 | Albums & Atlases |  |
| Albums & Atlases | |
| Mr Beck's Underground Map | Capital | |||
| Ken Garland | £12.95 | 80 pages | Hardback | 1994 |
| Fully illustrated with colour in a large format, this is a striking book which graphically illustrates the development of Harry Beck's diagrammatic map of the Underground. Whilst Beck established the familiar style, the last true map of his was usurped by an inferior imitator from April 1960. Thereafter Beck was effectively "frozen out" of the map's development and arguably not given sufficient credit for his development. Set against the trials and tribulations of the Underground's development and written by someone who enjoyed a long first hand acquiantance with Beck, this is a fascinating and even slightly sad story. | ||||
| British Railway Stations In Colour | Midland Publishing | |||
| Nick Jardine | £14.99 | 80 pages | Softback | 2002 |
| A really interesting collection of all colour views of railway stations, taken in the pre 1970s modernisation era on BR. The whole of England and Scotland are well covered and the selection is biased towards locations on secondary and branch lines, especially those which have since been demolished. The images are very well chosen, depicting many locations and scenes which one rarely sees in print, and the North of England and Scotland are particularly well covered. The S&D has its own little section and I liked the sequence of views on the Great Central taken during the ghostly post closure DMU partial service. Curiously none of the photos are credited to photographers but come from the author's collection, perhaps he took them all himself? If he did, then his memory is playing tricks on him, "Dockyard Halt west of Plymouth" is clearly Mill Lane halt in Box, Wiltshire - oops! | ||||
| British Railways In Colour No. 2 | Irwell Press | |||
| Chris Gammell | £9.99 | 64 pages | Hardback | 2001 |
| Much better quality than No. 1 in the series and very reasonably priced for an all colour hardback, there is much to commend within this collection. A complete set of Lyme Regis branch views from 1960, some wonderfully atmospheric Scottish branches and an Arctic looking Nottinghamshire scene are just a few highlights from an above average selection of well printed views. | ||||
| British Railways in Colour No. 3 | Irwell Press | |||
| Graham Onley | £9.99 | 60 pages | Hardback | 2003 |
| Extremely good value, a collection of well captioned all colour images, mainly centred around the author's home town of Northampton. A few images are a bit substandard whilst others are outstanding. I would say that the strength of this book is in conveying the atmosphere of the whole railway scene, infrastructure and "out of the spotlight" activities included, freight workings, night shots and steam trains working during very cold weather. The more I look at it, the more I like it. | ||||
| British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazeteer | Ian Allan | |||
| W. Philip Connolly | £14.99 | 84 pages | Hardback | 1958 |
| Reprinted for the umpteenth time in 2002, I still find this the one essential reference for tracking down stations and railways which I find the remains of or read about. It contains, in sections, a truly comprehensive map of all railways as they were immediately prior to the grouping in 1923. Different ownerships are shown by the attractive and clear use of different colours and the whole is easy to follow and truly comprehensive in its coverage. I can recommend this as the one historic railway which it is really worth owning. | ||||
| Colour of the North Wales Main Line | Foxline | |||
| Larry Goddard | £14.95 | 88 pages | Hardback | 2002 |
| An all diesel album, covering the rail blue era up until the present day, with a good proportion of contemporary views and llustrating the changes along the line very well. The line retains semaphore signalling and there is not a single view of a "sprinter" to be seen in this book, so it could be worse. This book is a new style from Foxline, a squarish landscape format with all photographs printed in full colour on thicker than usual art paper. | ||||
| D.J. Norton's pictorial survey of Railways in the West Midlands Part One | Wild Swan | |||
| R.J. Esssery | £19.95 | 144 pages | Softback | 2008 |
| The first of three volumes, published simultaneously, which record the railway scene in the West Midlands as seen through the camera of Dennis John Norton. Possessing an official lineside pass, his rather liberal interpretation of "lineside" resulted in an outstanding and unusual record of the subjects he chose to photograph. This apart, he was one of the relatively few railway photographers who recorded infrastructure as well as the trains, often at times of significant change or unusual activity. This first volume covers the LMS western division lines, starting with Coventry and New Street and going through to Dudley and Lichfield. | ||||
| D.J. Norton's pictorial survey of Railways in the West Midlands Part Three | Wild Swan | |||
| R.J. Essery | £17.95 | 112 pages | Softback | 2008 |
| The final volume of three, which record the railway scene in the West Midlands as seen through the camera of the late Dennis John Norton. Possessing an official lineside pass, his rather liberal interpretation of "lineside" resulted in an outstanding and unusual record of the subjects he chose to photograph. This apart, he was one of the relatively few railway photographers who recorded infrastructure as well as the trains, often at times of significant change or unusual activity. The time period covered is up until 1965 when he sadly died prematurely from an asthma attack. This final volume covers the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway and the later lines connected to it. | ||||
| D.J. Norton's pictorial survey of Railways in the West Midlands Part Two | Wild Swan | |||
