 | Branch Lines Books Published |  |
| Branch Lines Books Published | |
| The Alston Branch | Oakwood | |||
| Stanley C. Jenkins | £8.95 | 120 pages | Softback | 2001 |
| A neat illustrated history of the branch line to the highest market town in England, opened in 1852 and closing as late as 1976. The photographs are nearly all of the steam era and include a number of good views of the industrial activity along the route, my favourite is a full page shot of Lambley Junction complete with its slotted post signals. Recent narrow gauge activity at Alston is also covered and all in all this is an interesting and attractive book. | ||||
| Branch Line to Lambourn | Middleton Press | |||
| Mitchell & Smith with Kevin Robertson | £14.95 | 96 pages | Hardback | 2001 |
| A better than usual offering from the Middleton stable, the photographs are of good quality and printed to a larger format than is normal for this publisher. This was an interesting line, built as a light railway by an independent company it was taken over by the GWR in 1905 and after closure in 1960, part was kept open to serve a USAF depot, the track being finally recovered as late as 1977. The photographs cover all eras including the light railway and are interesting and "fresh" looking, many are previously unpublished I think. | ||||
| Branch Lines Around Tiverton | Middleton Press | |||
| Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith | £14.95 | 96 pages | Hardback | 2001 |
| A comprehensive photographic and cartographic review of the Exe Valley line and the Hemyock branch in this publishers usual style. GWR 14XX's and autocoaches abound, but the small diesels latterly used on the Hemyock branch up to its closure in 1975 are also illustrated. | ||||
| Brecon to Newport | Middleton Press | |||
| Mitchell and Smith with Dave Edge | £14.95 | 96 pages | Hardback | 2003 |
| A better than average book from this industrious publisher, the photographs are better selected than usual and are generally well printed with good definition and contrast. The subject is the fascinating route which started from the sadly destroyed Brecon Station travelling across and over the Brecon Beacons before droppng down into the Valleys and Newport from the complex of lines at Dowlais. Although the present day Brecon Mountain Railway uses part of the route and is briefly featured, the photographs are predominantly historic and the book is the better for it. | ||||
| The Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway | Oakwood | |||
| Robert Western | £12.95 | 200 pages | Softback | 2001 |
| Packed with information plans and photographs, this dense book tells the story of the scenic Lake District railway route from inception and development through to its closure in two stages, the Keswick to Penrith link finally succumbing in 1972. Cauliflowers, the "Lakes Express" and Derby Lightweight DMUs at Bassenthwaite Lake are all illustrated, and the quality of photographic reproduction is excellent - I particularly like the two tone blue colour of the cover, most striking. | ||||
| The Didcot Newbury and Southampton Railway | Wild Swan | |||
| Karau, Parsons and Robertson | £25.95 | 220 pages | Hardback | 2000 |
| A very welcome reprint of a quite magnificent book, beautifully put together and profusely illustrated, including track and signalling diagrams and scale drawings of structures. Promoted by a fiercely independent company, the line crossed the great chalk slopes of the Berkshire and Hampshire downs and was particularly expensive to build, being laid out with shallow curves and easy gradients for high speed running. For various reasons, all covered in this book, the scheme didn't work out as intended and the line had a chequered existence up until its inevitable closure. The promoters' hopes were realised in two World Wars however, the preparations for D Day resulted in the conversion of much of the route to double track and a whole programme of other capacity improvements, all of which are detailed in this superb book. | ||||
| The Ely Valley Railway Llantrisant - Penygraig | Oakwood | |||
| Colin Chapman | £9.95 | 142 pages | Softback | 2000 |
| A Welsh valley line, complete with coal mines, engine sheds, complicated junctions and an even more complicated history. Oakwood at its best, although lacking scale drawings and signalling diagrams in this instance. Two pictures stand out to me, a lovely full page portait of driver and fireman in front of their engine in 1950, and the short goods train from the explosives factory on page 136. | ||||
| The Fawley Branch | Oakwood | |||
| J.R. Fairman | £9.95 | 128 pages | Softback | 2002 |
