The first global history of the epic early days of the iron railway   Railways, in simple wooden or stone form, have existed since prehistory. But from the 1750s onward the introduction of iron rails led to a dramatic technological evolution—one that would truly change the world.   In this rich new history, David Gwyn tells the neglected story of the early iron railway from a global perspective. Driven by a combination of ruthless enterprise, brilliant experimenters, and international cooperation, railway construction began to expand across the world with astonishing rapidity. From Britain to Australia, Russia to America, railways would bind together cities, nations, and entire continents. Rail was a tool of industry and empire as well as, eventually, passenger transport, and developments in technology occurred at breakneck speed—even if the first locomotive in America could muster only 6 mph.   The Coming of the Railway explores these fascinating developments, documenting the early railway’s outsize social, political, and economic impact—carving out the shape of the global economy as we know it today.

During 1990-94, many locomotive classes became extinct, but new builds helped to redress the balance. Speedlink ended, but the first Eurostars appeared. In the final year, 1994, the Channel Tunnel opened. All these developments and more are chronicled here, using superb pictures by some of the country's leading photographers to record the end of an important railway era.

This book on the Brecon & Merthyr, deals with the section from Bargoed to Pontsticill Junction, covering the line built by the B&M to join onto the section running north from Bargoed built by the Rhymney Railway, much dominated at the time by nearby Dowlais Ironworks. Included is the short section from Pant to Dowlais Central. It contains photographs of every location along the line, including many that have not before been published. The volume includes a fascinating account of the Pantywaun Marshalling Yard, operative until Dowlais Ironworks ceased production, when the B&M ran freight services to and from Pantywaun, before the many collieries and levels in the area were closed almost overnight and the location finally obliterated under the development of Cwmbargoed Opencast.

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 volume includes: GWR main lines from Brent Knoll and Frome to Wellington and Whiteball; Railways around Taunton; GWR lines to Yeovil, Dulverton, Chard, Axbridge and Mells Road; the Minehead branch, preserved as the West Somerset Railway; the Somerset & Dorset from Burnham and Chilcompton to Templecombe; and, the LSWR main line from Templecombe to Chard Junction.

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.

R.J. (Ron) Buckley's photographs show the changing locomotive scene taking place throughout the counties of Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire, illustrating from the later 1930s those pre-grouping classes that were still working. These included the work of such well known designers as Wilson Wordsell and Vincent Raven of the North Eastern railway, John Aspinall of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway and Samuel Johnson and Henry Fowler of the Midland Railway. Ron's later photographs, from 1946 onwards, continue to show remaining working pre-grouping locomotives and also portray the newer designs of William Stanier, Charles Fairburn, Edward Thompson and Arthur Peppercorn, as well as standard examples designed under Robert Riddles.

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.

The stations and traffic patterns at Harwich have been subject of constant change and thus the sequence of fascinating photographs have immense variety. The Hadleigh branch conversely was a tranquil and rural byway of unchanging charm and so is one of great appeal.

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.

The Midwestern state of Illinois, known as the Prairie State, is not known for its varied topography, but this mostly flat land was indeed very conducive to the construction of railroads. It is located at a place where east meets west as railroads interchange huge amounts of traffic at Chicago, the railroad capital of the nation. Because it hosts smaller industrial cities and huge agricultural areas in the northern and central parts of the state, combined with coal, petroleum and other natural resources in the south, it's no surprise that today the 'Land of Lincoln' is criss-crossed by 7,151 miles of rail lines. Illinois is also at the centre of the nation's rail network, and an incredible variety of railroad companies can be seen traversing the state. Through a collection of incredible colour photos, Mike Danneman takes the reader on a tour of the railroads of Illinois - from Chicago to Chester, and from the tunnel at East Dubuque to the high bridge at Metropolis.

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

Great Railway Journeys: London to Oxford and London to Cambridge is the fourth in Roger Mason's Great Railway Journeys series. It is a fascinating record of things that can be seen from trains running from London to the two great university cities. The London to Oxford line includes Brunel's wonderful bridge over the Thames at Maidenhead and the Didcot Railway Centre, which is a living museum of the Great Western Railway. Included here is the story of how the author of a world famous book left the manuscript in a cafe at Reading Station. He had not kept a copy so he went home and wrote it again. The London to Cambridge line includes Mountfitchet Castle, a fabulous copy of the one that stood on the site shortly after the reign of William the Conqueror. There is also the Eleanor Cross at Waltham Cross, erected by Edward I in the 1290s as a tribute to his late wife, Eleanor of Castile.

Scottish Railways in the 1960s makes a broadly clockwise journey around the country visiting many long-closed railways, branch lines, a few industrial locations, plus the locomotives that worked over them. Locations seen include: Alloa, Alva, Auchtermuchty, Ayr, Ballachulish, Beattock, Brechin, Burghead, Dumfries, Callander, Carstairs, Castle Douglas, Coalburn, Douglas, Drongan, Duns, Edinburgh, Elgin, Fort William, Georgemas Junction, Glasgow, Gleneagles, Greenock, Hawick, Helmsdale, High Blantyre, Inverness, Killin, Kilmarnock, Larkhall, Lennoxtown, Lesmahagow, Lugar, Montrose, Muirkirk, Paisley, Rannoch, Stonehouse, Stranraer, Tburso, & Turriff. The time period is mainly between 1958 and 1966. Steam motive power largely dominates except in the far north. Scottish Railways in the 1960s will appeal to railway enthusiasts, modellers and those interested in local history. Virtually all of the photographs, a mixture of black & white and colour, have never previously been published and all were taken by the author, his father, and their friend Alan Maund. An extensive and informative commentary accompanies the photographs.

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.