'Like so many other boys of my generation, I wanted to be an engine driver; my dreams, however, were dashed in 1956 when I went for a medical at Derby. So much depended upon having perfect eyesight ...' So wrote the author in his introduction in Last Days of Steam on the LMS & BR, published in 2009. Now featuring all new colour photographs, From Clark to Contoller is an account of Roderick H. Fowkes' service on the railway, from 1966 until his retirement in 1996. Reflecting on the demise of steam in the 1960s, and revisiting the author's experiences in Trent in 1957, the compelling story continues with 'some of the best times of a thirty-nine year career with BR', including Fowkes' years working in Control and the fulfilment of his lifetime ambition of moving to the West Country. Filled with personal and memorable anecdotes, this book continues the extraordinary tale of the thirty-nine year British Railways career of a man deemed unsuitable for the footplate grade in 1957.

This latest title in Bellcode's ever popular Railway Memories Illustrates the railways of the Northumberland coalfield as they used to be, mainly in the 1950s when it it was one of the most intensively mined regions in Britain. Both the main line railway and the colliery railways and wagonways which made up a substantial network in their own right are well illustrated along with coal shipping staiths at Blyth and much more.

The first subway line in New York City opened on October 27, 1904. To celebrate the centennial of this event, the Johns Hopkins University Press presents a new edition of Gene Sansone's acclaimed book, "Evolution of New York City Subways." Produced under the auspices of New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority, this comprehensive account of the rapid transit system's design and engineering history offers an extensive array of photographs, engineering plans, and technical data for nearly every subway car in the New York City system from the days of steam and cable to the present.

The product of years of meticulous research in various city archives, this book is organized by type of car, from the 1903-04 wood and steel Composite cars to the R142 cars put into service in 2000. For each car type, Sansone provides a brief narrative history of its design, construction, and service record, followed by detailed schematic drawings and accompanying tables that provide complete technical data, from the average cost per car and passenger capacity to seat and structure material, axle load, and car weight. Sansone also includes a helpful subway glossary from "A Car" (the end car in a multiple car coupled unit) to "Zone" (a section of the train to the conductor's left or right side).

Subway and train enthusiasts, students of New York City history, and specialists in the history of technology will appreciate this updated and authoritative reference work about one of the twentieth century's greatest urban achievements.

It was in 1841 that the London & Brighton Railway constructed the line from Norwood (linking with the London & Croydon Railway) to the coast. The lines built between 1841 and 1868 formed a comprehensive countywide network, extending from Three Bridges to Midhurst and Chichester in the west and (via the South Eastern Railway) from Tunbridge Wells to Bexhill, thence to Rye, in the east. The county's coastal stations yield their own interesting story. Apart from the stations on main routes, those on branch lines and wayside halts are also included. In this book, Douglas d'Enno explores the absorbing and sometimes colourful story of one county's railway stations. The older photographs feature early postcards and carefully selected images from railway archives and publications. When juxtaposed with their present-day equivalents, the extent of the change in these facilities for rail passengers can be fully appreciated.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is Britain's most popular heritage railway, and runs for 18 miles through the national park of the same name. The journey commences at the market town of Pickering, whose station has a recently restored overall roof. It continues through remote Levisham and into the spectacular glaciated gorge of Newtondale and onto Fen Bog, where George Stephenson floated the railway on a bed of sheep fleeces and timber. Once over Goathland summit, the line descends steeply to Goathland station, famous as both Aidensfield in Heartbeat and Hogsmeade station in the Harry Potter films. From Goathland the line drops at a continuous gradient of 1 in 49 to Grosmont, junction with the Esk Valley Railway and site of the busy engine sheds. Today, many NYMR trains continue to the coast at Whitby, a journey of 24 miles from Pickering, mostly on Stephenson's 1836 route.

