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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Trains & railways: general interest
In the early 1980s, Ravenscraig steel works was the biggest source
of rail freight north of the border, handling iron ore, coal, lime
and scrap, as well as semi-finished and finished products. Opencast
coal was thriving and would even lead to some lines re-opening
later in the decade. Wagonload freight was still providing a
service on some rural lines, not least the Far North line where
many intermediate stations still handled general freight, such as
seed potatoes and fertiliser. Today, Ravenscraig is a distant
memory and coal is no longer carried by rail anywhere in Scotland.
Wagonload freight has also disappeared, despite some attempts to
revive the concept in the early 2000s. However, in a few areas,
rail freight has done well. The cement works at Oxwellmains is a
big user of rail and Grangemouth refinery still produces three
trainload flows. Intermodal traffic has grown substantially, with
several regular Anglo-Scottish flows on the West and East Coast
main lines as well as internal movements to Aberdeen and Inverness.
Illustrated with over 160 photographs, many of which are previously
unpublished, this volume looks at the changing face of rail freight
in Scotland. It details the changes in traction, rolling stock and
railway infrastructure over four decades.
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.
The story of an engineering marvel of the twenty-first century, from Britain's bestselling railway writer.
In autumn 2019, Europe's biggest infrastructure project – a state-of-the-art cross-London railway – will finally come to fruition. From Reading and Heathrow in the west, the Elizabeth line will extend to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, including 42 kilometres of new tunnels dug under central London.
Crossrail, first conceived just after the Second World War in the era of Attlee and Churchill, has cost more than £15bn and is expected to serve 200 million passengers annually. The author sets out the complex and highly political reasons for Crossrail's lengthy gestation, tracing the troubled progress of the concept from the rejection of the first Crossrail bill in the 1990s through the tortuous parliamentary processes that led to the passing of the Crossrail Act of 2008. He also recounts in detail the construction of this astonishing new railway, describing how immense tunnel boring machines cut through a subterranean world of rock and mud with unparalleled accuracy that ensured none of the buildings overhead were affected.
A shrewdly incisive observer of postwar transport policy, Wolmar pays due credit to the remarkable achievement of Crossrail, while analysing in clear-eyed fashion the many setbacks it encountered en route to completion.
Fifty years ago, main line steam in Britain ceased to exist, the
last official date being 11 August 1968. At the time, British
Railways' plan was that after this there would be no more steam
traction - although a special dispensation was given for Britannia
Class 4-6-2 No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell to travel under its own steam
into preservation on the 12th and 13th of that month. We now know
that this was not quite the case, and that steam locomotives would
eventually return to the main lines on highly popular 'specials'.
With over 200 never-before-seen photographs, paired with fond and
often amusing captions, this evocative book takes a look back at
those days and years that led up to the end of steam on Britain's
railways.
Norfolk has enjoyed loco-hauled passenger trains for many years,
with Great Yarmouth being a popular destination for summer holiday
services from London, the Midlands, and the North. While these
summer Saturday' services gained a significant following from
enthusiasts and lineside photographers alike, they have not been
the only workings to bring unusual traction to the area. The fleet
of diesel units based at Norwich Crown Point depot has often been
stretched, with augmentation required to cover services on the
Norfolk and Suffolk branches, and for special events. A wide range
of locomotives have been used over the years on local services to
Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. These culminated in the hugely
popular Greater Anglia short set', featuring daily workings from
DRS Class 37s. They finally ended in September 2019, with the
arrival of a large fleet of new Stadler units, and disability
regulations requiring the withdrawal of the outdated Mk2 coaches.
With 180 colour images, this title celebrates these workings from
inception in summer 1994 to their finale 25 years later.
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Class 70s
(Paperback)
Mark Pike
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In the late 2000s, Freightliner was looking to expand its
locomotive fleet towards more powerful and fuel-efficient
locomotives that were compliant with the various European Union
emission standards and rules. In a departure from the newest and
most common locomotives running on the network at the time, Class
66s built by General Motors, Freightliner looked to General
Electric to construct these new machines and opted to place an
initial order for 20 locomotives with an option for a further ten.
