RichardLong

Just a quick heads-up to say this book has finally been published. Available now from Pen & Sword (currently at 25% off!) and should be available shortly from all the regular suppliers. https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Upgrading-the-Isle-of-Wights-Railway-Hardback/p/51054

Ahead of the book being published later this month, here is the full wrap-round dust jacket image. It’s currently available to preorder from the publisher for £18.75. (Full RRP is £25.00). https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Upgrading-the-Isle-of-Wights-Railway-Hardback/p/51054

It’s definitely Invincible - the eBay seller has included a photo of the label on the box.

I’m very pleased to announce that this year’s volume of Crecy Publishing’s ‘Southern Way Special Issue’ series will be “Isle of Wight Railways in the 1950s”, written by me. Find out how the Isle of Wight lost more than half of its network in the decade before the Beeching cuts. Includes over 140 images, some in colour and many never published before. Due to be published this October and available to preorder from Crecy now: https://www.crecy.co.uk/southern-way-special-issue-no.-20

The next paragraph is worth reading as well: “It is also increasingly common for authors to be paid not on a percentage of the retail price but on a percentage of the ‘publisher’s receipts’ – the amount that wholesalers and retailers pay the publisher. In other words, the discount demanded by the retailer is deducted before the author gets a percentage of what remains. As the discount grows, the royalty shrinks.”

Just a heads up: If you preorder ‘Upgrading the Isle of Wight’s Railway’ from the Pen and Sword Books website this Bank Holiday weekend you can save 30% off the RRP if you use the code BHMAY24. https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Upgrading-the-Isle-of-Wights-Railway-Hardback/p/51054 Offer valid until 28/05/24.

Got mine today - W25 and W26 - lovely models and both ran well straight out of the box, even on my rubbish old Hornby track. Is it me or do these newer ones run better than the early models?

Just a quick note to say the follow-up volume has now been renamed ‘Upgrading the Isle of Wight’s Railway’. The ISBN remains the same, so you if you’ve preordered a copy under the old title you don’t need to do anything. https://linktr.ee/allchangeatryde

Update: The publishers in their wisdom have now switched the title and subtitle around, so the main title is now ‘Upgrading the Isle of Wight’s Railway’, rather than ‘All Change at Ryde’. The ISBN remains the same, so you if you’ve preordered a copy under the old title you don’t need to do anything. Available to preorder from various websites (some of which might still be displaying the old title and/or cover). https://linktr.ee/allchangeatryde

For anyone who’s interested, Hornby have now corrected the livery for their forthcoming IWCR no. 10 on their website: https://uk.Hornby.com/products/iowcr-class-a1-0-6-0t-no-10-terrier-era-2-web-exclusive-r30356

I’ve put this in a separate thread but I’ll just mention it once here as well: The follow-up volume to ‘Ryde Rail’ will be ‘All Change at Ryde’ - to be published this summer by Pen & Sword. Available to pre-order now from some sellers: https://linktr.ee/allchangeatryde

Thanks - hope you enjoy it!

Just a head’s up that I’ve got a book coming out about the Island Line upgrade. It’s called ‘All Change at Ryde’ and it’ll be published this summer by Pen & Sword. Currently available to preorder from some websites: https://linktr.ee/allchangeatryde

I’m very proud to say that my new book, ‘All Change at Ryde: Upgrading the Isle of Wight’s Railway’, will be published this summer by Pen and Sword Books. The book covers the full story of the Island Line upgrade from the final months of the 1938 Stock through to the introduction of the Vivarail Class 484s, and much more besides. What happened to the 1938 Stock after withdrawal? And how does a big train fit through a small tunnel…? Includes a foreword by Sir Peter Hendy, Chair of Network Rail. I know some of you have read my earlier book ‘Ryde Rail’. If you enjoyed that, I hope you might like this one too. It’s not out for months yet, but there’s a list of places you can already pre-order it here: https://linktr.ee/allchangeatryde

Since you’ve mentioned carriages, they’re having another go at the IWC carriages this year - this time without the IWR blue toplights:

Unfortunately the livery is wrong on the new Hornby. If it’s got “Isle of Wight Central Railway” written in full on the tank sides it should be crimson red, not black. The black livery (as depicted correctly on last year’s release) came later and only had “IWC” on the sides. I’d love it if they did one of the red ones, but not sure I want to shell out the money for an inaccurate livery that’s neither one thing or the other…

She has carried the Woolwich Arsenal livery in recent years on the IOW though. (I believe she’s going to be back in RAE green once she’s been overhauled, so maybe we’ll see a green model in future.)

I’ll be ordering the IOW examples as soon as pre-orders are up!

I have no knowledge of Mr Banks or his books but, speaking as an author, I can tell you that Crecy write their own blurbs (“puff”) and don’t ask the authors to do it, or at least that was the case four years ago. Pen & Sword, for example, do ask the author to provide the blurb but, either way, a blurb is a piece of marketing and is obviously - and quite rightly - supposed to “sell” a book in a positive light. And, yes, Crecy can be slow to update their website. It happens.

No it’s across the board - all Pen & Sword titles (excluding ebooks) are 30% off this month, even the ones that haven’t been published yet!

In case anyone’s after a bargain, this book - along with many other railway titles - is currently on offer at 30% off if bought from the Pen & Sword website: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-St-Ives-Branch-Line-A-History-Hardback/p/21452

Also worth noting that, unlike the model, the real W34 never carried a numberplate on the bunker either.

That’s a very good point you make but I think the short answer is that, yes, they were interested in the fish traffic. Fish traffic (and also vegetables at certain times of the year) was a major source of income for the branch in its early decades and, as you say, any standard gauge vehicles would have been unable to work through north of Truro. As it was, the route as far as Lelant quays was converted to mixed gauge in 1888 so the line didn’t remain exclusively broad gauge for many years.

Finally it’s arrived! ‘The St Ives Branch Line: A History’ is available to order NOW from Pen & Sword and will be available very soon from all good booksellers. https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-St-Ives-Branch-Line-A-History-Hardback/p/21452

For info, the Pen & Sword website has a sale on at the moment, with 30% off all their titles - which means you can pre-order the St Ives book for only £17.50, plus postage: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-St-Ives-Branch-Line-A-History-Hardback/p/21452