The W&LLR opened in 1903 to link the rural community of Llanfair Caereinion with the historic market town of Welshpool. A 2ft. 6in. gauge light railway had been chosen to keep the costs of construction much lower than those associated with a standard gauge line. Furthermore, it was more suitable for the tight curves and steep gradients of the route and allowed the line to follow the contours of the countryside. Passenger services struggled to operate economically from day one and only lasted until 1931. However this sturdy little railway continued to help the communities of the Banwy Valley transport their goods, sheep and cattle to market until competition from the motor lorry won out and goods services ceased in November 1956. The preservation movement, although in its infancy, had already taken steps to preserve the Talyllyn Railway and an equally ambitious band of W&LLR enthusiasts embarked on saving their own local line. Their efforts were rewarded when the 1962 formed Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway Preservation Society reopened the first section of railway from Llanfair Caereinion as far as Castle Caereinion. With the section of the line that ran through Welshpool Town centre lost to preservation, the group redeveloped the area at Raven Square to create a new terminus. Services reached there in 1981. From that time visitors have been treated to a gentle steam hauled 8 mile journey through some of the most picturesque scenery in Wales. The railway's unique locomotive collection has developed and now embraces examples from three continents including the W&LLR's two original locos built for the line's 1903 opening, by Beyer, Peacock & Co. Ltd. Their coaching stock comprises turn of the century balcony ended saloons from Austria, 1950s built bogies from Hungary and 1960's stock from Sierra Leone. They have also invested in the construction of three replica coaches built to the specification and details of those that operated on the original line. This photographic album captures the essence of the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway which whilst having a decidedly foreign feel to it, continues to retain the traditional atmosphere of a Welsh rural light railway.

For the very first time, the author presents a detailed survey of all diesel and electric locomotives scrapped on Britain's railways since the start of BR in 1948 to the present day. While it does not include DMUs and EMUs, the book lists each locomotive class separately, and within each class lists each locomotive built with details of every locomotive scrapped, ie when withdrawn and where sent for scrapping. Comprehensively illustrated throughout in colour and black and white showing examples of each class, recorded when scrapped, the book also contains a separate section showing all preserved heritage diesel and electric locomotives on Britain's railways today. The author has compiled this wealth of information intending this book to be as near a complete record of all diesel and electric locomotives scrapped in the period as possible, and as such it will be the ultimate work of reference for enthusiasts of modern traction.

Author Tom Ferris uncovers Wales' railway heritage through a series of four attractively priced pocket books, each one looking at a 'lost line'. Explore the line station by station as the history, heritage and social background of the railway and its passengers is brought to life using archive photography, some of it never before published. Lost Lines series includes: - Ruabon to Barmouth Junction ISBN 9781909823174 - Brecon to Merthyr ISBN 9781909823181 - Aberystwyth to Carmarthen Junction ISBN 9781909823198 - Machynlleth to Aberllefenni ISBN 9781909823204

The railway line along the sea wall at Dawlish is one of the most famous and beautiful stretches of the railway network in Britain. In February 2014 it made headline news when storms battered Britain and a section of the wall and line collapsed into the sea. A team of engineers worked against the clock to repair the wall and the line but it was not reopened to passengers until nearly two months later. The impact of the closures on the South West was huge and reignited the debate about building an alternative route route inland. In this book, author Colin Marsden, who has an unrivalled archive of historical material on the line, presents the history of the line from Exeter to Newton Abbot, concentrating on the scenic section between Starcross and Bishopsteignton, with previously unpublished photographs and accompanying text. The final section of the book is devoted to the closure, rebuilding and triumphant reopening, as well as an analysis of the alternative routes proposed and why ultimately they are unlikely to be built The Dawlish Sea Wall has been a popular site for railway enthusiasts and photographers for many generations and this new book brings a fresh new look to this particularly scenic part of Britain's railway network.

This work provides coverage of: Edinburgh and Leith; the East Coast Main Line and the Waverley Route; the Forth Bridge and East Fife; the West Fife and Clackmannan; and the West Lothian and Stirling to Hilton Junction.

The Isle of Man enjoys a wide variety of railed transport. This book features comparative views of various routes, including the Isle of Man Railway, the Manx Electric Railway, the Snaefell Mountain Railway and the Groudie Glen Railway.

As the modernisation of the former British Railways moved forward into Railtrack and then Network Rail, various schemes to bring the West Country railway network up to date came... and went! Consequently, the far west of the network from Plymouth to Penzance became locked in a kind of time warp of semaphore signalling and cascaded rolling stock. During the last forty or so years, Cornwall has seen the demise of once common classes of locomotives and the introduction of the famous HSTs, Class 66s and Voyagers, though journey times have changed little - mainly due to the nature of the route, but the largest hindrance to an improved service is the lack of signals. The signalling was over-rationalised, though the issue was partially rectified with minor upgrade schemes. This book aims to bring back memories of traction once common, or not so common, on the rails of the Duchy of Cornwall.