Country Railway

Product Description

Possibly read more than any other railway book The Country Railway has sold over 170 000 copies. This is a redesigned edition of the original text & photographs. Everyone loved the country railway with its neat stations & colourful gardens the shining brasswork of its tank engines viaducts daringly built over gushing rivers embankments carpeted with flowers & guards whose appearance & voice as well as the traffic they carried in their vans reflected exactly the character of the terrain being served. Basing his work on deep historical research & rich personal experience David St John Thomas lovingly portrays the branch & cross-country railway in all its nostalgic technical & commercial aspects. He tells of the days of high expectation when the local promoters first met & chose the architectural style for their stations sees the navvies at work hacking through the countryside reports the arrival of the first trains recalls the troubled realisation when traffic receipts failed to provide enough for dividends. Stations signalboxes engines & their men coaches & trucks cattle docks & railway pubs junctions & termini varied landscapes special occasions & disasters... In words & pictures here is a unique study for railway enthusiasts & for those who just miss the passing of the country railway.