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Which is you favourite Railway Book.


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My favourites are:

 

Ruston & Hornsby Locomotives, by Eric Tonks (Industrial Railway Society, 1974)

 

A Pictorial Survey of Standard Gauge Industrial Diesels Around Britain, by Adrian Booth (D. Bradford Barton, 1977?)

 

The British Internal Combustion Locomotive, by Brian Webb (David & Charles, 1973)

 

Modern Traction for Industrial and Agricultural Railways (The Locomotive Publishing Co. circa 1933)

 

A History of Railway Locomotives down to the end of the year 1831, by C.F. Dendy Marshall (The Locomotive Publishing Co. 1953)

 

Slightly off-topic, my oldest railway book is 'A Practical Treatise on Rail Roads' by Nicholas Wood, who was the colliery viewer (manager) of Killingworth colliery, an associate of George Stephenson and also one of the judges at the Rainhill trials in 1829. The book is a second edition of 1832. Does anyone here have an older railway book in their collection?

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My favourites are:

 

Ironstone Railways and Tramways of the Midlands, by Eric Tonks, and his later 9 volume set on the subject, now published by Booklaw.

 

Signalman's Morning and Signalman's Twilight Adrian Vaughan - bedtime reading!

 

Railway Adventure LTC Rolt - again bedtime reading.

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'A Pictorial Study Of Standard Gauge Industrial Diesels' by Adrian Booth is never far away from my workbench and 'The Ruston 48DS and 88DS Locomotives' by David Hall is often referred to as well. I re-read Brian Webb's excellent 'British Internal Combustion Locomotive' yesterday.

Another classic, read several times, is 'The Chronicles Of Boulton's Sidings' by Alfred Rosling Bennett, I've got the David & Charles 1971 reprint. An excellent and often quite humourous account of an early industrial locomotive builder (mainly converted from ex-mainline locos) and hirer with a lot of drawings, some of which have inspired some very interesting models.

'Platform Souls' by Nicholas Whittaker is one I keep coming back to, even my wife enjoyed it.

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Another classic, read several times, is 'The Chronicles Of Boulton's Sidings' by Alfred Rosling Bennett, I've got the David & Charles 1971 reprint. An excellent and often quite humourous account of an early industrial locomotive builder...

 

Ooh, I'd forgotten about that one. I'll have to dig it out again. :)

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The Adrian Vaughn trilogy. Take them on holiday every year and have done so for the last 20 odd.

 

Look forward to them as much as the holiday!

 

The hardest bit of all is finishing them, particulalry when he talks of the people we get to know so well and whats happend to them.

 

Very emotional as we get to know them, well I do as friends.

 

A long forgotten (not by us) era and I am just sad that I couldnt have been part of it.

 

Add to these the Gasson books (tho not in the same league) and the Then and Now books by Mac Hawkins!

 

Still ANY book on railways is a good book and you cant have enough!

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Gasson - yep, Tales of the GSW - yep.

 

Add to that:

Legends of the GSW, more of the same post-grouping.

End of the Line - Bryan Morgan travels the byways of Europe in the 50s. Awesome.

Mr Pope and friends - Forest of Dean and Severn and Wye sereis as well as Mr Paar's D&C versions of the same.

 

Kev

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gotta be OPC !!

any of 'diesels nationwide '

or 'diesels on shed - western region '

 

and I'm straight back to being 8 years old !

 

would have liked a copy of 'behind the crumbling edge' pugsley, but it sold out in about 3 seconds when it came out.

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For prototype reference book - "Southampton's Railways" by Bert Moody

For modelling reference book - "Detailing and Modifying Ready-to-Run Locomotives in 00 Gauge: British Diesel and Electric Locomotives, 1955-2008" by George Dent

For childhood reminiscence/fiction - "Percy the Green Engine" By Rev. W. Awdry

Just discovered the Ian Allan shop near Waterloo Station on Thursday. I didn't have long but could imagine spending several hours and far too much money in there!

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I'd like to put in a good word for the following:

 

Western Glory by Chris Chapman - photo album of Westerns in mid 70s Somerset

David Jenkinson's Historic Railway Modelling - which I'm sure a fair number on here will know

and The Model Railway Men by Ray Pope - which many of a certain age will remember...

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Hamilton Ellis's history of the London Brighton & South Coast. Published 50 years ago, but - hey! - only 37 years after the LBSC had become part of Southern Railway. Wherever you were brought up, I would expect the local railway history to be high on your list if it was well written and readable. In my case, a schoolmate's mum was a local historian, and she knew I liked trains & lent me her copy. Obsessive stuff, with a form of writing that led me to love the locale as well as the railway.

 

As I have said in another thread - naming tank engines is NORMAL!

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I've often thought that Peter Denny's Buckingham Great Central published by Peco (1972) would be my desert island book.

David Jenkinson's Rails in the Fells (1973) is a strong contender. I bought that thinking it would be about his models - it was all about the prototype and made this then teenager realise that railway history, politics and the landscape the trains run through can be fascinating. Several years later a friend of mine saw my book and was so impressed he went into the first bookshop he came across to order his own copy.

Cyril Freezer's series of track plan books (Peco and other publishers). I've never lost interest in those at all - still seeing something new to inspire after all these years...

Steve.

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Mine would currently be Bulleid Last Giant of Steam by Sean Day-Lewis, I've just finished reading it after about 2 years but I have restarted from the beginning this time (yesterday evening) and have almost finished the part dealing with Bulleid's time as C.M.E on the SR, after thatit covers the Pacifics independantly.

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The Birmingham to Leicester Line - Chris Banks

Bradshaw May 1961

Railways of Leicestershire & Rutland - David Webb

Leicestershire Railway Memories - John Stretton

All 5 of David Larkin's Pictorial Wagon Survey series published by D Bradford Barton in the mid 70's

Trains Illustrated/Modern Railways 1954-67 inc.

 

David

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Mainly Scottish Steam by Thomas Middlemas . Describes growing up as a train enthusiast in Central Scotland (mainly Falkirk) in the 1920s and 30s. Its the sheer enthusiasm in it which is appealing. Seeing the Royal Scot train exhibited at Edinburgh Princess Street and the Flying Scotsman at Waverley, taking a trip down to Carlisle to see exotic English engines or a trip to Perth to see Highland locos. Very easy style to read , a reflection of a more innocent time . A great read.

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Can I change mine for today ?

 

LMSR Prevention of Train Accidents (ii) Hints for Signalmen (June 1937)

 

s'fair enough - means I can move on to 'Colour Light Signalling -Including notes on signalling terms and methods of working ground frames' published by the Southern Area of the LNER in October 1938 'to help Trainmen and Signalmen'. A thoroughly excellent little publication.

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