The British Rail corporate image and its Rail Blue livery was one of the longest-lived colour schemes carried by the trains of Britain in the forty-eight-year life of the nationalised railway network. Launched in 1965, after Beeching, the then new corporate image was an attempt by the BR design panel to raise the profile of the railway system countrywide and to sweep away the dull steam-era image as the swinging sixties got underway. By the mid-1970s, virtually all BR locomotives and multiple units were carrying Rail Blue livery, while most of the passenger coaches were in matching blue/grey. As the British Rail network was sectorised from the late 1980s in preparation for eventual privatisation, new bold, bright livery schemes for the fleet swept away the familiar, but by then somewhat jaded BR image. The BR blue era is now looked upon with affection as a golden age when the system was operated by an immense variety of locomotives and rolling stock, all now part of history in the same way that the steam era was viewed when the BR blue era ruled on Britain's railways.

Greater Manchester covers an area of 493 square miles and is a diverse part of North West England, it is home to 2.8 million people. At its heart is the vibrant and ever-changing City of Manchester, the large conurbation having borders with Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and Merseyside. It has a complex, varied and historic heavy rail network that contains ninety-six stations on a 142 mile network, part of which was the first passenger railway in the World. Greater Manchester is also home to the largest light rail system in the UK - The Metrolink Tram system has a current network of 57 miles and 93 stops, its expansion has aided some traffic reduction in an area that has the highest percentage of Motorway network than any other county in the UK. Network Greater Manchester is a detailed photographic journey over the system that chronicles the constantly changing scene since the late 1970's to the present day and illustrates how the services, rolling stock and infrastructure have changed with the passage of time.

The British Rail Class 142 Pacer was an attempt to produce a cost effective train to replace the worn-out and elderly first generation BR Diesel Multiple Unit fleet that had been introduced in the late 1950's. The Class 142 concept was a marriage of proven bus technology and traditional railway chassis and powertrain by utilizing modular Leyland National Bus Bodies mounted on a substantial steel underframe and powered by conventional underfloor diesel engines. They came at a time when the network was lacking in investment, and when first introduced from 1985 onwards, they presented a fresh, bright & clean image, breathing new life into many suburban and rural services. Unfortunately, soon after introduction, there were serious reliability problems, which necessitated much re-engineering, since when they have become a familiar sight across the network. With the remaining ninety-four trains now all past their thirtieth birthday, the fleet is due to be retired by 2020.

The North-West of England is a diverse and fascinating part of the country with a varied landscape. This area was once the powerhouse of the industrial revolution, and was the location for the World's first true 'Intercity' railway, spawning a complex network of routes that served the various towns which were once hives of industry. The famous coastal resorts-Southport, Blackpool, and Morecambe were all products of the railway age, when a day trip to the seaside broke the monotony of the daily grind. However, areas and times change-heavy industry was on the wane by the late 1960s, and the last of the Lancashire Collieries disappeared in the early 1990s, reflecting the decline of traditional industries nationwide. The North-West railway network has adapted, becoming a predominantly passenger railway, with busy commuter services feeding Liverpool and Manchester daily. This book chronicles many of the changes since the late 1970s, including scenes, routes, and rolling stock that have altered beyond recognition.

Lancashire Railways depicts in colour photographs the changes to be seen on the railway network around Lancashire from 1978 to the present day. Spanning the end of the regional BR Rail Blue era, through sectorisation and privatisation, the book captures the huge variety of motive power in operation in this period, from diesel and electric locomotive-hauled services, to first and second generation DMUs and EMUs, as well as some industrial railways. The book covers the county’s network from its northern boundary, including Lancaster and Carnforth, to the West Yorkshire boundary, the Fylde area (Blackpool, Lytham etc), Central Lancashire (the Preston area, Chorley, Leyland) and West Lancashire where it reaches the current Merseyside boundary south of Ormskirk. Traditional former Lancashire towns of Bolton, Bury Oldham and Wigan which are now part of Greater Manchester are also included as well as the city of Salford. This photographic survey through more than 40 years of the railway scene in Lancashire will appeal to all those with an interest in the history of the railways in this county.