Lightmoor Press

Revised and enlarged edition of Neil Parkhouse' Gloucestershire Railways volume 1 covering  West Gloucester and the Wye Valley Lines
Incorporating pages of additional material and colour photographs which have become available since the publication of the first edition.
Written and produced by respected Gloucestershire and Forest-of-Dean railway and industry historian Neil Parkhouse this is the first volume in an on-going British Railway History in Colour series covering Gloucester and routes to the west and south west of the city towards Wales.

The county of Gloucestershire was once served by a maze of railway lines, many of which have long been closed. Fortunately, the scenery and differing railway architecture attracted the attention of a number of photographers many of whom began working with colour transparencies. This collection of over 500 colour images is supported with maps, tickets, Working Timetable extracts and other ephemera, to paint a picture of the railways of West Gloucestershire and the Wye Valley as they existed over fifty years ago. The aim has been to show the infrastructure – stations, signal boxes, goods yard, engine sheds – which has been lost, as much as the trains and their motive power. Along the way, some of the other locations which were once railway served – such as docks, quarries and industrial works – are also illustrated.

Routes covered are Gloucester to Chepstow, Gloucester to Hereford, Ross-on-Wye to Monmouth, Monmouth to Pontypool Road and to Chepstow, plus the Llanthony branch to the 'GWR side' of Gloucester docks and the Ledbury branch.
 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

British Railways History in Colour volume 8 covering the Western Region lines in Warwickshire between Fenny Compton and Birmingham Snow Hill.
Enjoy the sights of this busy GWR main line in the last decade of steam – plus the iconic Blue Pullman and a few early diesels – and all in glorious colour!
Authored by Andrew Britton. 304 pages 275x215mm printed on gloss art paper. Casebound with printed board covers.

Lightmoor Press BR Steam in Dean - The Photographs of Ben Ashworth edited by Ian Pope

Pannier tanks and stunning scenery make an unmissable combination in Ben Ashworth's photographs of the last days of steam in the Forest of Dean.

BR Steam in Dean has been out of print for a few years and a reprint (2017) is a welcome return.Ben Ashworth's superb photography documenting the end of steam in Gloucestershire is always a delight to study for the detail and atmosphere. This book presents a selection of images focusing on railways, trains and rail traffic set in the scenery of the Forest of Dean.

A snapshot of the Forest before the end of the era of coal mining and steam locomotives which will be of interest to local historians, railway enthusiasts and local residents alike.

Ben Ashworth & Ian Pope. 80 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, perfect bound with card covers.

By the mid 1850s, Shrewsbury had become an important railway centre and several proposals were made to link the county town to the Welsh coast. In addition to passenger traffic, the coal, lead and stone mining district to the west of Shrewsbury, whilst not large, offered steady traffic, and so a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool was promoted locally.
96 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, card covers.

Lightmoor Press Great Western Steam 1934-1949 - Photographs by Normal Lockett (Mike Arlett & David Lockett) 9781899889464
For this second volume of Norman Lockett’s photographs, we move to his favourite railway, the Great Western and, in particular, the main line between Bristol and Plymouth.
Beginning in the mid 1930s, Norman captured the GWR’s last great era, before the Second World War and then Nationalisation brought to an end nearly 125 years of company history. Living in Plymouth and later back in Weston-super-Mare (where he was born), he often chose picturesque locations which seem not to have been frequented by other photographers. He captured a fascinating array of GW main line workings, from the top link expresses down to the humblest of auto workings, along with numerous freight trains and the occasional branch line service. All but a few of his photographs were taken on glass plate negatives, Norman’s preferred medium, to which we have returned for the scanning process.
With text and extended captions being provided by Mike Arlett (along with additional coaching stock information from John Lewis), GWR enthusiasts will find much to delight herein, whilst disciples of railway photography will appreciate the work of a ‘master’ of his art. In the present day era, when the next train along is likely to look exactly the same as the previous one, we can all wallow in an age when locomotive types were in such abundance that surprises were always just around the corner, when services were often comprised of whatever carriages were available, or goods working made up of a huge variety of wagons.
In short, sit lineside with Norman and just watch the trains go by!

160 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper with colour laminated printed board covers.

