![]() |
![]() |
Your cart is empty |
||
Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest > Trains & railways: general interest
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 preserved heritage museum railways of Britain are thriving. Not only is there continuing nostalgia for the steam locomotives of a bygone era, but a growing number of diesel locos and multiple units, both in use and under restoration on site, make the different lines ever more attractive to the modern enthusiast. This book contains a multitude of information to help the reader find and enjoy these lines, including maps, mileages (miles and chains), gradient profiles and tables of locomotives and multiple units. Details of steam locomotives are covered, together with the often-overlooked ex-industrial steam and diesel locomotives. The information provided here also includes the statuses and current liveries of rolling stock at each of the featured railways, as well as details of future plans for expansion and refreshment facilities. Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs showing some of the best locations for lineside and station photography, this book is a vital guidebook for anyone looking to explore Britain's preserved railways.
This is the shocking true story behind the botched introduction of Automatic Half-Barrier level-crossings into Britain. January 1968 saw the convening of the first Parliamentary Court of Inquiry into a railway accident in Britain since the Tay Bridge Disaster nearly a century before. Why was this? Because Britain's 'Railway Detectives', the Railway Inspectorate, who would normally investigate all aspects of railway safety, were also in charge of the introduction of automatic Continental-style, level-crossings into this country. At Hixon in Staffordshire, one of these newly installed 'robot' crossings on British Rail's flagship Euston to Glasgow mainline, was the scene of a fatal high-speed collision between a packed express train and an enormous, heavily laden low-loader. For once, the 'Railway Detectives' were the ones having to explain their actions, in the full glare of media attention, to an expectant and increasingly worried nation. (There was another awful, fatal collision at an automatic crossing at Beckingham, Lincolnshire, in April of 1968). Using previously undisclosed information, the author has been able to cast fresh light on to not only the Hixon Disaster, but also the extraordinary story of the largely successful attempts, by British Railways and the Railway Inspectorate of the time, to hide the truth of just how close we came to having dozens of 'Hixons' right across the rail network.
A captivating journey blending memoir, history, and biography that takes the reader on one of the world's most famous trains and tells of carving the dramatic route it follows, while pondering other international railways through the eyes of travellers past and present. Rick Antonson has ridden trains in more than thirty-five countries-but almost everything he thinks he knows about train travel changes when he boards the Rocky Mountaineer with his ten-year-old grandson, Riley. As they wind over trestles and through tunnels, each mile of track uncovers stories of dynamite and discovery, surveyors and schemers, explorers and visionaries, and the people who helped to build Canada against the odds of geography and politics. Surrounded by a wild landscape that sparks imagination, fellow passengers recount train travels in other countries, get nostalgic for the era of steam locomotives, and consider life's unfinished journeys. Peppered with spirited dialogue, heartrending vignettes, and intriguing anecdotes, Train Beyond the Mountains is a travelogue with urgency: to make your travel dreams happen now. As one passenger muses, "The mistake we make is that we think we have time."
Boshart beschreibt in diesem im Original 1911 erschienenen Buch die Schmalspurbahnen zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts.
The importance of our railways in the movement of sea containers cannot be overstressed. Industry figures suggest that one in four of all containers arriving at UK ports move onwards via the UK rail network. This is particularly significant to the railfreight sector given the dramatic downturn in coal traffic in recent years. Four of the country's major players in the freight sector - Freightliner, DB Cargo, GB Railfreight and Direct Rail Services - all move significant volumes of container traffic to almost all parts of the UK. This book takes a look at these movements, from the major ports of Felixstowe and Southampton to destinations as far afield as Bristol and the Scottish Highlands. John Jackson takes an in-depth look at the diversity of locomotives and container wagons used on these services provided by these key players on our twenty-first-century railway.
Covering almost every line in the country, this acclaimed series of books juxtaposes photographs of the same railway location separated in time by just a few years, or maybe a century or more. Sometimes the result is dereliction or disappearance, in others a transformation into a modern high-speed railway. In both cases, the contrasts are intriguing and informative. This volumes includes: the Midland Main Line from Wellingborough to Loughborough; the former Great Central route; LNWR lines through Northamptonshire; Melton Mowbray, Oakham and the railways of Rutland; the East Coast Main Line from St Neots to Peterborough; and, Great Eastern routes through Cambridge, Ely and March.
