In one of the greatest engineering feats of his time, Claudius Crozet led the completion of Virginia's Blue Ridge Tunnel in 1858. Two centuries later, the National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark still proudly stands, but the stories and lives of those who built it are the true lasting triumph. Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Hunger poured into America resolute for something to call their own. They would persevere through life in overcrowded shanties and years of blasting through rock to see the tunnel to completion. Prolific author Mary E. Lyons follows three Irish families in their struggle to build Crozet's famed tunnel and their American dream.

The DeAutremont brothers were looking for a big score. They brought dynamite, guns and a getaway car. On October 11, 1923, at the summit of the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon, the three young men held up a passenger train, with disastrous consequences. Their rash actions resulted in the tragic deaths of three Southern Pacific trainmen and one U.S. Mail clerk, unleashing a public outcry that still rings through Oregon's history. In this riveting account, rail historian Scott Mangold draws on interviews, in-depth research and previously unpublished maps and photographs to document the events at Tunnel 13. Join Mangold as he chronicles the resulting four-year manhunt and eventual conviction of the DeAutremonts and provides insight into the lives derailed by the robbery's bitter legacy.

`The Last Years of Steam Across Somerset and Dorset' gives an excellent photographic study of yesteryear and the iconic steam locomotive at work. The renowned Somerset & Dorset Railway is covered in detail as are other railway locations across the two counties such as Bath, Bournemouth, Bridgwater, Bristol, Burnham, Chard, Clevedon, Dorchester, Dulverton, Evercreech Junction, Frome, Radstock, Shepton Mallet, Swanage, Taunton, Templecombe, Wells, Weymouth, Yatton and Yeovil. A captivating time capsule from the author's private collection from the mid-1950s to the end of steam in the 1960s. The Last Years of Steam Across Somerset and Dorset contains many previously unpublished photographs by an internationally renowned authoritarian figure on steam locomotives and their history.

Since the mid-nineteenth century the East Coast Main Line has been one of the major routes from London to northern England and to Scotland. It has seen some of the greatest achievements in the railways, most notably the 'Flying Scotsman' becoming, in 1934, the first locomotive in the world to exceed 100mph and the 'Mallard' in 1938 claiming the as-yet-unbroken world speed record for steam locomotives of 126mph. The East Coast Main Line not only made history by facilitating an ever-faster link between two capital cities, it also provided an international stage for Britain's engineering marvels, inspiring many generations of schoolboys and adults alike. That was to continue after the end of the steam era on British Railways, with diesel and then electric traction setting a series of new records over the route. This new book looks at how the London-Edinburgh line became the world's fastest steam railway and how its proud and unique heritage is appreciated and celebrated today more than ever before.

The Blue Diesel years covered in this book started in 1964 when British Railways steam still had another four years to go. The blue - in a slightly lighter shade than that which became standard - first appeared on a demonstration train of new Mk1 coaches with a repainted Brush Type 4 loco. It was the start of around 20 years of the blue era, regarded by many as a less interesting time in BR history. However, what the railway may have lacked in colour it made up for in the variety of locomotive classes, the great majority of which are illustrated in this attractive new album from Gavin Morrison.

Op die Spoorweg neem lesers mee in Suid-Afrika se lewendige spoorwegerfenis. Ontdek die ingenieurswonderwerke wat die moeilike terreine oorwin het en die lewendige spoorwegdorpe wat gemeenskappe onderhou.Williams skroom nie om die bitter werklikheid van rasseskeiding te bespreek nie. Hy balanseer vaardig die glans van die spoorweë teen die skerp waarhede.

On the Railway takes readers through South Africa’s rich railway history, from Estcourt to the grand steam engines on narrow gauges. David Williams highlights luxurious trains like the White and Blue Trains, and the vital role of goods trains in the economy. He explores engineering feats that tamed tough terrains and the growth of railway towns. The book also addresses racial segregation, the decline of the rail network, and reflects on the past and uncertain future of South African railways.

On June 27, 1835, New Hampshire chartered the Boston & Maine Railroad, and a juggernaut was born. By 1900, the B&M operated some 2,300 miles of track in northern New England, having taken over an astonishing forty-seven different railroads since its inception. The B&M loomed particularly large in the Granite State, where it controlled 96 percent of all tracks and was the primary conveyance through the rugged heart of New England s most formidable mountain range.

