Railway Journalist and Editor Peter Kelly has died

[Maybach]

The railway journalist, Peter Kelly - the founding editor of RAIL (Enthusiast) magazine - died at the end of last year:

Sad to learn of the passing of Peter Kelly, the founding editor of Rail Enthusiast, which captured the zeitgeist of the twilight of the big noisy blue and yellow railway. He broke the buttoned up mold - felt like he was one of us.

https://twitter.com/Jonathan__Bray/status/1617861182219747331

(Original Post edited to reflect the fact that he passed away at the end of last year).

 

[hexagon789]

Reports are coming in of the death of railway journalist, Peter Kelly - the founding editor of RAIL (Enthusiast) magazine:

https://twitter.com/Jonathan__Bray/status/1617861182219747331

With the greatest of respect to his memory, but this is old news now. He died back on the 28th December and his "creation" RAIL announced his passing two issues ago and had a very nicely written obit. in the current issue.

Nevertheless a great loss to the railway publishing industry - RAIL seemed a bit more 'human' and less sort of harsh business-like as now under his tenure. I think he was more comfortable at Steam Railway though.

 

[Maybach]

Sorry about that. It sounded from Jonathan Bray's twitter page as if he had only just passed away. I hadn't seen the news anywhere else though. To be honest, I haven't bought RAIL magazine for several years now.

 

[hexagon789]

Sorry about that. It sounded from Jonathan Bray's twitter page as if he had only just passed away. I hadn't seen the news anywhere else though. To be honest, I haven't bought RAIL magazine for several years now.

As I said, I first saw it in a tweet some weeks ago.

I just wanted to make it clear that it hadn't just happened as it were. I agree that tweet is a bit ambiguous.

 

[12LDA28C]

Rail Enthusiast, as it used to be called wasn't a bad magazine, I've probably still got the first issue somewhere (a Deltic on the front if I recall) although it's been considerably less interesting (at least to me) in recent years with more opinion, politics and news etc than stuff about trains themselves.

Still not as good as the much-missed Modern Railways Pictorial was though.

 

[ainsworth74]

although it's been considerably less interesting (at least to me) in recent years with more opinion, politics and news etc than stuff about trains themselves.

It an interesting one. Rail seems to be trying to move itself onto Modern Railway's lawn. Even I first started reading such things in the late 00s, I picked up Rail in preference to Modern Railways as MR felt a bit stuffy and corporate compared and didn't really seem as interesting. But as Rail evolved (and to be fair as did my interest) I swapped to Modern Railways as their coverage always felt far more in depth, accurate and comprehensive compared to Rail. I occasionally leaf through a copy of Rail and it really does feel like a publication which has somewhat lost its way. Neither managing to really hit the mark for those who are more interested in the technical, policy, structural issues (like MR) nor the slightly more enthusiast friendly pictorial, interesting stories, nostalgia, type content.

I sometimes wonder if they're in danger of writing themselves into oblivion by failing to do as good a job as MR does on the "heavy" topics of the day and failing to be attractive to the slightly lighter enthusiast market? I wonder what Peter Kelly would make of what had become of his publication, it sounds like it's moved a very long way from what he made of it!

 

[Ashley Hill]

I didn’t know about his passing as I don’t read Rail because it’s been crap for years.
Peter Kelly done an admirable job with Rail Enthusiast,it catered for those who did not want the highbrow stuff contained in other magazines at the time. Proper cranky stuff including the yellow bit in the middle with all the gen from the previous month. He celebrated the past whilst still being positive about the future. IIRC he cycled from John O’Groats to Lands End to support D200.
RE lost something when he left eventually ending up like the consumer magazine it is today.

 

[Maybach]

Some years ago I went to a RTCS meeting where Nigel Harris was the guest speaker. He admitted that he had repositioned the magazine from the "enthusiast" end of the market to the middle ground, attracting columnists like Christian Wolmar to lend it a bit more gravitas. I can remember now the "Enthusiast" part of the title becoming smaller and smaller and then dropped from the cover altogether! I used to buy RAIL on a regular basis, then a semi-regular basis, then just then and now, and not all for about 4 or 5 years!

I agree that Modern Railways is the better read now. Roger Ford's 'Informed Sources' column is always good value.

 

[Forty29]

Here's something controversial - name D200 Peter Kelly, without him it probably wouldn't be with us today. Though the loco in its current condition and position in the NRM would be an injustice to him.
Yes Rail enthusiast was a great magazine used to look forward to purchasing from the news's stand on Reading platform 4 where they had a stack of the magazine which showed how popular it was. RIP Peter Kelly.

 

[43096]

Some years ago I went to a RTCS meeting where Nigel Harris was the guest speaker. He admitted that he had repositioned the magazine from the "enthusiast" end of the market to the middle ground, attracting columnists like Christian Wolmar to lend it a bit more gravitas.

If you have to add someone like Woemar to add gravitas, that tells you everything you need to know about how dire the magazine is.

A shame how it has gone, as it was a great mag when Peter Kelly started it.

 

[Taunton]

The old Rail Enthusiast was a bit like a Private Eye of the industry, things written for a laugh and critical of the establishment but from a knowledgeable source.

It lost its way when it was decided to move from monthly to fortnightly production, there being just the same amount of worthwhile material now spread thinly between the filler.

There was an early writer called I think David Maxey whose wisecracks were both witty and spot on.

 

[Ashley Hill]

There was an early writer called I think David Maxey whose wisecracks were both witty and spot on.

David Maxey wrote Railtour Review which was often hilarious. The escapades of Beryl and Cheryl were never so well reported. Likewise the BSK (Buffer Stop Kissers) and RST (railtour standard time=time + 1hr).
He later wrote for the early editions of Traction.

 

[43096]

David Maxey wrote Railtour Review which was often hilarious. The escapades of Beryl and Cheryl were never so well reported. Likewise the BSK (Buffer Stop Kissers) and RST (railtour standard time=time + 1hr).
He later wrote for the early editions of Traction.

Wasn’t there SLACK as well (=Slow Line And Crossovers Klub)?

 

[Forty29]

Also gave amusing commentary on the Traction ' Tape of the year' series.

 

[davetheguard]

There was an early writer called I think David Maxey whose wisecracks were both witty and spot on.

David Maxey wrote Railtour Review which was often hilarious. The escapades of Beryl and Cheryl were never so well reported.

Both spot on. Comic madness that sticks in my mind was a spoof Pacer trip to Paris due to the failure of the booked Eurostar (or some such story); and a couple of upper class slappers (NOT Beryl or Cheryl!) getting their Fortnum & Mason hamper stuck in the doors of a Bakerloo line train on the way to "Padders".

Didn't Beryl & Cheryl later become Beryl & Carol?

Great stuff.

 

[Taunton]

One really doesn't want to dilute a tribute to the founding editor with detail about the contributors, but all credit to Kelly for finding and taking on such talented writers.

 

[satisnek]

I no longer read magazines, so this is news to me and certainly sad news. As a schoolboy I used to enjoy the early editions of RE, particularly Peter's numerous cab ride reports. But my favourite article of all time has to be his account of the F & W Railtours' 'Western Whistler', published in the December 1982 edition. Complete with pre-loaded nostalgia at the beginning and end, he captured the atmosphere of a good railtour to perfection. In my opinion one of the best magazine articles ever written. If you come across this edition, or indeed any other early copies of RE in a heritage railway sales coach, I recommend snapping them up without hesitation!

 

[Maybach]

There's a nice tribute to Pete (as, apparently, he liked to be known!) in the latest (February) issue of Railway Magazine. I hadn't realised quite how many railway journals he'd worked on!