Tramways & Urban Transit
Encyclopedia
Tramways & Urban Transit (TAUT or T&UT), also known as Modern Tramway, is a British
monthly magazine about tram
ways and light rail
transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusiasts
and to persons working in the tram transport field or studying tramways. It has been issued monthly from the beginning. Although published in Britain, the magazine's coverage is international, and its regular "World News" column includes detailed news on electric trams (called streetcars or trolleys in American English
) and light rail worldwide.
From 1938 until 2007 the magazine was published by the Light Railway Transport League or, after a change of name in 1979, the Light Rail Transit Association
(LRTA), but starting in 1962 publication was jointly by that body and Ian Allan Limited
, which partnership allowed the magazine to be carried at bookshops and other trade outlets. With effect from the July 2007 issue, publication was taken over by a newly formed company, LRTA Publishing Ltd (LRTAP), who also publish a quarterly historical magazine, Tramway Review, for the LRTA. Circulation is around 9,000, worldwide.
The editors of the annual reference book, Jane’s Urban Transport Systems (JUTS), have used TAUT or its predecessor, Modern Tramway, as the principal data source for keeping up-to-date JUTS’ annotated worldwide list of all "Urban Tram and Light Rail Systems", and have done so for more than 25 years. The magazine has also been an important source of news and information on European tram developments for transport writers in the United States.
The last variation survived for nearly 12 years, but a more substantial name change was made in January 1992, when Modern Tramway and Light Rail Transit became Light Rail and Modern Tramway (LR&MT) (ISSN 0964-9255). This in turn was replaced by the magazine's current title, Tramways & Urban Transit (ISSN 1460-8324), in January 1998. This was abbreviated as "T&UT" until mid-2007 and thereafter as "TAUT".
or light rail
system, manufacturer or related topic; news sections for international, UK
and museum or heritage tram
news; editorial content, and a letters section. Some issues also include review
s, of books, DVD
s, etc. Feature articles usually include maps. Since 1995, each issue has had 40 pages, counting the front and back covers. Although histories of existing tram systems are sometimes included, coverage of long-closed systems was moved out of Modern Tramway in 1950 with the launch of a second LRTA magazine, Tramway Review, which continues in publication today and is focused on histories of tram systems in Britain.
TAUT’s current editor-in-chief is Simon Johnston, who took over the post in January 2011. The previous editor, Howard Johnston, had held the post since April 1995. His immediate predecessor, W. J. Wyse, had been the magazine's editor for 28 years, since June 1967, a longer period than any other MT or TAUT editor to date. Apart from W. J. Wyse and Howard Johnston, the only editors-in-chief who held the post for more than five years were K. G. Mansell (July 1952–April 1960) and James Joyce (May 1960–June 1967).
size A5, and the first regular inclusion of colour photographs—on the front and back covers and a two-page centre spread in each issue. Most illustrations remained black-and-white
. With effect from the January 1992 issue, concurrent with the change of name to Light Rail & Modern Tramway, the magazine's page size was doubled, to A4 size. The number of pages per issue was reduced from 40 to 32 at that time, but the two changes in combination yielded a net increase of 60% in page area. The number of pages was restored to 40 from the April 1995 issue (and has remained 40 ever since). The use of colour illustrations was later expanded, as colour printing
became less expensive, and since May 2002 TAUT has been fully in colour.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
monthly magazine about tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
ways and light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusiasts
Railfan
A railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
and to persons working in the tram transport field or studying tramways. It has been issued monthly from the beginning. Although published in Britain, the magazine's coverage is international, and its regular "World News" column includes detailed news on electric trams (called streetcars or trolleys in American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
) and light rail worldwide.
From 1938 until 2007 the magazine was published by the Light Railway Transport League or, after a change of name in 1979, the Light Rail Transit Association
Light Rail Transit Association
The Light Rail Transit Association is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to advocate and encourage research into the retention and development of light rail and tramway/streetcar systems...
(LRTA), but starting in 1962 publication was jointly by that body and Ian Allan Limited
Ian Allan Publishing
Ian Allan Publishing is a UK publisher, established in 1942, which specialises in transport magazines and books.In 1942 Ian Allan, then working on enquiries on the Southern Railway, published his first book, "ABC of Southern Locomotives"...
