By popular request this fourth volume in our acclaimed Irish Railway Photographers series looks at the operations & rolling stock of Northern Ireland Railways in the period 1975 to 2005. In this his first book Sam Somerville takes us on a trip on the Provinces rail network using his Rail Runabout rambler ticket. We visit Londonderry Castlerock & Portrush before heading south to the Larne & Bangor lines. The former GNR (I) Antrim branch from Lisburn is visited on our journey from Belfast to Dundalk via Portadown. For fans of NIR diesel trains this book is a must with 60+ photographs of MEDs MPDs 70 class 80 class & 450 class DEMUs all in a variety of liveries Hunslet Metro-Vick & General Motors locomotives & a new CAF C3K railcar. Even the odd CIE engine puts in an appearance on freight & weedkilling trains. ...

From the mid-1980s onwards the previously monolithic structure of BRs freight operation was split up with several new businesses created as a prelude to privatisation such as Loadhaul Transrail & Mainline each with a separate identity. EWS was to take control of the bulk of the rail freight business when it successfully bid for all 3 of the former BR trainload freight companies. The other main player in the rail freight business was Freightliner. The rail freight business was one of the few areas that allowed unfettered competition & over the decade since privatisation this resulted in a host of new operators such as DRS & GB Railfreight entering the business. Moreover the two original main players; EWS & Freightliner have started to compete with each other more directly radically transforming the rail freight scene in Britain. This latest addition to the hugely popular For the Modeller & Historian" series will complement the two earlier volumes on wagons used by rail freight by faithfully recording the changes in liveries & train compositions over the past two decades. This brilliant new book

Includes:: over 200 colour illustrations accompanied by informative detailed captions to delight railway modellers & enthusiasts."

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This pictorial album illustrated in colour from the 1960s to the present is a portrait of the Limerick to Sligo railway line in its Indian Summer. The colour photography of Barry Carse allows the line to come to life on these pages reviving memories for the lines users for local people & others with an interest in this unique & picturesque railway. Now at the end of the first decade of the 21st Century a century after the GSWR took over the lines operation the Western Rail Corridor as it is often identified is a display of its own history. At the south end a busy & well used passenger service operates with modern trains over well maintained track; in the middle renewal work is under way or planned & at the northern end all is quiet save for the birds in the trees which grow between the rails. ...

On board the moletrain Medes Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt. The giant mole bursting from the earth the harpoonists targeting their prey the battle resulting in ones death & the others glory are extraordinary. But no matter how spectacular it is travelling the endless rails of the railsea Sham cant shake the sense that there is more to life. Even if his philosophy-seeking captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole shes been chasing -- ever since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train at first its a welcome distraction. But the impossible salvage Sham finds in the derelict leads to considerably more than hed bargained for. Soon hes hunted on all sides: by pirates trainsfolk monsters & salvage-scrabblers. & it might not be just Shams life thats about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea. Praise for China Mieville: Fiction of the new century Neil Gaiman Mievilles work is thrillingly imaginative.. .immensely witty & utterly unforgettable Scotland on Sunday One of the most imaginative young writers around in any kind of fiction Guardian Mievilles imagined societies may be fantastic but they are utterly coherent... wonderfully infectious Daily Telegraph ...

On board the moletrain Medes Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt. The giant mole bursting from the earth the harpoonists targeting their prey the battle resulting in one's death & the other's glory are extraordinary. But no matter how spectacular it is travelling the endless rails of the railsea Sham senses that there's more to life. Even if his captain can think only of her obsessive hunt for one savage mole. When they find a wrecked train it's a welcome distraction. But the impossible salvage Sham finds there leads to trouble. Soon he's hunted on all sides: by pirates trainsfolk monsters & salvage-scrabblers. & it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea. Praise for China Mieville: ' Fiction of the new century' Neil Gaiman ' Mieville's work is thrillingly imaginative.. .immensely witty & utterly unforgettable' Scotland on Sunday ' One of the most imaginative young writers around in any kind of fiction' Guardian ' Mieville's imagined societies may be fantastic but they are utterly coherent.. .wonderfully infectious' Daily Telegraph ...