The new Class 70 was a 3,690bhp locomotive of a very different
design from the Class 66s, with a focus on reliability and
efficiency. Eventually, Freightliner declined to take up the option
of the further ten locos and instead they were taken on by Colas
Rail. Containing over 190 colour photographs, this book is a
collection of images showing every Class 70 locomotive, except the
ill-fated 70012, over the last decade or so that they have been in
service. It shows a variety of locations, mostly in the south of
England, where these impressive locomotives can be seen at work.
190 colour photographs
Set against a backdrop of the wonderful scenic beauty of Scotland's
Highlands, this book illustrates the area's fascinating passenger
and freight trains, railway infrastructure, stations and signalling
over a 40-year period. Using photographs taken mainly by two
railway enthusiasts who have made regular and frequent visits to
the area, the reader is taken on a captivating photographic journey
north from Perth to Inverness, Kyle of Lochalsh, Wick and Thurso.
En route, many of the locations on the railway and the variety of
locomotives and multiple units that have appeared in the area from
1979 to 2019 are shown. This volume includes over 180 historic
photographs, most of which have never been published before, each
accompanied by an extensive caption. Together they form a
comprehensive historic record of the trains in Highland Scotland
north of Perth, including some of the changes that have taken place
in the railways of the area. They illustrate the growth and decline
of passenger and freight services and how the infrastructure of the
railways has evolved through a period of four decades to meet the
needs of the modern railway era.
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Class 60s
(Paperback)
Mark Pike
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The Class 60 was the last truly British-built diesel locomotive
design. From 1990, the locomotive was gradually delivered, with 100
in total going to the Railfreight sectors of Metal, Coal,
Construction and Petroleum. Their introduction did not go smoothly,
however, and they took almost three years to enter service due to
various teething troubles. Once these were ironed out, the class
became reasonably reliable, and examples of other classes that were
getting very tired at the time were progressively withdrawn.
Privatisation saw all the class being sold on to English, Welsh
& Scottish Railways and, in 2004, the first Class 60 was
withdrawn. Towards the end of the 2000s, almost all of the locos
were put into store with a seemingly very bleak future. However, in
the early 2010s, a small fleet of the locos received a thorough
rebuilding so they could haul DB Schenker's heaviest trains, and
eventually 21 locos were refurbished for them, another ten for
Colas Rail and a further four for Devon & Cornwall Railways.
This has meant that although the majority of the class is still
presently rusting away and unlikely to run again, at least a number
of examples will still be visible on the national network for a few
more years to come. Illustrated with over 190 photographs, this
volume looks at the Class 60s from their early days through to the
end of the 2010s.
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Class 59s
(Paperback)
Mark Pike
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R482
R391
Discovery Miles 3 910
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In the mid-1980s, one of British Rail's major customers of heavy
block trains, Foster Yeoman, suggested the unusual arrangement of
running its services with locomotives owned by them, rather than
BR. Disappointment in the Class 56s on its routes led Foster Yeoman
to look elsewhere for locomotives. They eventually agreed a deal
with the US firm General Motors to provide them with the locos
designated as Class 59s. The Class 59s surpassed everyone's
expectations and other customers unhappy with the Class 56s decided
to purchase the Class 59s as well. The locos are now over 30 years
old and are still performing the work they were designed for. With
over 230 images, this book shows the Class 59s through the years
across the United Kingdom.
An illustrated travelogue that brilliantly captures artist and
illustrator Emma Fick's epic train journey on the Trans-Siberian
Railway-from Beijing through Mongolia to Moscow-including more than
200 watercolor illustrations and handwritten text that includes
cultural and historical information as well as invaluable travel
tips. In May 2015, on a trip through the Baltics and Scandinavia,
artist and illustrator Emma Fick and her boyfriend (now husband)
Helvio discovered a worn copy of the Trans-Siberian Handbook at a
secondhand shop in Helsinki. Many travelers from around the globe
had used the guide to journey on the longest train ride in the
world. Emma and Helvio took their find as a sign to embark on their
own adventure on the legendary railway that has captured the
imaginations and curiosities of many travelers and explorers since
its construction a century ago. A year and a half later, with
Trans-Siberian Handbook in hand, they boarded the train in Beijing.
Their odyssey was just beginning. Border Crossings is the chronicle
of their unforgettable 26-day, 8-city journey across Asia to
Moscow. Emma offers a concise history of the railway and in vivid,
visual language, takes you across a vast landscape of rural
villages and bustling urban centers, through open food markets
brimming with delicacies and a snowy mountain wilderness dotted
with clusters of gers-nomadic homes. Emma's detailed observations
and lush descriptions, accompanied by detailed colorful
illustrations, bring this remarkable journey of discovery and
adventure-the landscapes, food, people and cultures-to life.
