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Books > Sport & Leisure > Transport: general interest
The RFC used the Ramsgate site for emergency landings during
December 1914, but it was not developed until the 1930s when
Ramsgate councillors proposed an airport be established, and flying
commenced in June 1935. Popularity was increased by Sir Alan
Cobham's National Aviation Day which was held on 1 August 1935, and
a Flying Flea Rally took place in 1936. Crilly and Hillman Airways
moved in, but suspended services very soon afterwards. The airfield
was extended in 1936, and Flying Holidays took place. On 3 July
1937, Ramsgate Airport Ltd reopened the airport, and the following
year the Royal Auxiliary Air Force held summer camps there. Thanet
Aero Club joined the Civil Air Guard scheme, and Southern Airways
operated a service across the Thames Estuary during the summer, but
this all came to a close when war was declared on 3 September 1939.
The airfield reopened in 1940 for military use and during the
Battle of Britain, Ramsgate, along with nearby RAF Manston, was
bombed on 24 August 1940. Following this, and with invasion fears
at their height, the airport was obstructed, not reopening until 27
June 1953. Air Kruise Ltd operated on a lease from Ramsgate
Cooperation, flying to Europe, and Skyphotos and Skyflights 1950s
took over until the summer of 1958. Chrisair started joyriding in
1960, and following their departure in 1963 little happened until
East Kent Air Services formed in 1967, but they were not
commercially successful and Ramsgate Airport finally closed during
1968. Developers took over and the Art Deco Terminal/Clubhouse was
demolished. This book is witness to Ramsgate Airport, now sadly
gone.
`The Last Years of Steam Across Somerset and Dorset' gives an
excellent photographic study of yesteryear and the iconic steam
locomotive at work. The renowned Somerset & Dorset Railway is
covered in detail as are other railway locations across the two
counties such as Bath, Bournemouth, Bridgwater, Bristol, Burnham,
Chard, Clevedon, Dorchester, Dulverton, Evercreech Junction, Frome,
Radstock, Shepton Mallet, Swanage, Taunton, Templecombe, Wells,
Weymouth, Yatton and Yeovil. A captivating time capsule from the
author's private collection from the mid-1950s to the end of steam
in the 1960s. The Last Years of Steam Across Somerset and Dorset
contains many previously unpublished photographs by an
internationally renowned authoritarian figure on steam locomotives
and their history.
The London Passenger Transport Board had been in existence just
over six years when Britain entered into war with Germany on 3rd
September 1939. A year before, measures had been put in place to
provide trench shelters, first aid points, and the adaptation of
pits in garages to become shelters. Over twenty thousand male staff
were called up during the war, and women joined the ranks to fill
the void. One hundred and eighty one members of staff were killed
whilst on duty, with over eighteen hundred injured. Heroic work,
and the will to "get on with it" was the general way of getting
things done, summed up by just one of many examples at Athol Street
garage, nearer the end of the war. It was the Board's most bombed
garage, due to the nearby docks, and after a rocket fell at 6am
within 100 yards of the premises blowing out the windows of 25
buses, and causing considerable damage, the staff were able to get
all of the buses out on time that day. This book is a largely
chronological story of the period, focusing in particular on the
behind-the-scenes planning by London Transport, both before the war
and during it.
The Blue Diesel years covered in this book started in 1964 when
British Railways steam still had another four years to go. The blue
- in a slightly lighter shade than that which became standard -
first appeared on a demonstration train of new Mk1 coaches with a
repainted Brush Type 4 loco. It was the start of around 20 years of
the blue era, regarded by many as a less interesting time in BR
history. However, what the railway may have lacked in colour it
made up for in the variety of locomotive classes, the great
majority of which are illustrated in this attractive new album from
Gavin Morrison.
