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50 YEARS OF RAILWAYS AROUND BRISTOL Paul Stanford
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 169 X
238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-66-9 • RELEASE DATE:
SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £30.00 • PAGES: 160 • BIC: WGF WQN Telling the story of Bristol area railways over the last 50 years, this publication is lavishly illustrated, including many photos taken by rail employees that give a unique insight to railways around Bristol and the surrounding area. Included are well known locations but also railway byways and those serving industrial Avonmouth, now long lost. Also with photographic insights taken at train-care and maintenance depots, industrial plants and within signal boxes in the area; which still exist or have long now disappeared. The book charts the decline and resurrection of railways around Bristol and its surrounding area, coming right up-to date with latest electrification works, coming from Bristol Area resignalling in 1970. Featuring relevant extracts of official rail publications including unique archive material and a unique set of maps over each decade recording the changes to the railways around Bristol to give a unique insight and record of railways around the city and surrounding area where rail was and is key to its success.
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A TRANSPORT TRAVELOGUE OF BRITAIN BY ROAD, RAIL AND WATER 1948 - 1971 Cedric Greenwood
The Combined Volume of a set of 6 additions to the best-selling Recollections series taking us on a nostalgic tour of Britain during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Cedric Greenwood takes us on a photographic journey from Cornwall to Scotland with a wide selection of atmospheric shots taken during those three decades. Using the means of transport available including buses, trams, trains and ships, we see the street scenes and life as it was back then. The fashions, the vehicles, the shops, the industries, the landscape and much, much more are frozen in the moment and captured by Cedric’s camera for us to enjoy 40, 50, 60 years later!
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-05-8 • RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 12TH, 2019 • PRICE: £34.00 • PAGES: 288 • BIC: WG About the author: Cedric Greenwood, during his career as a journalist and bus driver and his retirement in north Norfolk. His previous books have been about architecture, Merseyside, tramways and railways. All but one of his books (South port in the Age of the Tram) are illustrated, mainly or entirely, by his own photographs- augmented in this travelogue and in his Merseyside book by some of his father’s pictures, including this front cover, credited to the late George Greenwood. Cedric has also produced a series of CDs from his tape recordings of BR steam,tramcars, buses and paddle steamers in 1967-87. This book is the result of his transport interests and travels throughout Britain by bicycle, hitch-hiking, bus, tram, train and ferry. Cedric went to junior schools at Hove and Oxford and boarded at Magdalen College School while living at Wallasey and Herne Bay, commuting by steam train. After two years’ National Service in the RAF, he worked for a total of 32 years as a reporter and feature writer for the Kent Messenger at Canterbury, the Lancashire Evening Post at Kendal, the Southport Visiter and as reporter, photographer and editor of the Campbeltown Courier covering Kintyre. He owned, restored and drove a 1951 Wallasey bus for 30 years and, with his PSV driving licence, he ‘changed horses’ at age 53 to be a bus driver for a total of 18 years on Chester city and country services and finally on Sanders Services in rural north Norfolk, retiring at age 70. In the 1990s he was also a licensed conductor at the National Tramway Museum. His Wallasey bus is now in Birkenhead transport museum and still carrying passengers. Now aged 81, Cedric is still writing about transport, architecture and industry, cycle touring, teaching line dancing and is the Norfolk branch convenor and reporter for the Tramway & Light Railway Society.
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BRITISH STEAM IN COLOUR 1957 - 1975:
A PERSONAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE COLOUR SLIDE COLLECTION OF NORMAN HARROP Graham Nicholas • FORMAT: HARDBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-61-4
• RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 8TH, 2021 • PRICE: £25.00 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF WQN Graham Nicholas traces the journey of trainspotter and rail photographer Norman Harrop through the 1950s golden age of steam and beyond. The story begins during steam’s Indian Summer from 1957-1960 when Norman captured the glory of the traditional steam railway in his colour slides. The winds of change were blowing from 1961 to 1964 as Norman recorded early production diesels and electrification schemes beginning to displace top link locos onto secondary workings. He regularly travelled to the four corners of the network, to the South West, Scotland and the North East, photographing the scenes he encountered along the way. During the period of 1965-1968 the frenetic urge to record the passing of the steam locomotive was gaining momentum. Despite the ever more depressing scenes, Norman stuck with it to create his own poignant record of the final run down of steam. Located in the North West, Norman was one of several railway enthusiasts who congregated at Stockport Edgeley shed, leading to the successful campaign to save Stanier Jubilee 45596 ‘Bahamas’. The story of its entry into preservation was comprehensively captured on Norman’s camera. From 1969 to 1975, Norman’s preservation career with ‘Bahamas’ continued with the creation of the Dinting Railway Centre, together with capturing scenes at other preservation centres and early mainline preserved locos. The book concludes with the legendary 1975 Shildon cavalcade where Norman had a privileged view behind the scenes.
