LMS JOURNAL

Platform 1

PUBLISHER'S ANNOUNCEMENT

For a considerable time now, we have absorbed the continually rising costs of printing, in particular the paper, in order to maintain the cover price of LMS Journal. However, it has reached the point where we have been subsidising the last few issues, which is obviously an unsustainable situation. To return it to a viable commercial proposition would result in an unacceptably high retail price, so we have taken the regrettable decision not to continue with the Journal beyond issue 38. We would like to thank you all for your support throughout, which has been an enjoyable experience.

Wild Swan Publications Ltd. November 2013

LMSJ 38 Cover Last LMS Journal
Issue 38. ISBN 978 1 908763 07 5

Origins of LMS Journal

The preview edition of LMS Journal was launched at the Warley Model Railway National Exhibition held at the NEC in November 2001 and the new journal was based upon experience gained with Midland Record. Both journals were published by Wild Swan Publications with Bob Essery as editor and as we will see there are some interesting parallels between the 'pregroup' Midland Record and the 'post group' LMS Journal.

In order to tell the entire story we have to go back to 1993 when Bob Essery realised that May 1994 would be the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Midland Railway, and this anniversary should be celebrated. The late Greg Fox, then a member of the LMS Society, who was also the owner of Foxline, expressed interest in a single book, to be entitled, Midland Celebration. It soon became clear that Greg's idea was to produce a pictorial album and with this agreed the work of finding pictures and writing caption got underway, but during the first months of 1994 Greg had a change of mind and called a halt to the project. Looking around for a publisher it soon became clear the most receptive would be Wild Swan; fortunately Bob Essery was well known to the directors of the company and they were most interested in the idea of a new journal. The Preview Edition of Midland Record was launched in 1995 and during the years that followed it has become a bi-annual 96 page edition covering all aspect of the Midland Railway, the editorial brief of, from inception through grouping to nationalisation has served it well.

About 1999 a few members of the LMS Society, perhaps influenced by another Wild Swan publication, Great Western Railway Journal or Midland Record sought to find a publisher in order to launch a magazine devoted to the LMS and in a manner not too dissimilar to Midland Record found one who later changed his mind. For almost two years the efforts continued but when it became clear one could not be found Paul Karau, Managing Director of Wild Swan with Bob Essery as editor, using the Midland Record experience decided to launch LMS Journal, the editorial brief was to cover the post 1923 period up to the late 1960s when fundamental changes to the British Railways system eliminated many aspects of the steam railway. While it was difficult to find many old Midland Railwaymen to record their stories in Midland Record a number of ex LMS men or those who worked on British Railways during the early years of Nationalisation have featured LMS Journal.

Midland Record proved there were readers who were interested in subjects that the mainstream railway magazines would not consider and the same applies to LMS Journal. Since it was founded LMS Journal has been able to publish the work of a number of members of the LMS Society and the principle contributors are, and have always been, members of the Society.

Bob Essery, Editor LMS Journal.

LMS Crest