Biography of British Train Travel

Biography of British Train Travel

Author: Don Benn

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2017-05-19

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1473858445

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Railway Anthology is a collection of mainly previously unpublished articles and short stories, covering a lifelong interest in railways. It spans a wide spectrum over the years, from the early days in Kent in 1960, through the many hours on the line side on the Surrey Hills line and the South Western main line, to the last frantic years of steam on the Southern, and the current steam scene, as well as the privileged and exciting times spent riding on the foot plate of steam locomotives. It majors on the author’s main railway passions of steam locomotives, train running performance, including modern motive power and all matters Southern. Locomotive performance in Europe and a tramway are also included, as is a fascinating minor- and little-visited narrow gauge railway in Southern England, plus heritage traction on the London Underground. The book comprises approximately 350 illustrations, many in color, as well as contemporary timetable extracts and copies of notebook pages, which cover shed visits in Scotland. Fifty train running logs are included, together with some detailed records of days spent by the line sides of railways when steam was still the predominant motive power in parts of the south.


The Railways

The Railways

Author: Simon Bradley

Publisher: Profile Books

Published: 2015-09-24

Total Pages: 607

ISBN-13: 1847653529

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Sunday Times History Book of the Year 2015 Currently filming for BBC programme Full Steam Ahead Britain's railways have been a vital part of national life for nearly 200 years. Transforming lives and landscapes, they have left their mark on everything from timekeeping to tourism. As a self-contained world governed by distinctive rules and traditions, the network also exerts a fascination all its own. From the classical grandeur of Newcastle station to the ceaseless traffic of Clapham Junction, from the mysteries of Brunel's atmospheric railway to the lost routines of the great marshalling yards, Simon Bradley explores the world of Britain's railways, the evolution of the trains, and the changing experiences of passengers and workers. The Victorians' private compartments, railway rugs and footwarmers have made way for air-conditioned carriages with airline-type seating, but the railways remain a giant and diverse anthology of structures from every period, and parts of the system are the oldest in the world. Using fresh research, keen observation and a wealth of cultural references, Bradley weaves from this network a remarkable story of technological achievement, of architecture and engineering, of shifting social classes and gender relations, of safety and crime, of tourism and the changing world of work. The Railways shows us that to travel through Britain by train is to journey through time as well as space.


Steam Trains Today

Steam Trains Today

Author: Andrew Martin

Publisher: Profile Books

Published: 2021-04-29

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1782834893

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'A delightful book ... the perfect companion as you wait for the 8.10 from Hove' Observer After the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, many railways were gradually shut down. Rural communities were isolated and steam trains slowly gave way to diesel and electric traction. But some people were not prepared to let the romance of train travel die. Thanks to their efforts, many lines passed into community ownership and are now booming with new armies of dedicated volunteers. Andrew Martin meets these volunteer enthusiasts, finding out just what it is about preserved railways that makes people so devoted. From the inspiration for Thomas the Tank Engine to John Betjeman's battle against encroaching modernity, Steam Trains Today will take you on a heart-warming journey across Britain from Aviemore to Epping.


Greatest British Railway Journeys

Greatest British Railway Journeys

Author: Michael Portillo

Publisher:

Published: 2021-09-02

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781472279286

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Michael Portillo has presented ten seasons of this ever-popular show on BBC Two, covering every part of the existing train network in Britain, as well as others that were closed as a result of the Beeching Report in 1963. Across a decade of these journeys, Michael has discovered the historical and cultural past of every corner of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, giving railway fans a unique insight into our shared past of train travel since the Victorian era. With the anniversary, this book celebrates Michael's top 50 journeys from the hundreds he has covered, supported with colour illustrations and maps.


Fire and Steam

Fire and Steam

Author: Christian Wolmar

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Published: 2008-05-01

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 1848872615

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Now in paperback, Fire and Steam tells the dramatic story of the people and events that shaped the world's first railway network, one of the most impressive engineering achievements in history. The opening of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 marked the beginning of the railways' vital role in changing the face of Britain. Fire and Steam celebrates the vision and determination of the ambitious Victorian pioneers who developed this revolutionary transport system and the navvies who cut through the land to enable a country-wide network to emerge. The rise of the steam train allowed goods and people to circulate around Britain as never before, stimulating the growth of towns and industry, as well many of the facets of modern life, from fish and chips to professional football. From the early days of steam to electrification, via the railways' magnificent contribution in two world wars, the checkered history of British Rail, and the buoyant future of the train, Fire and Steam examines the social and economical importance of the railway and how it helped to form the Britain of today.