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BUSES, COACHES AND RECOLLECTIONS: 1979 Henry Conn
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-85794-574-4 • RELEASE DATE: MARCH 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £8.00 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGCF The wonderful buses and coaches of 1979 are showcased in this fully illustrated volume. It was an eventful year which saw the end of the ‘Winter of Discontent’, the Royal Navy’s withdrawal from Malta, the opening of the Jubilee Line and Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister. Among the vehicles pictured are rare and unusual models as well as types that will be familiar to older readers. This series is intended to build into a collection placing road transport in the context of key events, thus providing an historical perspective of travel in times past.
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BURE VALLEY RAILWAY (2ND EDITION) Gerry Balding & Andrew Barnes
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-85794-580-5
• RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £6.00 • PAGES: 48 • BIC: WGF WQN The 15in-gauge Bure Valley Railway can trace its history all the way back to 1880, when its trackbed was used by the former East Norfolk Railway branch from Wroxham to Aylsham in Norfolk. Passenger traffic ceased in 1952 and the line finally closed to freight in 1982, with the tracks being lifted in 1984 – but two years later plans were laid to revive it and after much hard work it reopened as a 15in-gauge line in 1990. In Bure Valley Railway Recollections, authors Gerry Balding and Andrew Barnes trace the line’s early history before telling the story of its rebirth and the subsequent struggle to keep it alive during a difficult first decade. They also take a look back at the line’s last two decades of success and stability, following its acquisition by a small group of railway enthusiasts from a business background in 2001. Bure Valley Railway Recollections 2nd Edition by Gerry Balding and Andrew Barnes is a celebration of the passion and perseverance that made the Bure Valley Railway the successful and much beloved line that it is today.
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• FORMAT: HARDBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-59-1 • RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 16TH, 2020 • PRICE: £25.00 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGCF Walter Alexander was registered on May 23, 1924 and for many years was the largest bus company in Scotland. For more than 30 years the operations were divided into three areas – Southern, Fife and Northern. The area of the Southern company was substantially that developed by the Alexander company. The basis of Alexander’s development in Fife was the General Motor Carrying Company Limited of Kirkcaldy and Wemyss & District Tramways Company Limited, which were purchased by Alexander in March 1931. In Kirkcaldy the operating rights within the town were purchased by Alexander, and Corporation tramcars were replaced by Alexander buses on May 15, 1931. In Dunfermline Simpson’s & Forrester’s Limited was absorbed on April 1, 1938. The area of the Northern company came into Alexander hands from 1930 onwards with the takeover of services operated by the Scottish General Omnibus Group. Also acquired were the Northern General Services of Arbroath and the bus services of the London & North Eastern Railway Company in Aberdeen. At the end of 1949 Scottish Motor Traction services around Dundee were transferred to Alexander, and on March 1, 1950 James Sutherland of Peterhead was transferred to the company. This pictorial book covers all three areas with views taken in 1955 and 1956, featuring a number of buses from the acquired operators. About the author: Henry Conn writes: My first recollections of public transport were early in 1958 in my home town of Aberdeen. To visit my relations in Garthdee, my family would travel from Mastrick to Union Street on a 22/23 bus and from Union Street we would catch the wonderful streamline trams up Union Street, along Holborn Street to the Bridge of Don Terminus. At the terminus we would board a bus for the onward journey to Garthdee. My interest in buses, trams and trolleybuses expanded and with the acquisition of a camera I started my collection. My family left Aberdeen in 1963, and I followed my dad’s career from Perth, to Whitburn, West Lothian and onwards to Banbury, Swindon and to Oxford in 1974. I left home at this time to join Customs & Excise and continued my travels throughout England until returning to Scotland in 1980 to to study agriculture at college. I progressed from a general farmworker to farm manager by 1992 and then I decided to return to full time studying at Aberdeen University where, after four years of hard work, I graduated in Agriculture with Honours in 1996. I joined SEERAD, Scotland’s Agricultural Department in August 1996, where I remained until transferring to DEFRA, England’s Agricultural Department in May 2000 and through a number of name changes, I work part-time with Natural England as an advisor on environmental schemes. It was my ambition to write transport books and through communication with Peter Townsend in 2010 I meet with Will Adams, in Preston, and in that same year my first transport book was published by Silver Link. Since that euphoric day of seeing my first book published I have had the privilege of having a number of books published by Silver Link. The next book to be published, Walter Alexander’s Buses & Coaches 1955-1956, will be my first hard-backed book with Silver Link, now part of Mortons Books; it has been a burning ambition to write book(s) on Walter Alexander buses and I hope that this first edition will lead to further publications on the subject.
