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Online Catalogue | New Books | General Studies

Railways in general

Including management, policy and operation. Archive, Railway Archive and any other current journal formerly listed here are now in the new Journal section, the final section of New Books.
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Any colour you like. Ref: G3692

A journey through Britain's railways in the 1970s.
Harper
Very large, 175 pages, photo and other illustrations, much in colour, maps, bibliography, glazed boards. **Seventies railway nostalgia - certainly, but this study is rather more than that. Adrian Shooter (one among several senior railwaymen whose comments are included) describes it as "that rare book which is one that puts contemporary developments within BR in a wider political and economic context."

Price: £25.00

Armoured Trains. Ref: G3550

An illustrated encyclopedia 1825-2016.
Malmassari.
Very large, squarish format, 527 pages, photos, author's clear drawings (in HO scale), comtemporary drawings and other illustrations, some colour, hard back. **This is a translation of Les Trains Blindés, originally published in 1989. The work has been revised, expanded and brought up to date for the English edition. The introduction outlines the history of the armoured train (with illustrations including some of imaginatively sabotaged track). It proceeds to cover in detail, country by country, the huge range of fighting equipment that rode the rails over nearly two centuries.

Price: £50.00

Bibliography Of British And Irish Tramways. Ref: G2574

Croft & Gordon.
Very large, 482 pages, soft back. **The latest version of Croft's bibliography, now in a single huge volume. Apart from bringing the listing of books and articles up-to-date the work now includes Gordon's listings of legislation, arbitration and accident reports. A magnificent tour de force.

Price: £35.00

Bradshaw's Descriptive Railway Hand-Book Of Great Britain And Ireland. Ref: G3339

Special Collector's Edition
-
Small, 452 pages, plus 8 double-page maps in a final section, heavy paper, silk headband and marker ribbon, leather-covered hard back without jacket. **The title above is that given on the title page; the cover bears the title Bradshaw's Hand Book 1. 2. 3. 4.
This is the de luxe reprint of the actual book used on Michael Portillo's BBC TV programme containing four issues of Bradshaw's Descriptive Railway Handbook, bound especially for the series. Together the four parts of the book cover Great Britain plus all of Ireland and describe the main features and historic buildings of the principal towns. Here, then, is a reprint of Mr Portillo's own Bradshaw. It contains the indexes and descriptive text and most of the illustrations. The advertisements, all but one, are omitted. Eight of the town maps are included: Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Hull, Glasgow and Edinburgh. A high quality and very handsome production. The publishers describe the binding as leather, and it certainly resembles leather in every way except price and smell.
The book does not, of course, contain any time tables.

Price: £25.00

Britains Least Used Stations. Ref: G3481

Brewer.
Very large, 240 pages, illustrated throughout with colour photos, four regional maps, soft back. **The author set himself the agreeable task of visiting and photographing every station in Great Britain, and from this enormous archive has selected views of the 217 least used stations in the country. With one station to a page, there are three or four pictures of each with brief notes on the location and train service. A table of data including date of building, original company, and passenger statistics for the years 2008 - 2014 is given for each station.

Price: £30.00

Britain's Railways In Wartime. Ref: G3645

Lambert.
Large, 215 pages, photo and other illustrations, some colour, notes, bibliography, hard back. **As early as 1830 the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was pressed into transporting troops to the docks to embark for Ireland, but serious use of railways in support of armies developed later in Europe and - more famously - America. This book, however, is primarily concerned with railways on the home front in the first and second world wars, with only short chapters addressing the earlier years and overseas operations during the two world wars. It studies the multifarious effects of war on the British railway companies, and their various war efforts, and the use of railways, including their own, by the military. A final chapter deals at some length with railway war memorials, of which there is a 9-page gazetteer. The book is produced in association with the Railway Heritage Trust, who have a particular interest in ensuring the upkeep of war memorials.

Price: £30.00

British Carriage & Wagon Builders & Repairers 1830-2018 Ref: G3708

Second edition, revised and enlarged.
Sambrook
Very large, 296 pages, many photo illustrations, glazed boards. ** An alphabetical listing, with dates, sites and brief histories and links between the firms highlighted for ease of cross-reference. Along with the well-known large firms there are many dozens of smaller businesses, some almost one-man-bands. This invaluable reference has been out of print for at least six years, its return - almost half as large again - is very welcome.

Price: £30.00

British Rail Architecture 1948-97. Ref: G3625

Lawrence.
Very large, 239 pages, many photo illustrations, mono and colour, glossary, extensive bibliography, glazed boards. **In a worthy successor to his memorable British Rail Designed David Lawrence studies the progress and changing requirements of station architecture under the nationalised railway. The illustrations are generously provided from a range of sources - publicity material, contemporary illustrations and recent photographs.

Price: £35.00

British Rail Designed 1948-97. Ref: G3553

Lawrence.
Very large, 272 pages, many photo illustrations, some colour, glossary, colour glossary (colour patches), bibliography, glazed boards. **Across the board history of British Railway design : architecture, locomotives, publicity, carriage interiors, staff uniforms, corporate identity et cetera. Well laid out, beautifully illustrated and fascinating. Really fascinating.

