Sixty years after a disparate group of railway enthusiasts came together in a remote corner of rural Wales to run a train service
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Celebrate the days when trains were trains, individual expresses had their own character, serving their passengers in style in restaurant car, & connecting services ran over picturesque branch lines that were a very part of the countryside they served. Railway Season by David St John Thomas whose Country Railway sold an astonishing 170, 000 copies, captures all our railway yesterdays with panache. This is indeed a railway book like no other, a portfolio of word portraits by an enthusiast who knows his subject intimately & is never at a loss for a telling example. From his imaginary but life-like ' Day in the life of a country terminus' to the ground-breaking stuff of the natural history of railways, & from the colourful history of excursions to a poignant reminder of what traffic used to be like on peak Summer Saturdays, an evocation of watching trains & a reminder of Christmases past, the book rolls irresistibly along.. .and that only mentions a fraction of the chapters. Though this is not specifically a book about the country side inevitably it looms large since even intercity trains run through it.. .as demonstrated in the chapter 'A country journey like no other', which also emphasizes the author's West Country background. But whatever your interest in railways & wherever your favourite part of the countryside, there is much here for you. The chapter on railways for pleasure perhaps sums it all up. ...

Jeff Vinter, Consultant to the BBC`s ” Railway Walks” series, provides comprehensive details of every disused railway line in Wales that is now a public walk or cycle trail. He covers everything from the earliest tram-roads to recently closed colliery lines
- all set against the magnificent backdrop of the Welsh landscape & offering an insight into the country`s industrial past. From the tunnels of Saundersfoot Railway on the Pembrokeshire coast to the long slog of the Brecon & Merthyr Railway`s famous Seven Mile Bank, there is plenty here to delight both railway enthusiasts & walkers looking for unfamiliar views. Richly illustrated, this book is replete with photographs of the surrounding landscape & detailed guides on the history of each branch line from the Rhondda Railway to Snowdonia. Jeff Vinter takes us on a fascinating journey through the remote landscapes of Wales, past old tracks & ancient viaducts to discover hidden treasures. There are notes on the best & most convenient pubs en route, & local public transport is summarised for the benefit of those who want to walk one way & ride the other.” Railway Walks: Wales” is a must-have guide for anyone interested in Welsh railway heritage, or for all those who love to explore the hidden landscape of Wales.
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Jeff Vinter, consultant to the BBC`s popular ” Railway Walks” series, here guides the walker along ten of the best railway paths in the south of Engl&, ranging from the Camel Trail in scenic north Cornwall to the densely wooded tracks of the Forest of Dean, & taking in the Downs Link across the rolling countryside of West Sussex & Surrey, as well as the Plym Valley Railway Path & Cycle Route on the southern slopes of Dartmoor. The detailed description of each walk

Includes:: OS grid references, helpful maps & illustrations, as well as comprehensive transport & refreshments information. For those walkers who wish to explore more, further walks, preserved railways & museums are suggested, which shed light on the area`s industrial past. The `armchair walker` is also catered for, with a full historical description of each line & a resume of its regeneration after closure. Together with ” Railway Walks: GWR & SR”, all you will need are a map & a pair of stout boots
- & some reasonable weather
- in order to enjoy this fascinating & rather different aspect of the English countryside.



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Jeff Vinter, consultant to the BBC`s popular ” Railway Walks” series, here provides a detailed guide to ten of the best railway walks in the territory of the former London Midland & Scottish Railway. These range from the Midland Railway`s express line through the Peak District to the incredible Cromford & High Peak Railway, built before railway engineering had fully developed, incorporating a series of level sections connected by mountainous inclines. Between these two extremes, the rambler can explore the Bramption Valley Way in Northamptonshire, with its gentle countryside & stone villages, or a network of lines radiating from Lancaster into the delightful Lune Valley. The detailed description of each walk

Includes:: OS grid references, helpful maps & illustrations, comprehensive transport & refreshments information. Further walks, preserved railways & museums are suggested which shed light on the area`s industrial past, while even the `armchair walker` is not forgotten, as each chapter is prefaced with a full historical description of the line & a resume of its regeneration after closure. Whether you are interested in railway history, industrial archaeology or just strolling in the English coutryside, ” Railway Walks: LMS” will provide you with a day out that is both informative & enjoyable.