St Pancras Station

St Pancras Station

Author: Simon Bradley

Publisher: Profile Books

Published: 2010-07-09

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 1847650732

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Simon Bradley traces the history of the station, introducing us to the men behind the architecture and looks at its new international status. This fine new edition includes a fascinating chapter on the new hotel and some timely revisions bringing it fully up to date. 'A marvellous piece of social, aesthetic and technological history... it is impossible to praise Bradley's book too highly' A. N. Wilson, Daily Telegraph 'Brilliantly and with deft hand, Simon Bradley makes sense of it all ... fabulous' Sunday Telegraph 'A masterpiece of historical context ... immensely readable' Sunday Times 'This fine book examines the history of both the church that gave the station its name and the railway terminus ... unexpectedly compelling' Daily Mail


Around the World in 80 Trains

Around the World in 80 Trains

Author: Monisha Rajesh

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-01-24

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 1408869780

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WINNER OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER AWARD FOR BEST TRAVEL BOOK SHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORD DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 'Monisha Rajesh has chosen one of the best ways of seeing the world. Never too fast, never too slow, her journey does what trains do best. Getting to the heart of things. Prepare for a very fine ride' Michael Palin From the cloud-skimming heights of Tibet's Qinghai railway to silk-sheeted splendour on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Around the World in 80 Trains is a celebration of the glory of train travel and a witty and irreverent look at the world. Packing up her rucksack – and her fiancé, Jem – Monisha Rajesh embarks on an unforgettable adventure that takes her from London's St Pancras station to the vast expanses of Russia and Mongolia, North Korea, Canada, Kazakhstan, and beyond. The journey is one of constant movement and mayhem, as the pair strike up friendships and swap stories with the hilarious, irksome and ultimately endearing travellers they meet on board, all while taking in some of the earth's most breathtaking views.


A Train Journey

A Train Journey

Author: Gerard LoMonaco

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2020-11-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0500651825

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Charming and picturesque, A Train Journey brings iconic trains to life in three-dimensional pop-ups! In A Train Journey, readers will meet four iconic trains that changed the history of railroad. Each of the four picturesque pop-ups inside depicts a historic train—George Stephenson’s Rocket, one of the earliest steam locomotives; the Elevated Railway in Brooklyn; the Flying Scotsman; and the Japanese bullet train or Shinkansen—in its own environment. Gérard Lo Monaco’s charming illustrations lend spectacular depth and detail to this book that will delight children and train lovers alike.


The Twilight of Southern Steam

The Twilight of Southern Steam

Author: Don Benn

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2017-06-30

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 1473863082

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This book is first and foremost the story of the enginemen and their steeds which brought the steam era to an end on the Southern. It is therefore primarily about locomotive performance but enlivened by stories about how that was achieved and also about the band of young men who followed the exploits of men and machines, day and night over those last two years. It includes a substantial contribution from an ex-Nine Elms fireman and many anecdotes about the enginemen. The book contains about eighty train running logs plus records of lineside observations, detailed descriptions of the work covered by the locomotives and crews from the various steam motive power depots, copies of the actual duty rosters posted at Nine Elms, together with a unique collection of about 150 black and white and color images taken in the 1965 to 1967 period covered by this book. It is the most comprehensive story of those last few years yet produced, and it is truly The Untold Story, a fine tribute to the enginemen who performed near miracles with their doomed and run-down fleet of locomotives, in the very different world of the mid–1960's railway, unequaled anywhere else in Britain.


Great Continental Railway Journeys

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Author: Michael Portillo

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2015-10-22

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1471151506

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Great Continental Railway Journeysis now a firmly established series on BBC2, following in the illustrious tracks of its predecessor - Great British Railway Journeys. Both series are fronted by ex-politician Michael Portillo and in this European odyssey he travels around continental Europe, using George Bradshaw's1913 Continental Railway Guide. Now coming up for its fourth instalment this autumn, Portillo guides the train-travelling fan across Europe arriving at a myriad of magical and historically fascinating cities we all dream of travelling to by train. From London, to Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Copenhagen, Oslo, Lisbon, Madrid, Berlin, Monte Carlo, Prague, Munich, Zurich, Rome, Budapest, St Petersburg; all the way down to Constantinople, Haifa and Jerusalem - Portillo describes the great feats of engineering that built the various railway lines connecting Europe and further afield and the men and women who made these journeys famous through their deeds and words. The new series (6x1-hour) will transmit in early November 2015, and this book will be the official, lavishly illustrated tie-in covering every single journey Portillo has undertaken across Europe. Capturing all the colour, beauty, excitement and fervour of journeying across this historic continent can muster. A must-have purchase for any armchair fan of unique and award-winning travel programming.