The second of two volumes covering the railways of the South East, this book focuses on Kent. It details a wide range of different trains including heavy aggregate, inter-regional passenger, test trains, the Orient Express, newspaper and mail trains, railtour excursions, engineers' trains, weed killers and intermodal, steel, coal and nuclear flask traffic. An extensive range of locomotive classes in different liveries, many now consigned to history, are shown at work on main lines and branch lines in the 'Garden of England'. Over 180 colour photographs, the vast majority of which have never been published before, serve to illustrate the variety found in a corner of the country often regarded as a mainly multiple unit commuter carrying environment. The pictures are complemented by informative captions detailing each particular train and its working along with some of the infrastructure found along the routes covered. 180 colour photographs

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.

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.

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.

The year 1963 will always be remembered as the one when the Sixties really started to swing. The Beatles and Rolling Stones were topping the charts while the mini-skirt and the Mini car had become the latest fashion accessories. For those with an interest in railways however, 1963 was memorable for the publication by Her Majesty's Stationery Office of Part 1 of the report 'The Reshaping of British Railways' by Dr Richard Beeching, then chairman of the British Railways Board. The term 'reshaping' was somewhat of a euphemism as the report envisaged a radical reduction in the national rail network. Hundreds of stations were to be closed to both freight and passenger traffic, along with thousands of miles of track, while several thousand staff would be made redundant. This series is intended as a record of how the proposals affecting passenger services throughout England, Scotland and Wales were ruthlessly implemented over a ten-year period. Since then, despite the introduction of modern high-speed rolling stock and much track rationalisation, the extent of our rail network has remained basically the same. Train services today are therefore still very much Dr Beeching's legacy. In addition he bequeathed to the nation a linear network of derelict land which could be put to other purposes, including that of heritage railway. The passenger rail network in each regional volume before and after Beeching is shown using maps, text and illustrations. Featuring the lines listed for closure including: Swansea Victoria - Craven Arms - Shrewsbury Gloucester Central - Hereford Carmarthen - Aberystwyth Cardiff Clarence Road - Cardiff General Abercynon - Aberdare Low Level Porth - Maerdy Caerphilly - Senghenydd Barry - Bridgend Bridgend - Treherbert Cardiff - Coryton

Located close to the Ellesmere Colliery, the Walkden Yard ultimately became the NCB Central Workshops for Lancashire. From here the workshops served the Bridgewater Trustees' collieries, providing engineering support as well as maintaining the numerous railway locomotives and the many hundreds of wagons that the company owned. Opened in 1878, Walkden Yard transferred to the National Coal Board upon nationalization after the Second World War and its importance grew as it served the other Lancashire collieries too. At Walkden there were a machine shop, joiners' shop, electricians' shop, paint shop, tinsmiths', locomotive repair shop, wagon sheds and wagon machine shop. The yard itself employed hundreds of men and boys but was closed in 1986 with the decline of the Lancashire coalfield. A housing estate now sits atop the site of the Walkden yard and it is hard to remember that the site once serviced the many locomotives that belonged to the NCB, or that the Coal Board and its predecessors operated many locomotives over their own lines as well as the railway company ones and that a huge industry was maintained at Walkden yard, repairing locomotives and rolling stock. In this book, Alan Davies tells the story of the Walkden yard and the locomotives of the Lancashire coalfield.

Produced annually by the team from Modern Railways - the leading monthly rail magazine, The Modern Railway 2021 offers a comprehensive review of the UK rail industry, together with an overview of events in Europe. With contributions from Roger Ford, Tony Miles, Alan Williams and other members of the team, The Modern Railway 2021 provides an in-depth examination of: Policy and finance, Infrastructure maintenance and renewal, Train operation (passenger and freight), Major projects now under way including the recently confirmed HS2, Rolling stock manufacturing and maintenance, Signalling and telecommunications, Customer interface and support, Light rail and Metro systems as well as European developments. And in addition to editorial coverage of all the main players and projects, The publication includes a comprehensive directory of almost 3,000 suppliers and businesses involved in all aspects of the UK rail industry.

This volume is a reprint of a book designed for engineering students in the mid Victorian period, it has a good text written in a modern and accessible style and is relevant to modern day enthusiasts restoring or constructing replica or miniature steam locomotives. The book has a good selection of drawings and photographs depicting locomotives of the period from 1804-1879, which complement the historic text. At the time this book was written by two of the leading engineering academics, the steam locomotive was regarded as one of the finest examples of advanced engineering and its drivers and firemen were at the forefront of skilled working people.

* Fifty Railways that Changed the Course of History is a fascinating and beautifully presented guide to the train lines and rail companies that have had the greatest impact on modern civilization. * Entries range from the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground, the world's first underground railway, to the Pacific Railroad, the first transcontinental railroad in North America. * In order to justify the assertion that they literally 'changed the course of history,' each railway is judged by its influence in five categories: Engineering, Society, commerce, Politics, and Military.

Construction on the Callander & Oban Railway began in 1866, but because of the mountain terrain through which the line passed, especially at Glen Ogle and at the Pass of Brander at Loch Awe, the line did not open until 1880. Designed to link Callander, near Stirling, soon to be absorbed into the Scottish Central Railway and then the Caledonian, with the west coast port of Oban, the line was never profitable although Oban developed as a fashionable resort after the arrival of the railway. Although the section of line between Crianlarich and Oban remains open as part of the West Highland Line, the eastern section between Callander and Crianlarich closed following a landslide in September 1965. Much of the eastern section is now a cycle path known as the Rob Roy Way. In this book, Ewan Crawford uses a mixture of old and new photographs to bring the history of the line and its landscape to life.

The Hornby Magazine Yearbook is always eagerly anticipated and features the very best of the UK's colourful railway modelling monthly. Concentrating the highlights of the previous 12 months, the yearbook offers a variety of features in all major scales and gauges. Highlights of the 14th edition include the inside story of the magazine's latest layout project, authoritative reviews of the year's best new locomotives, detailed step by step modelling guides, historical features and more. Plus the team looks forward to the key releases of 2022. The Hornby Magazine Yearbook is an annual institution not to be missed.

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.

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.

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.

Kevin Robertson, whose previous two books on Blue Pullman trains have received widespread acclaim, has now sourced even more new illustrative material to produce a new title. This book reveals even more material on both the Midland and Western trainsets.

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.