Love cars, love France? Then make the most of your next trip with
this essential guide! Enjoying a special journey across the channel
with friends or a club? Looking to include automotive-themed
locations in your family holiday? This guide, shows you how to
combine them with a gourmet meal, wine tasting at a chateau - or
just relaxing on the beach! Full of practical, clear, easy-to-find
information, this is the ideal companion when planning a trip, or
as an on-the-road reference book.Divided into five regions - Paris
& the Ile-de-France, Western France, Southern France, Central
France & the Alps, and North-East France - each chapter
contains a wealth of detailed information for the auto enthusiast.
With sections on museums, classic and modern car shows,
automobilia, buying car parts, historic and modern motorsport
events, and race circuits, each entry is illustrated in full
colour. This unique guide, now in its 2nd edition, has been fully
updated for 2017, and provides you with all you need to know to
enjoy a visit to France with a motoring twist - when to go, how to
get there, and where to find out more.
These two well-known transport authors are on home territory,
working together to review the highly varied routes of Midland Red
- arguably the most innovative bus company in the UK and famous for
designing and building its own fascinating buses for nearly fifty
years. This new book is an album with detailed captions to around
200 quality photos of the vehicles that ran with the operator
during its history up to absorption by the National Bus Company.
Discover 200 amazing train journeys around the world to inspire your next big adventure! From luxury services such as southeast Asia's Eastern and Oriental Express to the scenic Rocky Mountaineer line in Canada; thrilling high-speed escapes in Japan to Switzerland's iconic Glacier Express, Epic Train Trips of the World offers an unforgettable window into railway travel with page after page of inspiring green getaways to feed your wanderlust. Inside Epic Train Trips of the World: 50 fascinating first-person stories of world-famous and lesser-known railway routes from seasoned train travellers including Oliver Smith, Monisha Rajesh, Shafik Meghji and more
Includes 150 further suggestions for out-of-this-world adventures by train
Select your perfect rail experience from three categories: Everyday, Luxury and Epic
Each route features a handy map, stunning photography and a factbox to help readers plan their next railway escape
Beautiful and vibrant hardback book cover by New Zealand illustrator, Ross Murray
Featured train journeys include: Africa - The Blue Train (South Africa), Cairo - Luxor (Egypt), Nairobi - Mombasa (Kenya); Americas - Hiram Bingham (Peru), Sunset Limited (US), Yukon and White Star (Canada); Asia - Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (India), Death Railway (Thailand), Alishan Forest (Taiwan); Europe - Bernina Express (Switzerland), The Douro (Portugal); Milan - Rome (Italy); Oceania - Indian Pacific (Australia), Trans-Alpine (New Zealand), Kuranda Scenic (Australia) Continuing the collectible Lonely Planet Epic series comes this thrilling exploration of the world's greatest railway journeys - the perfect gift or self-purchase for railfans and anyone who loves to travel along the tracks.
There have been a number of books on the subject of Underground
posters, but these have mainly dealt with the large posters seen on
walls inside and outside Underground stations. However there were
also many smaller posters and these were often known as car cards
or panel posters and they were mainly designed to appear inside the
vehicles themselves. These smaller posters have not previously been
given the attention they deserve, even though the fame of their
designers and the quality of their design can often equal that of
the larger and better known posters. This book hopes to go some way
to correct this omission.
The District Railway was designed by a committee with impractical
aspirations. A banking crisis and collapse of one of its
contractors during construction created long term financial
difficulties. It was complicit in completing the long hoped for
`inner circle' railway that was a financial disaster and very
difficult to operate. Its directors were for many years ineffectual
and its managing director, though getting off to a good start,
became complacent and distracted and failed to pursue with vigour
the policies that were needed. Even the American entrepreneurs, who
arrived with the twentieth century, had their work cut out trying
to make something of a line that rarely paid dividends and had
never been far from bankruptcy. In all this, the railway and its
operational staff provided good and useful services to important
parts of London or the suburbs it helped to shape. Why a railway
like this found itself in such a sorry state is part of the story
covered in this definitive volume. Well illustrated in colour and
black and white.
