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

RAIL EXPRESS

Rail fares frozen until 2027

EMR Class 810 ‘Aurora’ units enter service • Tony Miles reports on the first of 33 new Class 810 bi-mode trains which entered passenger service with East Midlands Railway on December 3.

Freightliner splits locomotive fleet following sale of intermodal arm • The Heavy Haul roster has been officially transferred into new operating pools following the takeover of the Intermodal side of the business by CMA CGM.

Last ‘455s’ to be stopped in coming weeks • Off lease sets move to Derby after Unimetals goes into liquidation

LNER shortens Mk.4 sets • Mk.4 rakes have been reduced to seven vehicles plus DVT

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

Hunslet vacates Burton workshops in managed rundown • Two decades of shunter overhauls and repairs have ceased at Barton-under-Needwood.

‘Chopper’ re-enters preservation • Class 20 joins East Lancashire Railway fleet

Heritage diesel pictorial

‘Gronk’s are added to Accurascale’s loco roster

Heljan’s multiple unit progress

Early Mk.2s in ‘TT:120’

New arrivals from Hornby

COP26 Avanti ‘Pendolino’ • The Hornby Class 390 is re-issued as No. 390121 in the special COP26 'Ride Against Climate Change' livery. We put the train packs together in stages to make up the full eleven car train formation.

Stylish Stanier brake van from Bachmann

Bardon Aggregates JGAs delivered • A high fidelity model of the Bardon Hill Quarries JGA aggregate hopper wagon has been delivered by Cavalex Models, an excellent match for its Class 60. Five years in the making, was the wait worth it?

The Bulleid story continues with unfitted CIÉ H Vans

Drop in wheels for the Accurascale ‘Tug’ • The method for fitting the bespoke wheel conversion pack to the Accurascale Class 60 for operation on an ‘EM’ layout is demonstrated

Of apples, trees and rabbits • The recent abandoned trackwork project described in REM259 (November 2025 issue) was a fun project to complete. But could it be enhanced further?

End of an era as West Country prepares to say farewell to the HSTs • HSTs have been a common sight in Devon and Cornwall over 45 years. As Great Western Railway’s final sets come up for withdrawal, David Russell looks back at their use in the West Country which began in 1979.

SB Rail KFA crane runners go for scrap • The small fleet of match wagons, which are effectively single-unit FCAs, has seen several more vehicles fall by the wayside despite all being built since the turn of the Millennium.

TIME TRAVELLER

What has January done to offend? • Why do railtour operators throw in the towel when it comes to running tours in January? Only UK Railtours saves the month!

Athenry to Claremorris line on Western Rail Corridor to reopen

Funding agreed for DLR extension