, which partnership allowed the magazine to be carried at bookshops and other trade outlets. With effect from the July 2007 issue, publication was taken over by a newly formed company, LRTA Publishing Ltd (LRTAP), who also publish a quarterly historical magazine, Tramway Review, for the LRTA. Circulation is around 9,000, worldwide.
The editors of the annual reference book, Jane’s Urban Transport Systems (JUTS), have used TAUT or its predecessor, Modern Tramway, as the principal data source for keeping up-to-date JUTS’ annotated worldwide list of all "Urban Tram and Light Rail Systems", and have done so for more than 25 years. The magazine has also been an important source of news and information on European tram developments for transport writers in the United States.
Title changes
Originally titled The Modern Tramway, the magazine's first issue was published in January 1938. The title retained the words "Modern Tramway" for the next 60 years, but with variations. From 1962 the word "The" was dropped, and a title extension—in smaller letters and not used in abbreviations of the magazine's name—was added, changing slightly a few times over the next 30 years, as shown below.- Modern Tramway and Light Railway Review, January 1962–December 1973
- Modern Tramway and Rapid Transit Review, January 1974–December 1976
- Modern Tramway and Light Rapid Transit (ISSN 0309-8222), January 1977–March 1980
- Modern Tramway and Light Rail Transit (ISSN 0144-1655), April 1980–December 1991
The last variation survived for nearly 12 years, but a more substantial name change was made in January 1992, when Modern Tramway and Light Rail Transit became Light Rail and Modern Tramway (LR&MT) (ISSN 0964-9255). This in turn was replaced by the magazine's current title, Tramways & Urban Transit (ISSN 1460-8324), in January 1998. This was abbreviated as "T&UT" until mid-2007 and thereafter as "TAUT".
Description
While content has varied over the years, each issue typically includes two to four feature articles, describing a particular tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
or light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system, manufacturer or related topic; news sections for international, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and museum or heritage tram
Heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a development of the heritage railways that are becoming popular across the world. As with modern streetcar systems, the vehicles are referred to as trams or tramcars in the United Kingdom, Australasia and certain other places , but as streetcars or...
news; editorial content, and a letters section. Some issues also include review
Book review
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review could be a primary source opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review. It is often carried out in periodicals, as school work, or on the internet. Reviews are also often...
s, of books, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, etc. Feature articles usually include maps. Since 1995, each issue has had 40 pages, counting the front and back covers. Although histories of existing tram systems are sometimes included, coverage of long-closed systems was moved out of Modern Tramway in 1950 with the launch of a second LRTA magazine, Tramway Review, which continues in publication today and is focused on histories of tram systems in Britain.
TAUT’s current editor-in-chief is Simon Johnston, who took over the post in January 2011. The previous editor, Howard Johnston, had held the post since April 1995. His immediate predecessor, W. J. Wyse, had been the magazine's editor for 28 years, since June 1967, a longer period than any other MT or TAUT editor to date. Apart from W. J. Wyse and Howard Johnston, the only editors-in-chief who held the post for more than five years were K. G. Mansell (July 1952–April 1960) and James Joyce (May 1960–June 1967).
Format changes
The January 1990 issue brought a small increase in Modern Tramway’s page size, from in x in to ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
size A5, and the first regular inclusion of colour photographs—on the front and back covers and a two-page centre spread in each issue. Most illustrations remained black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
. With effect from the January 1992 issue, concurrent with the change of name to Light Rail & Modern Tramway, the magazine's page size was doubled, to A4 size. The number of pages per issue was reduced from 40 to 32 at that time, but the two changes in combination yielded a net increase of 60% in page area. The number of pages was restored to 40 from the April 1995 issue (and has remained 40 ever since). The use of colour illustrations was later expanded, as colour printing
Color printing
Color printing or Colour printing is the reproduction of an image or text in color...
became less expensive, and since May 2002 TAUT has been fully in colour.
External links
- Primary official website
- Secondary official website at affiliated LRTA website