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BY RAIL TO THE MUSIC HALLS David Hindle
This book is designed to appeal to devotees of unashamed nostalgia by combining the golden age of steam and the awesome Victorian music halls and variety theatres of the Edwardian era and early twentieth century. As the railway expanded, theatres and music halls began to stage international performances on a lavish scale, increasingly served by the railway with improved mobility for scenery, costumes, animals and equipment. The coming of the first music halls coincide with railway beginnings and are two of the most thought provoking and important features of nineteenth- century social history.Today variety and music hall survive but only as uncomfortable revivals of the real thing. Moreover, the rebirth of preserved steam locomotives is now of interest to those wanting to experience the magic of the steam age. Throughout this book the author portrays colour photographs of the great Regency, Victorian and Edwardian theatres of Britain, most of which would have featured music hall. Also featured are photographs by leading railway photographers, depicting the glory years of the steam locomotive era. Countless memories have inspired research and provided the stimulation to share a measure of England’s social history.
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-41-6 • RELEASE DATE: JANUSRY 24TH, 2020 • PRICE: £25.00 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF About the author: Gary Morecambe writes: ‘David J. Hindle is an author and social historian with a particular interest in the genre of music hall and the history of the railways. In this, his latest book, he flags up parallels to be drawn between the origins of railways and music hall. This is an original concept, notwithstanding that long before the age of the automobile, it was the railways that conveyed audiences and performers to the music halls that evolved to become variety theatres. I look no further than my father’s experiences to illustrate the point: ‘A second class train ride between Birmingham and Coventry in 1940 is not the most obvious starting point for the best loved double act in British comedy history. World War Two was well underway in 1940, but not for Morecambe and Wise. Fourteen year old Eric Bartholomew and his best friend Ernie Wiseman were travelling that day with my paternal grandmother, Eric’s mum and mentor, Sadie Bartholomew. The star-struck teenagers had been performing in a touring youth theatre as solo acts. As usual the boys were over-excited after the show, and going through their Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy impressions. Sadie, who was trying to sleep, made a suggestion that would change showbiz history for ever. ‘Why don’t you two stop fooling around and put your minds to something else. Why not form a double act of your own?.’ For over twenty years Morecambe and Wise learned their craft in Britain’s variety theatres whilst travelling extensively throughout the country. When variety effectively died and many theatres went permanently dark in the 1950/60s, they switched to television spectaculars, which were enjoyed by millions throughout the world. The profusely illustrated narrative will offer something more than mere reading enjoyment. David’s enthusiasm and expertise on music hall history is unbounded, and, in railway nomenclature, I give this publication the green light.
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EXETER’S RAILWAY David Mitchell
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 238 X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-857944-74-7 • RELEASE DATE: APRIL 1ST, 2022 • PRICE: £25.00 • PAGES: 128 About the author: The author has maintained an interest in railways for sixty years and has been an active photographer for much of this time. Having spent his early years in Cornwall before moving to Devon, he has a particular interest in the railways of the South West and has had many photos published in books and magazines, including contributing more than 25 articles and features to different periodicals. He has also authored or co-authored eleven titles in Silver Link’s long-running British Railways Past and Present series. He has travelled over most of the UK’s surviving railway network from the 1970s and also has a strong interest in the railways of the USA and Canada, and has crossed the Atlantic on fourteen occasions on photographic expeditions to these countries.
Anticipated content will include the following:• A brief history of the coming of the various railways. • A look at each station, including various developments over the years. • Freight yards and traffic. • Engine sheds, types of loco allocated including specimen allocations (mainly 1950s). • Also locos seen during some shed bashes from the 1960s! • Visiting rare locos (including 1948 Loco Exchanges). • Transition from steam to diesel. • Signal boxes, including a look at the work involved in the 1980s re-signalling. • Flooding, and repair/relief work. • Other pw work including a bridge replacement. • A few accidents/derailments. • Railtour visitors including the modern steam revival. • Possibly a shortish past & present section! In other words a rich and varied selection to interest the nostalgia and railway enthusiast and local historians alike.
