February 3, 2019 by Whitcan

[ruggedpeak]

3 hours ago, Whitcan said:

The Dovington Camp article was a surprise, as I had no idea that it was to be published. The content is an edit of the original BRM article from Dec 2016. There are a few mistakes in the edit, which is a little frustrating but the use of some different photos is pleasing.

 

The layout was out at the Erith club's Longfield show last weekend and was well received.  This was the first of many for the layout this year as it goes on manoeuvres across the country:

- Apr 27 - Fareham

- Jun 29/30 - Exeter (TBC)

- Jul 27/28 - Railex NE

- Oct 19/20 - Newark Show Ground

 

Hopefully, this will give people a chance to see it in action.   Please come along and say hello.

 

Paul

Did speak to yourself or your colleague at Erith about the military vehicles. A great layout - I remain surprised no one (not even Oxford) is doing more modern military vehicles in 1:76.

 

The magazine is fab too, more is good :) I like lots to read and Traction provides that.

[multivac]

I would like to purchase Traction issue 250 as a digital edition, however I cannot find it for sale on the Pocketmags website. Is it me or is that issue not for sale?