In this issue

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLASS 31 - These hardy workhorses have now notched up 60 years in service, so we round up the surviving fleet and look at the celebratory gala held at the Nene Valley Railway.

EXPRESS MAILBAG - Class 50 on coal; Class 50s at Carlisle; ‘325’ cab.

IRISH ANGLE - Celebrity locos in demand for railtours; NIR ‘Thumper’ DEMU back in use on Sandite duties...

Knottingley Celebrates 50 Years

Staff at DB Cargo’s West Yorkshire depot organised a mini open day on October 28, raising money for Cancer Research UK and marking the depot’s 50th anniversary.

1 min

First IETs Enter Service

Hitachi Class 800s have started passenger diagrams with Great Western Railway.

4 mins

Happy Birthday Class 31 An Unlikely Survivor

This month marks the diamond jubilee of the Brush Type 2 fleet, nearly one in seven of which have survived into 2017.

2 mins

NVR 'Goyle' Gala Celebrates Diamond Jubilee

The Nene Valley Railway marked 60 years of Class 31s with an intensive three-day gala featuring no less than eight locos in action.

2 mins

0 To 60!

A Class 345 takes over as leader in our series, as Neville Hill takes a seven-car version for a spin to Shenfield. Just how nimble are today’s locos and units, and what’s the quickest offthe mark?

1 min

The Pride Of Canton

Looking to portray an early Doncaster-built Class 56, Alex Carpenter describes how he modelled one of the Trainload Metals fleet in no less a form than the Cardiff depot’s notional flagship.

2 mins

Pool Profile 2: Trainload Metals Class 56s

Although the Metals sub-sector was initially given a small allocation of ‘Grids’ upon the division of the locomotive fleet in 1987, these were removed just months later. It would be the 1990s before the class was again officially allocated to steel duties, first in South Wales and then the North East. Simon Bendall details their history.

2 mins

Sub-Sector Customisation

One of the philosophies behind the design of the triple grey scheme was to create a uniform look for the Railfreight fleet with no deviation from the set livery layout. However, as Simon Bendall explains, some depots did not get this memo.

3 mins

Channel Tunnel 'Cromptons'

The late 1980s saw a pool of Class 33s allocated to the Construction sub-sector, these being largely dedicated to transporting materials to the various Channel Tunnel building sites in Kent. Paul Wade describes how to upgrade the Heljan ‘Slim Jim’ variant as well as model the associated Queen Mary brake vans.

4 mins

Celebrity Locos In Demand For Railtours

Irish Rail’s two retro-liveried 071 Class locos were requested for two recent railtours, including a first use in multiple.

3 mins

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Rail Express Magazine Description:

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