Price: £35.00

British Railways Station Totems. Ref: G3891

The complete guide.
Brennand & Furness.
Very large landscape, 352 pages, colour photo illustrations throughout, glazed boards. **The second edition of a book first published in 2002. It contains 2662 images: individual totems, in situ photos, maps and tabulated data. The pre-history of the totem style of station name board, its lettering, spacing, colours, deviations are exhaustively covered with much historical information. All this is set out region by region and, within each region, by county and includes some unusual station photos. A book for the conoisseur!

Price: £30.00

Built In Britain. Ref: G3852

The independent locomotive manufacturing industry in the nineteenth century.
Bailey
Very large, 221 pages, illustrated with photos (some colour) and images from contemporary sources, chapter references, list of independent workshops, bibliography, glazed boards. **The first comprehensive study of this important subject, Dr Bailey's research covers the development of the locomotive market from 1825, technology, design and manufacturing, management, industrial relations and administration. The tabular list of workshops (there are 108) is arranged by town (57) and includes valuable information for further study.
Endorsed by the presidents/chairman of the Newcomen Society, RCHS and SLS in a joint foreword : ... a triumph of business and engineering history, beautifully illustrated with telling drawings and photographs, well supported with statistical evidence and scrupulously referenced. Without doubt the best railway book of 2021.

Price: £30.00

Changing Face Of Britain's Railways 1938-1953. Ref: G2106

The railway companies bow out.
Hendry, R.
Very large, 192 pages, photo illustrations, hard back. **A detailed and serious study of this critical period, challenging some popular preconceptions. Covers all the UK but is unusually strong on N Ireland.

Price: £24.95

The Changing Face Of British Railways. Ref: G3674

Peter.
Very large, 336 pages, map and plan extracts, many photos and contemporary illustrations, much colour, glazed boards. **The growing interest in design history has already inspired several books on railway design. What's with this one? The nineteen pages of sources and references bear witness to the depth of research here: the author has studied not only the work of professional designers but the ways in which the designs functioned in the real world. Compromise was often necessary between design ideals and their manifestations. The impacts of design on many aspects of BR's activities - trains, stations, shipping, property development and catering - are explored in detail and new insights provided into the British post-war railway and public sector design more generally. Nicely produced and pretty good value.

Price: £29.50

Directory Of The Railway Companies Of Great Britain. Ref: G3549

Grant.
Medium, 649 pages, glossary, bibliography, soft back. ** "The intention of this work is to assist the reader in identifying a railway, when it opened, where it went and what happened to it. It is not intended as a history of each company or a list of anecdotes". The directory includes lines:

Authorised by an Act of Parliament or a Light Railway Order (whether built or unbuilt)
Privately built but later incorporated into an authorised railway
Privately built but affected an authorised railway

It doesn't include unconnected industrial lines, miniature railways or street tramways (even those authorised by LRO). A useful reference tool, nicely laid out in clear type, it neatly summarises the origins of each railway and what, if anything became of it at the grouping. The entries for unbuilt railways are an interesting study in themselves. It's remarkably good value.

Price: £16.99

District Controller's View 6. The Peak District. Ref: G1231

Manchester - Matlock - Derby; Manchester - Chinley - Sheffield.
Bentley.
Very large, 120 pages, soft back.

Price: £12.95

District Controller's View 7. York - Newcastle. Ref: G1563

Millar, M.
Very large, 124 pages, soft back. * "Train and traffic operations over the North Eastern main line during the 1950s; working timetable (passenger and goods); engine workings: engine allocation and movements 1950-60."

Price: £13.95

District Controller's View 9. The Kent Coast. Ref: G2092

Victoria - Chatham - Ramsgate/Dover.
Becket & Bradshaw.
Very large, 132 pages, soft back. * "Train and traffic operations over the ex-LC&DR during the 1950s; working timetable (passenger and goods) including the London suburban area; engine workings including allocations and shed movements 1950-60."

Price: £13.95

District Controller's View 13. The North London Railway. Ref: G2887

London (Broad Street) - Willesden - Richmond. All east-west cross London goods services.
-
Very large, 104 pages, photos, many diagrams, soft back. * "Train and traffic operations over the North London Railway during the 1950s; full working timetable (passenger, goods and trip workings); engine diagrams, carriage workings and locomotive allocations 1950-60."

Price: £14.95

District Controller's View 17. West London. Ref: G3078

The West London Railway; Kensington Olympia; The West London Extension Railway; Willesden/Old Oak Common - Kensington Olympia - Clapham Junction.
-
Very large, 80 pages, photos, many diagrams, soft back. * "Train and traffic operations in 1955; full working timetable (passenger, goods and trip workings) and engine diagrams. Full details of the summer Saturday holiday express workings."

Price: £14.95

Double Track. Ref: G2980

The vision becomes reality.
Holley (ed).
Large, landscape, 50 pages, many photo illustrations, some colour, hard back without jacket. **The Main Line Steam Trust's line from Loughborough to Rothley, the first preserved railway to operate on double track. This book describes the project, including construction and signalling.

