New industrial loco and industrial railway books

[Dava]

I came across this book today in the Ian Allan shop in Brum - not seen it before:

 

Working and Preserved Industrial Locomotives, From the Bill Reed Collection
edited by Peter Tuffrey (2012)

 

225 photos, lots in colour, of industrial locos (mainly steam, some diesel) in both native environments and early preservation days. There are lots of locos  which have not been featured too much before, esp from the coal industry in Notts & Derbyshire. Worth £16-99

 

http://www.fonthillmedia.com/shop/article_978-1-78155-057-1/Working-and-Preserved-Industrial-Locomotives%3Cbr%3EFrom-the-Bill-Reed-Collection%3Cbr%3E%3CI%3EPeter-Tuffrey%3C_I%3E.html?sessid=KM01rsNn7H4hypA5ihEh2TmzmuBovPwZa7gxgY32rHzCeYLMbIpiKYE8YhCEKBGr&shop_param=cid%3D1%26aid%3D978-1-78155-057-1%26

 

Edited June 9, 2013 by Ruston

[Sir Hadyn]

I second this, I've not bought many books this year, but the pile of them in the NRM shop after a quick browse meant this was an impulse purchase I have not regretted.

[Gordon A]

I purchased mine at Scalefour North. I am still working my way through. There appear to be a few gaps in the coverage but well worth the money.

 

Gordon A

Bristol

[Daniel W]

I received a copy of this for Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it. There is also a number of Narrow Gauge Locos  featured in the book, although all of these are in a preserved setting. Of particular interest to me is the Thomas Hill 4wDH on page 81, I've never seen a Thomas Hill loco of that size before.

[Ruston]

With the OP's permission I have edited the title of this topic to make it more general so we can post about any new or newly discovered industrial railway books without the need to start a new thread and to keep them all in one place for ease of reference.

 

 

I've just finished reading something completely different. Rope and Chain Haulage - the forgotten element of railway history by Colin E Mountford, published by the IRS.

 

I don't know of any other book on the subject but if there is I doubt it's as good as this. It covers self-acting inclines, powered inclines, standard and narrow gauge. There are sections on stationary engines, preservation and haulage in the 20th and 21st centuries as well as a number of lines being covered in detail, including some that were built for passenger use and a few that were outside the UK.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Ruston

[Sir Hadyn]

Agreed on that one Dave, I had a hand in helping with some of that book and it was far better and more comprehensive than I expected - so much so that two colleagues have asked me to get copies for them too.

[Dava]

No connection with Ruston's book, but I saw from 'Railway Bylines' that Irwell are about to publish a book by Ian Peaty on Scots whisky distillery railways ,'Iron Rails & Whisky Trails', this has been a long time coming as Ian talked to Julia Bradbury about it on her Speyside railway walk a few years ago. Its a 'must buy' as a future layout project for me is a short line to a distillery, like the Balmenach line at Cromdale.

 

Ian did a book on 'Brewery railways' back in the '80's which has been really useful. There is a siding on my 'Coney Hill' layout which serves a brewery. It needs a 'Coney Ales' sign & more barrels! I like industries where you can sample the end product.

[Ruston]

Another new book that I have recently purchased is Industrial Railway Locomotive Sheds by Adrian Booth and published by the IRS. It is a picture book with captions and covers both standard and narrow gauge from the period 1968 to the mid 1990s. The majority of the photos are of standard gauge sheds and steam and diesel are covered to more or less the same degree.

 

It's a great book to have if you need inspiration for your industrial layout and to get ideas for the clutter/junk that every industrial shed seemed to have around it.

[Dava]

Today I collected my long-awaited copy of 'Iron Rails & Whisky Trails' (Ian Peaty, Irwell Press, £20)

 

It does not disappoint and will become the standard work on the subject of Scottish distillery railways. There is lots on the background of the industry, detailed maps, excellent pictures and even the author's colour paintings of the subject (forgive a few dodgy perspectives, they are pretty).

 

Fans of wee Rustons ( the Longmorn 48DS has 4 photos), Barclay 'Pugs', Cameron Bridge and much else will enjoy it. Its a great field guide to the remaining traces of these lines. The only mistake I noticed so far is that the Balmenach (Cromdale) Barclay on the cover is not at Aberfeldy (that is 'Dailuaine' as he says elsewhere) but is on the Strathspey Railway in Boat of Garten yard when I last saw it, I'll look out those photos. I have plans for a future layout based on the Balmenach branch and it would have been nice to see the track plan - there is one in Industrial Railway Record 85 from 1980 in the article which seeded my interest in these lines.

 

I'll be reviewing it in depth with the aid of a bottle of Glenmorangie (ach, a lassie's drink?) over the next few nights!

