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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Trains & railways: general interest
With dramatic and previously unpublished images, Steam in the
North: Railways in the 1960s across the North of England is more
than just a book of record. It places an emphasis on what it felt
like to be there - the emotions, sounds and impressions that this
poignant period triggered. Also included are recollections of the
challenges faced by enthusiasts ranging from the discouraging
attitudes of railway staff to the hair-raising experiences of the
ambitious hitchhiker. Complementing the author's previous books on
steam power in the North East, this book covers the Midland and
West Coast mainlines, as well as Lancashire and Yorkshire as
British Railways' working steam fleet approached its inevitable
end. The images look at the environment for working steam in its
final months - the empty fells and rainy platforms, the gritty
outline, hard-working freight as well as express passenger
services. They will bring back nostalgic memories for those who
remember the railway network in the 1960s, but also appeal to those
who enjoy dramatic scenes of the Pennines and the industrial parts
of northern England.
After the Second World War, the drive for the modernisation of
Britain's railways ushered in a new breed of locomotive: the
Diesel. Diesel-powered trains had been around for some time, but
faced with a coal crisis and the Clean Air Act in the 1950s, it was
seen as a part of the solution for British Rail. This beautifully
illustrated book, written by an expert on rail history, charts the
rise and decline of Britain's diesel-powered locomotives. It covers
a period of great change and experimentation, where the iconic
steam engines that had dominated for a century were replaced by a
series of modern diesels including the ill-fated 'Westerns' and the
more successful 'Deltics'.
The adventure filled memoir from the world's most beloved
trainspotter, TikTok sensation Francis Bourgeois. 'Francis is one
of the kindest, most genuine people I've met in a long time. His
passion and unadulterated happiness is inspiring. I can't wait for
more magical adventures with him.' - Joe Jonas 'A National Treasure
Of The TikTok Age.' - Grazia 'Thrashing builds and builds. I look
down and pull up my sleeve: I've got goosebumps, making all the
hairs on my arm stand on end. I'm absolutely buzzing.' From
sleeping in a car to get a good shot of 73962 Dick Mabbutt to
trainspotting with Joe Jonas, Francis Bourgeois has been on one
hell of a ride over the past year. Bringing joy to millions, his
epic journeys have highlighted the importance of connecting with
your passions. In The Trainspotter's Notebook, Francis shares his
greatest trainspotting adventures and takes you with him across the
fields and footbridges of Britain, passing through historic
terminals and backwater stations in pursuit of tones, thrash and
locomotive perfection. Told in his inimitable style, these
hilarious and heart-warming tales take you behind the scenes of his
most popular videos, and celebrate the places and people of the
railway. Are you ready to depart? 'Oh for goodness sake, I'm on the
wrong platform!'
For many the GWR was synonymous with holidays by the sea in the
West Country, but it was built to serve as a fast railway line to
London, especially for the merchants and financiers of Bristol. Its
operations stretched as far as Merseyside, it provided most
services in Wales, and it was the main line to Cardiff, Bristol,
Cornwall and Birmingham. This book, a classic first published in
2006, reveals the equipment, stations, network, shipping and air
services, bus operations including Western National, and overall
reach and history of the GWR. Forming part of a series, along with
The LMS Handbook, The LNER Handbook and The Southern Railway
Handbook, this new edition provides an authoritative and highly
detailed reference of information about the GWR.
With 980 million passengers a year, more than 250 miles of track,
literally hundreds of different stations and a history stretching
back nearly 150 years, the world's oldest underground railway might
seem familiar, but actually, how well do you know it? Do you know,
for example, who the Queen sat next to when she first went on the
Tube in 1939? Or what they did with all the earth dug out to make
way for the Piccadilly Line? Or indeed why it is that without the
common shipworm, Teredo navalis, the Tube network might not even
exist? Thought not. But now, with 10,000 wacky facts at your
fingertips, The Little Book of the London Underground will tell you
everything you need to know - and plenty more that your probably
don't.
The formative years of Britain's railway network produced a host of
ideas, activities and characters, quite a few of which now seem not
only highly unusual, but sometimes little short of ridiculous.
Weird schemes and designs, extravagant behaviour, reckless
competition and larger-than-life characters all featured in the
genuine struggle of the railway system to evolve. While the dawning
of regulation and common sense brought about more uniform and
responsible practices, factors like the weather and the innate
complexity of railway operation continued to produce a stream of
nonstandard incidents and outcomes, from wild storms to unusual
equipment. This book, by ex-railwaymen Geoff and Ian Body, captures
over 150 entertaining snippets, stories, and strange and unusual
facts from an ample supply of railway curiosities.
Great War Railwaymen details the incredible achievement of the
railways & railway workers during the first world war,
exploring not only the vast infrastructure, but also those who
operated it.
