Prior to the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, Britain's rail network was operated almost exclusively by four private companies. The 'Big Four' as they were called - the Great Western, the Southern, the London Midland & Scottish and the London & North Eastern - were not only nationalised in 1948, but consolidated into one large concern: British Railways. Each of the Big Four had built up its own system of working in its own geographic area with its own rolling stock, staff and livery. Thus, BR inherited a diverse mix, not only of physical plant, but of traditions and loyalties developed over generations. Additionally, management had to grapple with many and varied constraints in its desire to improve efficiency and create a nationally recognisable system. Also, cash was in short supply and much of the existing equipment was old, run down and in urgent need of attention. Further, all the major railway companies had a large number of restrictions as to which engines and stock could go where, even on their own system. Axle loading was often the deciding consideration and this governed which engine types could run on specific lines over which bridges and at what speed. For example, LNER Pacifics were banned entirely from East Anglia. Also, loading gauges differed on the national infrastructure. All these considerations impinged on BR's desire to introduce a modern range of steam engines of its own, so that these would have the widest route availability. This, by and large, they successfully achieved, though in later years even the new BR diesels had more restrictions placed upon them than was originally envisaged. The Unusual and the Unexpected on British Railways: A Chronology of Unlikely Events 1948-1968 is an assiduous and personal trawl on how BR overcome such engineering incompatibilities and bureaucratic confusion on a national scale. This engaging tribute is a historical and rail engineering document, which despite plans and intentions to unite the country with a single operating network, shows how daunting such a restructuring was.

Like so many youngsters in the 1950s and 1960s Alan Clarke was a keen railway enthusiast and spnt a number of years out and about with his ABC Combined Volume and his camera at various rail related locations up and down the country. Living in the middle of the country enabled young Alan to visit a number of British Railway's regions thereby gathering a wider range of locomotive numbers and types. Faithfully underlining them in his combine volume and when pocket money allowed taking pictures as he went along. These pictures form the basis for this second volume of reminiscences of years gone but not forgotten. The development of Alan's photographic skills unfolds before us in these evocative black and white images. Each image is accompanied by a detailed caption. The photographs are arranged in sections, one for each trip, with an explanatory introduction to each. The quality hardback Silver Link Silk Editions are limited print runs and are not intended to be available for long, so grab them while you can!

This groundbreaking book, written by one of the foremost blues historians in the UK, is based on over 30 years' research, exploration and absolute passion for early blues music. It is the first ever comprehensive study of the enormous impact of the railroads on 19th and early 20th Century African American society and the many and varied references to this new phenomenon in early blues lyrics. The book is comprehensively annotated, and also includes a Discography at the end of each chapter.

The pictures in this book were chosen from the many hundreds of 35mm colour slides Bill Reed took on and off the route stretching from London to Aberdeen. Station scenes, views on works and in sheds are featured. They roughly cover a period from 1951 to 1967 and depict the last gasp of steam before the introduction of diesels. As if on some imaginary journey, the book begins at King's Cross station wanders over to Liverpool Street steps into Great Eastern country then meanders north to finish at Aberdeen. It is noticeable that Bill has depicted marvellously the post WWII atmosphere on the railways when steam was on its last legs; the vast majority of the locomotives are in a very grimy condition and a number are seen on the scrap line. There is also evidence of how complicated and labour intensive it was to run a steam engine the vast coal hoppers and water tanks are examples to this submission. Looking back now at the 1950s and 1960s, Bill says he would have taken many more pictures of steam locomotives. But that is no matter, he has taken enough to give us more than a hint of what it was like in those last days.

This book illustrates the work of Network Rail over the past eight years to transform the Western Region from a diesel-only railway, with track layouts from the 1960s and '70s, to a modern electrified railway on the core Paddington to Cardiff and Newbury section, with enhanced capability, new signalling systems, and widespread equipment renewal, including the new station and flyovers at Reading. Using never before published photographs of the upgrade and renewal work both under way and completed, it gives an insight into the work involved. The book does not just encompass the core section of upgrade work, but also extends into Wales, Devon and Cornwall, emphasising the widespread nature of the work. Lavishly illustrated, it also includes track diagrams of new layouts, the campaign diagrams utilised during the big blockade works, and tables showing key stages of the works and milestones attained.

Railway disasters are almost always the result of human fallibility--a single mistake by an engine-driver, guard, or signalman, or some lack of communication between them--and it is in the short distance between the trivial error and its terrible consequence that the drama of the railway accident lies. First published in 1955, and the result of Rolt's careful investigation and study of the verbatim reports and findings by H. M. Inspectorate of Railways, this book was the first work to record the history of railway disasters, and it remains the classic account. It covers every major accident on British railways between 1840 and 1957 which resulted in a change in railway working practice, and reveals the evolution of safety devices and methods which came to make the British railway carriage one of the safest modes of transport in the world.

