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.

Mind the gap and jump aboard this fascinating history of the world's oldest and greatest underground railway. On seven guided journeys, travel through time and observe at first hand the influence of great Underground architects, such as Charles Holden and Sir Norman Foster, and how the stations have changed - but also how many things have stayed the same.

Digital photography equipment and software now give enthusiasts the ability to create images of exceptional quality. For those who want to develop their skills and improve their results, this book will show you how to get the best from your digital camera. It will help you create a collection or portfolio to be proud of, and show you how to achieve outstanding results without a huge investment in equipment. This book is a 'how to' guide for railway photographers. Intended for those comfortable with their digital camera, it will show you new techniques to try and the true capabilities of your camera. Using clear examples, you'll learn how to get the best image quality from prevailing conditions, and maximise the impact and creativity of your images. Once back at home in the 'digital darkroom', the book will offer tips and advice on how to use common imaging software. It will show you how to enhance an image, so you can bring out the best results in a creative manner without losing the inspiration or atmosphere of the original shot.

'British Railways Past and Present' is a nationwide series of books featuring photographs of railway locations taken several decades ago and comparing them with the same scene today. Such is the current pace of change on our railway system that even a few years can reduce a busy and vibrant railway scene to a wasteland or housing estate - or conversely can bring electrification and up-to-the-minute technology to an outdated, run-down route. The contrasts are often dramatic, while sometimes hardly anything has altered in 30 or 40 years. Whatever the change, the comparison of 'past' and 'present' will intrigue not only the railway enthusiast and historian, but also anyone interested in our recent history. In this volume covering South Gloucestershire are over 175 photographs featuring a wealth of locations on both Ex-Great Western and LMS Main Lines during the British Railways era and before contrasted with the scene in recent times. Many erstwhile routes and locations closed in the 'Beeching years' and before are seen when trains still plied their trade and the wayside station provided a local service even over short distances.

From Britain's most popular railway historian, a concise, authoritative and fast-paced telling of how the railways changed the world. The arrival of the railways in the first half of the nineteenth century and their subsequent spread across every one of the world's continents acted as a spur for economic growth and social change on an extraordinary scale. The 'iron road' stimulated innovation in engineering and architecture, enabled people and goods to move around the world more quickly than ever before, and played a critical role in warfare as well as in the social and economic spheres. Christian Wolmar describes the emergence of modern railways in both Britain and the USA in the 1830s, and elsewhere in the following decade. He charts the surge in railway investment plans in Britain in the early 1840s and the ensuing 'railway mania' (which created the backbone of today's railway network), and the unstoppable spread of the railways across Europe, America and Asia. Above all, he assesses the global impact of a technology that, arguably, had the most transformative impact on human society of any before the coming of the Internet, and which, as it approaches two centuries of existence, continues to play a key role in human society in the twenty-first century. 'A lucid and engaging account of the far-reaching effects that trains have had upon society' The Railway & Canal Historical Society

Over the last two and a half years, Chris Tarrant has travelled, literally, all around the world filming Extreme Railway Journeys for Channel 5. The hugely successful TV series is already being repeated, and broadcast rights have been, and continue to be, picked up in other countries, while it is also being released on DVD. Chris's journeys have taken him to the Congo, India, Australia, Bolivia (twice), Japan, Siberia, Myanmar, Canada and Cuba, and the latest programmes see the completion of filming in Alaska, Argentina, Azerbaijan, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Chris Tarrant's Extreme Railway Journeys brings to life beautifully not only the romance of travelling by train, but also the sights, sounds and smells of the countries and places visited, while also illuminating the customs and attitudes of the people the author encountered along the way. But, as he says, 'I should have known what I was in for and what the word "extreme" means, when the very first show saw us filming in the Congo - where the train was six DAYS late.' Beautifully illustrated with exclusive colour photographs, Extreme Railway Journeys is not only a record of remarkable journeys in extraordinary places by one of our shrewdest commentators. It is also a demonstration of the principle that 'to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive'.

This new title from the authors of A World of Rail - John Legg and Ian Peaty - takes us on a fascinating tour of Britain's rail-borne transport sytem, or rather systems, as it covers a wide variety of locations and gauges. The variety of rolling stock is a feature including of both passenger and freight vehcles. Locations range from London's Underground to the Bass Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent and from Ford's Dagenham plant to the whisky distilleries of Scotland. This is a book that takes the reader off the beaten track, over many years, to provide a wide variety of images from all sorts of unusual and rarely seen passenger and freight sevices the length and breadth of the country. Images from the earliest days of railways right up to the modern day scene are accompanied by informative text and detailed captions. This is a book that is sure to provide variety.