Daniel Defoe's Incredible Train Journey describes the odyssey
undertaken by two eccentric pensioners as they travel on every mile
of railway track in the UK. Surreal and poignant by turns, Stuart
Campbell describes the people they meet and the unwanted adventures
that befall them. He is aided and abetted by the ghost of Daniel
Defoe, writer, soldier, businessman and spy who completed his own
journey in the 1720s.
At its zenith, the British railway network was 21,000 route miles
long, twice its present size. Yet it now carries more passenger
miles than at its fullest extent and urgently needs more capacity
to grow further. The massive reduction in Britain's national
railway network resulted from a sustained campaign by a number of
individuals, who believed that railways had had their day, that
economies had to be made and that you could not stop what they saw
as 'progress'. Although the process of railway closure started
early, the pace accelerated during the 1950s and peaked in the
years following the Beeching report- The Reshaping of British
Railways - published in early 1963. However, it could have been
even worse. Original research by the authors reveals plans to
reduce the size of the railway network further and an assumption,
in the early 1990s, that market forces would shrink the network
where Government policies had failed. Had these been implemented,
only a handful of lines would have remained with the network
destroyed forever. The past is vital to understanding today's
railway as the industry struggles to meet the demands made of
it.Trimming at the margins remains a compelling argument for policy
makers unaware of history, and the risk remains that mistakes could
be repeated. Drawing upon a wide range of documents, including
cabinet papers, Holding the Line is an explosive account of how
close the railway industry came to being eviscerated and how the
dangers of 'closure by stealth' still exist in the contemporary
age.
The British Rail Class 142 Pacer was an attempt to produce a cost
effective train to replace the worn-out and elderly first
generation BR Diesel Multiple Unit fleet that had been introduced
in the late 1950's. The Class 142 concept was a marriage of proven
bus technology and traditional railway chassis and powertrain by
utilizing modular Leyland National Bus Bodies mounted on a
substantial steel underframe and powered by conventional underfloor
diesel engines. They came at a time when the network was lacking in
investment, and when first introduced from 1985 onwards, they
presented a fresh, bright & clean image, breathing new life
into many suburban and rural services. Unfortunately, soon after
introduction, there were serious reliability problems, which
necessitated much re-engineering, since when they have become a
familiar sight across the network. With the remaining ninety-four
trains now all past their thirtieth birthday, the fleet is due to
be retired by 2020.
Renowned for its express locomotive Mallard setting a world speed
record (126mph) for steam locomotives that endures to this day, the
London & North Eastern Railway was the second largest of the
'Big Four' railway companies to emerge from the 1923 grouping and
also the most diverse, with its prestigious high-speed trains from
King's Cross balanced by an intensive suburban and commuter service
from Liverpool Street and a high dependence on freight. Noted for
its cautious board and thrifty management, the LNER gained a
reputation for being poor but honest. Forming part of a series,
along with The GWR Handbook, The LMS Handbook and The Southern
Railway Handbook, this new edition provides an authoritative and
highly detailed reference of information about the LNER.
This book, to published in two parts, is dedicated to the memories
of all those people who once worked for the Great Western Railway
in South Wales, at Pontypool Road loco depot, the Eastern Valley
and the Vale of Neath railway, as well as to those people who
worked in the industries once served by the railway in those
locations. In 2016, the UK coal mining industry is extinct, and the
future of the steel industry is in doubt. This book serves as a
reminder to future generations as to what a fantastic place the
South Wales valleys once were for heavy industry and transport
infrastructure, and also as a tribute to the pioneering 19th
century railway builders. Local railway enthusiast Phil Williams,
is a contract structural engineer in the aerospace industry. His
father's uncle, Harry Miles, was a Swindon trained locomotive
fitter at Pontypool Road in the 1930s. His family have interesting
links to the mining industry. His great grandfather was Thomas
Williams, the Colliery Engineer at Tirpentwys Colliery from before
1902 up to 1912; and then at Crumlin Valley Colliery Hafodrynys and
the Glyn Pits, from 1915 until he died in 1925 aged 76.His father's
great grandfather, Joseph Harper, was one of the 1890 Llanerch
Colliery disaster rescue team; he worked at the British Top Pits.
His father's uncle, Williams Harper was the foreman of the wagon
shop at the Big Arch Talywain.