Join Thomas and his friends for a festive adventure! In this beautifully-illustrated picture book, Thomas and Percy must work against the clock to clear the snow and deliver the presents for Christmas. Can they make it in time? Thomas and Percy were really excited for Christmas Day. They were busy getting their jobs done when they found out that the presents hadn't been delivered to the villagers! Find out if our beloved engines can save Christmas in this wonderful picture book adventure. Thomas has been teaching children lessons about lift and friendship for 75 years. He ranks alongside other beloved characters such as Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh and Peter Rabbit as an essential part of our literary heritage.

Windswept vistas. Scorched canyons. Glorious scenes of snow and ice. This book shows the North American landscape in all its breathtaking glory, cleaved by the continent's powerful locomotives and captured in a series of stunning original photographs by leading railway artist Mike Danneman. Evoking the romance, drama and beauty of the railways, this wonderful collection of images presents the full breadth of jaw-dropping backdrops offered by this vast expanse of land. The contrast between raw motive power and bucolic peace creates scenes that will delight anybody who wants to enjoy the full majesty of North America from their own home.

Just over eighty years ago on the East Coast main line, the streamlined A4 Pacific locomotive Mallard reached a top speed of 126mph - a world record for steam locomotives that still stands. Since then, millions have seen this famous locomotive, resplendent in her blue livery, on display at the National Railway Museum in York. Here, Don Hale tells the full story of how the record was broken: from the nineteenth-century London-Scotland speed race and, surprisingly, traces Mallard's futuristic design back to the Bugatti car and the influence of Germany's nascent Third Reich, which propelled the train into an instrument of national prestige. He also celebrates Mallard's designer, Sir Nigel Gresley, one of Britain's most gifted engineers. Mallard is a wonderful tribute to one of British technology's finest hours.

One of the most evocative reminders of Victorian ingenuity at the British seaside is the much-loved cliff lift. This simple method of transporting people up and down the cliff side has been a feature of our coast, and a few inland towns, for over 150 years and has recently undergone a renaissance at places as varied as the National Coal Mining Museum, Legoland and the Centre for Alternative Technology. The cliff lift, otherwise termed the cliff railway or tramway, is also known as a funicular railway. The word 'funicular' is defined as 'of rope or tension', in other words a cable-hauled railway or tramway. The lifts were directly descended from cable-hauled railways, prevalent in mines and quarries, but also early passenger lines, where an engine or winding gear hauled loads up steep slopes. The term 'cliff lift' also generally encompasses the elevator-type lifts that were erected at some resorts. This book illustrates, mainly in colour, all the principal cliff lifts and railways that have been built in the British Isles, along with associated cable tramways, since their inception in the Victorian age. In addition to featuring all the surviving lifts, this book includes others which are long gone, and serves as a fine record of these charming and unique structures.

It was in London in 1863 that the world's first metro was opened - the Metropolitan Railway. Built initially to overcome severe transport problems arising from London's huge growth in wealth and population, over the next 40 years it extended far beyond London's boundaries into the countryside of Middlesex, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Generating income from house-building on land along the railway, the 'Met' - as it became known - fostered and developed the idea of an affordable home out of the city in lovely garden suburbs, with a fast train journey to work in London. It was the start of semidetached suburbanisation and was known as Metro-land. This new history examines how the Metropolitan Railway and the development of Metro-land went hand-in-hand until it was subsumed into the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933 and then nationalised in 1948. Packed with a wealth of detail, photographs, illustrations and contemporary advertising, it is above all revelatory to see how much has changed in social and transport terms since the 1930s, not least the price of a house!

The second volume in the history of the Union Pacific begins after the financial panic of 1893, one of the worst depressions Americans had yet experienced, which pushed the railroad into bankruptcy. Maury Klein examines the complex challenges faced by the Union Pacific in the new century--the expanding role of government and its restrictive regulations, the growth of labor unions, the devastating effects of two world wars, and the growing competition from new modes of transportation--and how, under the innovative and influential leadership of Edward H. Harriman, the Union Pacific again played the role of industrial pioneer. Union Pacific has remained one of the strongest railroads in the country, surviving the eras of government regulation and the corporate mergers of the past twenty-five years. Insightful, definitive in scope, rich in colorful anecdotes and superb characterizations, Union Pacific is a fascinating saga not only of a particular railroad but also about how that industry transformed America. Maury Klein is professor of history at the University of Rhode Island. He is the author of several books, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Life and Legend of Jay Gould.

