This is a comprehensive railway atlas covering the state of Britains railways on 1 January 1955 at the dawn of the modernisation era. Despite some closures the system was still as it was at Nationalisation with many rural branch lines still operating & thousands of stations open. The lines of each of the six regions are identified using the traditional colour associated with that region
- orange for Northern Eastern Region green for Southern etc
- & passenger & freight only lines are further distinguished. Based on Ian Allan Publishings computer database of the railway network British Railways Atlas 1955" is a fascinating snapshot of the nations railway network in the era immediately prior to the wholesale closures of the 1960s."

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Designed specifically for modellers of the modern scene this new book provides a comprehensive reference to all the livieries that have come & gone on the network since the wholesale privatisation of the mid 1990s. It is now more than 70 years since the first DMUs made their first appearance on the British railway system & more than 50 years since DMUs were introduced onto the BR network in large numbers. From the late 1950s onwards several thousand DMU vehicles were brought into service as replacement for steam services over branches & secondary routes & from the mid-1980s onwards this first generation of DMU was gradually replaced by a second-generation of DMU although the final elimination of the first-generation units did not occur until the first years of the 21st century. On the privatised railway of the 21st century virtually all non-electrified passenger services are now operated by DMUs of one design or another & on the preserved railways many examples of the first generation of stock continue to earn their living. Although initially ill-favoured as the years passed so the humble DMU has attracted an ever-growing army of enthusiast fans & this is reflected in the number of web-sites devoted to the subject to the increasing number of models that are emerging
- a reflection of the fact that virtually no model railway covering the BR scene post 1955 can avoid operating DMUs. Fully illustrated throughout this is the perfect volume for all serious modellers!
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To the uninitiated the reign of the Southern Region diesel-electric multiple-unit sets in public service
- the fleet comprising
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Available for the first time in hardback British Railways Atlas 1947: The Last Days of the Big Four helps to recall a long-lost era when railways were still the dominant form of transport for both passengers & freight all over the country. Originally published in 1948 as a permanent record of the British railway system as it was at the end of private ownership in December 1947 British Railways Atlas 1947 is a graphic reminder of the scale of the railway industry in the period before Nationalisation. Each of the lines of the Big Four railway companies is differentiated by a colour
- Great Western (yellow) London Midland & Scottish (red) London & North Eastern (blue) & Southern (green). Also shown are the myriad minor railways that had managed to maintain their independence after the Grouping of 1923 but which were to disappear along with their larger neighbours into the new British Railways: lines such as the Kent & East Sussex & the East Kent which had jealously guarded their independence were to be swallowed up. This reprint of the ever popular Rail Atlas comes back bigger & better than before & of course in Hard back for the first time ever.
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In 1948 the big four railway companies were nationalized to form British Railways. This collection of photographs captures the last two decades of steam power as steam gave way to diesel electrification including many vintage locomotives of pre-Grouping origin that survived the war plus the final steam locomotive to be built on British Railways (the BR 9F 2-10-0 No. 922220 or Evening Star). In particular Eric Oldham looks at Crewe & Doncaster stations/works MPDs in general along with steam on the Woodhead route pre/post electrification The photographs include behind-the-scenes views of locomotive sheds depots freight & passenger traffic plus some dramatic station portraits. ...

There are over thirty million sheep in Britain belonging to more than sixty different breeds. They are almost as varied in shape colour & size as the many breeds of dog but are far less well-known. The sheep industry in Britain is based on a stratified system which makes the best use of the harsh mountains of Scotland Wales & northern England as well as of the more fertile & mild regions of southern Britain. It has helped to develop a rich range of specialist regional breed types. This book places the breeds into intelligible groups by outlining the way the national industry works classifying their different roles & determining where each breed fits into an overall picture. Each breed & its wool is featured & illustrated with an extensive collection of pictures. ...

This important work

Includes:: many previously unrecorded designs & artefacts
- for example nowhere else


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Learn British Sign Language quickly & easily with this essential guide & CD-Rom This lively guide introduces the key hand shapes & gestures you need to communicate in British Sign Language. The illustrations depict both the actions & facial expressions used to sign accurately while the companion CD-Rom features real-life BSL conversations in action to further your understanding. With these practical tools you'll become an expert signer in no time! British Sign Language For Dummies
Includes::* Starting to sign
- learn about Deaf communication & practise simple signs to get you going* Learning everyday BSL
- develop the grammar & vocabulary skills that are the building blocks to using British Sign Language* Getting out & about
- sign with complete confidence in a wide range of real-life situations from travelling to dating* Looking into Deaf life
- learn about the history of the Deaf Community & how they've adapted their technology & lifestyles to suit their needs For corrections to this book please click here: http://www.wiley.com/legacy/wileyblackwell/BSLcorrectionslip.pdf




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The story of the British soldier in the Second World War of endurance through six long years of conflict in theatres as diverse as Europe the Western Desert the Arctic & the Far East has so far not been adequately told. This small book will redress the balance. The book unfolds the story of the road to Dunkirk the development of Fortress Britain & the rearming of the army to open the Second Front in Europe. It explains what it was like to serve in the desert on the long road that led to victory in Alamein & of the battles against the Japanese in the Far East. It does so by reference to the military equipment literature art & ephemera helping to conjure up a flavour of the British Tommys experience that has not been touched upon in other books dealing with the period & assisting the family historian with a greater understanding of the activities of their relatives in this hard-fought war. ...

After WWII the existing railway companies were all put into the control of the newly formed British Transport Commision & that government organisation spawned British Railways which came into being on 1st January 1948. The railway infrastructure had suffered badly during the war years & most of the steam locomotives were 'tired' & badly maintained & or life expired. Although the management of British Railways was already planning to replace steam power with diesel & electric engines/units they still took a decission to build more steam locomotives (as a stop gap). Some 999 (yes just 1 short) Standard locomotives were built in 12 classes ranging from super powerful express & freight engine to suburban tank locomotives. The locomotives were mainly in good order when the order came in 1968 to end steam some only 8 years old. There still exists a fleet of 46 preserved Standards of which 75% are in working order in & around the UKs preserved railways furthermore 3 new build standard locomotives are proposed. Steam fans who were around in the 1960s all remember the ' Standards'. ...