Railway Realism

Railway Realism features

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Great Central Railway ‘A5’ 4-6-2T

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES

Built originally for heavy suburban traffic out of London Marylebone station, the ‘A5’ 4-6-2Ts spread their wings to all corners of the London and North Eastern Railway’s system. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks into the history of this long extinct class.

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES
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Beeching – reshaping the railway

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES

While the Beeching report of 60 years ago is best remembered for the closure of a third of our railway network, it proposed investment and improvement in some areas, particularly freight and long-distance passenger services. Some of these proposals were then seen as radical, but were they as original as generally thought? EVAN GREEN-HUGHES set out to find out.

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES
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The Beeching Report - 60 years on

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES

Many people speak as if Dr Beeching was the man who single-handedly destroyed our railway system. In reality, he was merely the culmination of a process that had been under way for more than half a century. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES delves into the background of route closures.

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES
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RAILWAY REALISM: Winter on the Line

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES

​Winter brings special challenges for the railway, with snow, ice and fog making operation particularly difficult. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES examines how the system coped in the past and today, highlighting some of the special equipment used.

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES
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North Eastern Railway pioneer electrics

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES

While electrification is very much in the news these days, the release of a model of a pioneering North Eastern Railway locomotive reminds us that such schemes have been around for more than 100 years. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES has the story.

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES
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Railway Realism: Chinley

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES

Once the centre of a busy railway network Chinley, in Derbyshire, is now but a shadow of its former self. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks at the rise and fall of this important railway landmark.

EVAN GREEN-HUGHES
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Class 92 Electrics

. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES

Throughout the history of Britain’s railways there have been many locomotives and trains with troubled histories, with amongst the most recent the Class 92 electrics - a design that has struggled to find its rightful place on today’s railway despite its immense capability, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.

. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES
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BARROW HILL ROUNDHOUSE

The circular engine shed, or roundhouse, was once one of the most common structures on the railway but over the years hundreds have been demolished, leaving the one at Barrow Hill in Derbyshire as the only example still working and in anything like original condition, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.

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KEEPING TRAINS MOVING

Although trains run on what is usually termed the permanent way, in fact it is anything but permanent and requires constant attention and replacement. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks at how track is maintained and how that process has changed over the years.

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REALITY CHECK: The Fell diesel locomotive story

In the quest to replace steam locomotives, one of the most remarkable designs was the one-off Fell diesel, which combined an innovative engine and transmission system with multiple power units, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.