Download or read book Fire and Steam written by Christian Wolmar and published by Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2008-05-01 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now in paperback, Fire and Steam tells the dramatic story of the people and events that shaped the world's first railway network, one of the most impressive engineering achievements in history. The opening of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 marked the beginning of the railways' vital role in changing the face of Britain. Fire and Steam celebrates the vision and determination of the ambitious Victorian pioneers who developed this revolutionary transport system and the navvies who cut through the land to enable a country-wide network to emerge. The rise of the steam train allowed goods and people to circulate around Britain as never before, stimulating the growth of towns and industry, as well many of the facets of modern life, from fish and chips to professional football. From the early days of steam to electrification, via the railways' magnificent contribution in two world wars, the checkered history of British Rail, and the buoyant future of the train, Fire and Steam examines the social and economical importance of the railway and how it helped to form the Britain of today.
Download or read book The Reshaping of British Railways written by British Railway Board and published by Collins. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Reshaping of British Railways is a piece of railway history every dedicated enthusiast will want in their collection. Bradshaw's Guide has given birth to a wave of nostalgia for our Victorian and Edwardian railway systems. The Reshaping of British Railways, another facsimile which will fascinate train buffs, is the document that decimated these systems forever. With the British Rail company's failure, by the early 1960s, to stem the network's huge annual losses, the government turned to Dr Richard Beeching. He was to save money by recommending the cutting of redundant routes and services. His two reports, The Reshaping of British Railways (1963) and The Development of the Major Railway Trunk Routes (1965), were published by the British Railways Board in 1965, and offer a fascinating snapshot of our nation's railways. In the first part of this historic facsimile, Dr Beeching identifies the 2,363 stations and 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of railway line for closure - over 50% of all stations and 30% of route miles. The second part recommends a small number of major remaining routes for significant investment. Well documented nationwide protests resulted in the saving of some stations and lines, but the majority were closed as planned and Beeching's name is to this day associated with the mass closure of railways and the loss of many local services in the period that followed. Now, for the first time, this iconic piece of railway history is available in its entirety, complete with the original tables and maps of routes deemed fit for closure.
Download or read book The Railways written by Simon Bradley and published by Profile Books. This book was released on 2015-09-24 with total page 607 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sunday Times History Book of the Year 2015 Currently filming for BBC programme Full Steam Ahead Britain's railways have been a vital part of national life for nearly 200 years. Transforming lives and landscapes, they have left their mark on everything from timekeeping to tourism. As a self-contained world governed by distinctive rules and traditions, the network also exerts a fascination all its own. From the classical grandeur of Newcastle station to the ceaseless traffic of Clapham Junction, from the mysteries of Brunel's atmospheric railway to the lost routines of the great marshalling yards, Simon Bradley explores the world of Britain's railways, the evolution of the trains, and the changing experiences of passengers and workers. The Victorians' private compartments, railway rugs and footwarmers have made way for air-conditioned carriages with airline-type seating, but the railways remain a giant and diverse anthology of structures from every period, and parts of the system are the oldest in the world. Using fresh research, keen observation and a wealth of cultural references, Bradley weaves from this network a remarkable story of technological achievement, of architecture and engineering, of shifting social classes and gender relations, of safety and crime, of tourism and the changing world of work. The Railways shows us that to travel through Britain by train is to journey through time as well as space.
Download or read book Early Railways written by Stephen Weston and published by Pen and Sword Transport. This book was released on 2019-01-30 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Early Railways, A Guide for the Modeler will encourage and support the modeling of the earliest period of railway history, from the very beginnings of steam traction at the start of the nineteenth century, up to about 1880; a period which for British modelers has scarcely been covered in book form. Over these few decades the railways evolved from something which at the start was markedly different, into a scene that any present-day railwayman would recognize. It is a time with much to commend it from a modelers point of view. The trains were much shorter and therefore easier to fit into the limited space most of us have available as, correspondingly, were the station layouts, especially at the beginning of the period. Modeled at 7mm to the foot scale, a modern steam express would need at least 12 or 13 feet in length and a minimum curve radius of 6 feet, whereas an 1840 express of a loco and a dozen carriages might be no more than about 6 feet long and, behind the scenes at least, able to take curves of no more than 2 or 3 feet radius, as well as being able to instantly catch the eye of the viewer.
Download or read book Early Japanese Railways 1853 1914 written by Dan Free and published by Tuttle Publishing. This book was released on 2012-11-27 with total page 781 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914 is a cultural and engineering history of railway building in Japan during the Meiji era. The importance of early railways in the industrialization of the United States and Europe is a fact all of us are familiar with. To witness the amazing parallel development of the railways in Japan, happening at much the same time as America was connecting its vast hinterland to the East and West coasts, is an eye-opening realization. Early Japanese Railways, tells the fascinating story of the rise of Japanese rail amidst a period of rapid modernization during Japan's Meiji era. Leaving behind centuries of stagnation and isolation, Japan would emerge into the 20th century as a leading modern industrialized state. The development of the railways was a significant factor in the cultural and technological development of Japan during this pivotal period. Free's rare photographic and historical materials concerning Japan's early railways, including a print showing the miniature steam engine brought to Japan by Admiral Perry aboard his "Black Ships" to demonstrate American superiority, combine to form a richly detailed account that will appeal to students of Japanese history and railway buffs alike. This one-of-a-kind book, Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914, illuminates for non-Japanese-speaking readers the early history of Japanese railroads and in the process the fascinating story of Japan's prewar industrial modernization. Anyone interested in train history or model trains will find this book a fascinating read.