| An interesting and well produced book, packed full of detail and featuring excellent photography. The subject was a very late addition to the British railway network, and unlike most such railways is still in existence today, carrying oil to and from the refinery at Fawley and military traffic to Marchwood. Marchwood still boasts a semaphore signalled installation, and whilst the line's future is not certain there remain some interesting possibilities for further development, all detailed in this informative book. | ||||
| The Golden Valley Railway | Wild Swan | |||
| W.H. Smith | £15.95 | 136 pages | Softback | 2002 |
| A most welcome reprint of one of Wild Swan's best ever books, first published in 1993 and out of print shortly thereafter. The subject was highly photogenic and consequently quite well covered by photographers of the day, but what sets this book apart are the photographs taken by the late Charlie Smith. Charlie was a driver on the line who sometimes took his camera to work, and the details and character that he captured with it are truly remarkable. The author and his collaborators have done a superb job of presenting the material and also include the whole story of the line's promotion, construction and demise, building upon and paying due tribute to Mowat's earlier history. This is an inspiringly beautiful book and a model of just how very good a branch line history can be. | ||||
| The Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead Railway The Nickey Line | Oakwood | |||
| Sue and Geoff Woodward | £11.95 | 160 pages | Softback | 2002 |
| The story of a branch that ran east off the Midland main line to Harpenden and beyond to Boxmoor next to the LNWR main line. This last section was left unused for years after being built until a new gasworks enticed the Midland into layng tracks, eventually extending passenger service from Hemel Hempstead to the prosaically named "Heath Park Halt". After closure a connection was established from the LNWR end to provide access to the gasworks, whilst back at the other end of the line, the enterprising "Hemelite" company had taken over a short section to receive ash for building blocks, a traffic which BR finally refused by cutting its connection with their soon to be electrified and resignalled Midland main line. As if that weren't enough interest, Karrier motors trialled their ro-railers on the line in 1931. All of these fascinating but minor details of railway history are recorded and illustrated in this well produced and illustrated book. | ||||
| The Hawkhurst Branch | Wild Swan | |||
| Brian Hart | £26.95 | 252 pages | Hardback | 2000 |
| An immaculately well written and beautifully presented book on an exceptionally pretty branch line which ran for thirteen miles or so across the Weald from Paddock Wood on the Kent Coast main line. The whole story is recorded in exquisite and minute detail, from surveying and construction through the inaugural train to the "last rites", and there is even a chapter devoted to the hop - pickers and their special trains. Full scale drawings and plans of all buildings are included, as are track and signalling diagrams and the wonderful photographs cover every conceivable detail of the railway line - this is as good as it gets. | ||||
| The Liskeard and Looe Branch | Wild Swan | |||
| Gerry Beale | £25.95 | 220 pages | Hardback | 2000 |
| A completely new book, a comprehensive and fully illustrated history of this delightful branch line, mainly as developed and operated under the auspices of the Great Western and British Railways. Being a picturesque line in a popular holiday area, the branch has attracted the attentions of various photographers over the years and this book is consequently very well illustrated. The earlier years and mineral workings north of Moorswater are also touched upon and illustrated, and the book is up to the high standards that we have come to expect from this publisher. | ||||
| From Salisbury to Exeter, the Branch Lines | OPC | |||
| Derek Phillips | £35.00 | 240 pages | Hardback | 2000 |
| A generously proportioned hardback, illustrating and describing all the Southern branch lines along the route of the "Atlantic Coast Express" between Salisbury and Exeter. Not an exhaustive history, but a large collection of well printed photographs, many of which I have not seen before. Out of print, one copy left (Jan 2008). | ||||
| The Yate to Thornbury Branch | Oakwood | |||
| Colin G. Maggs | £10.95 | 144 pages | Softback | 2002 |
| An interesting book detailing the rise, fall and partial rennaisance of a branch line in South Gloucestershire, the photographic content of which is enhanced by an excellent series of photographs taken by W.F. Grainger of a freight working along the line in steam days. The 1972 freight line to Tytherington Quarry is also well illustrated, including the opening day, the happiness of which was tempered for me by the knowledge that the newly laid track had just been lifted from the Midland Line from Westerleigh to Bath. This book also illustrates the subsequent re-opening of Yate station to passenger traffic. | ||||