Riviera Express

Grand European Expresses (1962) examines the trains de luxe of the International Sleeping Car and European Express Trains Company, from the Orient Express of the 1880s to the car-sleepers of the 1960s. As modern-day sleeper services are being resurrected across European rail networks, this book looks at the complex organisation that was required to run their forbears, with sleeping cars with clean bedding and conductors and dining cars with food and drink were in the right place at the right time across many different nations, systems and time-zones.

A pictorial history of the rise, fall, and rebirth of the scenic railway in Cornwall, featuring never before published photos. 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 closure, and how did it come to be built in the first place? Why did the war departments of the world have their eyes on St Ives in the years before the First World War? How did a town once renowned for the inescapable smell of fish become one of the most popular tourist resorts in the UK? Did the Great Western Railway invent the Cornish Riviera? Why was a heliport proposed for St Erth? Where did a thirty-two-ton ballast digger end-up in 2008? And how did two young men find themselves four miles from the nearest station in 1860. . . ? Containing over 100 images, mostly in colour and many never published before, this book sets out to answer these and many more questions. Praise for The St Ives Branch Line “A detailed, historical and photographic record of the line, from its very beginnings to the present day. . . . An excellent reference for anyone interested in Cornwall’s railways or scenic UK branch lines in general.” —Model Rail Magazine “If you are looking for a comprehensive and well-illustrated overview of the St Ives line throughout its life, this book will meet your requirements admirably.” —West Somerset Railway Association

The first edition of this popular volume has been out of print for several years and has become much sought after. Produced in black and white, the first edition was the first volume in the series, taking a detailed regional look at the Beeching Report, its proposals for closures and modifications of the UK railway network. The report has become legendary and the interest and debate it generated is no less today than it has ever been since first published. Indeed, with railways now rejuvenated and passenger numbers growing ever larger, the reflection on what Beeching got right and what perhaps in hindsight got very badly wrong makes for fascinating reading. This new, expanded second edition has been completely reworked and is now published with color illustrations both new and replacing the original black and white images where possible. The text has been expanded and updated as appropriate and there are 32 extra pages, bringing the new edition to 192 pages.