Line by Line: Scotland is an illustrated guide to the country's railway, showcasing a collection of images captured over around twenty years. A celebration of both beautiful scenery and elegant engineering, it documents a variety of interesting rail traffic and will appeal to both local enthusiasts and those further afield. Featuring previously unpublished images that pay testament to Neil Gibson's keen eye for a great shot, this is terrific record of the railways of Scotland.

The Scarborough & Whitby Railway was opened in July 1885. The 21 miles of line traversed the picturesque coast between the two towns for eighty years. There were eight stations on the line all with their own distinctive character and serving the different needs of visitors and local people. All of the stations along the route are fully illustrated in this book. The line closed in March 1965 and the buildings were later sold into private ownership and have been put to a variety of uses since that time. The aim of this book is to illustrate the changes both before and after closure along this fascinating and historical railway which has become a very popular walking and cycling trail that passes through the spectacular and varied scenery of the North Yorkshire coast.

An eminent early preservationist, John Crawley was able to amass an enviable photographic archive of steam traction engines and road rollers in their working days, of which this Aveling & Porter selection formed just a part. Organiser of over eighty steam rallies, John saved up to thirty steam traction engines for preservation from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, at a time when they were considered not much more than worthless scrap. Indeed, he became the first owner of no fewer than twenty-two of them. Utilising this incredible and unique collection of images, most of which are previously unpublished, Colin Tyson tells the story of this important manufacturer and iconic British brand.

This album of 160 colour photographs was taken in the Southern Region of B.R., which was formerly the lines constituting the Southern Railway. Bill Reed took the pictures between 1958 and 1967 during a number of visits to stations, sheds and areas offering attractive vantage points of locomotives. From Greater London in the north, at sheds and stations including Bricklayers Arms, Feltham and Victoria, to Brighton, Southampton and Bournemouth on the south coast. Dover and Folkestone in the south east were visited as well as Exeter, Yeovil and Wadebridge on the south west. The Isle of Wight is also included as the area was incorporated into the S.R. upon Grouping and later the Southern Region of B.R. This book contains a selection of photographs taken on numerous branch lines around the region and these are particularly evocative of the final years of steam under B.R. operation. From a modern perspective they also give an indication why there was such an eagerness on the part of B.R. for their closure. Many of the lines utilized locomotives that had been in service for a number of years and were perhaps coming to the end of their life span.

A dynamically written visual history of the world's largest transit system in all its intriguing, colorful, and even seedy glory packed with compelling information, as well as fascinating graphics and illustrations. New York wouldn't be New York without the subway. This one-time engineering marvel that united and expanded the city has been a cultural touchstone for the last 114 years. Subway is a complete, concise history of the transit system, from the technical obstacles and corruption which impeded plans for an underground rail line in the late 1800s, to the current state of the systems and plans for the future. Interspersed throughout are sidebars and stand-alone sections including profiles of characters who helped make the subway what it is today; graphics and imagery showing the evolution of subway cars, tokens and MetroCards, graffiti, and even subway etiquette ads; how the subway has been characterized in movies, television, and music; a look at abandoned cars and stations and more. A passion project for writer and train-buff John Morris, he brings wit and a journalist's instinct to the book, grabbing readers' attention with fascinating facts and anecdotes, conveying a sense of wonder and fun about the world's largest transit system. With engrossing imagery and a dynamic design, Subway will be a visual feast and must-have gift book for history buffs and train fanatics.

From the Edwardian golden age of steam to the present, the railway has captured the hearts and imaginations of the British people like no other mode of travel. In wartime and peace, along major routes and minor, steam, diesel and electric trains have carried commuters to work, families to holiday destinations and provided the means to myriad other adventures - the train a constant presence in an ever-changing way of life. A Century of Railway Travel presents one hundred years of the British passenger's story, using striking full-page imagery with commentary from bestselling author Paul Atterbury. From the open platforms of provincial stations before the First World War to the modern throngs at Waterloo on Derby Day, and from compartments that separated rich from poor and male from female, to the rise to dominance of modern standard class, this book depicts the rich tapestry of progress and heritage that has been the last century of British train travel. The coloured card ticket in your hand, the rough feel of the upholstered seats, and the call of the whistle, the scenery begins to move across the carriage windows of one of Britain's great steam-trains: with full-page illustrations and text alive with insight and nostalgia, this is a passenger's history of train travel in the last century.

