Shire Library
1 primary work • 7 total works
Book 595
With a network covering much of the West Country, Wales and the West Midlands, and a history and tradition stretching back more than a century, the Great Western has been seen by many railway historians and enthusiasts as the most famous railway in the world. The history of the GWR was marked by an independence and swagger match by few other railways, its foundations laid by the flamboyant engineer I. K. Brunel who designed famous structures like Paddington Station and Saltash Bridge which still survive today. This book summarises Great Western Railway's place in British history, one secured by a nostalgic fondness for a bygone era.
Britain's towns and cities were famously transformed in the nineteenth century by the coming of the railways, which turned around their fortunes and gave urban dwellers new opportunities to travel across the country. Yet the effect on the rural population was arguably far greater. While some of the initial trunk lines were designed to link major cities, the network of smaller cross-country and branch lines that followed opened up large tracts of previously remote countryside, providing new markets for agricultural produce and ending the isolation of many rural communities. Such was the pace of development during the Railway Mania period in fact, that by the end of the nineteenth century there were few areas of country not served by train. This book tells the story of these country railways from their golden age to their decline in the wake of nationalisation and the Beeching Report in the mid-twentieth century - and indeed current efforts to restore and preserve them.
Have you ever watched wagon after wagon of a goods train thunder past and wondered where it is heading, what it is carrying, and how it works its way between the passenger services? While goods services now tend to be shrouded in anonymity, in past times they were celebrated, prominently advertised, and in many cases were the raisons d'etre for a rail route. Throughout the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century, goods trains were the lifeblood of the nation, transporting precious raw materials, construction and industrial items, and fresh produce from coastal areas and farms into the centres of bustling cities. This informative illustrated history shows how rail freight has been carried since Victorian times, and how systems have been organized, from the train itself to the sidings, railway clearing houses, goods sheds and final destinations - whether villages, towns, cities, factories or docks. It also examines the basic rolling stock of these trains, from the humble coal wagon to today's hi-tech containers.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel considered the Great Western Railway the ‘finest work in England’ and he contributed many groundbreaking features, none so unorthodox as the decision not to adopt the ‘standard’ track gauge of 4ft 8½in and instead introduce the new ‘broad gauge’ of 7ft ¼in. Describing the rationale behind the choice of broad gauge, and also the unique track and locomotives used, this beautifully illustrated introduction to broad gauge railways chronicles the building of the original GWR between Bristol and London, and the expansion of that original 112-mile main line into a network stretching across the West of England, Wales and the Midlands. It describes how the clash between broad and narrow led to the ‘Battle of the Gauges’ and also provides a list of places to visit where broad gauge artefacts still survive.
Railway workshops began in the north of England as small engineering concerns building the engines that powered early railways such as the Stockton and Darlington. Once the railway companies had become firmly established, they began to set up their own engineering workshops to build and maintain not only locomotives but also carriages, wagons and all manner of other equipment. Locations such as Crewe, Derby, Doncaster, Eastleigh and Swindon soon became famous as 'railway towns', with new communities growing up alongside the extensive railway workshops to house the thousands of workers and their families. In this illustrated introduction, Tim Bryan explores the development, heyday and decline of British railway workshops, and examines their legacy today.
The strategic importance of railways was recognized almost from the beginning of their development, but it was not until the end of the nineteenth century that their real value was appreciated by the military. In both the First and Second World Wars, railways were crucial in the transportation of men, munitions and coal, whilst on the Continent British forces operated railways to support the war effort. The heroic story of railways at war was confirmed in the months before and after the 'D' Day landings in 1944 when thousands of trains were run to support the Allied invasion, cementing their role as the 'fourth service' during the Second World War. Here, Tim Bryan provides an authoritative and fully illustrated guide to the railway's role in Britain's war efforts.
Evolving from the horse-drawn stage coaches that they soon eclipsed, railway carriages steadily grew in sophistication so that by the end of the nineteenth century the railway passenger travelled in comfortable rolling stock of a design familiar to many until the 1960s. While modern trains look different from those built more than a century ago, even today the facilities are not so dissimilar from those enjoyed by our Victorian ancestors.
This book describes the development of the railway carriage from those early days to the present, highlighting some of the key developments in the history, design and construction of carriages. It also looks at the innovations that made life easier for the passenger, such as the introduction of heating, lavatories and restaurant and buffet facilities, as well as the differences in comfort between the various classes of traveller.
This book describes the development of the railway carriage from those early days to the present, highlighting some of the key developments in the history, design and construction of carriages. It also looks at the innovations that made life easier for the passenger, such as the introduction of heating, lavatories and restaurant and buffet facilities, as well as the differences in comfort between the various classes of traveller.