 

Dava

[Ian Kirk]

Hi Dava,

You probably know already but the track plans for Balmenach and Cromdale are on the 25inch to the mile maps (sheets 033.06 and 033.02 ) which you can view online at the National Library of Scotland website. There was a drawing for the 48RH in the Railway modeller (don't know which issue I cut out the drawing!)and the late Ian Addison produced a 4mm scale drawing of the 88RH many years ago. I sold some for him and I think that I still have a few copies. He measured up "North British" the 88 that was at Lochty and had come from the North British Distillery. I am glad to see that it is at the KOFRPS at Kirkland and has recently had a repaint and is in working order. My now grown up children have fond memories of its time at Lochty where at one time I helped out. They say that they got to drive it but I think in reality that meant blow the horn and hold the throttle.

 

best wishes,

 

Ian

 

Currently working through the Edradour that I bought when one of my walks took me past the distillery.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Ian Kirk

[Adam]

I came across this book today in the Ian Allan shop in Brum - not seen it before:

 

Working and Preserved Industrial Locomotives, From the Bill Reed Collection

edited by Peter Tuffrey (2012)

 

225 photos, lots in colour, of industrial locos (mainly steam, some diesel) in both native environments and early preservation days. There are lots of locos  which have not been featured too much before, esp from the coal industry in Notts & Derbyshire. Worth £16-99

 

http://www.fonthillmedia.com/shop/article_978-1-78155-057-1/Working-and-Preserved-Industrial-Locomotives%3Cbr%3EFrom-the-Bill-Reed-Collection%3Cbr%3E%3CI%3EPeter-Tuffrey%3C_I%3E.html?sessid=KM01rsNn7H4hypA5ihEh2TmzmuBovPwZa7gxgY32rHzCeYLMbIpiKYE8YhCEKBGr&shop_param=cid%3D1%26aid%3D978-1-78155-057-1%26

 

I finally got to see a copy of this at RailWells over the weekend and, while some of the pictures are interesting - and seemingly of a good quality - they are all reproduced far too small a size to either do them justice or to be of much use as an aid to modelling. This is a pity because the photographs were taken in a sufficiently large format - with 'proper' size neg's - and the in service pictures - not all of the usual suspects (Bowaters, Mountain Ash, etc.) are sufficiently interesting in their own right not to be 'diluted' with preservation images. In other words they are perfect for reproduction in the usual Irwell/Janes/Ian Allan style hardback colour album format and in that format the book would have been worth the asking price. Relative to the Capital Transport volumes which have c. 100 pages, with full colour reproduced at a decent size at only a couple of quid more, my view is that this book is a missed opportunity; the pictures deserved better.

 

Adam

[Dava]

Does the Derwent Valley Light Railway count as industrial?

 

I'm not sure - it did use industrial as well as main line stock and was the quintessential rural, freight-only light railway for most of its working life. Today the long-awaited 'Rails along the Derwent Valley' (Holne publishing) arrived and it does not disappoint - lots of colour pictures, archive photos, hand-coloured building elevations, track plans and a detailed history. Just what you need to model the DVLR (or a line inspired by it, like Coney Hill) and I wish I'd had it two years ago! Recommended. I'll do a proper review for the Gauge 0 gazette when I've read it fully.

 

http://www.holnepublishing.co.uk/page12.html

 

Dava

[Adam]

I don't see why not Dava; the industry was agriculture for the most part albeit with elements of the common carrier. All counts in my view (though others may disagree, of course).

 

Adam

[RThompson]

I thought I would add the "London docks railways" parts one and two, very good books by Dave Marden, published by kestrel railway books.

 

Sadly I was born during the redevelopment of the London Docklands so never got to see this interesting system as it was.

 

Also of interest is his books on southampton dock railways, plenty of industrial systems in and around southampton as well as the Southern railways systems.

[Dava]

New album of Peckett official photos from IRS by Andrew Smith, recommended with photos of the Works & many interesting locos.

 

Dava

[Sir Hadyn]

British Austerity Saddle Tank Locomotives

 

http://www.amberleybooks.com/shop/article_9781445633428/British-Austerity-Saddle-Tanks%3C_BR%3EThe-Amberley-Railway-Archive-2%3C_BR%3E%3CI%3EGordon-Edgar%3C_I%3E.html?shop_param=cid%3D14%26aid%3D9781445633428%26

 

Well worth a punt, saw one in Durham Waterstones this morning, fabulous photos of the things at work across the country, in military and industrial service.

[Dava]

I bought Dave Marden's book on 'Beckton's railways and locomotives' today, was looking forward to reading about the distinctive gas works fleet of locos and the railway.