Price: £8.00

Early Railways 7. Ref: G3920

Papers from the seventh International Early Railways Conference.
Liffen, J and Jones, S K (eds).
Medium, 348 pages, illustrated with photos, diagrams, maps and contemporary documents and images, glazed boards. *Eighteen papers from the seventh International Early Railways Conference, the results of new research into the formative years of railway development in the UK, continental Europe, India and Australia. The remit of the Conference has been extended to 1870 so as to take in the early main line era. The papers cover a broad range of erudite subjects from politics to technology and include such examples as railway uniforms, Kilsby Tunnel and the use of early railway models and miniature railways in Australia. Exceptionally important among these papers is one by John Liffen describing the discovery of the report of the judges of the Rainhill Trials together with the full text of that report, published here for the first time.

Price: £55.00

England's Railway Heritage From The Air. Ref: G3647

Waller.
Very large, landscape format, 302 page album, hardback. ** Here are some 150 photographs from the Aerofilms archive reproduced one per opening with extensive notes opposite. The dates range from the 1920s to the 1990s (the latter to show preservation sites), and the images cover aspects of the railways including major city stations, works, viaducts, sheds, goods yards, offices and hotels. Fascinating; it is remarkable how much more informative an aerial photo is than an internet satellite view.

Price: £35.00

Essential Guide To French Heritage And Tourist Railways. Ref: G2123

X83.
Jones, M.
Medium, 191 pages, map, colour photos, soft back. **A very useful guide to all the preserved railways in France, by département, with notes on access, length, journey time, motive power, operating dates, tarriffs etc.

Price: £15.95

Essential Guide To Welsh Heritage And Scenic Railways. Ref: G2892

X98
Jones, M.
Medium, 192 pages, map, colour photos, soft back. **A very useful guide to the railways in Wales, with detailed notes on access, length, journey time, motive power, operating dates, tarriffs, and a fund of local information.

Price: £16.95

Final Journey. Ref: G3856

The untold story of funeral trains.
Wheatley.
Large, 304 pages, well illustrated with photographs, some recent colour, gazetteer, extensive bibliography, endnotes, index, soft back. **This is an unexpected aspect of railway history - the London Necropolis Company's railway is well known but the general use of railways (and trams) to carry coffins has not been much studied. While we remember the funeral trains of royalty and of VIPs like Sir Winston Churchill it may not be realised that ordinary people also made their last journeys by train, the service only ceasing in the 1980s; indeed ceremonial funeral transport still continues on heritage railway. This is a wide-ranging study of the social and operating aspects of funeral trains and includes a section on rolling stock and equipment.

Price: £20.00

From Gridiron To Grassland : The Rise And Fall Of Britain's Railway Marshalling Yards. Ref: G3685

2nd printing.
Rhodes.
Very large, 288 pages, photo illustrations (much in colour), glazed boards. **A popular book, this naturally sold out rapidly. Here it is again, back in print.
The book opens with the development of the marshalling yard and British Railways' policy towards them. This is followed by detailed descriptions of individual yards, from the earliest (Edge Hill, 1882), to the first mechanised hump yards, the Modernisation Plan yards, and finally to Britain's last fully automated yards (Tinsley, Bescot and Scunthorpe West). There is also a section on marshalling yards overseas, with some huge examples (in the USA) and also (in China) some still under construction.

Price: £34.95

GWR Goods Services. An Introduction. Ref: G1029

Atkins, T & Hyde, D.
Very large, 142 pages, illustrated with photos, maps, tables etc. Soft back. **The introductory volume of a new series which will study all sides of the GW goods operation.

Price: £17.95

GWR Goods Services. Part 2A. Ref: G2439

Goods depots and their operation.
Atkins.
Very large, 180 pages, illustrated with photos, site maps etc. Soft back. **Essential reference: Sets out those features common to all GWR depots, then covers the depots in the London area.

Price: £24.95

Harwich Ferries. Ref: G3842

Parkeston Quay under railway ownership. New revised edition.
Brown, S.
Very large, 292 pages, well illustrated with photos, plans etc, some colour, alphabetical fleet list with statistics and brief history of each ship, soft back. **A very detailed history of the port of Harwich, and particularly Parkeston Quay, eventually the most versatile of British ports. At no other port was there such a variety of passenger ferries, freight and container ships, train ferries and car boats. The book takes the story to 1990.

Price: £22.95

A History Of The East Coast Main Line. Ref: G3582

Jones, R.
Large, 240 pages, photo illustrations, some colour, diagrammatic map, soft back. ** Takes the history of the line from the end of the coaching era to the present, it covers route and locomotive history and includes a chapter on the National Railway Museum. The book is generously and imaginatively illustrated - there are three photos of Stamford alone, despite not being on the route (they are of coaching inns). A good read.

Price: £25.00

It's Quicker By Rail! Ref: G1408

The history of LNER advertising.
Middleton, A.
Medium, 160 pages, photo illustrations including 16 pages of colour, soft back.

Price: £17.99

The L&NER Delivers The Goods. Volume 1. Ref: G3896

General considerations.
Tatlow.
Very large, 152 pages, photo illustrations, map endpapers, time table extracts, appendices, short bibliography, glazed boards. ** The LNER derived nearly two thirds of its income from goods traffic. This volume describes the general considerations applicable though out the system : sources of traffic, operation, train working, locomotives, rolling stock, working of goods yards, cartage and docks and canals. Two further volumes are planned which will describe the Company's goods activities in more local detail.