L T C Rolt was one of a small group of amateur railwaymen who made
their dream of running their own railway come true. His vivid and
often amusing account of this unique achievement is a record of
individual enterprise and creative effort as refreshing as it is
rare. Established by Act of Parliament in 1865 and unaffected by
mergers and nationalisation, the Talyllyn Railway has been serving
a remote and beautiful valley in the Merioneth mountains ever
since. In 1950, the line was threatened with closure, and it was at
that moment that the amateurs came to the rescue. It is now the
oldest surviving railway of its kind in the world. This book is
delightful reading for both railway devotees and lovers of the
Welsh countryside, which is so beautifully described here. 'Come
and join this railway adventure set amidst the magnificent mountain
background of Wales - this should appeal to a whole new generation
of enthusiasts.' Steam Railway News. 'This book remains essential
reading, not only for those who love this corner of Wales and its
railway, but all who have a genuine interest in what motivates
people to try and preserve this part of our heritage.' Push and
Pull
The North-West of England is a diverse and fascinating part of the
country with a varied landscape. This area was once the powerhouse
of the industrial revolution, and was the location for the World's
first true 'Intercity' railway, spawning a complex network of
routes that served the various towns which were once hives of
industry. The famous coastal resorts-Southport, Blackpool, and
Morecambe were all products of the railway age, when a day trip to
the seaside broke the monotony of the daily grind. However, areas
and times change-heavy industry was on the wane by the late 1960s,
and the last of the Lancashire Collieries disappeared in the early
1990s, reflecting the decline of traditional industries nationwide.
The North-West railway network has adapted, becoming a
predominantly passenger railway, with busy commuter services
feeding Liverpool and Manchester daily. This book chronicles many
of the changes since the late 1970s, including scenes, routes, and
rolling stock that have altered beyond recognition.
The 'Golden Valley Line' - is so called due to the descent from the
summit of the line at Sapperton Tunnel to Gloucester being cut
through a yellow/golden limestone ridge - between Swindon, on the
Great Western main line and Standish Junction, on the
Birmingham-Bristol main line. Opened from Gloucester Junction,
immediately to the west of Swindon, to Cirencester on 31 May 1841,
under the auspices of the Cheltenham & Great Western Union
Railway Act of 1936, the extension to Gloucester, via Kemble
(though without a station there initially) was completed on 12 May
1845. Laid to Brunel's 7ft 0 ins gauge, the line was bought by the
Great Western Railway and grandly called the 'South Wales Main
Line'. It was converted to standard gauge on 26 May 1872. What had
now become the Cirencester branch from Kemble closed to passengers
from 6 April 1964 and freight on 4 October the following year. A
branch from Kemble to Tetbury was opened on 2 December 1889 -
originally planned to extend to Nailsworth - and closed to
passengers on the same date as the route to Cirencester, with
freight going earlier this time, on 5 August 1963.The route has
seen a wide variety of services, from 'main line' trains to London
to the much more humble Railmotor services that ran for many years
between Gloucester/Stonehouse-Chalford/Kemble. The latter ended on
2 November 1964, leaving the services to run Swindon-Gloucester as
locals, with occasional through trains from/to London. In steam
days it was home to the world famous 'Cheltenham Spa Express',
giving the fastest journey to London. The 12-mile section from
Swindon to Kemble was singled by BR to save costs but this has
meant restrictions on traffic, with many services being negatively
affected and preventing growth of patronage. To ease this situation
and to prepare for the forthcoming electrification of the Great
Western mainline, when a diversion will be required around the
Severn Tunnel, the route is to be re-doubled by Network Rail over
the period 2013/4. This volume, extending the compass to
Gloucester, looks at both the old days, with comparisons with the
present day scene and also features the doubling work, in
conjunction with Network Rail. Men and machines at work give a
variety of illustrations and the whole is a fascinating exposition
of the transformation of this once sleepy by-way.
Inspired by the hit board game that has sold over 12 million
copies, travel the world from the comfort of your home with the
Ticket to Ride Puzzle Book. Based on the award-winning board game,
this book is packed full of 100 original, colourful and exciting
challenges for puzzlers and board-game enthusiasts alike. It's the
year 1900, and you are a young tourist setting off on a global rail
journey. Voyaging from city to city across countries and
continents, you meet an entertaining set of characters who provide
you with a perplexing set of brainteasers, from logic problems and
train track puzzles to riddles and linguistic conundrums. Climb
aboard and ride across the world in 100 globe-trotting puzzles!
The Abermule railway disaster is still the worst single line rail
disaster the UK has ever known. It occurred on the Cambrian railway
in 1921, killing thirty-four and injuring sixty-five people. The
railway operational ramifications of this terrible accident were
felt as far away as India.This detailed book focuses on the
Abermule disaster, telling the story using reports and testimonies,
photographs and diagrams. The book covers the accident itself, the
people involved, passengers, workers, the railway company, the
wreckage, the witnesses, the casualties, the press, the inquest,
the verdict, and presents original theories on how the incident
happened, backed up by information from the son of one of the
principal players.
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