Lightmoor Press British Railways The First 25 Years Volume 4 The South West Somerset & Devon br25yrsvol4
British Railways The First 25 Years Volume 4: The South West Somerset & Devon J. Allan and A. Murray

The fourth volume in the British Railways First 25 Years series, this volume explores the main lines and branches in the South West of England. From Taunton on the Western and Seaton Junction on the Southern westwards through Somerset into Devon and then along the Exeter to Plymouth main lines, together with the South devon branches of the Western region. (Plymouth and the Southerns' North Devon lines will be included with Volume 5.)
The atmospheric photographs cover steam, diesel and electric traction, express, freight and humble shunting engines. Everything from ‘Kings’ and ‘Castles’ to ‘Battle of Britain’ and ‘West Country’ classes, as well as their early diesel replacements, including the Western Region’s short-lived Hydraulics. There are oddities too including the Southern’s Exeter banking engines. There is a mix of action and depot pictures, as well as plenty of unusual and ‘quirky’ shots, backed up by extensive and informative captions.
208 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

This is the seventh in a series of books, depicting the first 25 years of British Railways with many previously unpublished photographs.
Starting at Paddington we follow the main line to the west out as far as Langley, visiting the servicing point at Ranelagh Bridge, Old Oak Common MPD, and the secondary depot at Southall. We then travel the branches to Greenford, Staines West and Uxbridge Vine Street. The West London Line journey begins at Clapham Junction, crosses the Thames at Chelsea and then we study the passenger and freight traffic passing through Kensington Olympia, worked in the late 1960s by more than ten different modern traction classes.

This tenth volume in the British Railways The First 25 Years series covers Mid Wales, featuring former GWR, Cambrian Railway and LNWR routes.
Starting from Ruabon the GWR line is followed via Bala (junction) to Blaenau Ffestiniog, then onward to Barmouth and north to Pwllheli. South from Barmouth the Cambrian route is followed Dovey Junction and on to Aberystwyth and the narrow gauge Vale of Rheidol. Returning from Dovey Junction east through Machynlleth to Moat Lane Junction the Mid-Wales Railway is taken to Three Cocks Junction meeting the L&NWR Central Wales line whicch is covered from Craven Arms south to Llandovery. Resuming from Moat Lane Junction the Welshpool & Llanfair features before the final return to Oswestry, headquarters of the Cambrian Railways with a visit to the depot and works.
J. Allan and A. Murray. 208 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

Gloucester Docks: An Historical Guide Hugh Conway-Jones

A useful visitors and historical guide to Gloucester's historic docks by the acknowledged authority on Gloucester Docks. Illustrated with historic maps and photographs this guide is ideal for exploring the quays and history of the dock area, much of which has been redeveloped in recent years.

This is the story of coal merchant and carrier James Smart of Chalford and his associates in the 1880s and 1890s. Regularly using the Stroudwater and Thames & Severn canals, Smart’s narrowboats also traded up the River Severn to the Midlands and over the Cotswolds to the Thames Valley and Wiltshire, whilst his barges traded down the Severn and around the upper Bristol Channel. The story is based on over one thousand surviving letters, postcards and telegrams written to James Smart by his employees, his suppliers and his customers, and these have been linked up with related voyages recorded in the tonnage books of the relevant canals. The story gives a wonderful insight into the lives of Victorian barge and boatmen, and shows how James Smart coped with managing his far-flung business in the days before the telephone.
162 pages. 210x210mm. Printed on gloss art paper, card covers.

Volume 5 from the Severn and Wye Railway history focuses on Lyndey Docks and its' railways.
Lydney was the main port loading coal from the Forest of Dean onto coastal vessel;s for shipment to Bristol, round the coast of the West Country and to Ireland.
208 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

This is the sixth volume in the series of books researched and written by the late Harold Bowtell describing the temporary contractor’s railways of all gauges used in the construction of Britain’s water reservoirs. This one covers the whole of South Wales and in editing the original manuscript Geoffrey Hill has been careful to retain the late author’s style and format used in the previous volumes. Published by our friends in the Industrial Locomotive Society we are distributing it to retail and trade customers on their behalf.

A compenium of stories and delights relating to the Malmesbury branch railway
Author Mikle Fenton has been researching the history of this GWR branch for nearly half a century. His 1990 publication received acclaim for the thoroughness and depth of the approach. Far from being the comple story of this 61/2 mile Wiltshire railway, it opened fresh avenues of research, elicited contact from folk with more photographs and memories and highlighted topics deserving of further attention. Intriguingly, it led Mike to interview many more people who had a story to tell. This work containing all new material is the fruits of a further thirty-two research.
200 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper with colour laminated board covers.

