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

Rail Express

Castles to continue in passenger service beyond this December

SVR launches Survival Fund

Farewell charity charters for veteran EMUs

First Class 175s sent off-lease by TfW

Stadler to maintain Class 99s at Leicester

TfL confirms final Elizabeth Line timetable

GBRf Class 60 to Longport for re-engineering assessment • Three long-stored ‘60s’ leave Toton, with two to Loughborough and a third to Progress Rail for investigation.

Midland Mainline ‘Project Rio’ colours for 125 Group power car • Power car gains 2003 colour scheme.

More ‘379s’ move to HNRC’s Worksop site for storage • What future for surplus Electrostars?

Midland manoeuvres for RSS • Network SouthEast-liveried No. 08825 has come off hire and returned home while the Wigan duty has ceased.

Preserved 62 TS unit sold back to LU

Cross Country HST sets in focus • Fleet has less than six months left in service.

Skegness is so bracing, we’re going there twice! • Why only go once to a seaside resort when you could return later in the same tour?

First Bombardier Prorail-built TDA tankers sent for scrap • Built in 1993, the modern appearance of the former CAIB 90-tonne Class B tank wagons could not save them as the first examples are set to be cut up after a long period of store.

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

Spring railtours feature variety of locomotive haulage, rare track and a Cork-based tour • First visit to Sligo and M3 Parkway by a GM 201 Class worked passenger train.

New locomotive orders puts electrification in the spotlight again • Industry Witness examines what impact the Class 93 and ‘99’ locomotives could have on railfreight.

HSTs: the end is nigh…or is it? • Richard Clinnick provides diagrams for the Castle and CrossCountry High Speed Train fleets and assesses what happens next to the fleets.

Pushing and pulling the preservation boundaries • Returning No. 47712 to the main line was one thing, but getting it to operate in push-pull mode across Scotland, running at 100mph for sustained periods, won it an award selected by Rail Express. Richard Clinnick meets the owners to find out how this happened, and why.

Making Anglia great again • Five new fleets were ordered as part of the Greater Anglia franchise. With the final ‘321s’ withdrawn, engineering director Martin Beable tells Richard Clinnick how the transition was achieved, and what comes next.

REVIEWS

Bumper summer for Bachmann ‘N’ gauge

First and last Class 66 for Accurascale

Modern Class 37/4s in ‘OO’ • Very specific tooling has been completed by Accurascale to produce models of contemporary Class 37/4 locomotives with individual character and to a very high standard. The first lot to be delivered includes DRS No. 37419 Carl Haviland 1954-2012 which is subjected to the usual thorough Rail Express Modeller examination.

Royal Scotsman Class 66s

Rebodied HAA wagons from Cavalex • Despite facing a...