Price: £27.50

Last Levers On The Fylde. Ref: G3606

A commemoration and celebration of railway operation in the age of mechanical signalling.
Littleworth and others.
Very large, 192 pages, photo illustrations (some colour), maps, many signalling diagrams, appendices, glazed boards. ** Detailed analysis of traffic and signalling in the Fylde, up to the 1960s; includes many photos of boxes and equipment, time table extracts, etc. Remarkable value.

Price: £15.00

Monorails Of The 19th Century. Ref: G2859

Garner.
Very large, 288 pages, well illustrated with photographs, contemporary illustrations, vehicle drawings, and maps, glazed boards. ** The monorail was conceived in the 1820s when conventional two-rail lines were still a recent idea. Here is its history up to the construction of the successful Wuppertal Schwebebahn at end of the 19th century. There is a history and a full technical description of each system. Many of the designs were eccentric and few were commercially successful but this energetic period of industrial growth encouraged novelty.

Price: £24.99

Monorails Of The Early 20th Century. Ref: G3503

Garner.
Very large, 208 pages, copiously illustrated with photographs, contemporary illustrations, diagrams, vehicle drawings, and maps, glazed boards. ** This volume follows on from Monorails Of The 19th Century (CE2859) and continues the history of monorails from 1900 to just after the second world war. Among others it provides a detailed history and explanation of the gyroscopic monorails by Brennan, Scherl and Schilovsky and the Bennie Railplane. Monorails built outside the UK are included, notably the American Magnesium Co line in the Death Valley desert in the 1920s. There are also updates to the 19th Century volume including the Schwebebahn and the reborn Listowel and Ballybunion Railway.

Price: £25.00

Moore's Monthly Magazine 1896. Ref: G0634

(Forming Volume 1 of the Locomotive Magazine)
-
Very large, 156 pages, green cloth, not issued with jacket. High quality reprint, limited to 250 copies. Hard back.

Price: £35.00

Named Trains On LNER Lines Part I. Ref: G1813

The Scottish trains & the Pullman trains.
Yeadon, W B.
Large landscape, 154 pages, pictorial, hard back.

Price: £26.99

Named Trains On LNER Lines Part II. Ref: G1814

Streamlined trains, boat trains, holiday trains, business trains, officially nameless trains & developments by British Railways.
Yeadon, W B.
Large landscape, 154 pages, pictorial, hard back.

Price: £26.99

A New Illustrated History Of Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate From 1840. Ref: G3725

Prosser & Keay; ed Harris.
Very large, 184 pages, many photo illustrations, some site/track plans and diagrams, hard back. **A government inspectorate can seldom have had so long nor so sensational a history. The need for external oversight of railway safety was perceived at the dawn of the railway age and in nearly 180 years has not abated. Here is an excellent successor to the 150th anniversary history The Railway Detectives by Stanley Hall which - in much greater depth than Hall's neat octavo had space for - chronicles the Inspectorate and its work and provides close analysis of the many tragedies which marked turning points on the road to ever greater railway safety.

Price: £35.00

Operation Norfolk. Ref: G2389

Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway passenger services: 1954. Peterborough - Kings Lynn - Yarmouth; Spalding, Cromer, Norwich and Lowestoft Branches.
Wilkinson.
Very large, 84 pages, some photos, soft back. **Carriage workings, time tables, train formations, marshalling arrangements, carriage diagrams etc.

Price: £13.95

Operation Torbay. Ref: G1859

Summer weekday & Saturday passenger services: 1957 Newton Abbot - Torquay - Paignton - Goodrington - Kingswear.
Becket, W S.
Very large, 80 pages, a few photos, traffic graphs, soft back. **Carriage workings, working time tables, train formations, carriage siding arrangements etc.

Price: £13.95

Pullman Trains In Britain. Ref: G2025

LP210.
Kidner, R W.
Medium, 112 pages, photos, carriage plans, soft back. **This is the second edition of Kidner's 1998 expansion of his 1987 book, Pullman Cars Of The Southern 1875-1972. The work is now a concise history of Pullman trains and vehicles in this country.

Price: £8.95

The Railway Dilemma. Ref: G3451

The perpetual problems of ownership, costs and control.
Harris.
Large, 288 pages+ 8 pages of photo illustrations, other illustrations in text, glazed boards. **Sharp and readable analysis of the financial problems of the operators of Britain's railways.

Price: £20.00

The Railway Gazette Special War Transportation Number. Ref: G3185

-
Very large, 160 pages, illustrated with photos and drawings, soft back. **This is a reprint of the Railway Gazette Special Issue of 21 September 1920. The Gazette's current editor writes that it : "provides a fascinating insight into the work of the British Government's Directorate of Movement and Railways, bringing together 'the first connected account' of the role of railways and water transport during the Great War of 1914-18. It remains one of the few comprehensive studies of the colossal transport efforts that supported the British military campaign, both on the Western front and in other theatres of war." The hardback edition is now out of print.

