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Devonshire Railways

Devon's first railway was
opened as long ago as 16
September 1820. This was
the Haytor Tramway
constructed by George
Templar. Sections of the
tramway are still extant
and scheduled as an
Ancient Monument. The
later railway map of
Devon appears
complicated, but is
easier to comprehend when
the history of the lines
is understood. Basically
two competing main lines
thrust westwards to
Plymouth - the
GreatWestern Railway
(GWR) and the London &
SouthWestern Railway
(LSWR). As far as Exeter
the GWR ran to the north
of the LSWR, but west of
that city the positions
were reversed. South-east
Devon, generally known
as `East Devon', was
LSWR territory,
South-west Devon, known
as `South Devon' was
mostly GWR territory,
while most of North Devon
came under the LSWR's
sphere.After
reorganisation, the LSWR
lines fell to the
Southern Railway. Partly
due to its topography,
Devon had an unusually
large number of branch
lines.Although many were
closed either immediately
following, or before the
1963 Beeching Report on
Railways, some have
reopened as preserved
lines:Totnes to Buckfast;
Paignton to Kingswear and
the PlymValley Railway.
Much of the Seaton branch
was relaid as a 2ft 9in
gauge electric tramway.
Some stations too have
been reopened: Sidmouth
Junction has opened as
Feniton; Ivybridge,
closed to passengers 2
March 1959, reopened 15
July 1994 as a park and
ride station to reduce
traffic to and from
Plymouth, while Tiverton
Junction moved to
Tiverton Parkway to give
improved road access.
Colin Maggs, the
renowned expert on
railway history, tells
the fascinating tale of
the railways and the
impact they had on the
lives of everyone in the
county.The nostalgic
branch lines with their
small local trains and
the main lines with their
thundering expresses,
are all part of a rich
heritage which is
explored in an expert
text and in more than two
hundred evocative images
to present an absorbing
view of Devon's recent
past.

Availability: In Stock

£9.99

Available

Dorset Railways

The first railway in
Dorset was not a steam
operated line, but one
worked by horses and
gravity, to transport
Portland stone from the
quarries to the sea.
However, the first true
main line in the county
was the Southampton &
Dorchester which opened
on 1 June 1847 followed
by the Wilts, Somerset &
Weymouth Railway (WSWR)
which reached Weymouth on
20 January 1857.The
Southampton & Dorchester
Railway had running power
over the line between
Dorchester andWeymouth
and opened to Weymouth in
1857. The Salisbury &
Yeovil Railway opened to
Gillingham in 1859, and
to Yeovil and onwards to
Exeter in 1860. The
Dorset Central Railway
was inaugurated between
Wimborne and Blandford in
November 1860 and
northwards to Cole in
1862 where it linked with
the Somerset Central
Railway, the two
companies uniting as the
Somerset & Dorset
Railway.The extension to
Bath opened on 20 July
1874 creating a new main
line. Thus was
established the pattern
of four main lines in
Dorset: two running
approximately east to
west and two north to
south. From these main
lines, branches were
created to serve places
off a main line such as
to Lyme Regis, Bridport,
Abbotsbury, Portland
and Swanage. For decades
these branch lines
flourished, but
eventually the more
convenient
internal-combustion
engined vehicles rendered
these branches uneconomic
and they were closed
around the time of the
1963 Beeching Report.
Colin Maggs, the
renowned expert on
railway history, tells
the fascinating tale of
the railways and the
impact they had on the
lives of everyone in the
county.The nostalgic
branch lines with their
small local trains and
the main lines with their
thundering expresses,
are all part of a rich
heritage which is
explored in an expert
text and in more than two
hundred evocative images
to present an absorbing
view of Dorset's recent
past.

Availability: In Stock

£9.99

Available

British Steam Railways - DVD
And Book Set

British Steam Railways is
a showcase of all that
steam railways have
achieved; from the basic
design of Richard
Trevithick's engine in
1804 to Stephenson's
groundbreaking rocket in
1829, the opening of the
Liverpool-Manchester line
in 1830 and the golden
era of train travel in
the early 20th century.
Hundreds of colour and
black-and-white
photographs, maps and
artworks beautifully
illustrate all facets of
steam railways - from
engines to signal boxes,
platforms and signs. The
accompanying DVD The Very
Best Of British Steam of
Yesteryear is a special
programme that features a
selection of some of the
most interesting lines
from all around the old
British Railways network.
Although the steam
officially retired from
daily use in England
during August 1968,
thanks to the efforts of
a dedicated band of
enthusiasts, who during
the 1950s and 1960s set
out to record this
fascinating part of
everyday life, it is
still possible to enjoy
the sights and sounds of
British steam at work.
This fantastic DVD also
includes bonus footage of
Bullied Pacifics hard at
work in the days of BR
steam.

