Grab the brand-new October issue of Railways Illustrated magazine for the best coverage of today’s railway scene.
Pooling the resources
In the 1980s, BR split its fleet into sectors and every loco was allocated to a specific pool. These had a bespoke four-letter code which told staff what the loco was expected to be used on. Some pools were rigid, others more flexible. Pip Dunn looks back at the history of pools, their codes, and what they meant. Part 1: The pre-privatisation BR era.
Something just a little bit different
In the second part of our look at some of the more unusual locos to have run on the national network over the years, Pip Dunn recalls, amongst others, Class 73s with Cummins engines, Class 37s with Mirrlees and Ruston engines and a Class 40 with electric train supply…
The heyday of the Class 31s
Often overlooked, but usually very dependable, the popular Brush Type 2s – later the Class 30/31s – outlived many of their Pilot Scheme compatriots. Using pictures from the Paul Robertson collection, the 31s are remembered hard at work in the east of England in the BR green and blue eras.
Stepping back in time
There is still plenty of old-school infrastructure on the nation’s railway and the delightful station at Swinderby, with its semaphore signals, gated crossing and 125-year old signalbox is just one such living museum. Pip Dunn called in for a look.
