Rail (Enthusiast) Magazine - No.258 Aug 1995

Rail (Enthusiast) August 1995. Issue No.258

- Front Cover:  Top: Stricken Rail express systems Class 47/7 No.47743 The Bobby is examined by Railtrack engineers after it derailed and rolled down an embankment, with three vans, north of York, shortly before midnight on Monday jul 24. The 27 year-old driver was trapped for more than six hours and lost a leg; full story on pages 6-7. Lower: At 1805 on July 14 1995, Res Class 47/7 No.47721 Saint Bede - a member of the same fleet as that damaged in the York crash - is pictured near King Edward Bridge, Newcastle, en route to King's Cross, with the 1430 'Capitals Mail' postal train, from Glasgow Central.

- News:  Driver trapped as locomotive and vans tumble down bank followin train derailment north of York; glimmer of hope as ASLEF engage in further talks  to prevent strike chaos; rail regulator challenges Wembley depot closure. Read it all in the most up-to-date and authoritative news section of any railway magazine.

- Is the Passengers Charter a 'Con'?  Steven Knight trawls through the BR Passenger timetable to see if 'customers' are literally being 'taken for a ride' when it comes to timekeeping. He comes up with some pretty conclusive evidence, presented here, so that you can decide for yourself.

- Letters:  There's nothing like a good debate - and RAIL has plenty on the go! Subjects raised by correspondents this fortnight include the 154mph record run, support for the Royal Train, rover tickets and the HST Eurostar link service.

- RAIL's Guide to Diesel Loco-haulage:  Not much left to interest you in today's railways? Don't you believe it! Philip Sutton summaries, with the aid of some superb illustrations, the remaining diesel locomotive-hauled passenger trains running this summer and offers up a wealth of complementary information to aid your travel arrangements.

- Railtour Preview:  Fancy a trip out this weekend? RAIL provides all you need to plan your journey  in this roundup of railtours, enthusiast specials and charter trains. Includes contact telephone numbers and fare structures.

- Around the Regions:  News from all four corners of the country brought together in an easily-read format for you to digest. More land development planned for King's Cross and a brewery set to move into Swindon Works!

- Preservation:  Modern traction preservation one of the biggest growing sectors of the hobby. Howard Johnston provides all the latest news including a successful bid for an EPB unit and roundup of Class 26s saved from the scrapyard.

- The 'D&E' Years:  RAIL introduces a new photographic feature designed to give a platform for the best  in historic diesel and electric photography. This first exercise is the work of Keith R. Pirt and includes some superb views of early 'Peaks' and the prototype DELTIC.

- Traction News:  All the latest traction news, including Locomotive Review, Level 5 Works Report, Irish Scene, Namings and Stock Changes all lavishly illustrated by some of the best up-to-date photographic work to seen.

- Rolling Stock News:  In our regular update, David Russell outlines the latest position on multiple units and coaching stock while Bob Wallace and Roger Butcher lead us through recent wagon and track maintenance developments.

- RAILFile News:  Essential industry news edited by Murray Brown. An update on the Paxman VP185 power unit and news of new Loadhaul and Transrail freight flows.

- Outlook:  A look at railway reliability. Did you know the 'old' West Coast route actually out-performs the 'new' East Coast?

- New Semaphores on Humberside:  Signalling expert David Allen takes a look at the semaphore signalling in use on Humberside and discovers how they are being used as part of a modernisation scheme!

- National Power - Open Access Pioneer:  National Power's Director of Fuel Management, Keith McNair, recently presented a powerful speech outlining his company's future plans and the progress being made towards becoming one of the railways first open access operators. RAILFile reproduces it in full.

- Chiltern Railways Relaunch:  A report on how the Marylebone lines, once threatened with closure, have been transformed by an £85 million total route modernisation project.