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

Network SouthEast livery revived on a ‘Networker’ EMU

Consultation begins on Great British Railways

Greatest Gathering sells out as exhibits list grows and grows • More exhibits planned for biggest railway event in decades.

First viaduct for HS2 Delta junction completed

The way we were • With 2025 marking the 200th anniversary of the first rail passenger service, over the next few issues Rail Express will take a nostalgic pictorial look at railway scenes from decades ago.

37601 returns as 37501 in British Steel Blue • Europhoenix’s latest heritage repaint unveiled and it re-creates the doyen of the Class 37/5s in its iconic Thornaby celebrity livery from the late 1980s.

Class 379s enter service with Govia Thameslink Railway • First sets are back in action on Great Northern routes.

Regulation 5 exemption for SRPS Mk.1 carriage until end of year • Charter rake approved for use pending fitting of CDL equipment.

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

Tulyar back in action before the end of 2025? • ‘Deltic’ takes power again after almost 28 years.

RSS rounds up LU battery locos • The Schoma/Clayton locos purchased last year have begun to be transported to Wishaw from London.

FEA-G deliveries restart with Wascosa orange batch • Ten months after the last batch arrived for GBRf/Porterbrook, a further 40 examples are now in the country from lessor Wascosa.

It’s electric and it’s a star!

Reporting Model Rail Scotland • Although a blustery February weekend greeted visitors to Model Rail Scotland, at the Scottish Exhibition Centre in Glasgow, it did nothing to dampen enthusiasm for this large model railway extravaganza!

Multi-colour 66s in TT:120 • How well does the new Hornby ‘TT:120’ gauge Class 66 measure up? An examination of four distinctly different models is conducted and the variations in each one checked against reference material.

More loco-hauled heaven from Accurascale • BR Mk.2c coaches with the defining small lavatory windows follow on from Mk.2b stock released in 2024. What do we think of the latest loco-hauled stock from Accurascale?

Boxes on wheels: The Orenstein & Koppel PHA/JYA • Cavalex Models and Ultimate Model Railways join forces to produce a high-fidelity model of an important Mendip aggregates wagon.

Another Ruston ‘critter’ in ‘O’! • Accurascale makes its debut in ‘O’ gauge locomotive modelling with the Ruston & Hornsby 88DS.

Orenstein & Koppel PHA/JYA bogie box wagons at work • Inspiration for modellers: Weathering and operating the new ‘OO’ gauge models produced by Cavalex Models.

Revisiting the Heljan 35t tank wagon

Has open access reached a crossroads? • Exciting plans by First Group to substantially expand its Lumo operation have received a pushback from Government. Chris Milner investigates the background, the open access market in general, and the proposal for new services currently awaiting approval.

Remembering the...