Volume 5 in Neil Parkhouses' British Railways History in Colour Gloucestershire Railways series covers the GWR Gloucester to Swindon route. Just like the Midland Lines books this route has such a wealth on interest and history that two volumes are needed, the first, volume 5A, provides a detailed look at the GWR station in Gloucester and the adjacent Horton Road locomotive shed. All three arms of the Gloucester triangle are covered before departing south towards Standish Junction where we take the GWR route through Stonehouse to Stroud.
Author : Neil Parkhouse. 320 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

Volume 5 in Neil Parkhouses' British Railways History in Colour Gloucestershire Railways series covers the GWR Gloucester to Swindon route. Just like the Midland Lines books this route has such a wealth on interest and history that two volumes are needed, this second, volume 5B, picks up at Stroud and follows the line over Sapperton summit to Swindon, including the a Cirencester and Tetbury branches.
Author : Neil Parkhouse. 376 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

Volume 4 of the Gloucestershire Railways series by Neil Parkhouse has been split into two parts.
This volume will cover the Midland / Bristol and Gloucester Railway route south from Gloucester Eastgate to Stonehouse and the Stroud and Nailsworth branch. The Midland side of the Gloucester docks via the High Orchard and New Docks branches are included.
275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

Volume 4 of the Gloucestershire Railways series by Neil Parkhouse has been split into two parts.
This volume picks up the Midland Bristol & Gloucester 'Charfield route' at Stonehouse and follows the line to Westerleigh, including the branches to Dursley, Sharpness and Thornbury.
275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

Supplement for Gloucestershire Railways volume 1 First edition
This supplement contains 48 additional pages and photographs added to the second edition of Neil Parkhouses' Gloucestershire Railways volume 1 covering West Gloucestershire and the Wye Valley lines. The supplement is being produced to allow purchasers of the first edition to obtain the added material without purchasing the new edition of the book.
48 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

Another selection of photographs from the Norma Lockett archives featuring trains on the Somerset and Dorset line from the 1930s through the closure ion 1966, captioned by Mike Arlett.

192 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper with colour laminated printed board covers.

For over five hundred years the trows were a common sight on the River Severn, its tributaries and esturial waters, venturing also up the Wye, into the Somerset levels, along the canals of Gloucestershire and to numerous little ports all around the coast of Wales.
Photographs in these pages show examples of these distinctive wooden sailing craft at places as far apart as Ilfracombe, Ironbridge and Caernarvon, whilst the stirring trip of the 'Wich' barge Hastings, to France with salt bringing back a cargo of gilt furniture, is recounted in detail. Colin Green has gathered here a wealth of information on the trows, tracing their possible origin, their development as navigations and the economies of trade changed, how they were constructed, the cargoes they carried, and the ports and waterways they frequented. This highly readable account is further enlivened with tales and information gleaned from the last surviving few who worked on or remember the trows and, as such, this history has been completed none too soon – in a few short years it is unlikely anyone will be left who saw a laden trow in full sail. The skills involved with building them and in sailing them in the dangerous waters of the tidal Severn are also covered in detail.
Today, the only surviving trow is Spry, almost totally rebuilt by master shipwright Alan Williams but a testament to the more than 2,000 examples which were constructed over the centuries. Unfortunately, it is unlikely she will ever set sail again, as she now resides out of the water at Ironbridge Museum. This book, it is hoped, will provide a fitting tribute to the trows, the last examples of which survived in use as dumb barges until the early 1960s, and also to those tough, skillful but often perfidious characters who sailed them, the West Country trowmen.

180 pages. 215x270mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with dustjacket.

The product of many years of research by author Chris Sambrook this book details the many railway carriage and wagon building firms for which Great Britain was once noted. Not only the major builders, such as Charles Roberts, Gloucester RC&W, Birmingham RC&W and Hurst Nelson covered but so are many dozen of the smaller businesses, some almost one-man bands.

Gwyn Briwnant Jones present a small selection of photograhs by Ifor Higgon, who recorded over 1,000 railway scenes between 1924 and 1967. This period sees many changes, from the Cambrian Railway soon after grouping through the Great Western period to the end of regular steam traction on British Railways.
An interesting record of the golden era of British steam set against stunning North Wales mountain and coastal scenery.
72 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, card covers.