This book examines in words and pictures the huge changes that have taken place in the last 50 years on the British railway network. We see how steam-age infrastructure has gradually given way to a streamlined modern railway. The beginning of the period saw the final stages of the Beeching cuts, with the closure of some rural branches and lesser-used stations. Since the 1980s the tide has turned and numerous lines and stations have joined or rejoined the network. As for freight, we see how the complex operations of the 20th century have been replaced by a far smaller number of specialised terminals, while marshalling yards in the traditional sense have all but disappeared. And the long process of updating our railway signalling has continued apace, even though some semaphore gems have managed to survive into the 21st century.

Gripping forensic tales explain how and why trains crash. Trains are massive-with some weighing 15,000 tons or more. When these metal monsters collide or go off the rails, their destructive power becomes clear. In this book, George Bibel presents riveting tales of trains gone wrong, the detective work of finding out why, and the safety improvements that were born of tragedy. Train Wreck details numerous crashes, including 17 in which more than 200 people were killed. Readers follow investigators as they sift through the rubble and work with computerized event recorders to figure out what happened. Using a mix of eyewitness accounts and scientific explanations, Bibel draws us into a world of forensics and human drama. Train Wreck is a fascinating exploration of * runaway trains * bearing failures * metal fatigue * crash testing * collision dynamics * bad rails

A history of the United States' systematic expulsion of "undesirables" and immigrants, told through the lives of the passengers who travelled from around the world, only to be locked up and forced out aboard America's first deportation trains. The United States, celebrated as a nation of immigrants and the land of the free, has developed the most extensive system of imprisonment and deportation that the world has ever known. The Deportation Express is the first history of American deportation trains: a network of prison railroad cars repurposed by the Immigration Bureau to link jails, hospitals, asylums, and workhouses across the country and allow forced removal with terrifying efficiency. With this book, historian Ethan Blue uncovers the origins of the deportation train and finds the roots of the current moment, as immigrant restriction and mass deportation once again play critical and troubling roles in contemporary politics and legislation. A century ago, deportation trains made constant circuits around the nation, gathering so-called "undesirable aliens"-migrants disdained for their poverty, political radicalism, criminal conviction, or mental illness-and conveyed them to ports for exile overseas. Previous deportation procedures had been violent, expensive, and relatively ad hoc, but the railroad industrialized the expulsion of the undesirable. Trains provided a powerful technology to divide "citizens" from "aliens" and displace people in unprecedented numbers. Drawing on the lives of migrants and the agents who expelled them, The Deportation Express is history told from aboard a deportation train. By following the lives of selected individuals caught within the deportation regime, this book dramatically reveals how the forces of state exclusion accompanied epic immigration in early twentieth-century America. These are the stories of people who traveled from around the globe, only to be locked up and cast out, deported through systems that bound the United States together, and in turn, pulled the world apart. Their journey would be followed by millions more in the years to come.

The second part of John Stretton's sixty trainspotting years features his forays into the world of railways and other areas of interest during the period 1985 to 2015.By now a very profficient photographer John's submissions to the railway press coupled with his increasing output of books for both Silver Link and Past & Present publishing saw John visiting many new and past locations in the pursuit of all things railways. The first volume covering the first 30 years sold out within a month of publication and a reprint is already under consideration.

The Railroad Photography of Phil Hastings explores the life and influential work of Dr. Philip R. "Phil" Hastings (1923–1987). Along with his contemporaries, Hastings changed the way we look at the North American railroad. Influenced by the photojournalistic movement that developed during their childhoods, these visionaries expanded their work from traditional locomotive roster and action shots into a holistic view of the railroad environment. Collated by Tony Reevy, The Railroad Photography of Phil Hastings features 140 full-page, black-and-white photographs from throughout Hasting's career and features an introduction that explores Hastings's life and work, including his relationships with noted author and editor David P. Morgan and photographer Jim Shaughnessy. The Railroad Photography of Phil Hastings represents a major contribution to historical record of the life and work of this remarkable photographer, whose images shaped how we perceive and experience railroads throughout North America.

Arthur Henry Peppercorn, OBE (29 January 1889 - 3 March 1951) was the last Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Railway. Peppercorn finished several projects which were started by his predecessor Edward Thompson, but most popular were his LNER Peppercorn Class A1 and the LNER Peppercorn Class A2 . These were known as some of the best British steam locomotives ever in service. Upon nationalisation and the foundation of British Railways, he continued in essentially the same job, now titled "Chief Mechanical Engineer, Eastern and North Eastern Regions"; he retired at the end of 1949, two years after nationalisation. Only one of his famous Pacific locomotives, a LNER Peppercorn Class A2, 60532 Blue Peter, was preserved, but none of the LNER Peppercorn Class A1. However, a brand new A1, 60163 Tornado, built as the next in the class, has been constructed. It moved under its own steam for the first time in August 2008. The book will detail Peppercorn's life with as many personal pictures as possible. It will include black and white and colour pictures of 49 of his A1 locomotives and 15 of his A2 locomotives. The pictures will show the locomotives under construction, from the lineside and on shed.