In Railway Walks: LNER, Jeff Vinter, consultant to the BBC's Railway Walks series, provides an indispensable guide to ten carefully selected railway paths converted from lines once owned by the London & North Eastern Railway. From the quiet byways of East Anglia to the dramatic scenery of the North Yorkshire coast & the moorlands of Weardale, the routes are described in detail, providing everything necessary for enjoyable days out, whether you are a keen walker, a railway enthusiast or just looking for somewhere special to take the family. Descriptions of this title include OS grid references, helpful maps & illustrations, as well as comprehensive information about transport & refreshment facilities. Suggestions for further explorations into each area's industrial past are also offered. Even the 'armchair walker' is catered for, with a well-researched history provided for each of the ten lines. Railway walks offer something for everybody & with Railway Walks: LNER you can be sure that you will be able to make the most of this fascinating & rather different aspect of the English countryside. ...

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. ...

Railways precipitated the Great War: they were the means by which war was waged, they defined how war was fought on the ground, they changed the character of warfare, they determined the length of the war &, ultimately, they bore witness to its end. To coincide with the BBC`s World War One centenary schedule, BBC Two will be airing a major new five-part series that will use the railways as a new lens through which to view the social & human consequences of this profound historical event. Part of the esteemed Great British Railway Journeys br&, the programme will tell the story of the world`s first war on the rails. This illustrated companion to the series will explore the numerous ways in which our tracks helped to shape the course of the conflict. From being used to mobilise the British Expeditionary Force at the start of the war, to transporting grieving relatives to the battlefields on which their loved ones had fought, their importance in our country`s military history should not be underestimated. ...

The 2010 edition of Railways Restored continues the winning formula of providing a wealth of detail in an easily accessible format, which is a perfect guide for all who wish to visit Britain's heritage railways, railway museums & preservation centres. The new edition has been completely updated to reflect all the many changes that have occurred throughout the year, including new schemes which have opened & services which are no longer running or open to the public. The information is sensibly organized &

Includes:: within the heading to each entry a block giving details of what each site offers in the way of passenger service to visitors as follows: Timetable Service
- railways providing a passenger service between two or more stations with public access; eg., Mid-Hants Railway. Steam Centre
- a railway or heritage site offering a passenger service on a short length of line, on a regular basis, with public access at only one point; eg., Lavender Line. Museum
- a museum or site that does not offer a passenger service on a regular basis, if at all, eg., Science Museum, London. Some sites may, however, offer rides on miniature railways. Railway Centre
- a catch-all for those centres which do not fall clearly into any of the other brackets. Generally, those offering rides over short distances using non-steam motive power. As usual, the book

Includes:: some great colour photographs from the world of heritage railways, & also

Includes:: the 2010 Heritage Railways National Timetable of Scheduled Services as an added source of information.









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This annually published guide ' Railways Restored' is regarded as the ' Bible' by the railway preservation movement. It is a guide to the major heritage railways, railway museums & preservation centres in the British Isles. Information for visitors is set out in tabular form for easy reference &

Includes:: a locomotive & rolling stock stocklist for most centres. The book is fully revised to reflect the changes for 2013, including new schemes & occasional closures, along with the transfer of locomotives & the entry (and loss) of locomotives to & from preservation.

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A fascinating collection of entertaining stories from as far afield as Europe, Indian & America revealing unusual railway journeys across the centuries, including ghost trains, vanishing passengers & trains fitted with homing pigeons instead of a communication cord! From eccentric lords, who transferred their carriages complete with horses & footmen onto the train, to drivers who stole garden fencing to keep up a good head of steam. ` Railways Strangest Journeys` takes you from the dawn of railway travel when speeds of 15 mph were considered blasphemous & damaging to one”s internal organs through the Victorian heyday of Royal Trains & seaside specials, right up to the present day. ...

A study of rain in Britain. The British are getting used to a new kind of rain. There is more of it
- the year 2000 was the wettest
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