| R.J. Essery | £17.95 | 112 pages | Softback | 2008 |
| The second of three volumes, published simultaneously, which record the railway scene in the West Midlands as seen through the camera of Dennis John Norton. Possessing an official lineside pass, his rather liberal interpretation of "lineside" resulted in an outstanding and unusual record of the subjects he chose to photograph. This apart, he was one of the relatively few railway photographers who recorded infrastructure as well as the trains, often at times of significant change or unusual activity. This second volume covers the former Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway lines and later lines connecting to it. | ||||
| Diesel Hydraulics in the West Country | Ian Allan | |||
| D. Huntriss & Peter Gray | £14.99 | 80 pages | Hardback | 2000 |
| An all colour album of well printed photographs taken over the whole period that these short-lived machines operated. The photographs are universally good and bring back many happy trainspotting memories. The "Warships" are well represented with a number of shots showing them in the maroon livery with all yellow ends - wonderful. The photographs record a lot of other railway history which is incidental to the subject, one example being a fascinating vista of Southern and GWR routes at St Budeaux before truncation and rationalisation. | ||||
| Dorset Steam | Capital | |||
| Michael Welch | £8.95 | 72 pages | Softback | 2004 |
| The printing quality and colour rendition in this book is absolutely first class and the choice of images truly inspiring. There are too many highlights to individually list but include rare views of Bridport and Toller in Southern Region green, Verwood goods yard and a breathtaking composition showing and S&D train crossing Poole level crossing. I hope that Michael is able to take this series into other counties, this is a staggeringly good book and excellent value. | ||||
| The Early Years of London Diesels | Capital | |||
| Michael Welch | £9.95 | 80 pages | Softback | 2002 |
| The author turns his attention to more modern forms of motive power in this volume, which charts the introduction of an extraordinarily diverse collection of types to British Railways. All the images were captured in and around the capital, and range from the earliest days of diesels up until the mid 70s and rail blue. A favourite image is a rather careworn blue "Magpie" captured at Kensington, and a surprise was the incredibly dirty condition of many diesels early on in their careers, just look at that "Hymek" on page 7! | ||||
| Gloucestershire Steam Finale | Runpast | |||
| Stephen Mourton | £10.99 | 72 pages | Softback | 2000 |
| An all colour album as per the title, in a square format and size reminiscent of the Atlantic colour books, but with the pictures produced to a good size, many taking a full page. The quality of colour is not half bad, and there are some excellent images, most of which are unfamiliar to my eyes. I particularly liked the views of Cheltenham Malvern Road, but the whole thing is very good indeed. | ||||
| The Great Northern Railway (Ireland) in colour | Colourpoint | |||
| Norman Johnston | £20.00 | 112 pages | Hardback | 2005 |
| A large format all colour album of pleasing photographs, depicting trains and locomotives across the company's system. Organised on a route basis and including station diagrams for each location, a very varied scene is revealed, steam engines in sky blue and black and railcars of bewildering variety in Oxford blue and cream - wonderful. | ||||
| On Great Western Lines | Ian Allan | |||
| Roy Hobbs | £14.99 | 80 pages | Hardback | 2000 |
| A really good and well printed collection of all-colour images of Great Western lines and trains. I don't think that I have seen any of these images in print before, and the locations and subjects are particularly well chosen, examples being Radstock West station, a brilliant shot of Weymouth and a running in turn pausing at Challow - a really good collection of photographs. Out of print, one copy left (Jan 2008). | ||||
| Great Western Pictorial No 3 The Tony Sterndale Collection | Wild Swan | |||
| Sue Sterndale | £22.95 | 102 pages | Hardback | 2006 |
| Tony Sterndale worked in the drawing office of Swindon Works in the late 1940s and photographed locomotives old and new, both in the works and on the nearby main lines. The result is a unique insiders view of much of the locomotive changes taking place at the time together with the wider activities undertaken at Swindon Works. The images are all of high quality and well printed, generally "loco-centric" but depicting their subjects, many of which are delightfully humble and obscure, in wonderful detail. | ||||
| Hampshire Steam | Capital | |||
| Michael Welch | £8.95 | 80 pages | Softback | 2000 |
| An all colour album of pleasing photographs, the views include more railway infrastructure than one would expect in a book of this sort, and are the more interesting for it. The quality of reproduction is excellent, and the coverage of routes very impressive, including relative rarities such as the Ringwood to Brockenhurst route. | ||||
| Kent Steam | Capital | |||
| Michael Welch | £8.95 | 80 pages | Softback | 2002 |
| Another memorable and well reproduced collection of colour images chosen by Michael Welch, this time recalling steam trains in the Garden of England. Parts of this "garden" were far from green, as exemplified by my favourite picture in the book, two grimy Wainright locomotives caught in the sunlight outside Gillingham shed in 1959. My uncle Norman, to whom I owe my interest in railways, was a fireman here and tells a great story, including the one about the locomotive from the Battle of Hastings. I'll give you a clue - it was an "O1" class. | ||||
| LMS Lineside Part 2 | Wild Swan | |||
| V.R. Anderson & H.N. Twells | £17.95 | 102 pages | Softback | 2009 |
