Reality Check
Brush Type 2 Variants
The distinctive Class 31s had a panoply of variants which cry out to be modelled - and some very obvious external differences. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES investigates.
Class 50s go West
The distinctive Class 50s were perhaps at their best after being reallocated to the Western Region in the 1970s, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
REALITY CHECK: Class 25 Variety
The numerous Class 25s have a rather confusing history, as within the 327 examples built there have been numerous sub-classes and individual variations, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.
Cabbing a Class 60 with DC Rail
DC Rail is a popular freight operator with lineside and model enthusiasts. JAMES ABBOTT from Modern Railways magazine takes a run through the Chilterns in the cab of a Class 60 to discover how these heavy aggregate trains are operated.
Last knockings of the Class 101s
Although it is now 20 years since the last Class 101 DMUs were withdrawn, these units outlived many of their counterparts by a handsome margin. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks back at these successful trains and relates the story of their extended final years.
Class 47s’ Second Lives
The Class 47s have been displaced from front-line duties but still remain active on the main line on a surprising variety of alternative roles, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.
GWR Steam Railmotor
Railways have always faced the problem of how to work their most lightly used routes cheaply. One solution that found much favour in Victorian times was the steam railmotor, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.
REALITY CHECK: Southern Railway CC1 ‘Booster’
To power goods trains on its electric network, the Southern Railway built one of the most innovative and unusual locomotive designs ever to appear on our railways. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES looks into the history of the Class 70, otherwise known as the ‘Booster’.
Class 57s
While remanufacture of existing locomotives is common practice in other countries it is quite rare in the UK. The Class 57, however, is an exception, having been rebuilt from the Class 47 two decades ago. EVAN GREEN-HUGHES takes a look at this successful conversion and its subsequent service history.
REALITY CHECK: The BR Standard '2MT' 2-6-0s
The old saying of ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’ is often used in railway circles and this saying was never more true than in the design of the ‘2MT’ 2-6-0s which, despite being a BR Standard design, were near identical copies of an earlier type, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES explains.