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This is a shrunk-down version of the fascinating ”100 Years of Railways”. It features photographs h&-picked from the archives of the Press Association. The railway system in Britain is the oldest in the world, beginning in 1825 with the first locomotive hauled public railway & culminating in a network of more than 10, 000 miles of track by 2000 & a high-speed rail link to continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel. This book traces rail transport from the cramped carriages hauled by dirty steam locomotives to streamlined air-conditioned trains. It charts the growth of private local lines, their amalgamation, the introduction of diesel & electric rolling stock, competition from road transport & the closure of branch lines & freight depots in the 1960s, through nationalization, privatization & the remedial work to restore the railways as efficient, cost effective transport for the 21st century. ...

In Railways & Frontiers, the author explores the ways in which Europe`s rail networks have been affected by changes in the continent`s internal frontiers. Through a series of fascinating case studies organised by country, the author examines the impact on European frontiers made by such historical events as the emergence of Germany & Italy in the 19th Century & two World Wars in the 20th. Illustrated with an array of maps, modern photographs & scenes from old postcards, Railways & Frontiers brings a previously unconsidered aspect of the history of railways in Europe to life in an imaginative way. Front cover image: The Inner German Border near Bergen a.d. Dumme 1982 Gunter Tscharn. ...

India was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. There were vast riches to be exploited & vast numbers of people to be subjugated. How better to achieve these aims than by building a rail network that facilitated the export of raw material & made it easier for troops to travel around the country to tackle uprisings? India joined the railway age late: the first line was not completed until 1853 but, by 1929, 41, 000 miles of track served the country. However, the creation of this vast network was not intended to modernize India for the sake of its people but rather was a means for the colonial power to govern the huge country under its control, serving its British economic & military interests. By building India`s railways, Britain radically changed the nation but also unwittingly created the preconditions of independence. While the railways benefitted India & were its first modern development, their construction ultimately contributed to a stirring of nationalist opinion, as resentment grew among the Indian population over the conditions they endured when travelling by train & the barring of Indians from the better paid railway jobs. Despite the dubious intentions behind the construction of the network, the Indian people quickly took to the railways, as the trains allowed them to travel easily for the first time. The Indian Railways network remains one of the largest in the world, serving over 25 million passengers each day. In this expertly told history, Christian Wolmar reveals the full story of India`s railways, from its very beginnings to the present day, & examines the chequered role they have played in Indian history & the creation of today`s modern state. ...

India was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire, an Empire that needed a rail network to facilitate its exploitation & reflect its ambition. But, by building India`s railways, Britain radically changed the nation & unwittingly planted the seed of independence. As Indians were made to travel in poor conditions & were barred from the better paid railway jobs a stirring of resentment & nationalist sentiment grew. The Indian Railways network remains one of the largest in the world, serving over 25 million passengers each day. In this expertly told history, Christian Wolmar reveals the full story, from the railway`s beginnings to the present day, & examines the chequered role this institution has played in Indian history & the creation of today`s modern state. ...

A thin pair of steel ribbons across town & countryside, along sea walls, over remote & lonely Highland moors, through tunnels, & carried on magnificent viaducts
- the special association between railway & landscape is explored in this photo essay by two of the UK`s best-known railway photographers, one of whom was named the Sunday Times ` Take A View` Young Landscape Photographer of the Year. Through a breath-taking selection of photographs, this is a book of stunning views, capturing the romance, nostalgia, drama & excitement of past railway journeys, while celebrating the ordinary & everyday scenes of the modern railway & showcasing railway journeys as an intrinsic part of the British landscape.
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