Railway Books - recommendations?

[HXX]

Please forgive me if there are already threads about this

Does anybody have any recommendations for general railway reading, tonnes of titles on Amazon but given some are quite pricey I'd be wary of buying what might just be books filled with pictures

Thanks

 

[Bevan Price]

Personally, I prefer to buy books from shops, even if it means paying a bit extra - it gives me a chance to inspect the contents and see if they look interesting to me - and avoids wasting money on something which turns out to have little personal interest.

Reviews and recommendations by others have a place - but they only reflect what other people like or dislike - and you may not agree with their opinions.

Some heritage railways have shops selling railway books, or if you live near to an Ian Allan shop (Manchester, Birmingham, London), they sell a wide range of transport books.

The other point to consider is what aspect of railways interests you most. If you are interested in line history, many of the Oakwood Press series are quite good - mostly text, but usually with some pictures and/or maps. If you are most interested in locomotives, there are various books dealing with steam, diesel or electric traction, but I would suggest inspecting the contents yourself before deciding to buy.

 

[Phil.]

It's out of press but generally available on E-Bay. Ï tried to run a railway" by Gerard Fiennes.
"Red for Danger"by R.C. Holt.
These both make excellent Reading for the person who wants to learn more about the non-romantic side of railways.

 

[krus_aragon]

Does anybody have any recommendations for general railway reading, tonnes of titles on Amazon but given some are quite pricey I'd be wary of buying what might just be books filled with pictures

Some guidance on you interests would help a lot. But going on your preference for railway books with proper text in, here are a few short reviews from my bookshelf:

Fire and Steam, Christian Wolmar
A nice textual overview of the history of railways in Britain. Not particularly in-depth or technical in any regard, but reads quite well and will give a good grounding.

A Regional History of Railways in Great Britain, various authors, 16 volumes
A collection of titles each concentrating on the history of a particular area, written in the 1970s and 1980s. As the they are written by different authors, there is some variation in style between volumes. (I've only read the two covering Wales.) A more detailed critique of shortcomings is given here, but I'd still recommend them.

Red for Danger, R.T.C. Rolt
As mentioned above, discusses what went wrong on the rails over the decades, what changes were made in the pursuit of safety. Doesn't revel in the accidents, but looks at the combination of technical and human factors, and how the most foolproof systems can be overcome by the perfect combination of little mishaps.

Railway Adventure, R.T.C. Rolt
Tom Rolt's story of how he first came across the Talyllyn Railway, and how it became the first volunteer-operated preserved railway. An entertaining read, showing railway preservation in its infancy, a far cry from the strict safety- and business-oriented operations of today.

How steam locomotives really work, P.W.B. Semmens and A.J. Goldfinch
A very thorough title, covering the functionality (and development) of all the components that make a steam locomotive work, including valve gears, lubrication systems and brakes. The book is quite technical at times, and having a background in engineering (or a strong enthusiasm) is probably needed to fully enjoy this book.

 

[TheEdge]

Can I just throw in a warning about I Tried to Run A Railway". I bought it recently as it is now freely available as an e-book on Google Play (and I think its the same for Kindle) and it is a very odd read.

My understanding is it was a bit of a whistleblowing against BR management and it reads very much like that, as if the reader is fully versed in all the names, details, places and operations Fiennes is talking about. If you don't whole sections of it can go right over your head. Its also written in a very odd style, first person, like a diary. This isn't to say it isn't interesting, the section on the Gidea Park crash is very interesting. However I would be very very cautious about spending the fairly large sums on eBay for printed versions.

 

[backontrack]

Tiny Stations by Dixe Wills is an absolutely brilliant book. Dixe goes on a tour of the UK's rail request stops, where he encounters love, certain death, and a rather strange pair of lapwings. He has a go on the Denton flyer, camps out overnight on a remote Scottish platform, goes on a Devon Rail Ale Trail, learns how to pronounce Pen-y-chain, visits the remote Cambrian scene of a tsunami, marvels at a Cambridgeshire 'hill', attempts a deadpan joke in the fabled Berney Arms, and researches a 19th century drug magnate. All this and much more!