The London Ringways were a set of urban motorways planned for
London in the 1960s and 1970s. They would have been the largest
civil engineering project since the war - and cost between 60,000
and 100,000 people their homes. They would have devastated the
environment and turned London into a car dominated city. This is
the first full-length history of the Ringways; what they were,
where they would have gone - and how Londoners fought them off.
Wayne Asher is a former journalist turned IT manager. His first
book - A Very Political Railway - examined the near death and
rebirth of the North London Line.
Newark Airport was the first major airport in the New York
metropolitan area. It opened on October 1, 1928, occupying an area
of filled-in marshland. In 1935, Amelia Earhart dedicated the
Newark Airport Administration Building, which was North America's
first commercial airline terminal. Newark was the busiest airport
in the world until LaGuardia Airport, in New York, opened in 1939.
During World War II, Newark was closed to passenger traffic and
controlled by the United States Army Air Force for logistics
operations. The Port Authority of New York took over the airport in
1948 and made major investments in airport infrastructure. It
expanded, opened new runways and hangars, and improved the
airport's terminal layout. The art deco administration building
served as the main terminal until the opening of the North Terminal
in 1953. The administration building was added to the National
Register of Historic Places in 1979.
In July 1962 Brian Smith joined British European Airways (BEA) as a
steward. In 1991 he retired as a Senior Training Captain with
British Airways. Brian describes this remarkable development,
recalling some of the many hurdles and adventures along the way.
The title of the book, Straighten Up and Fly Right, seems to
describe his ambitions. The adventures start with his desire to
learn to fly. His working life as a Training Captain with BOAC and
British Airways is described in detail. He manages to capture in
print what life was like during what many call 'The Golden Age of
Flying'. The book gives a detailed account of these adventures.
They may appear to follow one after the other in rapid succession,
and that is exactly what happened. Each chapter is laced with
humour. The adventures are all true, but you might detect a slight
exaggeration of one or two of the characters. If this makes you
smile, he'd be happy. There were two significant adventures that he
recalls as if they happened yesterday. The first was as a Flight
Controller in the Control Centre for the Breitling record-breaking
balloon flight round the world in 1999. He describes the experience
'like holding your breath for three weeks'. The following year he
was back in the role of Flight Controller for David
Hempleman-Adams' record-breaking flight to the North Pole by
balloon. As you can imagine, anyone involved with these adventures
is familiar with the 'Swan Effect' - serene and calm on the
surface, but pedalling like mad underneath! The adventures took
mainly two forms: Aircraft flying - as a first officer on a BOAC
B707 that had to land at Heathrow without a nosewheel - helping
restore and fly an Albatross, a 70-year-old amphibian aircraft - a
spell of bush flying in Rhodesia. Hot-air balloon flying - becoming
an instructor and examiner - flying in France, Holland, Austria,
Ireland, USA, the Artic Circle, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa,
across Australia and across the English Channel. Brian also shares
details of his latest venture - building and operating a Spitfire
simulator in his barn in West Sussex, to raise money for the RAF
Benevolent Fund. To date GBP100,000 has been raised. Brian has
decided to donate 10% of any profits from the sale of this book to
the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. The chapters have many
photographs and cartoons drawn by the author.
Kevin's latest full colour photo album for us covers the period
from 1960 to 1999. Looking at the London bus in its environment,
the book includes over 150 good quality photographs from various
archives with informative captions. All but a handful are
previously unpublished.
This third volume continues James Stringer's popular series with
another highly entertaining collection of Austin-related stories.
This time you can read all about: 'Mugwump' and its journey from
Bristol to Cape Town; how Spike Milligan and fellow Goon Peter
Sellers nearly fell out over an Austin 12/4; the company's
promotional film about the Austin 7 - "The Mighty Atom", and many
other colourful and delightfully entertaining stories, which
provide the reader with an alternative and untold history of the
Austin Motor Car Company.
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