Cygnet Magazines

A superb feature on Bow ended carriages, Newbury goods yard, part 6 of Snow Hill, part 4 of Castles in traffic, labelling passengertrains, Blunsdon Road Crossing in pictures and letters - it will be missed!

Part two of Castles in traffic and the fourth part of traffic at Snow Hill are the major articles in this issue, in addition to John Lewis on the manufacture of gas for coach lighting. Two other delightful articles are Chris Turner recounting the story of Bob Ashton and his family at Brittania Crossing on the Kingswear Branch and Richard Watts recalling schoolboy memories of the Abingdon branch, featuring a shotgun, hot dogs, bangers and pagodas.

Part 2 of Worcester Shed and part 3 of goods operations Banbury continue from earlier issues while Stourport on Severn, banana traffic at Avonmouth and wartime on Hatton bank are new subjects.

Another slice of proper railway, goods operation at Banbury, part 3 of the ROD class in traffic, Tyesley depot and its locomotive work and a really interesting feature on the "Gas Turbine Era" plus letters.

Four main features in this issue, two delightful explorations of Liskeard and Newbury, junction stations set in very different locations, Tyesley Locomotives and their work in the Birmingham district and a third part of ROD locomotives in traffic. As my life passes by and the more I look at pictures such as those in this issue of Great Western Railway Journal, the more I find myself thinking of Adrian Vaughan's assertion; "end of steam, end of civilisation". Overly pessimistic for sure and I expect that the two are unconnected, but it makes you wonder...

Nice and rural(ish), the "Westbury Top Job" by the late Gerry Parkins describes operating the Weymouth line, including some lovely pictures of the small stations along the route. Tyesley locomotive depot, the working of Moreton Cutting sidings, an article on the ROD locomotives in traffic and a page of Great Western nameplate lettering.

An extended piece on Witney and the Witney Railway, passing Solihull, more 51XXs at work, positioning of water cranes, the fading years at Cricklade and a jaw droppingly lovely colour picture of an auto train leaving Ebley Crossing Halt by Roy Denison. This is a nicely rural and visually appealing issue of a wonderful journal - long may it continue.

The final part of operations at Paddington, extending up to the diesel era and even including some views showing the "Blue Pullman", the final part of the series on horseboxes and the "Bulldogs" in their last years, plus three "bonus" views of Honeybourne in the 1950s.

Reading goods, 44XXs in traffic and the wonder that was Honeybourne, an absolutely enormous installation that has been rationalised almost beyond recognition. Actually it has recently undergone a miraculous rennaissance as part of the Cotswold re-doubling project, but is still a shadow of what was.

A major piece on passenger operations at Paddington and the earlier GWR horse boxes occupy the majority of this issue.

Passenger pilot operations at Reading, part five of the ongoing Paddington article together with a lovely colour photo feature on Thame Station and Iver in the snow.