LT Books

[GoingUnderground]

There have been quite a few books published about London Transport and its predecessor companies. These often contain a lot of useful details, and photos.

 

Here are some of the books that I know about:

 

Steam to Silver - An illustrated History of London Transport Rolling Stock by J Graeme Bruce. Published by London Transport Executive

Paperback edition pubished 1970, Hardback edition published 1975

 

Tube Trains under London - A short illustrated history of London Transport Tube Rolling Stock by J Graeme Bruce. Published by London Transport Board/ Executive

Paperback edition published 1968, reprinted 1969, revised 1972 and Hardback edition 1973.

 

London Transport Railways compiled by John Glover. published by Ian Allan in 1991 - Colour photos with brief narrative to each photo.

 

London Transport in Colour 1950 - 1969 by Kevin Mccormack, published by ian Allan in 2005. Mixture of train and bus colour photos from the period, with brief narrative to each photo

 

Glory Days: Metropolitan Railway by John Glover, published by ian Allan. Similar format to the previous two books, but with more narrative. Some of the photos are B&W and there are some line drawings.

 

I'll add more to this post as time permits.

[Oldddudders]

The standard work on the history of the Underground when I was young in the '60s was "Rails Through The Clay" by Croome and Jackson, which I borrowed numerous times from the library. I believe it may have been updated more recently.

[Coppercap]

The standard work on the history of the Underground when I was young in the '60s was "Rails Through The Clay" by Croome and Jackson, which I borrowed numerous times from the library. I believe it may have been updated more recently.

 

That's one I want! Out of print for a long time.................

[Burkitt]

Three I can recommend:

Underground Movement by Paul Moss. Published by Capital Transport Publishing in association with London's Transport Museum, 2000.

An excellent guide to the industrial design of tube trains from the 1920s to just before PPP, featuring hundreds of illustrations including many concept sketches and models of ideas which never came to be.

 

By Tube Beyond Edgware by Tony Beard. Published by Capital Transport Publishing in 2002.

A detailed history of the proposed Northern Heights extension of the Northern Line, complete with plans and drawings of the stations.

 

London Rail Atlas by Joe Brown. Published by Ian Allan in 2009 (second edition)

Complete track plan of all current and past mainline and underground railways in London.

 

 

Paul

[DIW]

Underground to Everywhere by Stephen Halliday - rather well thumbed now, I read it several times while commuting.

 

Railways and Transport of Hammersmith and West London by Frank Goudie and Douglas Stuckey - intersting if you want to know more about the railways around Hammersmith.

 

What's in a Name? by Cyril M. Harris - the origins of the names of all the stations in current use on LUL and DLR (as at publication date of course; mine is the 2003 reprint).

 

Metro Memories; The Golden Years of the Metropolitan Railway; The Romance of Metro-Land all by Dennis Edwards and Ron Pigram - the histories of the developments created by the Metropolitan Railway along its route.

 

I'll have to add the rest when I can dig them out.

 

Dave

 

Edit 1:

Tunnel Visions by Christopher Ross - amusing anecdotes and personal philosophies from a chap who took a part-time job as a station assistant at a busy interchange underground station.

[GoingUnderground]

Paul,

 

You beat me to it on your titles. "By Tube Beyond Edgware" is fascinating. Here's a few more:

 

The Moving Metropolis - A History of London's Transport since 1800 by Sheila Taylor, published by Laurence King in association with the London Transport Museum in 2001. The story is told pictorially virtually all in colour with detailed annotations to each image. Page 305 has a lovely picture of the interior of the soon to be gone A60 stock as delivered, just how I remember my first trip on one going home from school.

 

London's Underground by John Glover, published by Ian Allan. I believe the 11th edition has just been released, mine is the 10th edition published in 2003. Extensive text with many illustrations, all in b&w though, no colour, apart from the dust jacket.

 

The Story of London's Underground by John R Day and John Reed, published by Capital Transport. The first edition was published in1963, mine is the eighth edition, published 2001, so there may be a newer edition. This is my preferred book on the history of the Underground. Well written, many illistrations with about 50% of then in colour. highly recommended.

 

The London Underground Tube Stock by J Graeme Bruce, published by Ian Allan in 1988. This is a later edition of "Tube Trains Under London. Many illsutrations and diagrams, all in b&w.

 

The London Underground Surface Stock Plan Book 183-1959 by Ian Huntley, published by Ian Allan in 1988. This has line drawings of all stock that ran in Revenue Service on the Met and District, including the steam and electric locos, but not the Great Northern & City stock even though it came under Met ownership. Q 38 and R Stock are included in the section on COP Stock. a useful book.

 

The Metropolitan Line - London's First Underground Railway by Clive Foxell, published by The History Press in 2010.

 

A History of the Metropolitan Railway. This is a 3 volume set by Bill Simpson, published in 2003, 4 and 5 respectively by Lamplight Publications

Volune 1 is subtitled, The Circle and the Extended lines to Rickmansworth, Volume 2 is The Railway from Rickmansworth to Aylesbury, including Halton Camp Railway, and Volume 3 is From Aylesbury North to Verney Junction and Brill.

