Liverpool and Manchester Railway Atlas

[Cricketer8for9]

Allegedly this forum has lots of contributors from the North-West. I’m not one of them, but I have just bought Joe Brown‘s Liverpool and Manchester Railway Atlas. It’s a splendid book and so highly recommended. Incredible historical detail (for example on tramways and detailed inserts going back in time).

 

[Gloster]

Who is it published by? I have already got the London and Birmingham ones and can highly recommend them, so I expect the new volume will be to the same very high standard.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Who is it published by?

Published by Crecy Publishing Ltd. in February this year, I believe.

If you shop around, you should be able to pick up a new copy online for just under £20.

Anyone got a pic of a specimen map from the new book before I commit to placing an order?

 

[pdeaves]

Published by Crecy Publishing Ltd. in February this year, I believe.

If you shop around, you should be able to pick up a new copy online for just under £20.

Anyone got a pic of a specimen map from the new book before I commit to placing an order?

This found via a web search: https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=b383b7207dc82256899bc3b9ebe28792&oe=60882318 (I got to it by clicking some stuff on this Faceache page https://en-gb.facebook.com/pg/Urban-Railway-Atlases-of-the-UK-251380951552667/posts/)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Thanks @pdeaves. Helpful. Order placed!

 

[Gloster]

If I buy it, which is highly likely, I will support my local bookshop. If they can get it.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Allegedly this forum has lots of contributors from the North-West. I’m not one of them, but I have just bought Joe Brown‘s Liverpool and Manchester Railway Atlas. It’s a splendid book and so highly recommended. Incredible historical detail (for example on tramways and detailed inserts going back in time).

Title of book is a bit of a misnomer as it actually covers a far wider area than might first be imagined.

As well as both Liverpool and Manchester, the mapped area also includes Blackpool and the Fylde Coast, Preston and Central Lancashire, East Lancashire, Buxton and the edge of the Peak District, North Cheshire, Mid Cheshire, Chester and the Wirral (and just about everywhere else in between!)

Very detailed book and the only minor quibble is that it doesn't seem to include certain one time reservoir lines (such as the one that was in the Longdendale valley for the best part of a century).

 

[Gloster]

Well, my local bookshop could get it and I have parted with several pieces of folding stuff. A browse through it, including a look at several locations that I know a bit about, suggests it is fully up to the standard of the London and Birmingham volumes. As someone who likes maps and railway history, I foresee hours of harmless amusement.

 

[Bevan Price]

I don't have a local bookshop, so just ordered a copy from ebay. Thanks for posting info. about this book. I used to find out about new railway books by visting the late, lamented Ian Allan shops in Manchester or Birmingham.

 

[Gloster]

I don't have a local bookshop, so just ordered a copy from ebay. Thanks for posting info. about this book. I used to find out about new railway books by visting the late, lamented Ian Allan shops in Manchester or Birmingham.

I used to go up to the Lower Marsh shop once every month or so with a list and a lot of cash, returning a few hours later with a lot less cash and a heavy bag. (I also used to visit the Charing Cross Road looking for old detective novels.) Such is the effect of lockdown on my outgoings, i.e. book buying, that the cheque I cashed today was the first since February

 

[S&CLER]

I collected my copy from my local bookshop yesterday. It's a brilliant book. My only quibble is that the yellow colour chosen to show the ex-Wirral Railway lines does not show up well, at least under the lamp I read by. The Seacombe branch, for example, shown in a paler yellow as a closed line, is barely visible. I'm not entirely convinced by his decision to include street tramways, but this is hardly an objection. And I haven't found anything else to quibble about.

I hope he does volumes for the old West Riding, central Scotland and the Welsh valleys.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

The interview he did on Radio Lancashire suggested Yorkshire would be next.

 

[S&CLER]

May Modern Railways, which has just arrived in my letterbox, contains a pull-out map of the Liverpool area reprinted from Joe Brown's atlas, and bounded by Blundellsands, Old Roan, Hunts Cross and Bromborough Rake.

 

[DelW]

Although I've had two editions of the London atlas, I hadn't known of the Birmingham one until I saw it mentioned above. Unfortunately it seems to be out of print and unavailable from any web sources, so I hope Crecy will do a reprint (or a new edition) before too long. (I've never lived in or near Liverpool or Manchester, so they're of less interest to me.)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The new "Liverpool & Manchester Railway Atlas" indicates (on one of the inside back pages) that an updated edition of the "Birmingham & West Midlands Railway Atlas" is in progress, also by Joe Brown.

