Railroads category: 1183 books

During the mid-1980s, in a drive for greater efficiency, British Rail required another heavy freight locomotive, some of the earlier Type 5 freight locomotives being outdated and no longer regarded as suitable for heavy freight duties. The new Class 60 locomotive was to be constructed using lessons...

The first of the English Electric Type 1 design, what we now know as the Class 20s, appeared in June 1957. With their distinctive 'chopper' engine sound, these single-cabbed locomotives soon gained a reputation for rugged reliability brought about by their simplicity and use of tried and tested components....

This commemorative history of the railways of the beautiful Oxfordshire district 'Vale of the White Horse', running twenty-seven miles from Steventon to Wootton Bassett, covers the route from the opening in 1840 until 1965, when British Rail withdrew all the local passenger services between Didcot...

The military was quick to see the advantages of railways in warfare, whether for the rapid deployment of men or the movement of heavy equipment like artillery. From here it was a short step to making the train a potent weapon in its own right a mobile fort or a battleship on rails. Armed and armored,...

The old Bridgewater Trustees mineral railways were to become the Central Railways of the huge Manchester Collieries concern, which was formed in March 1929. The landscape with its changing, suddenly abrupt and often fierce gradients was to be a cruel one for these colliery locomotives which were worked...

The Isle of Man has a rich transport heritage and once boasted the largest narrow gauge network in Britain with eight railways and tramways. Founded in 1870 and opened in 1874, the Isle of Man Railway still connects Douglas with the ancient capital of Castletown and Port Erin. This part of the line...

The industrial railways of the Midlands is a neglected topic deserving of greater attention. Following on from Industrial Locomotives & Railways of Eastern England, Gordon uses both his excellent collection of photographs and some from other sources to explore these fascinating railways and their...

Arguably one of the most dramatic railway lines in northern England, the Settle - Carlisle runs through remote, scenic regions of the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines. Starting from the town of Settle, it crosses the Ribblehead viaduct on its way to the Scottish border. Threatened with closure...

The drama of the landscapes of Yorkshire and Humberside combined with some of the most powerful diesel and electric locomotives to be found anywhere in Britain. The photographs in this book cover every aspect of diesel and electric traction in the Yorkshire and Humberside area, hauling both passenger...

The drama of the Cumbrian countryside combined with some of the most powerful diesel and electric locomotives to be found anywhere in Britain. Gordon Edgar's photographs cover every aspect of diesel and electric traction in Cumbria, hauling both passenger and goods trains. The types, classes of locomotive...

The drama of the Cumbrian countryside combined with some of the most magnificent steam locomotives to be found anywhere in Britain. This follow-up to Gordon Edgar’s Cumbrian Traction is a collection of the author’s own work and that of other eminent railway photographers. The types, classes of...

Continuing his series looking at the industrial locomotives and railways of England, Wales and Scotland, Gordon Edgar looks at Greater London and the counties of Middlesex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Hertfordshire, a region that rapidly expanded during the twentieth...

The Austerity saddle tank, a 1942 design born out of necessity during wartime Britain and intended for just two years of rigorous service as a general purpose shunting locomotive, far exceeded the original expectations of the Hunslet Engine Company design. In fact construction was to continue until...

In this second volume in a regional series exploring industrial locomotives and railways in England, Wales and Scotland, we move on to Southern England and the West Country. This region, stretching from Kent to Cornwall, was blessed with many varied and intriguing industrial railway systems, which...