 

[Busaholic]

A very good, 'general' book published last autumn was Simon Bradley's 'The Railways - Nation, Network and People'. It's over 600 pages long, hardback, costing £25, though you should be able to get it a tad cheaper. It's a social history really, but written by someone with a real interest in railways. The few photographs reflect the audience it's obviously going for.

 

[HXX]

Thanks for the recommendations, they all merit further investigation I think

There was an article about the Simon Bradley one in the Guardian last October, I've been meaning to try find an affordable copy since

Broken Rails- Christian Wolmar is one I have come across also and will purchase

 

[krus_aragon]

Thanks for the recommendations, they all merit further investigation I think

There was an article about the Simon Bradley one in the Guardian last October, I've been meaning to try find an affordable copy since

Broken Rails- Christian Wolmar is one I have come across also and will purchase

I'm glad we've been able to help you.

When you've had a read of your two titles, please do come back and let us know what you think of them.

 

[backontrack]

A very good, 'general' book published last autumn was Simon Bradley's 'The Railways - Nation, Network and People'. It's over 600 pages long, hardback, costing £25, though you should be able to get it a tad cheaper. It's a social history really, but written by someone with a real interest in railways. The few photographs reflect the audience it's obviously going for.

I just bought that one. On Monday the 4th too! I hadn't actually seen this post, so a bit of a coincidence.

 

[Peacock X]

Looking for a recommendation of a good railway map book relating to the pre grouping era.

 

[deltic]

Looking for a recommendation of a good railway map book relating to the pre grouping era.

The most readily available one is "British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer" - second hand copies are readily available for a few pounds on Ebay or Amazon. I have quite an old version which is a bit small scale - dont know if more recent editions user clearer type face - but reasonably useful.

I have also found the website http://www.railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php incredibly useful

 

[Peacock X]

The most readily available one is "British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer" - second hand copies are readily available for a few pounds on Ebay or Amazon. I have quite an old version which is a bit small scale - dont know if more recent editions user clearer type face - but reasonably useful.

I have also found the website http://www.railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php incredibly useful

Thanks purchased a copy from e-bay and Rail Map online is excellent.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

It's out of press but generally available on E-Bay. Ï tried to run a railway" by Gerard Fiennes.

Looks like that's being re-published, Amazon have it available for pre-order

 

[yorksrob]

Looks like that's being re-published, Amazon have it available for pre-order

That is interesting news. I hope it appears in bookshops as well. And I hope it's in paperback.

 

[Peacock X]

That is interesting news. I hope it appears in bookshops as well. And I hope it's in paperback.

Amazon state due to be published 17th November 2016 Hardcover.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Amazon state due to be published 17th November 2016 Hardcover.

Apoligies I was looking at THe Atlas of Railway Station Closures.

 

[Graeme]

The old David & Charles railway history books are fascinating reads - not the several volume set covering the entire country but the other ones including "The Skye Railway", "The Railways of Wharfedale", "The Little Railways of South West Scotland", "The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway" (Vols.1, 2 and 3) and "The Cambrian Railways" (Vols.1 & 2).

I've picked mine up off eBay, Amazon Marketplace and second hand dealers and now only need a few for the full set. The more common ones are quite cheap but the rarer one naturally command much higher prices.

They're obviously fairly old - mostly written in the late 1960s or early 1970s so are not really up to date, although some volumes have been updated more recently (i.e. in the 1980s) with new information.

 

[Calthrop]

The most readily available one is "British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer" - second hand copies are readily available for a few pounds on Ebay or Amazon. I have quite an old version which is a bit small scale - dont know if more recent editions user clearer type face - but reasonably useful.

"Jowett's Railway Atlas" does broadly the same thing as the "Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer". Various pros and cons: "Jowett's" is physically larger, and more expensive. It goes into greater detail than the smaller-scale "PGA&G" is able to, especially re complex urban areas; but it's overall "messier" -- it's a reproducing of lovingly, but a bit crudely, hand-drawn work by the maker, Alan Jowett, who seems not to be a professional draughtsman / cartographer. Arrangement of / correspondence between the many pages, is often annoyingly arbitrary.

"Jowett's" has the advantage that it includes Ireland -- equivalent of "pre-grouping", viz. at end of 1924 -- which the "PGA&G" does not.