From the gravity-defying Mount Washington Cog Railway to logging transport trains to the famous Depression-era Snow Train, "A History of the Boston & Maine Railroad" traces the fascinating history of New England's most renowned railway.

The District Railway was designed by a committee with impractical aspirations. A banking crisis and collapse of one of its contractors during construction created long term financial difficulties. It was complicit in completing the long hoped for `inner circle' railway that was a financial disaster and very difficult to operate. Its directors were for many years ineffectual and its managing director, though getting off to a good start, became complacent and distracted and failed to pursue with vigour the policies that were needed. Even the American entrepreneurs, who arrived with the twentieth century, had their work cut out trying to make something of a line that rarely paid dividends and had never been far from bankruptcy. In all this, the railway and its operational staff provided good and useful services to important parts of London or the suburbs it helped to shape. Why a railway like this found itself in such a sorry state is part of the story covered in this definitive volume. Well illustrated in colour and black and white.

The book takes an in-depth look at the East Coast Main Line-King's Cross to Edinburgh-between 1939 and 1959. This is carried out in a series of chapters. In the first one a picture is painted of the state of the network in the late 1930s. It is followed by an account of the historical context of the changes on the ECML over the subject years. This includes wartime 1939-1945 and the fortunes of British Railways in the post-war period until the end of the 1950s; then follows an account of passenger services on the ECML in the summer of 1939 and in the war and changes thereafter. Towards the end of the book there are smaller chapters of specific interest. Amongst these are military and other government installations served by the ECML during WWII; specific wartime locomotive workings; the impact of war on the ECML at various locations along the line; accidents on the ECML September-December 1959 and snow and floods on the ECML in the 1940s and 1950s. The period covered is a crucial one in the history of the line and it is presented in an erudite yet readable manner.

Between soaring mountains, across arid deserts, parched plains and valleys of fruit orchards and olive groves, down glittering coastlines and along viaducts towering above plunging ravines... there is no better way to see Spain than by train. Rail enthusiast Tom Chesshyre, author of Slow Trains to Venice, Ticket to Ride and Tales from the Fast Trains, hits the tracks once again to take in the country through carriage windows on a series of clattering rides beyond the popular image of "holiday Spain" (although he stops by in Benidorm and Torremolinos too). From hidden spots in Catalonia, through the plains of Aragon and across the north coast to Santiago de Compostela, Chesshyre continues his journey via Madrid, the wilds of Extremadura, dusty mining towns, the cathedrals and palaces of Valencia and Granada, and finally to Seville, Andalusia's beguiling (and hot) capital. Encounters? Plenty. Mishaps? A lot. Happy Spanish days? All the way.

'A delightful book ... the perfect companion as you wait for the 8.10 from Hove' Observer After the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, many railways were gradually shut down. Rural communities were isolated and steam trains slowly gave way to diesel and electric traction. But some people were not prepared to let the romance of train travel die. Thanks to their efforts, many lines passed into community ownership and are now booming with new armies of dedicated volunteers. Andrew Martin meets these volunteer enthusiasts, finding out just what it is about preserved railways that makes people so devoted. From the inspiration for Thomas the Tank Engine to John Betjeman's battle against encroaching modernity, Steam Trains Today will take you on a heart-warming journey across Britain from Aviemore to Epping.

As we recall the recent forty-fifth anniversary of the end of steam working on British Rail, Steam North West is a fascinating journey along the West Coast mainline from Crewe to Carlisle, also visiting a number of lines which made a junction with this vital railway artery. Set in the final two years of steam working in North West England, we call in at well known places such as Preston and some less well known like Heysham and Barrow. Also included are visits to the last remaining steam sheds and infrastructure of the steam railway. Views range from the industrial and suburban scene to the beauty of the Northern Fells. Steam North West concludes with a look at the very end of steam working on British Rail in August 1968 with the very last workings recalled with a final tribute to the steam era by night. Many memories are remembered with a wealth of colour material, mostly previously unpublished and nearly all taken from the author's private collection.