| This volume covers railway signage, timetables, poster boards platform numbering, seats and trolleys. Numerous photographs from across the whole LMS system and dimensioned drawings of each sort of fitting will enable modelers to detail their miniature worlds in appropriate style, whilst others will be entertained by a slightly "sideways" look at the old LMS. Fittings covered are not just the LMS designs but also those of the constituent companies, even down to a few bits on the S&D. | ||||
| London Steam | Capital | |||
| Michael Welch | £8.95 | 80 pages | Softback | 1999 |
| Steam in the Capital in the 50s and 60s, views include a steam departure from Broad Street, St Pancras on a snowy night and cover every major route out of London. I hate to admit it, but the modern railway looks to be much cleaner than that depicted in these vintage scenes. | ||||
| Midland Railway System Maps (The Distance Diagrams) | Peter Kay | |||
| Midland Railway | £7.95 | 78 pages | Softback | 2000 |
| Detailed mapping of the Midland Railway's system, showing distances, stations and basic facilities, ie loops, engine sheds, stations, sidings, junctions. This volume covers Birmingham to Bristol, South Wales and the S&D, and also shows the same detail of the GWR at interchange points, all important locations are shown in enlarged insets. | ||||
| On Scottish Lines | Ian Allan | |||
| Derek Penney | £14.99 | 80 pages | Hardback | 1999 |
| A pleasing album of colour photographs, all of them are technically well reproduced and the subjects chosen are also very appealing. From special trains on freight only lines through the final swan song of the A4s to shunting at Killin, and my favourite shot of all, the sylvan setting of Loch Tay shed. Out of print, two copies only left (Jan 2008). | ||||
| Somerset Steam | Capital | |||
| Michael Welch | £8.95 | 84 pages | Softback | 2008 |
| Michael Welch, railway picture editor par excellence, has widened his circle of contacts well enough to produce another top quality selection of all colour images. It must be very dificult at this remove, especially given the relative scarcity of colour material, to produce unhackneyed collections, but Michael Welch has done it again. Despite some recourse to the well known "Colour Rail" collection of images we are presented with many views that are refreshingly different, including more than a few absolute gems - my favourite perhaps being an unusual view of shunting freight at Radstock West in 1962. | ||||
| The Spread of London's Underground | Capital | |||
| Tim Demuth | £9.95 | 32 pages | Hardback | 2004 |
| Visually striking and endlessly fascinating, a large format all-colour book that shows how the Underground system has developed from 1863 up until the present. A combination of detailed chronology, station opening and closing dates, photographs and 16 full colour maps drawn in the style of today's diagrammatic system map - hard to put down. | ||||
| Surrey Steam | Capital | |||
| Michael Welch | £8.95 | 80 pages | Softback | 2001 |
| Another excellent colour album from this publisher with the quality of photographs being well above average for the period - the cover shot of Betchworth is simply beautiful. One might be forgiven for thinking Surrey dull from a steam point of view, given electrification, but the variety of locomotives and trains depicted is very broad. A poignant shot is "Bude" at Woking in August of 1966 still showing signs of the "bulling up" it received for its last rites duty on the S&D in March. Merstham before the M25 is a revelation and there is a gem of a shot of "Baxter" at the Dorking Lime Company's works. This is a really good book. | ||||
| Sussex Steam | Capital | |||
| Michael Welch | £8.95 | 80 pages | Softback | 1998 |
| An all colour album of scenes from the 50s and 60s, using good quality images most of which are being published for the first time in this book. There are some unusual views, including an atmospheric shot of the Kemp Town goods above Brighton and some really lovely pictures of Barcombe Mills in the snow. The variety of motive power depicted is very wide, including many pre-grouping types, and overall the book is good value for money. | ||||
| Telling the Passenger Where to Get Off | Capital | |||
| Andrew Dow | £14.95 | 88 pages | Hardback | 2005 |
| A thought provoking and insightful account of George Dow's involvement and pioneering role in the evolution of the railway diagrammatic map, accurately referenced and well written. The maps lack the vivid colour of Beck's Underground design, but are striking and attractive nonetheless. The book is beautifully produced and visually very pleasing from beginning to end, containing many full colour illustrations and maps. | ||||
| Welsh Railways A Photographer's View | Gomer | |||
| Denis Dunstone | £17.50 | 154 pages | Softback | 2002 |
| I am aware that I use more superlatives than are strictly required, often being overcome with enthusiasm, but this book really does deserves a few. To quote from the introduction; "This wonderfully evocative album presents a selection of Alan Jarvis's best photographs, nearly all taken in Wales". Take it from me, this is an understatement. I found the pictures presented totally captivating, they are technically superb, well composed and beautifully well printed images of the steam age in a variety of industrial and rural settings. Main lines, the Valleys and Rural Wales each have their own chapters and there are also short sections on industrial railways and "decline" which add even more interest. Overall, one is left in absolutely no doubt that the images are the result of a photographic genius at work. If I had one very small criticism, it is that this publisher's format (245mm X 170mm) means that some of the images are quite small, but please don't let that put you off. This is a visually stunning book. | ||||