The Titfield Thunderbolt Bookshop
Special Offers
W.H. Smith / Mike Lloyd [Publisher: Wild Swan] Softback
Two light railways set in the beautiful landscape of Shropshire. The Golden Valley, with its distinctive light railway stations, ran north from Pontrilas, and was a truly delightful line. The book is greatly enhanced by the recollections and wonderful photographs of driver Charlie Smith, who worked the line from 1924 until closure in 1953.
The impecunious Tanat Valley arose from the remnants of earlier schemes, and ran in receivership from its opening in 1904 until being taken over by the Cambrian in 1921. Although this quiet line closed in 1951, the eastern remnants were used for access to quarries up until 1988. The book is a fantastic modeller’s resource of drawings of stock and structures, including the characteristic corrugated iron goods sheds along the line.
Priced at £15.95 and £16.95 respectively, for a limited time take both books for £20.00. Further details on the content of The Golden Valley and The Tanat Valley Light Railway can be found on the Wild Swan web site.
S.C. Jenkins & R.S. Carpenter [Publisher: Wild Swan] Softback
A pair of Warwickshire Great Western branch lines south of Birmingham. The Alcester branch was a semi 'joint' line, between Midland and Great Western routes, temporarily closed during both World Wars and then for good in 1951.
Shipston on Stour by contrast was an early horse tramway that dated from 1821, later on being converted to a 'proper' branch line, and lasting until 1963.
A beautiful pair of books that fully detail and illustrate two contrasting rural railway lines. Priced at £18.95 and £14.95 respectively, for a limited time the offer price for both volumes is now £20.00. Full details of the content of The Alcester Branch and The Shipston on Stour Branch can be found on the Wild Swan web site.
Peter Barnfield [Publisher: Wild Swan] Softback
Peter was a man of many talents who, alongside his wife Ginny, became well known for setting up and running the wonderful Blue Anchor railway museum. He was also a good writer, great photographer and recorder of the railway scene par excellence.
In these three books he describes in words and pictures his journeys on the minor railways of the West Country and Wales. With beautifully recorded period detail and acute observations, Peter describes the lines he travelled on at interesting times in their lives, with new diesel traction being introduced alongside retrenchment and contraction of the network. Each priced at £14.95, for a limited time take all three for £25.00.
More on Peter's books of Railway Memories in Wales, the West Country and on the Withered Arm can be found on the Wild Swan web site.
Tony Atkins and David Hyde [Publisher: Wild Swan] Softback
A series of three highly detailed books covering the comprehensive network of goods services that the Great Western operated in the first half of the 20th Century, providing an absolute wealth of information and a great photographic resource for modellers. The books cover the background history, the work of the different goods districts, London goods depots and finally goods depots outside London.
These were the precursors to later books by Noodle and Crecy, but are much more detailed and comprehensive in their coverage than the later titles. Sadly, both Tony and David have left us in recent years.
Priced at £17.95, £24.95 and £25.95 respectively, for a limited time take all three for £30.00.
More extensive details of the content of the Introduction to GWR Goods Services and Depots and Part 2A and Part 2B of the series can be found on the Wild Swan web site.