 

The 1938 Tube Stock by Piers Connor, published in 1989 by Capital Transport. All there is to know about the '38 stock and its predecessors the 1935 Experimental stock. Fully illustrated with many in colour.

 

Workhorsess of the London Underground by J Graeme Bruce, published in 1987 by Capital Transport. The one book that I have that deals specifically with the Service Stock. Many very useful b&w pictures. A book not to be without if you want information on Service Stock.

 

London Tramway Twilight 1949-1952 by Robert J Harley, published in 2000 by Capital Teansport. The story ofthe end of Trams in London with many illistrations virtualy all in b&w.

[Southernboy]

Here's a couple more for you:

 

The London Motorbus: It's Origins and Development by J Graeme Bruce and Colin H Curtis. First published by LT in 1973. 142 pages. The text covers the major milestones and broader influences which shaped the evolution of buses in London from 1905. Dozens of b/w pictures.

 

 

South London Tramways by Robert J Hardy. First published by Middleton Press in 2003. 96 pages. Mainly photographic, by location, with brief but pertinent annotations/observations.

 

I've a few more in my parents loft I must dig out, but one in particular:

 

 

The Wheels Used To Talk To Us: A London Tramway Man Remembers by Terence Cooper from transcriptions recorded conversations with S. C. Collins.

First published in 1977. 172 pages. The personal recollections of a London tram driver from the 1930s through to the end of the trams in London. Illustrated (although I can't recall the proportion of images to text now).

[GoingUnderground]

Some more for you all:

 

Underground Train File - Tube Stock 1933 - 1959 by Brian Hardy, published by Capital Transport in 2001. Really an extended version of the Ian Allan ABC series, but with the running numbers of all the stock that ran in that period, not just those in service on a given date, with a detailed overview of each type. Don't be misled by the cover, a colour picture of the Streamlined 1935 Stock, it is a retouch as I believe that no colour photo has been found of the '35 Streamliners. A useful book nonetheless. Brian is the current editor of the LURS monthly magazine "Underground News".

 

Underground Train File - Tube Surface Stock 1933 - 1959 by Brian Hardy, published by Capital Transport in 2002. The companion volume to the above, also with a colourised cover, this time of R stock in its original livery with the horizontal red stripe across he front of the cab. Again a useful book. EDIT 25/6 Have corrected the title.

 

Mr Beck's Underground Map - A History by Ken Garland published by Capital Transport in 1994 with reprints in 1998 and 2003. The story of how that famous "map", it is really a diagram, came into being and its subsequent development. It has pictures of most, it may even be all, of the poster maps through to 1994. Fully illustrated in colour. My favourite is on page 41, the map of 1949, showing the full New Works additional routes plus the least known extension, the Bakerloo to Camberwell.

 

Red Panniers - Last Steam on the Underground by John Scott-Morgan and Kirk Martin, published by Lightmoor Press in 2008. An excellent book, especially if, like me, you remember seeing the Panniers in service. I have heard that there may be a companion volume in preparation covering the earlier steam Service Stock.

 

London's Trams - A View from the Past by Paul Collins, published by Ian Allan in 2001, reprinted in 2005. The history of Trams in london, starting with the horse tramways through to Tramlink in Croydon. Thoroughly illustrated, all b&w though, but facsinating with a detailed narrative.

 

That's enough from me for the time being. I'll let someone else have a go.

[RogerE]

Jim Snowdon's Metropolitan Railway Rolling Stock book published by White Swan is a must-have for anyone modelling the Metropolitan pre-LT days (and in many cases LT days as well)

[L49]

Don't forget London's disused Underground stations and the follow p Abandoned stations on London's Underground. I even feature on the cover of the first edition of the latter!. And there is the Capital Transport reprint of the former. Spot the deliberate mistake on the cover!

 

Has anyone mentioned the Capital Transport history of the Aldwych branch. Absolutely brilliant book. Got me thinking along the lines of building a layout of a complete LT line, single track, no need for off-scene fiddle yards, unless you want to do stock transfer moves. You could even have the tram subway above for a bit of added interest!

 

I almost forgot, Geoff Goslin's two fantastic books on steam on the Widened Lines.

[GoingUnderground]

Don't forget London's disused Underground stations and the follow p Abandoned stations on London's Underground. I even feature on the cover of the first edition of the latter!. And there is the Capital Transport reprint of the former. Spot the deliberate mistake on the cover!

 

Has anyone mentioned the Capital Transport history of the Aldwych branch. Absolutely brilliant book. Got me thinking along the lines of building a layout of a complete LT line, single track, no need for off-scene fiddle yards, unless you want to do stock transfer moves. You could even have the tram subway above for a bit of added interest!

 

I almost forgot, Geoff Goslin's two fantastic books on steam on the Widened Lines.

You could get together with John Howe and offer to build the Aldwych branch below his Kingsway Tram layout! There were two platforms at Holborn I believe, but only one was ever used. I used to use Aldwych when i worked in Surrey Street, but I cannot remember if there were two platforms at Aldwych as well, although only one was ever used.

