Rail Express

RAIL EXPRESS is Britain's favourite modern rail enthusiast title. Undoubtedly the best for modern traction photography, the magazine keeps readers informed and entertained with undiluted coverage of Britain's railways in the diesel and electric era. First produced in 1996, RE has set a new standard for the hobby, with a clean design, high quality paper and the best reproduction. January 2008 saw the magazine relaunched in an innovative 'supersize' format, showing off the ground-breaking contents to the best advantage. Every issue includes news and analysis covering the present day railway scene, plus the latest preservation developments. Also inside: RAIL EXPRESS Modeler - Diesel & Electric era modeling magazine

Coming up in this issue

Rail Express

Merseyrail Class 777s finally enter traffic

Transport for Wales introduces Class 231 fleet

GBRf withdraws Class 69 fleet from service

Eurostar launches new brand

Liverpool Street rebuild planned

‘769/9’ options explored

Class 47 scrapping begins on-site at WCR’s Carnforth base • The new year begins with the disposal of two long-stored Class 47s that never hauled a train for WCR.

‘Dusty Bins’ declining fast • Greater Anglia stops more Renatus Class 321s

West Coast Railways acquires Riviera Mk.1s • Chocolate and cream set moves to Carnforth

‘Chopper’ re-enters preservation • Former HNRC Class 20 finds new home at Brechin

Ex-Grangemouth TTAs heading into preservation • Heritage groups are acquiring at least seven former British Petroleum tanks stored at Gascoigne Wood.

London’s Underground railway celebrates 160th birthday • Transport for London marks anniversary of first underground passenger services.

Shunter exchange at Cardiff Tidal • Two HNRC ‘08s’ employed on the Celsa contract on behalf of GB Railfreight are swapped.

Winter mini diesel gala proves successful • Variety of heritage traction in use during event

Powerscene • Our authoritative class-by-class review of newsworthy locomotive workings.

50 not out for Peter Watts! • The elder statesman of Pathfinder Tours marks half a century in the business.

RAIL EXPRESS PICTORIAL

Modernising the DRS fleet • A new locomotive order is on the horizon for Direct Rail Services, while decisions are to be made about the ‘37s’, ‘57s’ and even ‘68s’. In an exclusive interview, Oliver Schepisi, head of operations at Nuclear Transport Solutions and DRS, spoke to Richard Clinnick about the future fleet requirements.

Key decisions now set to shape rail’s future • Industry Witness explores major financial decisions facing rail projects across Britain, and the impact these could have on future operations.

Inside Haymarket – the home of Scotland’s ‘43’ fleet • Richard Clinnick visits Haymarket depot to find out how the ScotRail Inter7City fleet is maintained.

0 to 60! • Just how nimble are today’s locos and units, and what’s the quickest off the mark?Having found a Class 320 on a Clyde Boat Train in RE321, it’s now the turn of a Class 318

Bessie’s Bulletin

Bachmann’s spring time Class 37s

Heljan ‘O’ gauge livery prototypes

The modelling potential of modern ScotRail: Are the manufacturers missing a trick? • Saltire livery was first mandated as the standard livery for all ScotRail Trains by Transport Scotland in 2008. We take a whirlwind tour of the now well-established livery and how it can be modelled.

Accurascale ‘Bedz’ • Constructed between 2016 and 2018, the brand-new Caledonian Sleeper CAF Mk.5 stock entered traffic in April 2019. Not much time elapsed before the ‘OO’ gauge models appeared from Accurascale, with all four of the coach types represented in model form.

ScotRail, ‘SpotRail’...