Price: £14.95

Railway Maps By And For The Railway Industry. Ref: G3893

An illustrated guide.
Thorndike.
Very large, 61 pages, illustrated in colour throughout, bibliography, soft back. **Erudite, close study of the various types of railway maps from the earliest days to the modern atlases and track level plans. The author describes it as "a guide and reference for collectors, a source of information for railway historians ... and to provide an insight into the genre for those with a keen interest in cartography." The background to the requirement and production of the various types of map is related, lists of editions given as appropriate, and reproductions of map pages show the differing styles and layouts. Packed with interesting detail, this fascinating history is much more than a work of reference and excellent value.

Price: £12.50

Railway Passenger Stations In England, Scotland And Wales. A Chronology. Ref: G2664

Fourth edition.
Quick.
Medium, 544 pages including 40-page map section with 134 diagrammatic maps, hard back. *List of all stations with dates of opening, closure etc. The author's object "is to show the outline history of all stations in England, Scotland and Wales, and to do so as accurately as the limitations of evidence allows" and to see this from the standpoint of the contemporary traveller, rather than from that of the railway companies. This new revised fourth edition is enlarged and re-set, and embellished with nineteenth century Punch cartoons.

Price: £49.50

Railway Records. Ref: G1928

A guide to sources.
Edwards.
Large, 222 pages, a few illustrations, soft back. **A Public Record Office readers' guide.

Price: £14.99

The Railway. Ref: G3344

British track since 1804.
Dow.
Very large, 458 pages, illustrated with good photographs and large, clear specially drawn diagrams, hard back. **Here is a hugely detailed treatise on the history of permanent way by an expert. It is erudite, lucidly written and a handsome production. Along with the examination of the many and complex developments which led from wooden rails to modern permanent way and mechanical track-laying, there are chapters devoted to third rail electrification, tramway track, narrow gauge lines and such peculiarities as portable railways, funiculars and rack railways. It will surely be a standard work of reference but also rather a good read, though at well over 2kg hardly suitable for reading on the train.

Price: £40.00

East Coast Main Line Disasters. Ref: G3067

Railways In Retrospect 6
Gray.
Very large, 96 pages, photo illustrations, soft back. ** A well researched and thoughtful analysis of accidents on the line from early days to the present.

Price: £17.50

Grouping Britain's Railways. Creating the 'Big Four' in 1923. Ref: G3658

Railways In Retrospect 7
Mullay.
Very large, 88 pages, photo illustrations, appendices, list of sources, soft back. ** The why, wherefore and politics of the forced amalgamation of numerous British railway companies into the LMS, GWR, SR and LNER after WW1. This is carefully researched, well written and thoroughly readable.

Price: £17.50

Railways In The Landscape. Ref: G3551

How they transformed the face of Britain.
Biddle.
Large, 215 pages, photo illustrations (much in colour), other images from contemporary sources, bibliography, hard back. ** W G Hoskins, eminent historian of the English landscape, observed that the railways "manipulated the landscape on a grand scale". This book is a long overdue study of this "manipulation" in its own right. Gordon Biddle examines the visual effect of the railways on towns and villages, coast and countryside : the extant lines and those disused or even long gone, and the places made by the railways themselves. It is hard to think of an author better suited to the task and Biddle's thorough but concise account will surely become a classic.

Price: £25.00

Railways North From Nottingham Part Two: Bulwell - Kirkby, Mansfield & Westhouses. Ref: G1920

In the latter days of steam

Price: £19.99

The Railways Of North East Lincolnshire A celebration of the days of steam. Part Four. Ref: G3857

Comforts and fish.
King.
Very large, 144 page album : photos, mainly 3 to a page interspersed with working timetable extracts; area map, brief bibliography, softback. **This part is intended to the steam locomotive and train outside the shed and station and is a study of operations. Comforts and Fish refer to excursion and goods traffic respectively, Fish being self-explanatory and Comforts deriving from "come for't day".
A fifth part, provisionally titled The World Beyond Wrawby, and concerning the coming of the diesels is also planned.

Price: £19.95

The Railways Of North East Lincolnshire A celebration of the days of steam. Part Five. Ref: G3886

The world beyond Wrawby (and south from Willoughby).
King.
Very large, 144 page album : photos, mainly 3 to a page interspersed with working timetable extracts; area maps, brief bibliography, softback. **The final part of this set of steam albums expands the territory to an area bounded by Boston, Lincoln, Gainsborough and Goole and even includes local (mainly Immingham) engines working away beyond these boundaries. Although diesels were mentioned in the advertisement for this part in Part Four, only six dmus, one class 31 and an experimental diesel hydraulic shunter appear in this book. In the end the author had too much diesel material and hopes to produce a further book to accommodate it.

Price: £19.95

The Railways Of Purbeck. Ref: G3911

LP68, fourth edition.
Kidner.
Medium, 120 pages, photos, maps, bibliography, soft back. **This fourth edition of Kidner's classic history includes new information on the New Swanage Railway and an updated selection of photos.

Price: £15.95

Railways To Victory (Great Railway Eras). Ref: G1958

British recollections Normandy to Germany 1944-46.
Mitchell.
Medium, 96 pages, many photos. Glazed boards. ** Out of print - last copy.

Price: £18.95

Rainhill Trials. Ref: G3077

The greatest contest of industrial Britain and the birth of commercial rail.
McGowan.
Medium, 379 pages, illustrations from contemporary sources, hard back.