[dasatcopthorne]

Interesting thread.

 

I've been buying books on London transport for years.

 

However, I must admit to probably being the biggest geek.

 

My father used to read to me at bedtime, the book being F Howson's first edition London's Underground.

 

Blimey!

 

Dave

[Coppercap]

Don't forget London's disused Underground stations and the follow p Abandoned stations on London's Underground. I even feature on the cover of the first edition of the latter!. And there is the Capital Transport reprint of the former. Spot the deliberate mistake on the cover!

 

I've got all three, but I can't work out the 'deliberate mistake'. Do tell.

[L49]

I've got all three, but I can't work out the 'deliberate mistake'. Do tell.

 

Look on the keysone above the tunnel mouth on the platform end shot of South Kentish on the cover. I think you may notice something that slipped through the censors net!

[Baby Deltic]

Look on the keysone above the tunnel mouth on the platform end shot of South Kentish on the cover. I think you may notice something that slipped through the censors net!

 

I'm sorry to say I think that is an absolute classic and always makes me laugh.

[L49]

You could get together with John Howe and offer to build the Aldwych branch below his Kingsway Tram layout! There were two platforms at Holborn I believe, but only one was ever used. I used to use Aldwych when i worked in Surrey Street, but I cannot remember if there were two platforms at Aldwych as well, although only one was ever used.

 

I have spoken to John about it in the past. the trouble is he has foreshortened the subway so much that it would hardly be worth installing the tube, and there is no way you could fit platforms in there. This is a real dream for the future project, which may come about some day, but not before Kingsway has finished it's run on the circuit. i can see no point in two contemporary layouts duplicating the same scene.

 

Holborn and Aldwych did both have two platforms as built, but the second platform at both fell into disuse by the first world war (I think, haven't got the book in front of me!) The one at Holborn became offices during the war, and later became staff rooms, including the Central Line staff model railway club. The other platform at Aldwych was used to store art treasures from the BM during the war, and then was used as a test space for new tube platform design. There are still test pieces for the refurbishment of Holborn down there which looks a bit wierd on a closed station. There are a load of disused and never used passages at Aldwych, as the GNPB were expecting it to be a crowded station. Sadly it never quite lived up to the expectation!

[Coppercap]

Look on the keysone above the tunnel mouth on the platform end shot of South Kentish on the cover. I think you may notice something that slipped through the censors net!

 

Oh yes! Now that must surely have been an 'inside job', or some brave/foolhardy yoof was hanging from that cable!

[Fay Singpoint]

Part of my library of LT books is here Widened Lines

 

Add to the list;

 

London's Metropolitan Railway by Alan Jackson

 

and

 

The brief history series by Charles Lee. This was a series of booklets that covered the Northern, Bakerloo, Piccadilly, Central, District and Metropolitan Lines.

 

F

[GoingUnderground]

Metropolitan Electric Locomotives by KR Benest. There are two editions of this book, the first published in 1963 jointly by Lens of Sutton, the London Underground Railway Society (LURS) and the electric Railway Society and was 44 pages, There was a second edition, published in 1984 by the LURS. To quote teh preface "..The major difference between the two editions are teh greatly increased number of illustrationsand he continuation of treh story ro m1963 to 1984."

 

The 'COP' Stock Story by Piers Connor, published 1981 by LURS 60pp

 

The 'R' Stock Story by Piers Connor, published 1981 by LURS 72 pp

 

Farewell To the Q Stock Trains, by RW Cullen & R Evans published 1971 by The Leatherhead Press, reprinted 2007 bt London Transport Museum Friends t osupport the Q Stock restoration project. 26pp

 

Steam on the Underground by Martin Smith, published by Ian Allan in 1994 This covers steam working on LT metals, as well as the Widened Lines amnd the West London Railway.

[Bernard Lamb]

A reprint of The Subterranean Railway by Christian Wolmar has been published recently by Atlantic Books.

Bernard

[Dava]

I was in the LT Museum bookshop yesterday & bought a copy of 'London Underground Steam Memories' by J Scott- Morgan. A softback for &10 it is well illustrated with colour photos of many locos as well as the 'red panniers'. I got a copy of 'The last drop' &postcards from the LT shop at Euston back in the early '70's which commemorated the end of LT steam, think I was 14 at the time!

 

 

 

 

'

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[trisonic]

I quite like Underground/Overground by Andrew Martin for the casual reader (non-technical).

 

Best, Pete

[metmangraham]

And don't forget that LT has historically led the world in station architecture, particularly the 'art deco' style.

 

The book, 'Bright Underground Spaces' by David Lawrence (Capital Transport, 2008), is an excellent and detailed account of Holden's architectural style, so dominant in stations on the extending lines in the 1930s.

 

This book is currently on sale at £9.99 at Postscript Books (www.psbooks.co.uk), full price, £25. It's well worth it - I've just bought one and realised what a mine of information, drawings and photos this is.

[Dava]

I was looking at the new Kings Cross Underground station entrance last week, which is semicircular & seems to nod in the direction of the Holden style, using modern materials