Fugitives fleeing from slavery in Kentucky, Missouri, and points farther south traversed the entire state of Illinois while moving northward. But they were most likely to receive help from Underground railroad operators if they passed through western Illinois, where a good number of Underground Railroad agents lived. This book briefly discusses the Underground Railroad throughout the United States and all of Illinois. It addresses at length the activities of Underground Railroad operators, both black and white, in western Illinois. The compelling efforts of these people have been surprisingly neglected; this book examines in detail their significant contributions to this heroic chapter in American history.

A guide detailing what you can see on the train journey between Shrewsbury and Swansea, with information on the railway of today and yesteryear and brief introductions to some of the towns and attractions to be found along the line.

The author writes: `My hobby has been model railways for many years, since I was given a Tri-ang Princess Elizabeth train set for Christmas as an eight-year-old schoolboy. Over the years I have gained much modelling knowledge from practical experience, and belonging to model railway clubs, quite apart from the wealth of knowledge gained from working on the `real thing' from a young post-school teenager through to my retirement. My first published book, The Newcomer's Guide to Model Railways (ISBN 98-1-85794-329-0) has I am told proved to be very popular and has given many readers a great helping hand in their hobby. So it has been deemed necessary that I should produce a second book, which would enhance the first without covering the same ground too much. While in these pages I write about generic items and often reference the real thing, there are many regional variations, and these cannot be taken into account within the confines of this book. Therefore I would recommend that, before starting any regional or era-based project, you undertake a good deal of research to gain the correct facts. Internet searches, books and perhaps visits to preserved railways or to the national network will usually reveal plenty of detail. If you are starting out in the hobby or returning to it after several years of absence and have not obtained a copy of The Newcomer's Guide to Model Railways, I suggest it might be an advantage to obtain one. I hope you enjoy the items you are about to read and hopefully they will help and possibly nudge you into producing a great model railway layout. Remember - think safely, then act.

Tom Hicks story begins when he joins the LMS straight from school and follows his early life on the railways in the 1930s, through enlistment, training as a paratrooper, wartime service, imprisonment and his return to the LMS as an engine driver. Tom volunteered for war service in 1939 and was initially placed in the military railway of the Royal Engineers. In search of adventure, he successfully applied to join the newly formed 1st Parachute Squadron of the Royal Engineers. The intensity and rigours of parachute training are described in detail, as are the comradeship and humour that came to the fore as this small 150-man unit fought throughout the Second World War as part of the 1st Parachute Brigade. The excitement of the first parachute jumps are relived together with the parachute operations in North Africa, Sicily and the Battle of Arnhem. It was here after nine days fighting with his mates falling around him that Tom was wounded and taken prisoner. Following the battle, Tom was transported in a cattle truck to Germany where he was used as forced labour in a lead mine until being liberated by the Americans in 1945. With insightful commentary from Toms son Norman, this is the story of an ordinary soldier, who was motivated by pride in his unit. It was this that would not let him leave the army when he was twice given the opportunity to return home to support the struggling railway system. Tom has recounted his experiences with a keen eye and the sense of humour that has always enabled him to triumph in the face of adversity.

This new book takes up the story where Volume 1 left off. In the intervening years much hard work has seen the line return to the Snowdonia National Park as far as Rhyd Ddu, at the very foot of Snowdon, providing a 13-mile trip through magnificent scenery that is surely unsurpassed on any narrow-gauge railway in the UK.

In The Last Ten Years, author Brian J. Dickson presents stunning colour photographs from the collections of three enthusiasts of the Seafield Railway Club in north London. Meeting regularly at New Southgate station to record the steam-handled traffic, their focus was initially on all things connected with the former London and North Eastern Railway, but as steam traction became restricted to smaller and smaller areas of operation, regular visits were made further afield, to the north-east of England, Scotland and the former London Midland and Scottish Railway sheds and lines. This record of steam locomotion in its final years of mainline usage, from 1959 to 1968, is sure to enhance any steam railway enthusiast's library.