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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Trains & railways: general interest
With photographs supported by introductory text, track layouts,
operating instructions and timetables brought to life by the
reminiscences of people who worked in the area, "Railway Memories
No 15" recalls the busy railway network serving the West Yorkshire
towns of Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley during the 1950s
and 1960s. It takes a fascinating and nostalgic look back at the
stations, yards, signal boxes, colliery railways and the trains of
such variety that no less than 46 differenct classes of locomotive
are featured - not counting sub-classes or colliery and industrial
locomotives.
Just mention Colorado to the avid rail fan and you have their
interest; add the term 'narrow gauge' and you have their undivided
attention. Why this special interest in the Centennial State's
railroads which span 120 years? One reason is Colorado's geography
-- relatively flat plains in the eastern third of the state, the
rugged Rocky Mountains in the central and southwest areas.
Colorado's railroads traverse all these regions -- from a 2285 foot
elevation to the heights of 14,000 foot peaks. This geographical
configuration makes Colorado railroading second to none.
All aboard for a delicious ride on nine legendary railway journeys!
Meals associated with train travel have been an important aspect of
railway history for more than a century - from dinners in dining
cars to lunches at station buffets to foods purchased from platform
vendors. For many travellers, the experience of eating on a railway
journey is often a highlight of the trip, a major part of the
`romance of the rails'. Food on the Move focuses on the culinary
history of these famous journeys on five continents, from the
earliest days of rail travel to the present. The engaging story and
vivid illustrations invite readers to discover an array of railway
feasts: haute cuisine in the elegant dining carriages of the Orient
Express, American steak-and-eggs on the Santa Fe Super Chief, and
home-cooked regional foods along the Trans-Siberian tracks. Readers
will be tempted to eat their way across Canada's vast interior and
Australia's dusty Outback; grab an infamous `British railway
sandwich' to munch on the Flying Scotsman; snack on spicy samosas
on the Darjeeling Himalayan `Toy Train'; dine at high speed on
Japan's `Bullet Train'; and sip South African wines in a Blue Train
luxury lounge car featuring windows of glass fused with gold dust.
Written by eight different authors who have travelled on those
legendary lines, the book include recipes, from the dining cars and
station eateries, taken from historical menus and contributed by
contemporary chefs. Food on the Move is a veritable feast!
Covering almost every line in the country, this acclaimed series of
books juxtaposes photographs of the same railway location separated
in time by just a few years, or maybe a century or more. Sometimes
the result is dereliction or disappearance, in others a
transformation into a modern high-speed railway. In both cases, the
contrasts are intriguing and informative. This volume includes:
Deeside and Chester; Gwynedd coast and branches; Anglesey, Menai
Bridge to Bangor; the Flintshire coast; the Wrexham area and around
Mold; Ruabon to Dolgellau, Blaenau and Welshpool; and, Cambrian
border branches.
This title talks about: Barnt Green and Bromsgrove to Ashchurch;
The Langley, Stourbridge and Worcester line; Worcester to Evesham
and Honeybourne; Redditch to Evesham; Worcester to the Malverns and
the Bromyard branch; Old Hill to Rubery; and Stourbridge to Dudley.
Gary Morecambe writes: `David J. Hindle is an author and social
historian with a particular interest in the genre of music hall and
the history of the railways. In this, his latest book, he flags up
parallels to be drawn between the origins of railways and music
hall. This is an original concept, notwithstanding that long before
the age of the automobile, it was the railways that conveyed
audiences and performers to the music halls that evolved to become
variety theatres. I look no further than my father's experiences to
illustrate the point: `A second class train ride between Birmingham
and Coventry in 1940 is not the most obvious starting point for the
best loved double act in British comedy history. World War Two was
well underway in 1940, but not for Morecambe and Wise. Fourteen
year old Eric Bartholomew and his best friend Ernie Wiseman were
travelling that day with my paternal grandmother, Eric's mum and
mentor, Sadie Bartholomew. The star-struck teenagers had been
performing in a touring youth theatre as solo acts. As usual the
boys were over-excited after the show, and going through their
Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy impressions. Sadie, who was
trying to sleep, made a suggestion that would change showbiz
history for ever. `Why don't you two stop fooling around and put
your minds to something else. Why not form a double act of your
own?.' For over twenty years Morecambe and Wise learned their craft
in Britain's variety theatres whilst travelling extensively
throughout the country. When variety effectively died and many
theatres went permanently dark in the 1950/60s, they switched to
television spectaculars, which were enjoyed by millions throughout
the world. The profusely illustrated narrative will offer something
more than mere reading enjoyment. David's enthusiasm and expertise
on music hall history is unbounded, and, in railway nomenclature, I
give this publication the green light.'
The first volume in this series was published in 1999 when the
Welsh Highland Railway ran from Caernarfon only as far as Dinas, a
mere 4 miles, on tracks officially re-opened in 1997. Volume 2 took
the story on to 2003, when the relaid tracks had reached Rhyd Ddu,
at the very foot of Snowdon, 13 miles from Caernarfon and in the
heart of magnificent scenery surely unsurpassed on any UK narrow
gauge railway. But Rhyd Ddu was only the half-way point in this
phenomenal railway project. Ahead lay the final 12 miles to
Porthmadog, where it was intended that the reborn WHR would connect
with the Ffestiniog Railway at the latter's Harbour station. Now it
is 2009, and the dream has become reality. Thanks to the Heritage
Lottery Fund, the Ffestinog Railway and the mighty efforts of
contractors, supports and volunteers, the railway has been
completed to Porthmadog, and trains one more run through the town's
streets to the harbour following a spectacular journey across the
mountains from beneath the castle walls at Caernarfon. Now it will
be possible to make a staggering 40-mile narrow gauge railway
journey from Caernarfon to Blaenau Ffestiniog! Volume 3 therefore
represents the final chapter of this amazing story, with special
emphasis on the restoration of the new section from Rhyd Ddu. John
Stretton has selected further views of the original railway in
operation and in dereliction, but this time each view on the main
line can be paired with one showing trains in operation once more,
negotiating sharp bends, climbing severe gradients and passing the
foothills of Snowdon and on through Beddgelert and the famous
Aberglaslyn Pass. It provides a fitting tribute to the great
efforts of so many people who made it all possible. John Stretton,
well-known railway author and photographer, and contributor of many
titles to the "Past and Present" series, has chronicled the
development of the Welsh Highland Railway from its inception. He
lives in Ashchurch, Gloucestershire.
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