Which was the first railway in Great Britain? Certainly not the one engineered by George Stephenson - one of the first was laid down at Wollaton, near Nottingham, open by 1610, long before Stephenson's birth in 1781. In this comprehensive history, Colin Maggs, one of the country's foremost railway historians, tells the story of over 400 years of British railway history. He covers early horse and gravity-worked lines to those powered by steam, electricity and diesel. The development of locomotives, rolling stock, signalling and major accidents - often marking major changes in how the network was run - are all described in detail. Pivotal moments including the Amalgamation of 1923 when most railway companies became part of the GWR, LMSR or LNER, nationalisation and privatisation are set in their historical context. Colin Maggs also ventures his views on where Britain's railways will go in the future, including HS2 and beyond. Great Britain's Railways is illustrated with more than 200 photographs of rolling stock, railway architecture and period ephemera.

You want to be a steam engine driver? It's not that simple - it's not just a matter of blowing the whistle, releasing the brakes and opening the regulator. Where is the whistle? Which handle operates the brakes and what is a regulator? And do you really want to be in a locomotive cab where your front will bake and your rear will freeze? Over the years, accidents have occurred on the railways and to prevent a reoccurrence, rules have been made. Do you know them? How are trains kept apart so that you don't strike the one in front, or are hit by the one in the rear? What's to stop trains on a single line colliding head-on? Colin Maggs has assembled a really fascinating collection of illustrated railwaymen's handbooks, which were required reading for a footplate man. They answer all these questions and more.

The branch lines of Devon were particularly numerous and this second volume on the county covers Plymouth, west and north Devon. They vary from the Turnchapel and Yealmpton commuter lines, to the Exeter and Barnstaple branch, which for many years of its life was a main line, becoming a branch line within the last forty years. One branch still open is the Plymouth to Gunnislake line, which remains because it offers the most direct route. Many of the branches have interesting histories. The Princetown branch was famous for being the highest station in England. The Torrington to Halwill Junction line began life as the 3-foot-gauge Marland Light Railway whose main purpose was to carry clay. In 1925, the line was rebuilt as a standard-gauge line and extended to become the North Devon & Cornwall Light Railway - the last major railway construction in the West of England. In this absorbing, entertaining and well-researched book, Colin G. Maggs, foremost railway historian, provides a marvellously wide-ranging view of over 170 years of rail travel. Profusely illustrated with over 200 fascinating photographs, maps and ephemera, this book will appeal not only to railway enthusiasts, but to local historians as well.

Most people are under a misapprehension: the Rocket was not the first steam engine. Quite a few were built before it, but Stephenson's engine was the first successful steam locomotive. Colin Maggs tells the story of the steam engine, from pre-Rocketdays, to British Railways building the Evening Star - the last main-line locomotive - through to the preservation movement and the new-build locomotives of extinct classes such as the Tornado. In this comprehensive history, Colin Maggs, one of the country's foremost railway historians, tells of other, perhaps less well-known aspects of the history of steam in Great Britain. The first railway lines, the activities of the early railway companies, the design and manufacture of faster and faster engines and the lives of the men and women who drove the industry. These and other fascinating stories from the age of steam are all revealed in this accessible book, illustrated with over 150 photographs and period ephemera, many in colour.

In his time Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the world's greatest engineer. His list of achievements is truly breathtaking: the Thames Tunnel, the first underwater tunnel in the world; the SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven ship; the Clifton Suspension Bridge, then the longest span of any bridge in the world; and the Great Western Railway. History has been kind to his memory: many of his creations still exist and he is lauded by historians as a truly 'Great Briton'. In this full-scale biography Colin Maggs presents a portrait of a complex, ambitious and determined genius. But the Brunel that emerges is not without flaws. He made mistakes, both personal and technical - he wasn't always right but never admitted he was wrong. Drawing on Brunel's diaries, letters and business papers, we see the real Isambard, a more human figure, emerging from behind the towering structures and machines he created.

The branch lines of Devon were particularly numerous and this volume covers those in Exeter and the south, central and eastern parts of the county. They were also tremendously varied, ranging from the Exmouth branch - the nearest the West Country comes to a suburban-type commuter line - and the Paignton line - which for many years of its life could be considered a main line - to the Culm Valley Light Railway - a curiosity which required locomotives with a short wheelbase and slight axle loading and restrictions on rolling stock. Many Devon branch lines were originally built to the broad gauge and were later narrowed, some lasting until its very end in May 1892. Three of the branches in the area have been preserved: part of the Seaton line is now a narrow-gauge electric tramway, the South Devon Railway at Buckfastleigh is a typical GWR branch, and the Dartmouth Steam Railway is capable of taking main-line engines. In this absorbing and well-researched book, Colin G. Maggs has provided a marvellously wideranging view of over 160 years of rail travel in the county. Well illustrated with over 200 fascinating photographs, ephemera and maps, The Branch Lines of Devon Part One: Exeter, South, Central & East Devon will appeal not only to railway enthusiasts, but local historians as well.