Experience drinking salty milk tea, eating shoe sole cake (fried
cakes shaped like shoe soles piled high and topped with milk curds
and hard candies), and riding camels in Mongolia. In Russia, wander
through a snow-draped countryside filled with stands of birch
trees, explore the wonders of freshwater Lake Baikal-the source of
omul, a ubiquitous and beloved fish delicacy-go ice fishing, and
take a self-guided tour of Moscow. With its hand-drawn maps, its
wealth of illustrations of every aspect of the experience-from
sleeping quarters on a train to the highlights of a monastery or
the details of a memorable meal, Border Crossings is an invitation
to experience new destinations and cultures first-hand-to travel
the Trans-Siberian Railway as never before, whether you're a nomad
looking for a new vacation destination, an armchair traveler, or
just culturally curious.
Gordon D. Webster's latest title examines the renewal - and revival
- of railways in the north of England. In 2020, the Covid-19
pandemic changed the role of train travel in Britain forever. Gone
were the swarms of rush-hour commuters to the city and the tourist
season was dealt a very swift blow. New trains and new franchises
signalled a new era on the East and West Coast main lines, only for
trains to run empty as an emergency timetable took hold. Across the
Pennines, the famous Settle & Carlisle line was devoid of its
usual summer charter traffic, though 'Staycation Express'
loco-hauled services proved a success. This photographic collection
looks at the rails of the north before and after the pandemic in
all their scenic glory. It also covers the heritage steam railways,
which faced their biggest ever challenge during this extraordinary
period in history.
By 1933, the Pennsylvania Railroad had been in existence for nearly
ninety years. During this time, it had grown from a small line,
struggling to build west from the state capital in Harrisburg, to
the dominant transportation company in the United States. In Volume
2 of The Pennsylvania Railroad, Albert J. Churella continues his
history of this giant of American transportation. Â At the
beginning of the twentieth century, the Pennsylvania Railroad was
the world's largest business corporation and the nation's most
important railroad. By 1917, the Pennsylvania Railroad, like the
nation itself, was confronting a very different world. The war that
had consumed Europe since 1914 was about to engulf the United
States. Amid unprecedented demand for transportation, the federal
government undertook the management of the railroads, while new
labor policies and new regulatory initiatives, coupled with a
postwar recession, would challenge the company like never before.
Only time would tell whether the years that followed would signal a
new beginning for the Pennsylvania Railroad or the beginning of the
end. Â The Pennsylvania Railroad: The Age of Limits,
1917–1933, represents an unparalleled look at the history, the
personalities, and the technologies of this iconic American company
in a period that marked the shift from building an empire to
exploring the limits of their power.
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!'
In the mid-1930s, eminent locomotive engineer Sir Nigel Gresley
produced plans for the A4 Class Pacifics, which were specially
built to work a new high-speed express, the ‘Silver Jubilee’.
From the start, the class caused a sensation and immediately
secured the admiration of the general public. Gresley’s A4s
captures these worldfamous locomotives throughout their life, with
over 300 excellent colour and black and white images present in
this collection, which is arguably the greatest ever assembled on
the class. Photographs of every locomotive in the LNER and BR
periods are included. Overa dozen A4s feature in a chapter
dedicated to the 1946 renumbering, which lasted only two/three
years, making pictures of them particularly rare. The A4s are shown
at major centres on the East Coast Main Line, such as King’s
Cross station, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster, York, Darlington,
Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley. Also, images taken during the
twilight years in Scotland are included. The surviving engines are
seen at several locations in the country – Aberdeen, Glasgow and
Perth. A number of images are from the lineside at various points,
or wayside stations and water troughs. Some classmembers have been
photographed at sheds when being serviced, or under repair at
workshops. Many of the famous trains worked by the A4s are
presented, such as the ‘Silver Jubilee’, ‘Coronation’,
‘West Riding Limited’ and ‘Flying Scotsman’, then later the
‘Capitals Limited’, ‘Elizabethan’, ‘The Talisman’, etc.
The class were often selected to head special trains and there are
several examples of this in Gresley’s A4s. The pictures are
accompanied by interesting and informative captions that provide
details from the history of each locomotive, as well as the class.
