The two decades following the end of the Second World War was a period of great change in Britain. One of the most noticeable changes, apparent throughout the towns and countryside, was the switch from steam to diesel traction. It transformed the character of the railways, not only in the replacement of locomotives, but also in the enormous upheaval of infrastructure. Bill Reed's photographs capture all of this. The sight of grimy steam locomotives on turntables, trundling along branch lines, pausing in sleepy stations, waiting to be watered or coaled, and on the scrap lines, is now only to be witnessed in photographic archives such as this. Bill took the pictures when it was a privilege, not to mention a rarity, to have a decent camera. He also took them at time when it was not frowned upon, like it is today, to be interested in railways, and take pictures of locomotives. It was only natural for young lads to have a desire to gaze at the vast, almost human engines with awe, because maybe their dads, granddads or even great granddads had been part of building or working them. Looking back now, it is a shame that more locomotives and more pieces of infrastructure were not saved. Yet the 1950s and '60s was not a time for nostalgia and reflection; it was one, supposedly, for moving forward and embracing the new. But for those of us with an interest in Britain's great industrial and transport heritage, we have people like Bill Reed to thank for giving us a glimpse into the last years of this extraordinary era.

Jeremy Scanlon was born and educated in Massachusetts. Now he lives in this cottage illustrated on the back cover beside the canal. His wife, Dorothy Priest, was born in the cottage, daughter of the carpenter who built the canal's lock gates. Their hotel narrowboat carried paying guests over 60,000 miles along the lovely inland waterways of England and Wales. Here mine hosts enjoy a rare moment of tranquility in 'Unicorn's' saloon.

Born in the ancient fishing village of Rosehearty on the Moray Firth coast in 1949, David Littlejohn Beveridge went to sea in June 1966 as a deck apprentice with T & J Brocklebank. In 1978 he joined the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland later the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, achieving command in 1987. 'Water Under the Keel' is his autobiography.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Hatchback. Petrol: 1.2 litre (1229cc), 1.4 litre (1398cc) & 1.4 litre turbo (1364cc). Turbo-diesel: 1.3 litre (1248cc). Also covers most mechanical features of Van. Does NOT cover models with 1.0 litre 3-cylinder or 1.6 litre 4-cylinder petrol engines, or `Easytronic' automated transmission. Does NOT cover GSI or VXR models.

What do those flap things on the wings do? How many flights can a pilot operate in a day? What is "fly by wire"? What is a "Low Cost" Airline? What are those numbers at the end of the runway for? The answers to all of these, and many other frequently asked questions are in this book Although much has been written about the airline industry by aerodynamicists, engineers and industry watchers there is very little written by the pilots themselves who go and fly the aircraft every day of their working lives. Peter Sneller explains in simple terms how a modern airliner works and also a little about the airline industry. Take-off! is a fascinating read for anyone who has ever wanted to ask the pilot a question.

This is the story of how private foreign enterprise in the form of Swedish Lloyd and Swedish America Line, who formed a British company called 'Hoverlloyd', galvanised the British Government in to supporting this new concept in transport through the formation of a British Rail subsidiary called 'Seaspeed'. It is a story, told by those who were there, of how young adventurous men and women, most of whom were in their twenties and early thirties, took on the exciting challenge of getting an operation, in which they all believed had a great future, off the ground. It tells of the difficulties and near disasters, through lack of experience, that nearly wrote off the industry in the early days; the clashes of cultures between the free enterprise and Government operations; and why, after so much early promise, the great adventure with the giant car and passenger carrying hovercraft came to an end. The story begins with the history of Saunders Roe and their involvement as a result of the discovery by Christopher Cockerell in 1953 that big weights could be supported on a cushion of low pressure air and that the concept could be practically applied. Much has already been written about Christopher Cockerell, later Sir Christopher, and the development of the hovercraft by Saunders Roe, as well as the hovercraft industry to the present day. Those relevant parts showing the frustrations and disappointments they too suffered are repeated in this book, together with new material that has come to light, to provide a comprehensive narrative of the hovercraft industry and the giant SR.N4 cross-Channel operations.

This is the story of how private foreign enterprise in the form of Swedish Lloyd and Swedish America Line, who formed a British company called 'Hoverlloyd', galvanised the British Government in to supporting this new concept in transport through the formation of a British Rail subsidiary called 'Seaspeed'. It is a story, told by those who were there, of how young adventurous men and women, most of whom were in their twenties and early thirties, took on the exciting challenge of getting an operation, in which they all believed had a great future, off the ground. It tells of the difficulties and near disasters, through lack of experience, that nearly wrote off the industry in the early days; the clashes of cultures between the free enterprise and Government operations; and why, after so much early promise, the great adventure with the giant car and passenger carrying hovercraft came to an end. The story begins with the history of Saunders Roe and their involvement as a result of the discovery by Christopher Cockerell in 1953 that big weights could be supported on a cushion of low pressure air and that the concept could be practically applied. Much has already been written about Christopher Cockerell, later Sir Christopher, and the development of the hovercraft by Saunders Roe, as well as the hovercraft industry to the present day. Those relevant parts showing the frustrations and disappointments they too suffered are repeated in this book, together with new material that has come to light, to provide a comprehensive narrative of the hovercraft industry and the giant SR.N4 cross-Channel operations.

