Reality Check class profiles
Stanier’s ‘Princess Royal’
Eclipsed in reputation by later and more famous designs, the ‘Princess Royal’ class ‘Pacifics’ of the LMS were nevertheless a radical step forward for that company. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains how the class started a golden era of West Coast steam.
Class 158 and 159 DMUs
The Class 158 family of DMUs revolutionised secondary services all over the country on their introduction 30 years ago and have been reliable performers with many more years of service planned. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES tells us more about this popular class.
Class 50 afterlife
BR’s Class 50 diesels are some of the most popular locomotives ever built, and this has been reflected in the number preserved, which currently stands at just over a third of those constructed, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES discovers.
Gresley's pioneering ‘A3' class 'Pacifics'
Much is known about the exploits of Gresley’s famous ‘A3’ Pacifics, including Flying Scotsman, but far less is known about the wider impact the class had on services on the East Coast Main Line. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES finds out more to mark the arrival of Hatton’s new ‘O’ gauge model.
The Collett ‘14XX’
No model of the quintessential Great Western branch line would be complete without one of that company’s little 0-4-2Ts and matching autocoach. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES traces the origins of this attractive tank engine back to the mid-19th century.
REALITY CHECK: The BR Standard ‘9F’
One of the most successful BR standard steam locomotives was the massive 2-10-0, more commonly known as the ‘9F’. These handsome machines proved to be capable all-rounders, despite being intended for heavy freight, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES remembers.
The LBSCR's sprightly 'Terriers'
The ‘A1’ class of the London Brighton & South Coast Railway has a rich and varied history. To mark the arrival of Hornby’s new model EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks back at its story.
The Churchward ‘Moguls’
Although many steam locomotives were designed for both passenger and freight traffic, few had the success of the Great Western’s ‘43XX’ class, a design that was to be the company’s maid of all work for more than half a century. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains all.
GWR '61XX' 2-6-2Ts
Although the Great Western Railway set out to produce a range of standard steam engines in the Churchward era, inevitably as time went on variants were produced for specific tasks. One of those were the ‘61XX’ 2-6-2Ts which were specifically provided for commuter services in London, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.
Trailer Control
Bi-mode trains are all the rage now - but they are just the latest solution to a problem that has arisen before and which gave rise 50 years ago to a unique, but unpowered, multiple unit train known as the 4-TC, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES discovers.