Backtrack | August 2025
Stopped for attention at Crewe - Colour photos of Tommy Tomalin’s visit to Crewe Works in August 1961.
The Furness Railway and its locomotives 1846-1921 - an illustrated survey by David Anderson
1830: The year railways transformed economy, industry and transport forever - a landmark year in railway history reviewed by James Graham.
Danté’s Inferno - The Smithywood Coke Ovens in South Yorkshire described and photographed in 1975 by Jonathan Guilbert.
Britain’s Railways and the Boer War 1899-1902: Part Three - Berenice Naynham continues the story to the return of the troops after the war ended.
Some Great Eastern Railway gems - archive photos from the Pendragon Archives.
Waterloo Steam - four colour pages of steam at this major London terminus.
LMS Tourist Traffic to Scotland – Summer 1939: described by Peter Tatlow.
Continuing on the course of the ’10.00’ - Gavin Morrison's colour photographs of the East Coast Main Line between York and Edinburgh.
Locomotive Skulduggery in Leeds: The case of the copycat valve gears - investigated by Philip Atkins.
Southport Remembered - Michael H.C. Baker shares some reflections from this Lancashire seaside town.
Three hours on a Saturday - J. Crosse recalls observations around Weston-super-Mare in the early 1960s.
Deadly Cargo - David J. Hayes looks back at what was once regarded as the deadliest substance ever moved by rail in the UK.
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The specialist magazine was first published in 1986 for the purpose of ‘recording the history of Britain’s railway’ - the magazine’s strapline - and it is now published by Pendragon Publishing. Dropping every month, Backtrack magazine is your monthly dose of railway nostalgia and historical insight.
35 years later and Backtrack has firmly established itself as the authority on topics such as the history of Britain and Ireland’s train stations, railway bridges, signalling, biographies, train services and staff recollections - all of which regularly appear in the magazine. Backtrack's contributors include many of today's leading railway history writers and the magazine has a reputation for being of the highest quality.
With a multitude of unmissable monthly features, every issue aims to chronicle and record part of the history of Britain’s railway system. Every issue contains a dozen or so large articles that focus on a particular line or area in British railway history.
Whether you’re into early railway history from the 'pre-Stephenson' era, steam, diesel or electric locomotive you’ll find every era covered in minute detail - from railway company history, railway carriages and wagons, railway stations, railway ships, hotels and road vehicles, railway economic and social history and railway publicity and advertising.
A Backtrack digital magazine subscription is your go-to for railway history:
- Britain's leading historical railway magazine
- Delving into the era of horse-drawn tramroads up to locomotives and rolling stock
- History of lines, the social, political, financial, engineering and labour aspects of the railway
- Archive black and white quality images and historical colour coverage of the railway scene
- The history of train stations, railway bridges, signalling, biographies and train services
- Contributors include many of today's leading railway history writers
- Delivered directly to your device every week
You'll receive 12 issues during a 1 year Backtrack magazine subscription.
Note: Digital editions do not include the covermount items or supplements you would find with printed copies.
Articles in this issue
Below is a selection of articles in Backtrack August 2025.