192 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper with colour laminated board covers.

If it were open still today the line from Bala over the Arenig Mountains to Blaenau Ffestiniog would have been one of Britains' great scenic railway journeys. It can be sampled by road today, but you will need to imagine the defiant bark of a GWR pannier or prairie echoing among the mountains, steam towering from the chimney as another trainload of tourists crosses the windswept Snowdonia foothills in warmth and comfort.
Not for many a day will the traveller forget that mountain ride.
So read the description of the journey along the twenty-five mile Bala branch in the GWR’s 1924 publicity booklet Welsh Mountain Railways.

Running through the rugged Arenig Mountains in North Wales, the journey by train from Bala to Blaenau Ffestiniog was one of unique character.
Leaving Bala Junction the line crossed the River Dee to Bala, before heading north west along the Tryweryn valley, past Frongoch with its unique but short-lived Royal Welsh whisky distillery, climbing past the granite quarry at Arenig, 1,000 feet up in the shadow of Arenig Fawr before reaching the windswept 1,200 feet summit at Cwm Prysor. The line then descended towards Blaenau Ffestiniog, clinging to a rock ledge along the spectacular valley of the Afon Prysor. Passing Trawsfynydd, with its lake and once busy military station serving the nearby artillery training camp, the line turned north past Maentwrog Road, then followed the route of the former narrow gauge Festiniog & Blaenau Railway through Festiniog, Manod and Tan-y- Manod before reaching the terminus – the slate capital of Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Authors Martin F. Williams & Derek J. Lowe
208 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

A detailed and extensively illustrated work on the history, geography and working of the GWR Well branch, formed from the Whitham to Wells east Somerset Railway and the Cheddar Valley & Yatton Railway which both linked with the Somerset & Dorset Railway at Wells.
Author Richard Harman. 272 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, hardback with printed board covers.

By 1950 most of Britains' public narrow gauge railways had closed or were on the verge of bankruptcy while industrial use was steadily reducing due to changing demands for building materials or being replaced by trucks. Railways enthusiast Patrick Whitehouse travelled far and wide to photograph many of the narrow gauge lines and systems before they were lost, as well as taking an active role in the development of the tourist lines, He compiled his seminal Narrow Gauge Album in 1957, bringing many of these wonderful but obscure railways to the attention of thousands of other enthusiasts. Now, his son Michael has delved in to the family and other archives to compile a similar album for the 21st century.
208 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

By the 1960s the majority of the British narrow gauge railways had closed. Luckily some lines had been reborn, transformed from carrying coal, minerals and slate to conveying tourists.
This book covers the remaining industrial narrow gauge lines and the changing scene of the voluntary-run preserved railways as infrastructure was adapted to meet the needs of the growing number of passengers.
224 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

The second in a series of books depicting the first twenty-five years of British Railways which will eventually cover the whole of Great Britain.
This volume looks at the West Midlands, starting at Rugby and following the two main ex-L&NWR routes as far as Stafford on the West Coast main line, and to Coventry, Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton. The former Midland Railway lines from Burton to Bromsgrove via Birmingham and the Camp Hill line are covered in some depth. There are extensive chapters on New Street station and the GWR’s Snow Hill station, together with their associated suburban routes.
The less photographed lines in the Black Country, operated by both the London Midland and Western regions, were full of industrial interest and contrast with one of the steam era’s favourite locations, the Lickey Incline. The picture selection ranges from ‘Coronations’, ‘Princesses’ and ‘Royal Scots’ on the West Coast main line and ‘Kings’ and ‘Castles’ on the Western Region expresses, to the humble freight engines trudging through the industrial areas. There are early diesel prototypes on the LMR, the newly introduced DMUs on the suburban lines, the glamorous ‘Blue Pullman’, gleaming new ‘Western’ hydraulics and the short lived ‘Lion’ prototype. More mundane diesel classes that worked the area after dieselisation are of course covered, as they took over from the ailing steam classes. There are several special features, including the 1960s rebuilding of New Street station and the journey of No. 46235 City of Birmingham through the city streets to the old Science Museum.
There is a good mix of action and depot pictures, along with plenty of unusual and ‘quirky’ shots, all described in comprehensive captions.

