Railway Realism
Railway Signalling
Signalling is vital for the safe operation of the railway – and if correctly modelled it can help emphasise the period, region and realism of a model railway, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
Diesel Days at Westbury
A railway crossroads, Westbury has long been an important rail hub and remains a major centre for a varied selection of passenger and aggregate traffic, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
THE HIGHLAND MAIN LINE
Stretching across 118 spectacular miles, the Highland Main Line is a vital artery linking the Far North for more than 150 years, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.
Class 47s’ Second Lives
The Class 47s have been displaced from front-line duties but still remain active on the main line on a surprising variety of alternative roles, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.
The Dawlish Sea Wall
Few railway locations are as recognisable as the famous sea wall at Dawlish in Devon, where for a hundred years trains have done battle with the elements, sometimes in spectacular style. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains why this railway was built and what the future may hold for it.
What Next? LNER
Continuing his survey of the ‘Big Four’ railways, Trevor Jones picks out some ‘missing links’ of the LNER and constituents that could be modelled in ‘OO’ gauge.
Speedlink freight operations
The 1960s are usually best remembered for Beeching’s railway closures but this period also saw a number of innovations, not least the rapid Speedlink freights with their distinctive long-wheelbase wagons, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES remembers.
Iron bridges on the ‘iron road’
Although greatly favoured by early railway builders, the deficiencies of cast iron as a material for building railway bridges meant that its period of predominance was relatively short. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks at the history of this material and finds out what there is still left to see.
Southern Region first-generation DEMUs
Forever identified with the Southern Region, British Railways’ first diesel-electric multiple units, affectionately known as ‘Thumpers’, were developed quickly due to a unique set of circumstances, yet proved very successful, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.