Prototype Reference Books

This book contains a series of colour photographs taken by author, George Woods, between 1966 and 2019 illustrating diesel powered trains operating around the former Great Western region. Photographs cover the lines out of London Paddington towards Bristol, Wales and the South West, as well as lines throughout southwest England and Wales.

A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units are covered, including the iconic 'Western', 'Warship' and 'Hymek' locomotives commonly associated with the Great Western region. Unfortunately there were problems with all of these classes and all were withdrawn from service by the late 1970s. Other more modern locomotives and units are featured, including many of the new types of trains introduced in the post-privatisation era.

Photographs are presented in two-per-page format, with a detailed caption accompanying each photograph. A short introduction to diesel motive power on the former Western Region is also included.

The first cranes mounted on railway wheels were hand-operated, but by the mid-nineteenth century several builders had fitted steam engines and boilers to enhance lifting capabilities. Though initially these machines were not self-propelled, but merely portable. By the 1860s self-propelled cranes were offered and gradually designs were developed for more specialised uses, such as dealing with accidents or for quarrying.

A crane locomotive is a conventional steam locomotive, built or subsequently fitted with a crane jib. The first example was a locomotive converted by the London & North Western Railway in 1866. Other railways followed with their own conversions, and three main line companies even built a small number new. These were all mainly employed for shunting and loading in workshop areas. Private firms also designed and built specialist crane locomotives for use in heavy industry, such as shipyards and steelworks, where they proved to be extremely versatile, with the last examples working into the early 1970s.

While over 200 were built in the UK, for both domestic service and export, these fascinating machines have been largely overlooked by the railway historian and enthusiast. Crane Locomotives traces the history of these unique locomotives and is well-illustrated with black & white photographs and diagrams. 96 pages.

By Paul Dorney. The railway lines of the heavily industrialised Black Country were of considerable commercial importance to the Great Western Railway and its successor, the Western Region of British Railways. Despite this importance, little has previously been published concerning the railway landscape of industrial North-West Worcestershire and South-East Staffordshire.

Black Country Steam: Western Region Operations 1948–1967 seeks to redress that previous lack of attention, by presenting a significant selection of over 200 hitherto unpublished photographs, principally taken by locally-based enthusiasts. The images, which cover the period from nationalisation to the ultimate demise of steam, are all accompanied by informative captions. They depict a wide variety of steam locomotives and the diverse traffic generated by the local industry, via the sidings and yards that served it.

The book follows each of the former Great Western routes through the region in a logical manner and contains informative introductions to each line. All 30 stations within the area are featured and coverage is also given to local locomotive running sheds and maintenance facilities.

Most of the featured lines have now closed, as has much of the heavy industry in the area. In many respects the landscape today is unrecognisable from that of the days of steam, but it is hoped this book will prove a significant historical record and will rekindle memories of a landscape now lost forever. 144 pages. Hardback.

In the years before the privatisation of British Railways, the Provincial Sector (later Regional Railways), became responsible for local and secondary train services and initiated the refurbishment of 31 Class 37 locomotives. These were fitted with train heating equipment and designated Class 37/4 and were used to support the shortfall of DMU trainsets at the time. Their initial task was to work services on the Scottish lines radiating from Inverness and on the West Highland Lines, with a small batch based in Wales to operate Cambrian line services and trains from Cardiff to Shrewsbury and beyond.

An album of high-quality colour and black & white photographs taken from the collection of photographer Geoff Plumb of railways of the former Western Region, taken during the 1960s.

The 1960s was a decade where steam was rapidly being replaced by diesel traction, with steam being totally eradicated by 1968. Photographs in this book cover the extent of the former Great Western Railway, featuring locations from London Paddington towards Devon and Cornwall, as well as locations around the southwest and Wales.

Each photograph is presented in one-per-page format with a detailed caption included at the foot of each page. Hardback. 176 pages.

Although in the late 1970s they were frowned upon by many for replacing a number of loco-hauled services, for 40 years the High-Speed Train (HST) was the mainstay of express services for many train operators in the UK.
It was in the former Western Region of BR that they first made their mark in service and they were on duty there until 2019 when they were withdrawn from frontline express duties.

Illustrated with over 190 colour photographs, this book details the varied Western Region locations, some off the beaten track, where the HSTs could be seen operating. 96 pages.

Using the extensive photographic archive of Rhys Jones, Waterloo to the West Country takes the reader on a journey from London to Penzance in the days of steam, predominantly using colour photography from the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Following the former L&SWR line from Waterloo to Exeter, Bulleid’s Battle of Britain, Merchant Navy and West Country classes feature heavily, as well as newer British Railways Standards, other Southern Railway designs and some of the survivors from the pre-Grouping era.

Beyond Exeter, via the route along the Dawlish sea wall and over the south Devon banks, Great Western Railway classes are in dominance. Some of the long-lost West Country branches and the “Withered Arm” of the Southern are visited along the way.

All the photographs are accompanied by extended captions revealing detailed histories of many of the locomotives featured, and further anecdotal information. For completeness, in a few locations the archive images are supplemented by more recent images of steam operation. A4 size. 144 pages.

A unique collection of unpublished photographs from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s covering railways around Worcester.

Robert ‘Ellis’ James-Robertson lived in Worcester from the mid-1950s and travelled around the country, building-up a large railway archive.

This book of mainly unpublished colour and black & white photographs has been created entirely from his collection within a 35-mile radius of Worcester. It will appeal to railway enthusiasts, modellers and those with an interest in local history.

The period covered is from the mid-1950s through to the mid-1960s; steam is the predominant traction throughout together with occasional shots of early diesel power. Coverage includes parts of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, plus the Birmingham area.

Each photograph is accompanied by a caption and an introduction to Worcester's railways is also included. 128 pages.

The Later Years of British Rail 1980-1995: Freight Special records a period of enormous change and adaptation, and the story is told here by the authors, Patrick Bennett and Peter Lovell, using the photographs they took over this period.

1980 to 1995 was an extraordinary time for the railways of Britain, especially in the freight sector. With British Rail still controlling all aspects of the railways in 1980 there was not a great deal of change around. Hundreds of collieries were still working and freight traffic was still abundant, with marshalling yards active and many branch lines still operating. In the early 1980s Sectorisation arrived, and in 1983 the freight division was separated from the passenger side and given a new livery. Further division occurred in 1987 with the freight group being divided into seven different sectors.

As the eighties progressed, the freight sector was constantly changing, new locomotives were introduced, and the older types started to disappear. The mixed freight train became a thing of the past, but new traffic flows developed, particularly in containers and aggregates. The coal sector was in steady decline and branch lines became disused. In the early nineties three new freight companies were created in anticipation of privatisation, Loadhaul, Mainline and Transrail. However, when privatisation itself finally arrived all the companies were taken over by the same American company and merged to form the English, Welsh and Scottish Railways.

The majority of the 180 colour photographs are displayed in two-per-page format and they are all accompanied by a detailed caption. 96 pages.