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In the 1950s and 1960s the railway system in Ireland became a magnet for enthusiasts from Great Britain who realized that, as on the mainland, a way of life was fast disappearing as diesel traction replaced steam and the size of the rail network across Ireland was shrinking. Much of the interest stemmed from the similarity with the railways in Great Britain. Also, the existence of several narrow gauge systems, two railway-owned tramways and some cross-border...
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The Severn Valley Railway has long been considered by many to be Britain’s premier heritage railway. That reputation was earned early thanks to the quality of locomotive and carriage restoration, the careful refurbishment of stations and the standard of service offered to visitors. As with all heritage railways, it has had to adapt to changing expectations over the years whilst attempting to keep the original aims of railway preservation at the...
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"British Steam: Past and Present contains an evocative mix of specially commissioned modern steam images and steam era archive pictures, the majority of which have never been published before.
The work of accomplished steam photographer David Anderson is highlighted in three special Location in Focus features, studies of 1950s and 1960s steam workings at Oxford and on the mighty Beattock Bank. In addition there is the photographic record of a 1959...
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Railways played a key role in Britain's social, economic and industrial history. These companies have long since gone, but all over the country relics remain to remind us of that pioneering age. David Wragg's Historical Dictionary of Railways in the British Isles is a comprehensive, single-volume reference guide to the old railway companies and their heritage. He provides brief histories of the companies and their many-sided activities, and he gives...
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All Aboard for Adventure: Tales from the Steel Path Forget superheroes, step aside astronauts – the real heroes wear grease-stained overalls and navigate the open road on a metal steed. Buckle up for a thrilling journey with the train drivers, the unsung heroes who keep the wheels of commerce (and sometimes, adventure) turning. This heartwarming and humorous collection of anecdotes takes you deep into the world of the steel path, where the rumble...
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Steam on the Southern and Western is a personal record of railway views that were captured on black and white film in the late 1950s and 1960s, until the demise of steam on British Railways.
The style of the book is the well-tried and- tested picture and captions format, and the majority of the pictures are black and white photography. Not every picture portrays a train as there are interesting branch line and infrastructure scenes to view as well....
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The Patriot class, often referred to as 'Baby Scots', were an immediate success displaying consistently good performance. The class was withdrawn over a two year period between 1960 and 1962 having all covered around 1.3 million miles each, unfortunately too early to be considered for preservation. The last two withdrawn were in good condition on withdrawal, but unfortunately all were scrapped.
Although no Patriot in either rebuilt or unbuilt forms...
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Few people realise it, but Barnsley was once the centre of a railway universe. In Victorian times, dozens of competing companies put forward schemes to build railways across, through and around the town. Between them they constructed what some still regard as the most dense railway network in the country more complicated even than London’s commuter system or even the railway networks of our major cities. The reason almost no one knows about it is...
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Rails Across Britain is a collection of full-size colour photographs of trains that have operated in Great Britain over the last thirty years. Compiled by a well-regarded author of several successfully published books showing many varying classes of trains throughout the world, this book covers the period from 1986 to the present day. It brilliantly illustrates the various classes and the huge myriad of colour schemes that have been used throughout...
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In 1836, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas agreed on one thing: Illinois needed railroads. Over the next fifty years, the state became the nation's railroad hub, with Chicago at its center. Speculators, greed, growth, and regulation followed as the railroad industry consumed unprecedented amounts of capital and labor. A nationwide market resulted, and the Windy City became the site of opportunities and challenges that remain to this day. In this...
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When British Railways (BR) was privatised in April 1994 a series of passenger franchises was created that included services on both the East Coast Main Line (ECML) and competing West Coast Main Line (WCML) routes. The WCML franchise was won by Virgin Trains and it quickly set about improving service by introducing a range of standard trainsets to replace the variety of traction fleets that it had inherited. It also became a constant critic of Government...
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In 1957 the Western Region of BR identified a need for 400 Type 1 diesel locomotives for short-haul freight duties but it was 1964 before the first was introduced. General-purpose Type 1s were being delivered elsewhere but WR management regarded these as too expensive for their requirements. After completion of design work on the 'Western' locomotives, Swindon turned to creating a cheap 'no-frills' Type 1. At 65% of the cost of the Bo-Bo alternative,...
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This is the second part of a survey of Iberian railways and tramways in 1963, when the author and his friend Larry Veysey made a long circular tour of the Peninsula. In 1963 the traditional tramways were large and busy, though already in the sights of modernizing bureaucrats. The broad-gauge national RENFE and most independent railways were still largely powered by steam; many passengers rode in wood-bodied coaches. Much of the railway scene was comparable...
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This book provides a comprehensive study of the planning and building of railways in London's Docklands, reflecting on the past 180 years of railway development. It describes the creation of the enclosed working docks at the start of the 19th Century and the introduction of railways in the middle of the century. By the 1970's the decline of the working docks led to a plethora of plans to regenerate the area, but with little agreement on what should...
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Peter J Green first photographed Class 50 diesels in action in 1975, while they were still being transferred from the London Midland to the Western Region of British Rail. But it was in the early 1980s, when they were named and painted in Large Logo livery, that his interest in the class really took off. For Peter, they stood out from most other locomotives that were painted in the rather drab Rail Blue livery. The sound of the locomotives, particularly...
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In 1963 comic duo Flanders and Swann composed Slow Train - a lament for some of the many railway lines proposed for closure by Dr Beeching. Among the destinations listed in their song is the refrain "from St Erth to St Ives". Constructed in 1877 as the last broad gauge line to be built in the UK, the St Ives branch did not close in the 1960s and survives to this day – now widely regarded as one of the most scenic railways in Europe. How did it escape...
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In the prelude to the privatisation of BR the Provincial Sector (later Regional Railways) became responsible for local / secondary train services and initiated the refurbishment of 31 Class 37 locomotives, fitted with train heating equipment – hence designated Class 37/4 - to support the shortfall of DMU trainsets. Their initial task was to work services on Scottish lines radiating from Inverness to points north and Glasgow to service the West Highland...
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Part of the West Wales Railways series, this book starts at Clarbeston Road, covers the oil-rich town of Milford Haven, where oil refineries were opened mostly in the 1960s in association with the deep-water port, to accommodate super tankers from the Middle East, though the development of other products and pipelines in the oil world has seen the number of oil terminals there currently reduced to one at Robeston. Neyland was the original West Wales...
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Whitland to Pembroke Dock is the latest book in the West Wales Railways series which continues the previous South Wales Main Line series covering the line from the Severn Tunnel through to ends of the main line in West Wales. This volume covers the section from Whitland to Pembroke Dock, a largely agricultural and holiday line, centring on Tenby and Pembroke. The line was worked by Whitland depot which was a steam sub-shed of Neyland, with its own...
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At one point in time, no place in Iowa was more than a few miles from an active line of rail track. In this splendid companion volume to Steel Trails of Hawkeye land (IUP, 2005), H. Roger Grant and Don L. Hofsommer explore the pivotal role that railroads played in the urban development of the state as well as the symbiotic relationship Iowa and its rails shared. With more than 400 black-and-white photographs, a solid inventory of depots and locations,...