Price: £16.99

John Rennie. Ref: G3882

'Engineer of many splendid and useful works'.
Cross-Rudkin.
Very large, 208 pages, illustrated with photos, images from contemporary sources and maps, chapter notes, list of works, bibliography, glazed boards. ** John Rennie was a leading civil engineer for thirty years from the canal mania of the 1790s to his death in 1821. Originally (and continually) a millwright, he applied his engineering talents to canals, bridges, fenland drainage and the planning of ports, harbours and naval dockyards. This closely researched biography includes details of Rennie's early life, extended family, health problems and death but is primarily concerned with his engineering achievements; thus the central chapters are arranged by type of work - Canals, Bridges, Civil Engineering Management et cetera, rather than chronologically, a system which helps to give a clearer insight into the development of his various engineering techniques.

Price: £30.00

Return From Dunkirk. Ref: G2742

Railways to the rescue. Operation Dynamo (1940).
Tatlow.
Medium, 184 pages + large folding plan of Dover Harbour tipped inside rear cover, other maps and track plans, many photos, soft back. **The author's father was one of the soldiers rescued in this famous wartime epic, possibly the greatest logistical operation ever carried out at such short notice. This is the railway side of the story. X96.

Price: £12.35

Rope & Chain Haulage. Ref: G3046

The forgotten element of railway history.
Mountford.
Medium, 384 pages, illustrated: photos and contemporary illustrations (some colour) maps and plans, glazed boards. **Remarkably, in the whole history of railways, across now more than two hundred years, it would seem that there has never been a book devoted solely to rope haulage. This fascinating volume covers the field, at home and abroad, from the earliest days right up to the 21st century. A final chapter describes some preservation schemes. Now in print again.

Price: £29.95

The Royal Arsenal Railways. Ref: G3467

The rise and fall of a military railway network.
Smithers.
Very large, 214 pages, illustrated with good photographs and large, clear specially drawn diagrams, locomotive drawings, tabulated loco histories, hard back. **The railways of Woolwich Arsenal evolved into three separate systems serving the Gun Factory, Laboratory and the Carriage Department, each a different gauge with its own locomotives and rolling stock. The Arsenal and its railways continued to hold an important place in gun and propellant manufacture until the late 1950s, when the complex began gradually to be run down, finally closing in 1967. The story of the Arsenal is fraught with intererest for railway and military historians alike and this well-written and choicely illustrated chronicle is sure to please both. It is particularly strong on locomotive history and includes a survey of the remains still to be seen.

Price: £30.00

Signal Boxes On Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Lines : North And West Of Manchester. Part One. Ref: G3068

L&YR Western District Lines, Salford to Wigan (No 1) via Atherton, Salford to Euxton via Bolton and branches.
Littleworth.
Very large, 114 pages, photo illustrations (some colour), map, many signalling diagrams, soft back. ** This work is in two parts. The present volume includes the introductory sections and covers lines 1 - 5A, which formed part of the L&Ys Western District. Part Two (see SS3304) covers lines 6 - 10, which formed part of the Central District. The information for each box includes location, details of the equipment, brief history and opening times. For many boxes there is also one or more signalling diagram.

Price: £15.00

Signal Boxes On Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Lines : North And West Of Manchester. Part Two. Ref: G3304

L&YR Central District Lines, Clifton to Bacup and Castleton to Bolton via Bury, Manchester (Irk Valley) to Radcliffe, Rochdale to Bacup and branches.
Littleworth.
Very large, 148 pages, photo illustrations (some colour), map, many signalling diagrams, soft back. ** This work is in two parts. This second part covers lines 6 - 10, which formed part of the Central District. The information for each box includes location, details of the equipment, brief history and opening times. For many boxes there is also one or more signalling diagram. For Part 1 - which included the introductory sections and covered lines 1 - 5A, which formed part of the L&Ys Western District - see SS3068.

Price: £15.00

Southern Steam Operations 1966-67. Ref: G3579

Simpson.
Very large, 336 pages, photos, allocations, diagrams etc, glazed boards. ** The final months of steam on the Southern Region. Some terrific pictures. Robert, who knew every back way into Eastleigh shed, was in raptures.

Price: £27.95

The Railways. Ref: G3424

Nation, network and people.
Bradley, S.
Medium, 645 pages + a 16 page section of nicely-chosen illustrations, mostly coloured, other illustrations in the text, bibliography and sources, hard back. ** "Using fresh research, keen observation and a wealth of cultural references, Bradley weaves a remarkable story of technological achievement, of architecture and engineering, of shifting social classes and gender relations, of safety and crime, of tourism and the changing world of work." To describe it as a new history of our railways would be very largely to miss the point of this book, described without exaggeration as magisterial. It is an exploration of the past and present worlds of Britain's railways which treats familiar topics from unfamiliar aspects and constantly surprises with facts and details which have escaped previous historians. Eminently readable and highly recommended.

Price: £25.00

The Steam And The Gaslight. Ref: G3076

Travelling by train in late Victorian London 1871 - 1900.
Hodge.
Medium, 108 pages, illustrations from contemporary sources, map, soft back. **Metropolitan rail travel from the passenger's point of view.