When British Railways initiated its Modernisation Plan in 1955, its Western Region elected to trial locomotive designs with hydraulic transmission whilst BR encouraged designs with electric transmission. The Western Region felt that the lighter weight of 78 tons for a diesel hydraulic locomotive producing 2000 hp, compared to an equivalent weight of 132 tons for a diesel electric locomotive producing 2000 hp, would better meet BR's requirement for a modern locomotive. BR's failure to follow up with its declared policy of having all freight vehicles fitted with brakes saw operators preferring the heavier diesel electric designs which proved more able to operate trains without through brakes at higher speed. The greatest concern was with operating costs whereby the Western Region policy of replacing components at the depot then transferring them to Swindon for repair incurred heavy costs that were reflected in the maintenance cost per locomotive. Given the smaller number of diesel hydraulic locomotives and the larger number of diesel electric locomotives it was little surprise that by the mid-1960s a cost comparison showed that the build and operation of diesel electric locomotives was increasingly cheaper over the long term. Furthermore the increased availability of diesel electric locomotives released by a combination of factors provided an opportunity to replace the diesel hydraulic fleet, which was withdrawn from service during the 1970s. The preservation of redundant locomotives was slow but once it was confirmed, by the preservation of Hymek' Class 35 D7017 in 1975, that public appeals could quickly fund the preservation of withdrawn examples further public appeals followed. In a short space of time 31 locomotives from a mixed fleet of 358 locomotives entered preservation to remind both enthusiasts and the public of a concept (i.e. hydraulic transmission) that had had much to offer but had been dismissed on questionable financial grounds.
British luxury rail travel was not just the domain of the Pullman Company. In fact, they were far from the only providers as railway companies in Britain were extremely active from late Victorian times competing for leisure business. Various railway operators were at the forefront of deluxe rail travel services across pre-grouping, Big Four and BR eras when first-class travel was increasingly adapted for the needs of the business community. Recently Britain's railway heritage has been responsible for kick-starting a modern tourist spectacle as specialist operators run luxury day excursion, sleeping-car and fine-dining trains. Martyn Pring has carried out considerable research tracing the evolution of British luxury train travel weaving railway, social and travel history threads around a number of Britain's mainline routes traditionally associated with glamorous trains. Drawing on contemporary coverage, he chronicles the luxury products and services shaped by railway companies and hospitality businesses for Britain's burgeoning upper and middle-classes and wealthy overseas visitors, particularly Americans, who demanded more civilised and comfortable rail travel. By Edwardian times, a pleasure-palace industry emerged as entrepreneurs, hotel proprietors, local authorities and railway companies all collaborated developing upscale destinations, building civic amenities, creating sightseeing and leisure pursuits and in place-making initiatives to attract prosperous patrons. Luxury named trains delivered sophisticated and fashionable settings encouraging a golden age of civilised business and leisure travel. Harkening back to the inter-war years, modern luxury train operators now redefine and capture the allure and excitement of dining and train travel experiences.
This book details 24 walks into the hills surrounding the historic and iconic Settle to Carlisle railway, based on the stations between Settle and Appleby. The area has some of the finest walking of the north Pennines: the Craven district around Settle; the Three Peaks area; Dentdale, and Mallerstang and the upper Eden valley. The walks, which vary from 4.7 to 17.4 miles with suggestions for variations, are graded, and the descriptions come with OS map extracts and points of interest. Guided walks take place most weekends of the year from these stations, as charter rail services for ramblers popularised the activity from the mid 1970's, but this book allows confident walkers to go it alone if they so wish, not necessarily along the same routes.
This book provides a comprehensive study of the planning and building of railways in London's Docklands, reflecting on the past 180 years of railway development. It describes the creation of the enclosed working docks at the start of the 19th Century and the introduction of railways in the middle of the century. By the 1970's the decline of the working docks led to a plethora of plans to regenerate the area, but with little agreement on what should be done. The setting up of the London Docklands Development Corporation by the former Secretary of State for the Environment Lord Heseltine was a significant landmark, expediting the Canary Wharf development. The book describes in detail the modern railway projects, created to support the subsequent growing employment and population of the area, including the Docklands Light Railway with its multiple extensions, the Jubilee Line extension and Crossrail/Elizabeth Line. The book will appeal to a wide audience. To railway enthusiasts who wish to learn more about the why and the how such projects are approved and built and to transport and planning professionals who wish to understand more about the ups and downs of the relationship between transport and development and the decision making processes. within changing political, economic and employment scenarios. The end result has provided Docklands with a comprehensive hierarchy of quality transport services, to match anyway in the world.