 

It does the job by listing and including a photo of almost every loco. But I was disappointed as the history of the massive gas works site and rail system is covered quite briefly, more detail on how the works operated and traffic flows could have been given. Its really a loco index, but there are no drawings of any of the distinctive (many cabless) locos nor coverage of the 3 (I think - hard to tell from the book) preserved locos, one of which may be up for sale - Neilson 4444. Also very little detail on the works and roundhouse beyond a photo of each.

 

So good, but not the definitive history. I think we expect better these days.

 

Dava

[Osgood]

I bought Dave Marden's book on 'Beckton's railways and locomotives' today, …………. But I was disappointed as the history of the massive gas works site and rail system is covered quite briefly, more detail on how the works operated and traffic flows could have been given. Its really a loco index, ………..So good, but not the definitive history. I think we expect better these days.

 

Dava

 

In contrast DM's two (so far) recent books on London's Dock Railways have been excellent comprehensive studies of the docks and rail systems- along the lines of what you were expecting here, and these I would highly recommend.  So I think I might have been as disappointed as you in the case of Becton.

 

I have recently taken a chance and bought quite a few new and s/h books 'unseen' - something at one time I would never do, so reviews like yours are always helpful to get an idea of what to expect.  For some no doubt it will be a good read.

 

Tony

Edited November 15, 2015 by Osgood

[Dava]

Bought Hugh Llewelyn's Diesel Shunters (Amberley) on Amazon marketplace for $8.70 inc post, frankly I wouldnt pay more and the latest Modern Locos Illustrated (03 & others) is much better value.

 

It looks like the guy went for a walk round Long Marston scrap sidings and thought "I can make a book out of this!"

 

Lots of mistakes and duplicate views of the same preserved locos. Fine if you like scrapyard condition Gronks. He never heard of FC Hibberd Planet locos as they are omitted. Generally best avoided.

 

Dava

[Osgood]

Just received this from an advance order direct with the publisher:

 

 

https://www.amberley-books.com/industrial-locomotives-railways-of-cumbria.html

 

I've long admired Gordon Edgar's photographs of industrial railways on his flickr pages, but this book is not merely a collection of images.

Each industry section has a useful introduction, and each highly informative caption builds to provide a bit more of that industry's history.

The first in a geographic series of GE's work.

 

If I had to be really picky?

Well - some of the images are small and leave you wanting to see more detail (which is in the photo - probably ok for you youngsters!), and some are in a washed-out grey style - I much prefer to see real-life colours.

The quality of the images certainly warrants a larger format publication, although this would probably push the price too high for viable publishing.

 

All in all a most delightful book, and I look forward to the next in the series!

Edited March 16, 2016 by Osgood

[Gordon A]

New album of Peckett official photos from IRS by Andrew Smith, recommended with photos of the Works & many interesting locos.

 

Dava

 

Dava,

 

What's the title of the book?

 

Gordon A

[Osgood]

The next of Gordon Edgar's series is available, with a third due in April 2017.

Again an informative, very well written and illustrated account.

 

https://www.amberley-books.com/industrial-locomotives-railways-of-the-south-and-west-england.html

 

 

Also just received  a very interesting illustrated review of the Corby iron and steelmaking works of Stewarts and Lloyds - a collection of photos taken within the works mainly from late 50s to closure in 1980 with very informative captions.

Highly recommended despite the rather poor reproduction of b&w images - just a little effort to improve contrast of these images would make it so much easier to retrieve the fascinating amount of information contained in each!

 

 

 

[Marshall5]

Dava,

 

What's the title of the book?

 

Gordon A

Peckett & Sons Ltd. An album of official photographs. Available from the IRS - a detailed description here; http://irsshop.co.uk/Peckett

Ray.

[Gordon A]

Peckett & Sons Ltd. An album of official photographs. Available from the IRS - a detailed description here; http://irsshop.co.uk/Peckett

Ray.

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

Gordon A

[Ruston]

It's been a long time since anyone added to this. Are there no new industrial railway books?

 

I have bought some more books but they are all older and out of print. One particularly good one is The Dalmellington Iron Company, It's Engines And Men, by David L Smith (David & Charles 1967). The great thing about this book is how it is more than facts, figures and dates. It is written by someone who saw a lot of what is written first hand, or was told things directly as he had a grandfather and uncle who worked there and who obviously knew the men and the engines themselves. There are some interesting tales, including one of a train being propelled up a gradient and the coupling on the first wagon breaking over the summit and how it away from the engine so the crew and loco had to chase it and couple up again. All the time with the guard, who was sitting atop the furthest wagon never even knowing that the train was out of control!