This true story is of two boys in their later teens who have saved up like mad to buy seven-day Railrovers and go on their train spotting trip of a lifetime. Their Railrovers give unlimited travel for one designated week on the London Midland Region of British Rail. It is the first week of August 1965. Around 4,000 steam engines are still alive and kicking but there would be just over three years more before steam would be finally gone from British Rail. The week is planned in advance with rigorous research and military precision. the actual visit encapsulates eight days (seven by London Midland Region Railrover) of total frenetic excitement. Although the Railrover covered only the London Midland Region a necessary pilgrimage was made to Barry Docks. Rewinds and fast forwards to other trips are also made where appropriate. There are frequent scarcely credible brushes with shed masters and railway police. Visits to railway sheds are packed into every available daylight minute and early starts are ensured through planned overnight stays on railway platform waiting rooms etc. predictably a lot of the week did not go according to the planned timetable and the unforeseen consequences of this add to the overall enjoyment of the tale. Every single engine observed (on and off shed) is recorded in detail, together with the itineraries and in-depth commentaries on all the amusing incidents that took place. This work therefore provides a camera shot of one week in the declining years of steam on British Rail.

The bus service we now have in London results from the momentous events described in this book. Many people consider these events to have been a necessary series of steps to get to where we are today. London Transport changed from a monolithic state owned bus operator to a tendering authority with competing operators owning buses and employing front-line staff to run a public service. It is a very political story. The early stages were at a time when a radical Conservative government was determined to bring great change. Privatisation became one of their key policies, and what happened in London has been unique, as deregulation of buses in the rest of the country has brought a very different set of experiences.

There is a certain atmosphere about night photography. It is much easier now, of course, since the advent of digital cameras that record events that would not have been so easily covered with film. Dragging a tripod around, or looking for a suitable flat topped wall in the right place, was necessary with time exposures, and even then it was often guesswork. Many of the trips after dark with my camera, produced as many failures as successes, but overall, the process was very rewarding. This book contains around 120 black and white and colour views from the early twentieth century up to the present day.

Today, one cannot escape the fact that the words Porsche and racing go hand in hand. This book follows Porsche's year-by-year progress in top flight racing and rallying, and looks in detail at the pure competition cars that brought the German marque such immense success on the tracks and worldwide acclaim. This particular volume starts with story of the pure racers of 1976 vintage, and takes the reader through a series of racing models, including the glorious 956 and 962, up to 2005 via contemporary photography and words from an acknowledged Porsche authority. An earlier volume covers the years up to 1975 inclusive. The book includes detailed year by year coverage of Porsche's top class racing and rallying exploits in words and over 600 excellent photos. This book is a must-have for all fans of the Porsche marque and motor sport.

More than one million immigrants fled the Irish famine for North America--and more than one hundred thousand of them perished aboard the "coffin ships" that crossed the Atlantic. But one small ship never lost a passenger.
"All Standing" recounts the remarkable tale of the "Jeanie Johnston" and her ingenious crew, whose eleven voyages are the stuff of legend. Why did these individuals succeed while so many others failed? And what new lives in America were the ship's passengers seeking?
In this deeply researched and powerfully told story, acclaimed author Kathryn Miles re-creates life aboard this amazing vessel, richly depicting the bravery and defiance of its shipwright, captain, and doctor--and one Irish family's search for the American dream.

The original Great Western Railway was the longest-lived mainline railway company in Great Britain and has attracted generations of admirers over its 112 years of existence. The reasons are manifold - for example, the unparalleled civil engineering feats of Brunel, the handsome locomotives with their copper-capped chimneys and brass safety valve bonnets and nameplates coupled with their superior efficiency and performance designed some 25 years in advance of rival companies and its attractive holiday/leisure destinations such as London, Bath, the Thames Valley, Cotswolds, Cambrian Coast and West Country. It was a much-loved railway company with its own individuality, determined to be different from the others. The result was a unique style which this book aims to portray.

"Curious about the specifications and particulars of a canvas-covered, seat-of-the-pants biplane of the fledgling U.S. Army Air Corps? Or a computer-laden, titanium-clad supersonic modern jet? Here are 327 instant portraits (complete with dimensions, weight, power plant, performance, armament) of the most famous as well as lesser-known American fighters, bombers, transports, flying boats, trainers, helicopters, and reconnaissance aircraft."--BOOK JACKET. "Each entry includes a photograph of the aircraft, service dates, manufacturer, records set, engineering and performance history, technical innovations, and even operational problems. Special attention is paid to the aircraft of America's "Golden Age, " 1919-1939, and the important technological developments that took place during that period."--BOOK JACKET.