Download or read book The Later Years of British Rail 1980 1995 The North of England and Scotland written by Patrick Bennett and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2017-08-15 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A nostalgic look back at a time of great change on Britain's railways in the north of England and Scotland.
Download or read book Great British Railway Journeys written by Charlie Bunce and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2011-04-04 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Sunday Times Bestseller A glorious insight into Britain over the last 150 years – its history, landscape and people – from the window of Britain’s many and magnificent railway journeys.
Download or read book Railways and Trains written by Caroline Young and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: -- A fascinating insight into how things were made and developed through the ages-- Full-color maps, diagrams and cutaway sections
Download or read book Holding the Line written by Chris Austin and published by . This book was released on 2018-02 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Regional Railways Story written by Gordon Pettitt and published by . This book was released on 2015-08-31 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gordon Pettitt, former Managing Director of Regional Railways and the last General Manager of BR's Southern Region, writes the inside story of the history of the third passenger sector of British Rail with insights from other leading personnel in the industry at the time.
Download or read book The Times History of Britain s Railways written by Julian Holland and published by Times Books. This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Follow the development, decline and later revival of Britain s iconic railways with bestselling railway author Julian Holland. Discover the fascinating history of our remarkable railway heritage through expert commentary, stunning photographs and archive material from a lifetime of railway research."
Download or read book History of Rail Transport in Great Britain written by and published by PediaPress. This book was released on with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A History of British Rail Engineering Limited written by Richard Marks and published by Pen and Sword Transport. This book was released on 2024-07-04 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1970, British Railways Board established a new subsidiary company to take over the design, manufacture and maintenance of its rolling stock. British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) was born. The company drove a new era of rail technology and this new company history tells the dazzling story of BREL from its humble beginnings up until its sale in 1992 during the controversial privatisation of Britain’s railways. The company’s work in designing the iconic new trains that would take Britain’s railways into a new era is examined alongside its relationship with subcontractors and private manufacturers, as well as its tumultuous relationship with British Railways Board. BREL’s struggles to deal with the legacy of the outdated and obsolete stock and infrastructure it inherited are examined in the light of new research. BREL’s little known success as an international exporter of British designed and manufactured trains is explored fully. The company’s heyday as a leading-edge technology manufacturer and its relationship with British Railways Research Division left not only a history of iconic trains but a legacy which is still with us on today’s modern railway.
Download or read book The Early History of Railway Tunnels written by Hubert Pragnell and published by Pen and Sword Transport. This book was released on 2024-08-30 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To the early railway traveller, the prospect of travelling to places in hours rather than days hitherto was an inviting prospect, however a journey was not without its fears as well as excitement. To some, the prospect of travelling through a tunnel without carriage lighting, with smoke permeating the compartment and the confined noise was a horror of the new age. What might happen if we broke down or crashed into another train in the darkness? To others it was exciting, with the light from the footplate flickering against the tunnel walls or spotting the occasional glimpses of light from a ventilation shaft. To the directors of early railway companies, planning a route was governed by expense and the most direct way. Avoiding hills could add miles but tunnelling through them could involve vast expense as the Great Western Railway found at Box and the London and Birmingham at Kilsby. Creating a cutting as an alternative was also costly not only in labour and time, but also in compensation for landowners, who opposed railways on visual and social grounds having seen their land divided by canals. Construction involved millions of bricks or blocks of stone for sufficiently thick walls to withstand collapse. However, the entrance barely seen from the carriage window might be an impressive Italianate arch as at Primrose Hill, or a castellated portal worthy of the Middle Ages as at Bramhope. This book sets out to tell the story of tunnelling in Britain up to about 1870, when it was a question of burrowing through earth and rock with spade and explosive powder, with the constant danger of collapse or flooding leading to injury and death. It uses contemporary accounts, from the dangers of railway travel by Dickens to the excitement of being drawn through the Liverpool Wapping Tunnel by the young composer Mendelssoln. It includes descriptions from early railway company guide books, newspapers and diaries. It also includes numerous photographs and colored architectural elevations from railway archives.
Download or read book Red for Danger written by L. T. C. Rolt and published by History Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A classic work that must be included in the library of any railway enthusiast
Download or read book Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies written by Christopher Awdry and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Between the success of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825 and the grouping of the railways 100 years later, the railway map of Britain grew into a complex network of some 200 independent railway companies which are detailed in this book together with family trees.
Download or read book British Rail Scene written by Andy Sparks and published by History Press. This book was released on 2017-03 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking railway photographs and capturing an age of impressive locomotives and atmospheric stations is a pastime that the age of steam passed down through generations, even after its own decline in favour of diesel and electric traction. It was certainly one that avid teenage trainspotter Andy Sparks sought to take up, emulating the work of prized 1960s railway photographer Colin T. Gifford. But by the 1970s, when Andy's camera was at the ready and after Beeching's axe had come down on the British railway network, modernisation and rationalisation were rapidly sweeping away the vestiges of the previous age, and dereliction and decay intertwined much of what could be seen. Desperate to capture the scene, Andy took thousands of photographs from 1972 until the early 1980s, and his images beautifully convey the nostalgic, gritty years of that era of change on Britain's railways. From his lens to the pages of this book, this is a unique look at an oft-overlooked period of British railway history.