The new puzzle book from the National Railway Museum in York! Have
you got what it takes to travel around Britain solving these 100
train-based brainteasers, word games, number crunchers and puzzles?
Escape from your home and put your puzzle-solving skills to the
test with these captivating conundrums that will take you on a
whirlwind ride through the nation's most extraordinary past and
present railway journeys. From the first journeys of legendary
locomotives such as The Flying Scotsman and the Penydarren, to
record-breaking routes and trips that changed our world, this is
the perfect gift for puzzle book fanatics, train and travel
enthusiasts, and history buffs! Inspired by the museum's archives
this book is jam-packed with a variety of puzzles, from anagrams,
crosswords and wordsearches to logic and mathematical challenges.
Alongside puzzles to suit all levels, each section also includes an
introduction that covers the most fascinating trivia, facts and
figures behind the history of our railways, written by Chris
Valkoinen from the National Railway Museum's Search Engine. There's
a treasure trove of puzzles to be solved - are you ready to climb
aboard?
In Great Britain there existed a practice of naming steam railway
locomotives. The names chosen covered many and varied subjects,
however a large number of those represented direct links with
military personnel, regiments, squadrons, naval vessels, aircraft,
battles and associated historic events. Memorably the Southern
Railway (SR) created a Battle of Britain class of Light Pacific
locomotives, which were named in recognition of Battle of Britain
squadrons, airfields, aircraft and personnel. The Great Western
Railway (GWR) re-named some of its express passenger Castle Class
engines after Second World War aircraft. Names were displayed in
varying styles on both sides of the locomotives, additionally some
nameplates were adorned with ornate crests and badges. Long after
the demise of mainline steam, rescued nameplates are still much
sort after collectors' items, which when offered for sale command
high prices. This generously illustrated publication highlights the
relevant steam locomotives at work and explains the origins of the
military names.
Part of the West Wales Railways series, this book starts at
Clarbeston Road, covers the oil-rich town of Milford Haven, where
oil refineries were opened mostly in the 1960s in association with
the deep-water port, to accommodate super tankers from the Middle
East, though the development of other products and pipelines in the
oil world has seen the number of oil terminals there currently
reduced to one at Robeston. Neyland was the original West Wales
terminus of the GWR, after plans to develop Fishguard were delayed
until 1906, and saw several through Passenger and Parcels trains to
Paddington until 1963, when through passenger trains between
Paddington and West Wales were terminated at Swansea with a DMU
service beyond. The Neyland branch from Johnston was closed under
the Beeching cuts of 1964, involving the closure of the important
Motive Power Depot whose allocation of County Class engines is well
illustrated, though the effect of this was largely nullified by the
arrival of the diesel age.
This book covers the design, construction, operation and
performance of Sir William Stanier's masterpiece, the Princess
Coronation pacific locomotives, better known as the Duchesses'.
Included are pen portraits of the LMS engineers, a chapter on the
express locomotives of the early LMS period that preceded their
introduction and the internal rivalries and politics that Stanier
was brought in to resolve. Chapters and photographs cover the
streamline era, the war years and aftermath, the early years of
nationalisation including the 1948 locomotive exchanges and the
recovery of performance in the mid-1950s. The author includes some
of his own experiences and photographs. The book includes 200
photographs including a few in colour from the LMS era, and an
appendix with weight diagrams, and statistics of the locomotive
construction and withdrawal, names, liveries, allocations and
mileages.
Last Train to Paradise is acclaimed novelist Les Standiford’s fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler’s dream fulfilled, the Key West Railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for more than twenty-two years, heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World.” Standiford brings the full force and fury of 1935’s deadly “Storm of the Century” and its sweeping destruction of “the railroad that crossed an ocean” to terrifying life. Last Train to Paradise celebrates a crowning achievement of Gilded Age ambition in a sweeping tale of the powerful forces of human ingenuity colliding with the even greater forces of nature’s wrath.
“A dramatic story . . . and Les Standiford has a good deal of fun with it all.” —Washington Post Book World “A rousing—a deeply sobering—story.” —Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed “A fascinating and incredibly compelling account . . . I could not put it down.” —Donald Trump “A definitive account of the engineering feat that became known as ‘Flagler’s Folly’. . . A rousing adventure."—Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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