French Railway books

[signalnorth]

With Christmas on the horizon can anyone make any suggestions for good books around the topic of secondary French Lines in the steam era please?  French Language versions are ok too.

Cheers!

[Fat Controller]

It might be worth looking at 'Platform 5's website:-

http://www.platform5.com/

and that for 'La Vie du Rail:-

https://www.boutiquedelaviedurail.com/index.cfm

[Nearholmer]

A good start, if you haven’t got it already is WJK Davies book.

 

There is a similar summary tome in French, but I can’t remember the author, but after these summaries things seem to dive into the specifics of either areas or railway companies, and where you want to go depends a lot on personal taste.

 

 

[signalnorth]

Thanks to you both for these posts

[Andy Hayter]

Les petits trains de jadis series is very good but runs to several volumes (at least 6, each covering a region of France) and since they have been out of print for many years they now command silly prices.  But if you did stumble across a copy at a sensible price...……..

[Nearholmer]

I think the French ‘summary’ book that mentioned might be the introductory one to that series.

[Dava]

Try  Peter Smith, Kirtley Models. He writes & self=publishes books including French minor + narrow gauge  

 

Dava

[rue_d_etropal]

8 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

A good start, if you haven’t got it already is WJK Davies book.

 

 

 

definitely worth while getting. I have had a copy since it was published.

A subscription to Voie Libre magazine might be worth while. Only published 4 times a year .

Edited November 10, 2019 by rue_d_etropal

[Nearholmer]

Being a real saddo, I bought both the 1960s version, which I think he wrote when he was a young man with spare time, and the one shown, which is about five times bigger, which I think he completed in retirement after a lifetimes research.

 

The first version is actually a good intro to the second ..... a sort of walk-before-you-run.

[Northroader]

These two?

[EddieB]

On 10/11/2019 at 13:56, Fat Controller said:

It might be worth looking at 'Platform 5's website:-

http://www.platform5.com/

and that for 'La Vie du Rail:-

https://www.boutiquedelaviedurail.com/index.cfm

Unfortunately Platform 5's website has long been awaiting books for sale.  Their book adverts in Today's Railways and book catalogues tend to list only recent titles, when there are often stocks of older publications still available.  They can also source "in print" books from other countries - which can be useful if those countries have high postal rates for shipping to the UK.

 

France tends not to be one of those high shipping countries, and I'd also recommend Le Train website: http://www.letrain.com/component/virtuemart/librairie.