Price: £9.99

Train Control And Passenger Workings On The L&YR. Ref: G2321

LYR Focus 64.
Mills.
Very large, 114 pages, some photo illustrations, soft back. ** "The late Bob Mills actually worked for the L&Y Railway in the train control office at Manchester Victoria during the final years of its independent existence. During that period he made copious notes from primary documents of locomotive allocations and each individual locomotive duty roster. His records proved a unique insight into the daily workings of a major pre-grouping railway and are a major step forward in our understanding of how the L&Y operated."

Price: £9.95

Train Ferries Of Europe. Ref: G3831

Barron.
Very large, 288 pages, well illustrated with photos, maps, ship diagrams, train deck plans etc, glazed boards. **Not before time the compelling history of the train ferry is brought up to date. This welcome volume encompasses, with technical and operational detail, the story of more than 100 train ferries in Europe; a history going back to 1850, when the first train ferry crossed the Firth of Forth (and remnants of it may still be seen).
A companion volume covers train ferries beyond Europe.

Price: £35.00

Train Ferries Of The Americas, Asia & Africa. Ref: G3830

Barron.
Very large, 192 pages, well illustrated with photos, maps, ship diagrams, train deck plans etc, glazed boards. **First point to note here is that Australasia is included, despite the title. The book encompasses, with technical and operational detail, the story of more than 300 train ferries outside Europe; a history going back over the last 170 years - and it is a fascinating one which has all but disappeared.
A companion volume covers the train ferries of Europe.

Price: £25.00

Wartime LMS. Ref: G2976

Warburton.
Very large, 184 pages + 4 large folding maps in rear pocket, photo and other illustrations (some colour), glazed boards. ** A very thorough examination of the effects of hostilities on all aspects of LMS operation from preparatory changes brought about in the prelude to the war right through to the company's post 1945 effort to restore its pre-war eminence. On the back cover, not a good place for a typo, this is described as a "no holes barred" account. Perhaps this is the publishers' joke, or maybe they just wish to find out out if we know of a better one ...

Price: £30.00

Britain's Lost Railways. Ref: G2856

The twentieth-century destruction of our finest railway architecture.
Minnis.
Very large, 122 pages, pictorial, hard back. "Soaring viaducts, cathedral-like stations, monumental railway hotels, never mind Euston's famous arch - in the name of progress hundreds of buildings were knocked down or wiped from the landscape, too often to be replaced by a concrete bunker (as Birmingham New St) or a bus shelter as at so many wayside stations. Here the extent of the loss is revealed. Not one building illustrated in this book still exists. The illustrations are old photographs, often previously unpublished, and carefully captioned. The introductory essay is an illuminating analysis of the destruction and the consequent revolt, the conservation and the future of railway buildings. A magnificent work, sensibly priced - everyone interested in railways or buildings should own a copy.

Price: £25.00

Britain's Railway Liveries. Ref: G0937

Colours, crests and linings, 1825 - 1948.
Carter, E F.
Medium, 350 pages, diagrams, colour chart, hard back. **Current (3rd) edition of a long established reference work; note, though, that the content of this edition is identical to that of the first two.

Price: £19.95

Britain's Railways 1997-2005. Ref: G2663

Labour's strategic experiment.
Gourvish.
Medium, 309 pages, some illustrations, hard back. * "A critical examination of the Blair government's involvement in the rail industry from 1997 as they attempted to deal with the fragmented privatised railways".

Price: £30.00

British Rail Northern Scene. Ref: G2224

A 1970s railway album
Sparks, A.
Large, 154-page album with brief essays, hard back. **The seventies in grimy monochrome, very nostalgic. Suddenly they seem a very long time ago.

Price: £19.99

British Railways Illustrated Annual Number 13. Ref: G1888

Hawkins (ed).
Very large with glazed boards, 96 pages, many photos. **Articles include Diesels for LNER, Melrose, Barking, Caley, Holyhead.
Not normally kept in stock but can be ordered in, please phone or e-mail.

Price: £14.95

Thomas Cook. Ref: G1908

The holiday-maker.
Hamilton.
Medium, 280 pages + 16 pages of plates, hard back. **There have been many histories of the famous travel firm; here is the first full-length biography of Cook himself. He was from a humble background, a Baptist, a man of deep faith, who was determined to improve the lot of the working classes. As well as opening up travel to the masses, in his early years he started soup kitchens and led a campaign for the repeal of the Corn Laws; he was also a strong supporter of the temperance movement. A very readable book.

Price: £20.00

Death Rode The Rails. Ref: G2144

American railroad accidents and safety 1828-1965.
Aldrich.
Large, 446 pages + 16 pages of photo illustrations, hardback. **Academic study of rail accidents in the USA, immensely interesting. Two statistical appendices, copious notes on sources etc.

Price: £40.00

Dictionary Of Railways. Ref: G0725

An A - Z of railway terminology.
Jackson, A A.
Medium, 368 pages, some diagrams, hard back. **3rd edition of this authoritative and indispensable work, revised and extended.

