Welcome to the second issue of BR Times, the history periodical dedicated to students and enthusiasts of the British Rail (BR) era. The BR Times focuses upon: the era from around 1965 to 1997, the network from Wick to Penzance and everything from the humble shunter, to BR’s most powerful locomotives, the HST and cups of tea from the buffet. Here in issue 2 we have chapters from Aberdeen and Redbridge, coal traffic in Derbyshire and the Merry-Go-Round system to West Coast Main Line electrified services north of Crewe. In addition are a 1970s ‘spotting trip’ to South Wales and a look at the re-signalling of Shepreth Branch Junction in East Anglia. Contents Introduction The Granite Depot: Aberdeen Diesel Depot by Alex Fisher The Final Whistle: The First and Last Withdrawals of the Class 40s – Part 2 by Alex Fisher The Weaver and the Knitting: The Electrification of the Northern Half of the West Coast Main Line – Part 1 by David Hunter Shed Bashing by Coach: South Wales July/August 1971 by Stuart Warr Old Shepreth: Resignalling Shepreth Branch Junction by Alex Fisher Back to the Future: The Introduction of the Class 59 by Richard James A ‘Potteried’ History: The Denby Branch by Alex Fisher Auld Reekie to Dear Green Place: Scotland’s Edinburgh to Glasgow Route – Part 2, The Class 27s by Alex Fisher Rails at Redbridge: Southern Region Services through Redbridge by Alex Fisher Behind the Lens: The Longest Class 158 Passenger Train (Ever?) by Steve Knight Powering a Nation: BR’s Merry-Go-Round Operations – Part 2 by Alex Fisher