240 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

This is the sixth in a series of books, depicting the first 25 years of British Railways, which will eventually cover the whole of Great Britain. The photographs span the early British Railways era through to the pre-TOPS diesels, although the emphasis is on that interesting transitional period of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
This volume covers the Southern Region lines in the central London area, from the terminus stations approximately to the edge of the area bounded by the South London Line, around four miles out. We visit the three principal motive power depots serving the stations, Nine Elms, Stewarts Lane and Bricklayers Arms, before finishing with an extensive spotting session at Clapham Junction. This was the most complex and high density network of lines in the country and this is reflected in the photographs selected.

Lightmoor Press Private Owner Wagons of Bristol and District

The third volume from Ian Pope covering private owner wagons of Gloucestershire, extending south from the Badminton route into the City of Bristol. This includes the industrial areas around Warmley, the northern edge of the Somerset coal field and Avonmouth, with its docks and chemical plants.

The majority of wagons featured are engaged in the coal business, however the City of Bristol had diverse businesses, including chemicals, pottery and fireworks, with wagons for these companies being found in this volume. Wherever possible a breif description and history of the wagon owners business is given.

128 pages, 150+ illustrations and maps. Hardback.

Private Owner Wagons of Somerset Richard Kelham
This volume is intended to complement the series of books by Ian Pope on the wagons of Bristol, Gloucester and the Forest of Dean. The book studies all the known wagon operators in the historic county of Somerset. This area was ‘blessed’, if that is the right word, with a number of extractive industries – principally coal and stone – which in turn meant there were more wagons owned here than in comparable rural counties. Illustrated with over 400 photographs, drawings, maps and items of ephemera, this volume enumerates several thousand wagons, belonging mostly to colliery companies, stone quarries, and coal factors and merchants, in use over the eighty years from 1860 to 1940. As well as identifying the owners, the opportunity has been taken to flesh out the people and businesses concerned to give an indication not just of the period but also the wider social and historical context in which the wagons were operated. Thus this book will be of interest to social and industrial historians as well as to aficionados of the private owner wagon.

240 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper, casebound with printed board covers.

A recognised authority on Great Western matters the Reverend Canon Brian Arman has been researching the Brunel broad gauge for decades, amassing possibly the largest archive of material and photographs relating to the earliest years of the GWR. This book presents the assembled history the the GWRs first locomotives, ordered by Mr Brunel and made to work through the outstanding managerial and engineering skills of Sir Daniel Gooch.
144 pages A4 size perfect bound with card covers.

Part 2 of the Reverend Canon Brian Arman's definitive work on the locomotives of the Great Western broad gauge presents the 1840 to 1845 period during which Sir Daniel Gooch created a range of highly competent standard locomotive classes. These engines shifted the the Brunel broad gauge Great Western from innovation and experimentation to possessing a range of thoroughly reliable locomotives preeminent in the railway industry.

A definitive account of the 2 ft. gauge railway that served the granite quarries at Cliffe Hill, Leicestershire. Opened in 1896, it was worked by a varied fleet of Bagnall locomotives, later joined by two Sentinel geared locomotives and a Kerr Stuart 0-6-0T. For a period there was also a standard gauge internal system employing two 0-4-0ST of typical contractor's design. Replaced by road haulage in 1948, one standard gauge and two narrow gauge locomotives survive. This new edition coincides with the centenary of one of them, the 2ft. gauge Bagnall 0-4-0ST ISABEL. The book by Maurice H. Billington was originally published in 1974. This new edition has been completely revised and updated by David H. Smith (who has been closely involved with the preservation of the Cliffe Hill loco PETER) and includes new information, photographs and excellent scale drawings.

This volume follows from the authors previous one on the county of Somerset and complements others in the series covering Gloucestershire and the Bristol area. It studies all of the known wagon operators in the county of Wiltshire. This county, unlike Somerset, was not blessed with coal reserves and thus we do not have an abundance of colliery wagons, nor any particularly heavy industry. It did, however, have stone, especially the famed Bath Stone, and so wagons for the numerous quarry companies occupy their own chapter. Illustrated with over 250 photographs, drawings, maps and items of ephemera, this volume gives an excellent social history of the many small businesses, in the main coal factors and coal merchants, over the eighty years from 1860 to 1940.