Rail (Enthusiast) Magazine - No.268 Dec 1995

Rail (Enthusiast) December 1995. Issue No.268

- Front Cover:  Mainline Freight's Class 60 No.60074 Braeriach makes good progress along the Great Western main line near Wantage with an empty Didcot-Avonmouth MGR working. US railroad Wisconsin Central is confirmed as the new owner of Res and is also known to be interested in buying all three trainload freight companies.

- Comment:  As the pantomime season arrives, there could be few stranger plots than the continuing story of privatisation. Nigel Harris raises the curtain...

- News:  Our news is the most comprehensive and up-to-date in the business. Top stories include: Confirmed! Wisconsin Central buys Rail express systems; campaigners battle on against Franchise plan; privatisation, a majot threat to rail safety?; diversions over Harringworth viaduct; last oil train runs to Heathfield; new owner for BR Telecomms.

- Save our Railways:  How YOU can make a real difference! Campaign group Save our Railways seeks your help and explains how you can fight for your railway!

- Around the Regions:  News from all corners of the network, including the Shackerstone Railway's extension plans.

- Wolmar:  The Independent's transport columnist, Christian Wolmar sat through a two-day hearing in the High Court, watching the Save our Railways legal challenge fall apart. Turn to page 23 to read Christian Wolmar's damning comment.

- Who will Build Our Trains now?  With the closure of York Works on December 22, Britain's train building takes another hard knock. With little hope of new orders for at least two years, Mel Holley asks if our train builders can survive the famine?

- Preservation:  RAIL is first with the top stories including Pete Waterman's plans to sell Class 45 No.45041 and his scrapping of seven Class 47s.

- Excursion Latest:  Railtour operators have just announced their 1996 programmes. Howard Johnston sifts through the plans and details all trains for the first part of the new year.

- Main Line Points:  Don't miss a bargain! Collect your 'points' from RAIL, Steam Railway and Steam World and get large reductions on quality railway gifts.

- Closed 1966, Permission to Re-open 1996?  Will the Great Central Railway be revived as a new main line? Murray Brown reports on a £3bn scheme to build a 180-mile route, suitable for carrying lorries by rail, from the Midlands using large parts of the former GCR line.

- RAIL Blue:  It's time to revel in the days when the only colour you could have was blue! Mel Holley presents a glorious selection of his pictures from the 1980s.

- A bright future in the Black Country:  With Bescot at its centre, the Black Country freight system is seeing new services - such as Enterprise and Connectrail - offsetting traffic losses of the early 1990s. David James Hayes relates the changing fortunes of one of Britain's busiest freight areas.

- Open Access:  Reader's views, comments and suggestions including criticism of poor timetabling of European Passengers Services sleeper services.

- Locomotive Review:  With top photographs of interesting services, this is the column with all the traction news - including the first Class 87 departure from King's Cross - together with Irish News, what's in Works and recent namings.

- Stock Changes:  Your 'bible' for all depot and pool transfers. Plus, more stock for sale from BR - this week tool vans, Sandite units and depot equipment.

- Rolling Stock News:  David Russell has the latest news including a generator van back in service, scrapping dates of vehicles at MC Metals and a comprehensive review of the Mk 3 'sleeper' stock.

- Freight and Engineering:  Bob Wallace takes an in-depth look at the freight stock on the Nene Valley Railway - totalling more than 50 vehicles.

- RAILFile Insider:  RAIL's top 'insider' comments on the freight business - what is required to help freight on the railway have a good deal?

- The Image Makers:  Roundel Design was responsible for the Res and Trainload Freight liveries. Murray Brown examines how railway design functions

- East Germany's Railfreight slides into Crisis:  Re-unification of Germany has seen enormous changes with its two railway systems. Michael Rhodes reports on a system in crisis.

- Departmental News:  Roger Butcher has a comprehensive review of non-powered departmental locomotives.

- Classified:  There's everything from a diesel shunter to railwayana in our classified marketplace!

- Stop and Examine:  Editor Nigel Harris presents more of your humour - including the ultimate photograph of lorry traffic on the railways!