British Railway Pictorial

This latest addition to the highly-successful 'British Railway Pictorial' series provides a vivid photographic tribute to the variety of railway development in Devon and Cornwall.

Although the first diesel multiple-units (DMUs) first appeared in the 1930s and the first of the Derby lightweight units shortly after Nationalisation, it was the Modernisation Plan of 1955 that resulted in the mass introduction of DMUs on to the British Railways network. The DMU was seen as essential to the future of secondary and branch lines, offering better quality rolling stock than traditionally provided, with lower operating costs. Indeed, the launch of DMU services on many lines did result in a temporary improvement in the performance of the affected routes and by the early 1960s several thousand first-generation DMUs were to be seen in operation over much of the network. However, the Beeching Report was to cast a shadow over the next decade and few new units were introduced between the early 1960s and the late 1970s when the urgent need to replace the increasingly aged first generation units became apparent. However, almost 50 years after the first of the Modernisation Plan units entered service the last of the type remain operational.In the second of Ian Allan Publishing's new 'British Railway Pictorial' series, Kevin Robertson pays tribute to this essential workhorse of the modern railway era. With the aid of over 175 mono illustrations, he examines the genesis of the type, the great variety of examples constructed and the range of services operated. For a whole generation of railway enthusiasts, the DMU was the unsung hero of the railway industry. Whilst it may have lacked the glamour of steam, it provided a reliable standard of service for more than four decades. Now that the majority have been withdrawn, the once familiar sights are no more. This new pictorial portrait, paying tribute to the DMU, will be of interest to the modeller, historian and preservationist alike.

A pictorial history of the many producers of industrial steam locomotives in Great Britain, from the early nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. The first steam locomotives used on any British railway worked in industry. The use of new and second hand former main line locomotives was once a widespread aspect of the railways of Britain. This volume covers many of the once numerous manufacturers who constructed steam locomotives for industry and contractors from the nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. David Mather has spent many years researching and collecting photographs across Britain, of most of the different locomotive types that once worked in industry. This book is designed to be both a record of these various manufacturers and a useful guide to those researching and modelling industrial steam. Praise for British Industrial Steam Locomotives “A good introduction, hopefully it will encourage some of those who have only been involved during the preservation period to take a wider interest in the historical aspects of the subject.” —Industrial Locomotive Society

With its gallery of over 360 striking and unfamiliar images and extensive historical text World Railways of the Nineteenth Century invites readers to experience an unparalleled glimpse into the world of nineteenth-century railroading.Peter Skinner, Foreword

It provides a comprehensive visual record of the changing railway scene in the area which will be welcomed by all with connections to the two counties as well as those with an interest in the history of the railways of the East Midlands.

Comprehensive collection of railway pictures ever published.

This is a book which recaptures the atmosphere of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Warrington in the days of steam.