This title deals with the fascination and excitement of world railway history, from Stephenson's Rocket to the modern age. With splendid illustrations and a sparkling narrative, it charters the fundamental stages and main events of railway history, from the birth of steam locomotion to modern high-speed trains. Divided into six sections, each chapter documents a significant period in the development of the railways and tells the stories of the key men, inventions, challenge and technological breakthroughs. 250 colour photographs

Paul Theroux, the author of the train travel classics The Great Railway Bazaar and The Old Patagonian Express, takes to the rails once again in this account of his epic journey through China. He hops aboard as part of a tour group in London and sets out for China's border. He then spends a year traversing the country, where he pieces together a fascinating snapshot of a unique moment in history. From the barren deserts of Xinjiang to the ice forests of Manchuria, from the dense metropolises of Shanghai, Beijing, and Canton to the dry hills of Tibet, Theroux offers an unforgettable portrait of a magnificent land and an extraordinary people.

In the early 1800s, Ayrshire was already established as a prosperous, mainly rural agricultural county. The realization that there was abundant coal and (to a lesser extent) iron ore deposits to be exploited, together with the coming of the Industrial Revolution, rendered the area wide open to the 'railway mania' that swept Britain in the mid to late 1800s. The proximity of the county north to Glasgow and south to Carlisle (and thence south) made it an attractive proposition for early railway developers. Gordon Thomson explores the history and development of the railway routes in Ayrshire; how the coming of the railways changed the face of the area and supported the growth of industry. It looks at how services evolved through the eras of LMS, nationalization and privatization, and the preservation and heritage scene in Ayrshire.

Southern Way No 27 will be available in July 2014. Our ever-popular mix of steam / electric / history / reminiscences as well as the usual features abound and will delight all enthusiasts of the Southern Region. This issue concentrates on infrastructure, stations, yards and civil engineering, subjects we know from our postbag are ever popular especially with the modeller. Look out then for a veritable feast in both colour and black and white.

The West Riding of Yorkshire boasted the most complex railway network in Britain, comprised at various times of seven railway companies, with an eighth trying to secure a foothold, eleven significant joint lines and several minor systems. With no overall strategic pattern of territory or route, the companies seemed to vie incessantly for supremacy, often at the expense of efficiency with the significant duplication of facilities: over twenty-five towns and villages had two passenger stations, while some even had three or four! This book reviews the local history, including its economy and key industries. It describes the need for the railways and the political and geographical challenges they faced. It discusses the impact on the region of 'railway mania' experienced throughout Britain in the mid-nineteenth century. The many locomotives that worked these lines are celebrated, with a behind-the-scenes look at their yards, sheds and roundhouses. The lost branch lines and stations are remembered. Finally, there are individual chapters covering Leeds, Doncaster, Barnsley and the coalfields, Sheffield and Rotherham, Airedale and Wharfedale, the Aire and Calder watershed, the Calder Valley and Huddersfield.