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Front cover of Backtrack Magazine, May 2000 Issue
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Backtrack Magazine, May 2000 Issue

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Contents Listing - Articles & Features in this issue
Through Basingstoke
Louth Shed's Class C12 4-4-2TS
Take more notice
District Railway Extensions to the West and electrification
Deluge on the Cambrian line
Euston to Kilburn - and beyond: 1937-50
Early one morning at Carlisle
T Great Western's route to Cheltenham
Focus on Perth
Stanier's 2-6-0s
Sex, spies and luxury trains - the railway adventures of James Bond
The ghost in the machine - George Armstrong and the Wolverhampton heritage
Handling passengers in the 1880s
Portsmouth to Southampton
Rolling Stock Focus
Readers’ Forum
 
FRONT COVER - LNER 2-6-0 No.61995 Cameron of Lochiel takes water at Crianlarich on the West Highland line on 18th June 1960. tills was one of a class of six powerful thiee cylinder locomotives introduced in r'l/ especially for working this difficult route. 
 
Article Snippets
Article Snippets
I'VE BEEN A WILD ROVER....
Back in 1966, as a change from our usual holiday venue on the Yorkshire ('.oast, I persuaded my parents that we should head for Wales where there were narrow gauge railways to be visited for the first time. Thus we journeyed to Aberystwyth which could be reached on a through train from Mancheslei (in real carriages then!) which was hauled by electric, steam and diesel ti.i< lion dining its course. As Aberystwyth was then firmly shut on Sundays, explorations did not begin until the Monday when we purchased I lolldav Runabout I ickels loi the ( ambrian lines; a modest adult fare of £1 10s (I I .'>(>) sei med a week's unlimited travel and along with an extensive range of sin h 'Runabouts' all over the country — provided super value.
They were, of course, nothing new and long before holidaymakers had any real alternative to train travel the railway companies recognised the worth of encouraging them to explore their holiday area to the full. Presumably they regarded their travels as income additional to that they would ordinarily receive and could afford to discount it in order to generate the business.
In 1905 the North Eastern Railway had 'Holiday Contract Tickets' for a week or a fortnight in the most popular parts of its system with those centred on the seaside resorts of Scarborough, Whitby and Bridlington being, not surprisingly, the most sought-after. No fewer than five were available in the area, offering various combinations of routes; one was particularly recommended by G.W.J. Potter in the Railway Magazine in 1910: "....it allows the holder to enjoy a coast ride of some 20 miles between Scarborough and Whitby, to see the beautiful and little-known Forge Valley branch from Seamer to Pickering, and to travel over the wonderful Whitby & Pickering section".
The NER, despite having a monopoly in its domain, seems to have been especially keen on encouraging the tourist trade. Besides the facility mentioned above, it offered Tourist, Weekend, Ten-Day, Circular Tour and Cycling & Walking Tickets amongst others, while Selected Four Tickets could be drawn up for any itinerary chosen by a passenger if any of the Circular 'Four Tickets did not suit "the convenience of travellers".
In 1932 the GWR was promoting 'Holiday Season Tickets' in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, the Valley of the Dee, the Wye Valley, The Malvcrns and on the Cambrian Coast "to enjoy to the full the wonderful diversity of attractions...." The BR North Eastern Region 1964 timetable advertised 'Holiday Runabout Tickets' in selected holiday areas, while 'Railrover Tickets’ covering the whole of the Region could be had for just £6 a week. Under one brand name or another, tickets of this sort gave holidaymakers the chance to travel widely and economically for most of the twentieth century and notwithstanding the closure of many scenic rural and coastal branches they have continued to offer tempting car-free pleasure trips.
I mention them now because it was feared that railway privatisation would see their demise, with the multiplicity of train operators unable to agree over their availability and the general acceptance of tickets. Surprise, surprise, they have survived and if you should happen upon a Selective Fares Manual and investigate its depths you will find mention of a considerable variety of 'Ranger', 'Rover' and 'Round Robin' tickets, on offer all over the country and apparently open for use on almost all trains regardless of provider. But, of course, that weighty tome is not publicly available and so how would you learn about them, since they hardly seem to be advertised? Maybe the operators find it difficult to reach unity on who pays for publicity but it would be a pity if lack of custom were to see them abandoned. They are a great way of exploring the country by train so perhaps we should ask about them before "insufficient demand" wreaks its usual consequence; "then I never will be a wild rover no more".
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