 

[Ianno87]

Have ordered a Liverpool and Manchester atlas as a result of this thread (and the pullout in this month's Modern Railways that fell through my letterbox this morning.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The online prices being asked for an original 2016 copy of the "Birmingham & West Midlands Railway Atlas" are astronomical!

 

[DelW]

The new "Liverpool & Manchester Railway Atlas" indicates (on one of the inside back pages) that an updated edition of the "Birmingham & West Midlands Railway Atlas" is in progress, also by Joe Brown.

That's good news, I'll keep a look out for it appearing.

The online prices being asked for an original 2016 copy of the "Birmingham & West Midlands Railway Atlas" are astronomical!

Ebay didn't have any on offer at any price when I looked, but I've seen other things quoted at ludicrous prices. I wonder if anyone ever pays them?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Wonder whether some of the sellers are those reprehensible outfits who scrape other sellers’ listings, then add a huge mark-up to a ridiculous level and hope some mug buyer will come along.

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Or perhaps not many were published and everyone who has one isn’t selling. Let’s hope it’s that. Not selling mine.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Or perhaps not many were published and everyone who has one isn’t selling. Let’s hope it’s that. Not selling mine.

Over £400 being asked for the 2016 edition atlas!

 

[birchesgreen]

I'll sell you mine for 395

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Gosh!! Still not selling.

 

[S&CLER]

I don't want to seem ungrateful for such a labour of love, but it occurs to me that it was a mistake to show ownership of lines as per 1.1.1923 (Grouping). This means that all lines in such areas as Bootle, Oldham, Preston, Wigan and the north side of Manchester from Salford to Stalybridge, are shown as LNWR, though some of them had only been LNWR for a year. It would have been better to show ownership on 31.12.1921, the last day of the L&Y's existence before it was absorbed into the LNWR. The Fylde lines would have had to appear as joint L&Y/LNWR. Let's hope the Yorkshire atlas distinguishes L&Y from LNWR, since there are areas of Yorkshire where it's useful to do so (especially Huddersfield and Mirfield).

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Sorry, but I’m confused. The index shows Salford Central, formerly Salford as opened by the MBBR. The Abbreviations describe the LYR as absorbed by the LNWR on 1/1/1922. But I can’t work out what you’re describing re ownership of lines being shown as per 1.1.1923 as opposed to 31.12.1921 as I can’t see ownership of lines being described as such. But I may be missing something.

 

[Ianno87]

Atlas arrived earlier in the week, and it is fantastic! I could quibble the odd detail here and there (the Metrolink Eccles line opening dates make the same mistake Wikipedia does), but otherwise a cracking buy.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Atlas arrived earlier in the week, and it is fantastic! I could quibble the odd detail here and there (the Metrolink Eccles line opening dates make the same mistake Wikipedia does), but otherwise a cracking buy.

What should they have been?

 

[S&CLER]

Sorry, but I’m confused. The index shows Salford Central, formerly Salford as opened by the MBBR. The Abbreviations describe the LYR as absorbed by the LNWR on 1/1/1922. But I can’t work out what you’re describing re ownership of lines being shown as per 1.1.1923 as opposed to 31.12.1921 as I can’t see ownership of lines being described as such. But I may be missing something.

Ownership is denoted by colour coding. It was the missed opportunity to distinguish ex-L&Y and ex-LNW lines by different colours that I regretted. I think it's a pity the date chosen for the colour coding was 01.01.23 .See the note at the top of the Key to map pages (not numbered, but p. 7 of the preliminary matter) : "main line railway ownership depicted at point of 01.01.23 Grouping". As the L&Y had been absorbed by the LNW only a year earlier, I felt this failed to reflect an important aspect of the pre-Grouping situation.

 

[jfollows]

Because of this thread I went and bought the book and I'm pleased to have done so, it's obviously a labour of love and it's well done.
I have also made a couple of observations to the author, Joe Brown, as he requests in the introduction to the book, and received a nice reply. I suggest anyone else who spots something which appears to be an omission or an error does likewise.

 

[Vespa]

Just brought on eBay £18.40
+free postage.
Looks interesting.