Price: £25.00

Dow's Dictionary Of Railway Quotations. Ref: G2138

Dow, A.
Medium, 354 pages, hardback. **Must be the best present ever for railway-minded people; just as well as we'll need to sell lots to justify the time it has taken me to catalogue it. Almost all the noteworthy quotations from Stephenson's "the time is coming when it will be cheaper for a working man to travel on a railway than to walk on foot" to "the wrong sort of snow". All the favourites (bar two) plus thousands of excellent ones previously unknown. But where is Sherlock Holmes's famous remark about Bradshaw? ("The vocabulary of Bradshaw is nervous and terse, but limited": The Valley Of Fear, Ch 1). Also absent is the Fat Controller's classic "What a nuisance passengers are!".

Price: £30.00

Ferry Boat De Nuit 1936 - 1980 / Night Ferry 1936 - 1980. Ref: G2913

A brief history of the train which carried you asleep from London to Paris and Brussels.
Elliott & Duvoskeldt.
Very large, 118 pages, photo illustrations, maps, other illustrations, dual French / English text and captions, soft back. **Une guide historique du train que vous avez emprunté endormi(e) de Paris et Bruxelles à Londres. Not sure about endormi(e). When we went there was a metal bucket rolling around on the train deck all night. Jolly good thorough history though, and thank you Mr Elliott for including our e-mail address with the bibliography.

Price: £17.99

Great British Train Robbery, 1963. Ref: G1643

Coates, T. (ed)
Medium, 178 pages, some photo illustrations, soft back. **This is an edited version of the report by HM Inspector of Constabulary on Buckinghamshire Constabulary's handling of the crime. It is actually very interesting and is enlivened by archival photographs. I'm not sure though, of the relevance of the photo of the Bulleid pacific leaving Waterloo, perhaps Ronnie Biggs is aboard, on his flight from England.

Price: £9.99

GWR Goods Services. Part 2B. Ref: G2707

Goods depots and their operation.
Atkins.
Very large, 180 pages, illustrated with photos, site maps etc. Soft back. **Essential reference: covers Bristol, Birmingham and Cardiff areas. London is covered in part 2A. The next volume is to deal with GWR docks.

Price: £25.95

George Hudson. Ref: G1356

The rise and fall of the Railway King.
Bailey.
Medium, 186 pages, illustrated, hard back. **This, the earlier of the two current books with the same title and very similar subtitles, concentrates on the character of the man, what drove him to rise from farmer's lad to great entrepreneur and MP, and what led him to sink into disgrace.

Price: £16.99

George Hudson. Ref: G1991

The rise and fall of the Railway King: a study in Victorian entrepreneurship.
Arnold & McCartney.
Medium, 317 pages + 8 pages of illustrations, hard back. **This is the more recent of the two current books with the same title and very similar subtitles. It describes how Hudson used his enormous energy and flair for publicity to draw the investing public into his visionary schemes, and how his name came to be synonymous with fraudulent capitalism at its most brazen. The story of his dramatic career tells us a great deal about the times in which he lived.

Price: £20.00

Norfolk Railway. Ref: G2365

Railway mania in East Anglia 1834-1862.
Barney, J.
Large, 244 pages, illustrations from period engravings, map, sb. **Dr Barney's researches into early East Anglian railway history have produced a very readable study of a particularly complex situation.

Price: £14.99

Railfreight In Colour. Ref: G2572

For the modeller and historian.
Cable.
Very large, 96 page album, soft back. **Covers the years 1983 - 1996; describes the classes of locomotives used, showing a wide range of rolling stock at locations ranging from the north of Scotland to Cornwall.

Price: £14.99

Railway Conversion - The Impractical Dream. Ref: G2271

Gibbins.
Medium, 220 pages, soft back. **The first comprehensive review and analysis of claims made for the conversion of railways into roads.

Price: £13.95

Royal Visit To Crewe Works. Ref: G2072

An album of photographs edited by Edward Talbot.
Talbot.
Large, 48 pages, splendid photos, soft back. **A lucky survival of a souvenir album from a royal visit in 1913. The author notes: The photographs give a glimpse of life in England before the Great War; of the respect accorded to the royal family and of the enormous effort expended to make the visit a great success; of the working conditions of industry; of the interior of steel works, foundries, forges and machine shops; of the organisation of the works of a great railway and of engineering in the age of coal.

Price: £9.90

Signal Failure. Ref: G0012

Politics & Britain's railways.
Wragg, D.
Medium, 202 pages + 16 pages of plates: photo illustrations, maps etc, hard back. **A history of the relationship between railways and government in the United Kingdom; looks at the effect of political intervention and its impact on the service (or lack of it) given to the long-suffering customer (or passenger).

Price: £25.00

Victorian Railway. Ref: G2585

Simmons, J.
Medium, 416 pages, 32 pages of photo plates, soft back. **First published 1991, this is a reprint of the corrected 1995 edition. Prof Simmons' classic book studies the railways from their origins and construction to the spreading impact on the nation, from engineers and financiers to the effect on leisure and the environment.

Price: £9.95

Willing Servant. A History Of The Steam Locomotive. Ref: G0026

Ross, D.
Medium, 352 pages + 32 pages of photo plates, hard back. **The first history of the world-wide development (and ultimate preservation) of the steam locomotive; traces the history of design, construction and use and also of the intriguing story of human involvement with the steam locomotive and of its powerful symbolic value.

Price: £25.00

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