Rail (Enthusiast) Magazine - No.262 Oct 1995

Rail (Enthusiast) October 1995. Issue No.262

- Front Cover:  Old meets new with a vengeance! A state of the art Eurostar crosses the only manually operated level crossing between Waterloo and Paris at Willesborough, just east of Ashford. A feature on the various types of level crossing,  including this celebrity crossing, is provided by RAIL's signalling expert, David Allen.

- Comment: The Editor provides a pertinent view on a current topic.

- News:  Ticket routeing to be clarified, the new Red Star to use rail, road and air, North London Railways turns to bus operation again, HST in fire drama near Taplow and who could be running the first passenger franchises. All the top news stories.

- Wolmar:  RAIL's brand new correspondent, Christian Wolmar, Transport Correspondent from The Independent, begins his forthright column which will be looking at many aspects of our railway system.

- Around the Regions:  Howard Johnston presents his roundup of news snippets from all over the network.

- Preservation News:  D5300 will be saved by Jim McWilliam of MC Metals, Class 45 'Peak' No.D123 is looking for a new home and another unique multiple unit vehicle goes for scrap. All the top preservation stories are brought to you by Howard Johnston.

- On the Level:  The level crossing comes in many sizes and degrees of automation. David Allen surveys the varieties, including the 'celebrity' crossing used by Eurostars!

- Railtour Preview:  Fancy a tour? Look no further than this page where RAIL brings you the comprehensive listing. Compiled by Howard Johnston.

- Open Access:  Dear Sir...Yes, it's another selection of your letters. There's plenty of interesting comment from you, the reader. Why not write yourself?

- Thermit Welding:  RAIL brings you something new! One of the most spectacular sights in rail civil engineering is the thermit welding to join rails. This step-by-step process shows you how it is done.

- Rail Blue:  This livery lasted longer than any other. It was at first despised, but for many it is now a firm favourite. Revel in this portfolio from Peter Fitton when blue was everywhere and covered everything.

- Traction News:  Ian James supplies the popular Locomotive Review column which details all the unusual locomotive workings, topped up by some of the best and topical photographs sent to the RAIL office. William Watson has the latest Irish news and then there's the usual Locomotive Works report, End of the Line and Naming Notes.

- Stock Changes:  Has it moved or been condemned? Find out by turning to this page.

- Rolling Stock News:  If it's DMUs or coaches in which you are interested, this is the page for you! David Russell is the columnist and in this issue has the full listing for vehicles stored at Longtown, recent EMU disposals at Gwent Demolition and possible use of Class 141s by North London Railways.

- Freight and Engineering:  Bob Wallace has all the latest news from the world of wagons, whilst Roger Butcher, Britain's foremost authority on departmental stock, travels to Norwich to reveal what lurks at this railway centre!

- RAILFile - Metro Moves Forward:  At long last, the finance has been secured to enable Birmingham's Midland Metro to be built. Mick Mabbutt details this exciting scheme which will see trams running alongside the Jewellery Line and then on the former GWR trackbed to Wolverhampton.

- Railtex '95:  It's the top railway trade show of the year and RAILFile highlights more of the companies which will be exhibiting. This issue concentrates on the light rail industry.

- More Lines for Metrolink:  Manchester's light rail system has proved enormously successful, so much so that expansion is now proceeding. Eddie Bellass looks at the routes which are destined to see trams, some of which are current or closed rail lines.

- Outlook:  RAILfile's comment page assesses the benefits of light rail and how it can help reduce congestion and pollution. It's not just the passenger market which could benefit, but freight as well!

- People Mover catches on in Swansea:  The Parry People Mover is a revolutionary new rail vehicle driven by electricity which powers a flywheel. Several towns have shown interest in this traffic-congestion remover, but Swansea looks likely to be the first municipality to adopt it. Deryck Lewis has the details.

- Classified Adverts:  All sort of services and goods  can be found here and this issue, you can even buy a diesel shunter from our classified pages. 


** Please Note: The centre piece (pp 39-42) is missing from this mag.