Availability: In Stock

£6.99

Available

Amazing Railway Facts

This is a collection of
fascinating and diverse
British railway facts and
stories to read in any
spare moment. Travel back
to the age of steam and
discover the world's
oldest active steam
locomotive before
becoming up-to-date with
railways in films, such
as Harry Potter. In
addition to the
fascinating lists of
longest tunnels, widest
bridges and most powerful
locomotives, ponder the
dismal failure of
Brunel's atmospheric
railway in South Devon,
before reading the
rags-to riches tale of
Frank Hornby. From the
sublime to the ridiculous
and the euphoric to the
poignant, every railway
enthusiast is catered
for.

Availability: In Stock

£3.99

Available

Julia Bradburys Railway Walks

Accompanying the six-part
BBC 2 series, the six
walks featured in this
book follow the old
tracks, overgrown
cuttings and ancient
viaducts which are the
legacy of 'The Beeching
Axe'. Julia Bradbury
looks at how the rise and
fall of the railways has
altered the lives of
communities across the
country. Today, many of
the thousands of old
branch lines which were
closed in the 1960s are
now the treasured
stomping grounds of
ramblers and hikers. This
book follows six of these
beautiful walks, all
offering an insight into
Britain's industrial
heritage: the Monsal
Trail in Derbyshire,
Dolgellau to Barmouth in
Snowdonia, Cornwall's
Coast to Coast Trail,
the Strathspey Railway,
Weymouth to Portland,
and Callander to Loch Tay
in Perthshire. Fully
illustrated with maps and
photographs of Julia
walking the routes and
the spectacular
surrounding landscapes,
Julia Bradbury's Railway
Walks will inspire you to
don your walking boots
and explore Britain's
lost rail empire. The
book covers six different
walks: 1. Derbyshire- The
Monsal Trail 2. Snowdonia
- Dolgellau to Barmouth
3. Cornwall - Coast to
Coast Trail 4. Speyside -
The Strathspey Railway 5.
Weymouth - Harbouring
History 6. Perthshire -
Callander to Loch Tay

Availability: In Stock

£3.99

Available

The Times Britain's Scenic
Railways

Discover over 50 of the
greatest scenic railway
routes in England,
Scotland and Wales, from
the authors of the highly
acclaimed publication
?The Times Mapping the
Railways?. Explore the
hidden treasures of
Britains rail
network and its
fascinating heritage
railways. Detailed text
on history, geography
and present-day
operations is
complemented by stunning
Bartholomew historical
mapping and a selection
of high-quality
photographs. These are
supported by railway
memorabilia and extracts
from gradient profiles
and track diagrams to
illustrate the passage of
the railways through the
diverse landscapes of
Britain. In addition to
selected routes on the
main rail network, the
best heritage railways,
narrow-gauge and
miniature lines are also
featured. Lines featured
include: The route of the
classic Cornish Riviera
Express, along the coast
and across steep-sided
river valleys to
Penzance. The unique
landscape of Romney Marsh
and its eccentric seaside
bungalows, served by the
miniature express trains
of the Romney, Hythe &
Dymchurch Railway. Two
classic narrow-gauge
lines through stunning
North Wales mountain
country ? the Ffestiniog
and Welsh Highland
Railways. Across and
through the Pennines via
the Settle & Carlisle
Line, the last main line
railway in England
constructed almost
entirely by hand. The
West Highland Line from
Glasgow, by romantic
Loch Lomond and lonely
Rannoch Moor, to the
foothills of Ben Nevis at
Fort William. A unique
insight into the most
scenic journeys in
England, Scotland and
Wales, Britains
Scenic Railways fills a
long-standing gap in the
portrayal of our rail
network. It is the ideal
armchair guide to the
very best of British rail
travel.

Availability: In Stock

£10.99

Available

Along Main Lines

The successful running of
Britain's mainline
railways was a great
achievement for those
operating them, and a
great thrill for those
travelling on them. Over
the years railway
photographers have
recorded the glamour and
excitement of our
glorious railway story.
Along Main Lines
celebrates the most
dramatic and
best-remembered aspects
of Britain's rail
heritage, focusing on
the famous main line
routes, big city
stations,
record-breaking
locomotives and the
renowned express trains.
Packed with archive
photographs, old
postcards, badges and
other railwayana, this
book is crammed with
fascinating material that
Atterbury has himself
collected from tireless
searching at postcard and
antique fares and auction
sites. Therefore, many
of the illustrations are
original and previously
unpublished. Paul
Atterbury offers a rare
insight into the main
line story all over
Britain. Organised
regionally, the book
includes major routes,
classic trains,
important stations in
London and elsewhere,
railway sheds and works,
along with features that
highlight forgotten
corners of railway
history.

Availability: In Stock

£9.99

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