The first is an example of the now virtually extinct ‘trip’ freight train with a journey from Warrington to Horwich visiting a variety of locations in Lancashire. Moving south we look at coal train operations on the branch to Norton Colliery near Stoke-on-Trent. On the south coast cement train operations around Southampton are covered and there is a look at the specialised wagons used on trains to Lavant quarry near Chichester. We now move to Northern Ireland back in the 1970s, a time of great difficulty its railways we reveal what an interesting system it was even in those dark days. There is an enthusiast’s coach tour to Crewe and the surrounding depots in 1967 with a fascinating variety of locomotives to be seen. Our main photo feature is in the days before electrification of the West Coast Main Line on the section between Carlisle and Shap when English Electric and Brush Type 4s graced the head of expresses and Freightliner trains. A former railwayman describes the difficulties that staff faced in the winter at Derby diesel depot and the precautions that were taken to avoid frost damage to locomotives. In TRACTION MODELLING we have an article showing how to modify a rather basic ready to run model and produce a better UKF PWA fertliser wagons.