The first standard gauge heritage steam railway in Britain, the Bluebell Railway, opened in 1960. Since then, over eighty have opened to the public. While each of these has its individual characteristics, nearly all are former British railways branch lines or parts of secondary routes, closed either under the Beeching axe or under subsequent cutbacks. The six-mile-long Epping Ongar Railway is different and unique. Despite its location in rural Essex, this was not part of the British Rail network at closure but was an electrified section of the London Underground. Its rundown and closure was a protracted affair spanning twenty-five years. On closure it was earmarked to become a heritage line, but it would be another eighteen years before it re-opened in its current guise with steam and diesel traction. This book tells its story up to the re-opening in 2012 and of the ten years of progress since then.
The Snowdon Mountain Railway is one of the great narrow gauge railways of North Wales, with thousands of visitors travelling to the summit of Mount Snowdon along the line each year. This book covers the history of this historic and interesting line from its beginnings in the 1890s through to the present day. The author Peter Johnson has been writing about narrow gauge railways for many years and has a deep knowledge of the lines in North and Mid Wales. The Snowdon Mountain Railway is an important part of the tourist industry in North Wales and plays a vital part in providing transport in this popular and much visited area. This volume looks at the narrow gauge railway's history and development, taking in the present and future development of this fascinating line's operation.
All the vehicles of the BR era to the mid-1990s are described here, from the humble and ubiquitous four-wheelers to the rarer multi-axle monsters, the text supported by many photographs and almost 150 dimensioned drawings and diagrams. The book also examines and explains the principles of loading and securing, and how those principles were applied to a huge range of traffic.
This new title in the growing Recollections series takes us back through the years using archive pictures of The Great Central Railway, selected to show the line in day-to-day use, we see pre-preservation scenes and preserved era scenes along the route. The run-down of the Great Central route began in 1960, following transfer to the Midland region, with the withdrawal of the daytime Manchester-London expresses. Long stretches were closed altogether in 1966, and the remaining Nottingham-Rugby section in 1969. But also 1969, saw a group of enthusiasts deciding to recreate for future generations the magic and nostalgia of the great British age of steam. From small beginnings, the Great Central Railway is now one of the region's top tourist attractions, providing an unforgettable day out for all the family. Visitors can step back in time and enjoy the charm of steam travel as it once was. Loughborough Central Station is typical of the 1960's. Quorn & Woodhouse Station recreates the 1940's. And Rothley Station captures the Edwardian period. The Great Central Railway now boasts over 20 steam locomotives and an extensive selection of rolling stock, passenger carriages, wagons, first class dining cars and kitchen/buffet vehicles. In fact, being a mainline railway means that the largest, heaviest and most impressive of British steam locomotives can be operated. In addition to the home-based fleet, famous guest locomotives visit the line on a regular basis. Double track is being re-laid from Rothley to Loughborough Central to allow the passing of trains and the re-creation of true main line operation. This latest volume in the growing series is once again aimed squarely at the tourist/general interest visitor as much as it is to the true railway enhusiast young or old!
1963 will be long remembered for its harsh winter, and this volume includes dramatic scenes of the railways in the atrocious conditions. The Beeching Report was published which was to reshape the railways in the years that followed. In the wider world National service in Britain ended and the Great Train Robbery took place.
|
![]() ![]() You may like...
Technology Development for Security…
Babak Akhgar, Dimitrios Kavallieros, …
Hardcover
R2,957
Discovery Miles 29 570
Under the Radar - The First Woman in…
M. Goss, Richard McGee
Hardcover
R4,402
Discovery Miles 44 020
Infinite Words, Volume 141 - Automata…
Dominique Perrin, Jean-Eric Pin
Hardcover
R4,319
Discovery Miles 43 190
Computational Materials System Design
Dongwon Shin, James Saal
Hardcover
R4,236
Discovery Miles 42 360
|