Peter Tatlow provides readers a concise & detailed history of railway breakdown cranes in Britain. Although there are few railway subjects that have not been published in detail in recent years breakdown cranes have not possibly due to the technical nature of the subject & as such the ideal person to compile such a work would be an engineer. Respected railway author & former BR civil engineer Peter Tatlow has taken the subject from its early days through the time of the short-jib cranes to more recent history & the introduction & use of the long-jib variant. Even so many of the older types continued in use well into the late twentieth century. In what will build into a two-volume history this volume

Includes:: descriptive & informative text & numerous photographs & scale plans. Illustrations of breakdown cranes in both static & working mode complete this standard work of reference on the subject.

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Peter Tatlow provides readers a concise & detailed history of railway breakdown cranes in Britain. Although there are few railway subjects that have not been published in detail in recent years breakdown cranes have not possibly due to the technical nature of the subject & as such the ideal person to compile such a work would be an engineer. Respected railway author & former BR civil engineer Peter Tatlow has taken the subject from its early days through the time of the short-jib cranes to more recent history & the introduction & use of the long-jib variant. Even so many of the older types continued in use well into the late twentieth century. In what will build into a two-volume history this volume

Includes:: descriptive & informative text & numerous photographs & scale plans. Illustrations of breakdown cranes in both static & working mode complete this standard work of reference on the subject.

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The Railway Children" is the classic children's story by E. Nesbit. When Father is taken away unexpectedly Roberta Peter Phyllis & their mother have to leave their comfortable life in London to go & live in a small cottage in the country. The children seek solace in the nearby railway station & make friends with Perks the Porter & the Station Master himself. Each day Roberta Peter & Phyllis run down the field to the railway track & wave at the passing London train sending their love to Father. Little do they know that the kindly old gentleman passenger who waves back holds the key to their father's disappearance. One of the best-loved classics of all time with a wonderful introduction by Jacqueline Wilson. Edith Nesbit was a mischievous child who grew up into an unconventional adult. With her husband Hubert Bland she was one of the founder members of the socialist Fabian Society; their household became a centre of the socialist & literary circles of the times. E. Nesbit turned late to children's writing. Her first children's book " The Treasure Seekers" was published in 1899 to great acclaim. Other books featuring the Bastable children followed & a series of magical fantasy books including " Five Children & It" also became very popular. " The Railway Children" was first published monthly in the London Magazine in 1905 & published as a book in 1906 which has been in print ever since. Other children's books by E Nesbit: " The Story of the Treasure Seekers"; " The Wouldbegoods"; " The New Treasure Seekers"; " Complete History of the Bastable Family"; " Five Children & It"; " The Phoenix & the Carpet"; " The Story of the Amulet"; " The House of Arden"; " Harding's Luck"; " The Railway Children"; " The Enchanted Castle"; " The Magic City"; " The Wonderful Garden"; " Wet Magic"; " Five of Us & Madeline"." ...

When Father goes away with two strangers one evening the lives of Roberta Peter & Phyllis are shattered. They & their mother have to move from their comfortable London home to go & live in a simple country cottage where Mother writes books to make ends meet. However they soon come to love the railway that runs near their cottage & they make a habit of waving to the Old Gentleman who rides on it. They befriend the porter Perks & through him learn railway lore & much else. They have many adventures & when they save a train from disaster they are helped by the Old Gentleman to solve the mystery of their father's disappearance. ...

This is a BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation of E. Nesbits enchanting & unforgettable classic. Roberta Peter & Phyllis lead an ordinary suburban life with Mother & Father & trips to the zoo & the pantomime. But when Father is mysteriously taken away one night everything changes. The children must move to the country to a little white cottage near the railway line where eventually they find that there are plenty of adventures to be had & friends to be made
- including Perks the Porter & the Station Master himself. But the mystery remains
- what has happened to Father & will he come back? The story of Roberta Peter & Phyllis & their life in the country has never been out of print since it was first published in 1906. Charming sentimental & unforgettable the novel retains all its enchantment & enduring appeal in this BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation.

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