Metropolitan Steam Memories?

[EddieB]

At the Open Day at Acton last Saturday, I was browsing a book stall having already depleted my cash supply and the stall holder not accepting cards.  Deciding not to part with my last tenner on a newish book that I thought I'd find easily on the web, I'm now suffering poetic justice as I can't locate the book!

 

It was a fairly thin paperback, A4 portrait "bookazine" format, the cover in Metropolitan Railway crimson lake and priced at £10.00.  I thought the author was John Scott-Morgan, and the title was something like the title I've given this topic (and for the absence of doubt, it wasn't JSM's "Red Panniers" book).  Contents are photographs of Metropolitan steam locomotives.

 

I don't know if it's too recent to show up on the usual suspects' websites, or whether I'm confusing the search criteria.

 

Help, please!

[stewartingram]

Ian Allan bookshop at Waterloo had copies of this in today. They do mail order, but I noted the details so that you can search elsewhere.

 

London Underground Steam Memories

Author John Scott-Morgan

Published by Bowden Publishing, £10

ISBN 97809572 6851 7

 

Hope this is the one!

 

Stewart

[EddieB]

Many thanks, Stewart, that sounds very much like it.  I'm not often in that part of London these days, but might use it as excuse to visit the shop and use up some of my loyalty scheme credit - maybe even catch JSM himself on the tills!

[EddieB]

Finally made it over to Waterloo on Friday and came away with a copy of the book (among rather too many other purchases).  Ian Allan had several copies on the shelves and (when I last looked) the book still doesn't list on Amazon.

 

As of a couple of weeks ago, apparently, JSM no longer helps out at Ian Allan (possibly to pursue a career as a grocer from some of the captions!) - though occasionally still puts in turns at Motor Books.

 

As for the book itself, it's an attractive 44-page compilation of photographs of Metropolitan and District steam locomotives.  Background details are given for most subjects.  Captions are good, if sometimes a little repetitive, there's a brief introduction and a table of locomotives at the back (but no builders' works numbers).  Most of the illustrations are black and white (as to be expected), but with ten pages of glorious colour - almost all from the Colour-Rail collections.  (Sadly the reproduction of many Colour-Rail images suffers from "dust seagulls" - I'm no big fan of Photoshop, but a little judicious use wouldn't have gone amiss).

 

Anyone thinking of modelling Underground steam will find much inspiration from the book - and those not thinking of doing so may end up tempted.  (On the other hand, seeing the Romford MRC layout - as displayed at the Acton Open Day - may achieve the same ends).

 

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