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GLOUCESTERSHIRE, WARWICKSHIRE STEAM RAILWAY JOURNEY CHELTENHAM RACECOURSE TO BROADWAY Paul Stratford
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 169 X 239MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-56-0
• RELEASE DATE: MAY 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £25.00 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF WQN The history and the remarkable rebuilding of the former section of the Great Western Railway from Broadway to Cheltenham Racecourse by the volunteer led Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway has been well documented. Supported financially by share issues, donations, membership subscriptions, legacies and surpluses from operating revenue, the volunteers have relaid the permanent way, rebuilt stations and signal boxes, built new facilities, purchased and restored the rolling stock. However like most heritage railways, the locomotives, most of which are steam, are not owned by the railway, but by independent owning groups and societies which hire them to the railway, either on a long term, seasonal or short term hire arrangement for special events and galas. The very first passenger train to operate on the GWSR on 27 April 1984 was hauled by ‘Cadbury’ an Avonside 0-4-0 tank locomotive, then owned by the Dowty Railway Preservation Society whose base was at Ashchurch in Gloucestershire. Hunslet No. 2409 ‘King George’ was rescued from the scrap merchants by the GWSR and restored to running order and in 2001 became the first steam locomotive to reach Cheltenham Racecourse station. After withdrawal from service ‘King George’ was subsequently sold to the Didcot Railway Centre.
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HANTS & DORSET RECOLLECTIONS: THE FINAL 20 YEARS Chris Harris
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-85794-578-2 • RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £6.00 • PAGES: 48 • BIC: WGCF The last 20 years of Hants & Dorset – from 1963 to 1983 – were particularly eventful; significant happenings included taking over the management of the Salisbury-based Wilts & Dorset Motor Services, becoming part of the National Bus Company with a change of fleet livery from green to red, serious vehicle shortages, the gradual conversion to 100% driver only operation, and many other milestones. This book illustrates the period, and fully captures the atmosphere of this fascinating time in local history; few people in 1963 could have predicted the happenings of the coming two decades, or how different the transport scene would look by 1983.
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JUST THE TICKET Barry Allen
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 152 X 102MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-58-4 • RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 12TH, 2019 • PRICE: £10.00 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF Written by a booking clerk, an occupation most people might think dull and uninteresting, Just the Ticket reflects on Barry Allen’s career in this profession. Barry’s own exploits in this job could hardly be described as dull! Humour forms the basis of his story, without which life would be much the poorer. All the events included in the book are based on fact, although most individuals mentioned are now retired or sadly deceased. Barry’s career with British Railways was extremely short, a mere three years. It began during the twilight of steam, a period best known to railwaymen as pre-Beeching, when Britain still had a large railway system, and perhaps a happy one! Modernisation was on the march, but BR still managed to convey cattle, horses and pigeons. Steam, like the whale, fought for survival, clinging wearily to its now precarious throne. Not infrequently would he witness a diesel or electric locomotive’s demise, steam deputising with apparent relish, the drivers sometimes achieving the impossible with their run-down chargers. Electrification, still the order of the day, spread slowly northwards, erasing the old stations with precision. Gone forever were the glowing coal fires, polished brasswork and hissing gas lamps, and with them went the atmosphere of warmth and welcome. The latter vanished unseen, never to be replaced by any modern structure. It was into this changing world that Barry Allen stepped, with the self assurance and naivety of a schoolboy, who, after spending his life trainspotting on busy station platforms, thought he knew all about railways and the people who ran them. Surprisingly he learned that not all engine drivers stood next to God, and for the man on the dole the railway was often the last resort, with its poor pay and unsociable hours. Although Barry’s story concerns events relating to the North West, a lot of his experiences were undoubtedly acted out by other individuals, in stations the length and breadth of the UK. “I never wanted to become a booking clerk, but fate, that irrepressible force, decreed otherwise. To a steam-mad 16-year-old, a booking clerk was indeed a most boring occupation, and certainly one to be avoided at all costs…” • A biographical view of the railway from a different perspective, that of the booking clerk. • Follows the author’s previous best-selling volume Schooldays and Steam Days, now long out of print and much sought after. • A book that will amuse, amaze and bring back memories of a very different railway - a railway when there were steam engines, porters, lamp lighters and sometimes more staff than passengers!
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LLANGOLLEN RAILWAY VISITOR GUIDE Peter Dickinson
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 238MM X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-50-8 • RELEASE DATE: APRIL 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £8 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGF The Llangollen Railway is a full-sized standardgauge line running regular steam-hauled passenger trains, used by visitors, tourists and enthusiasts alike, between Llangollen and Corwen. The line is the only standard-gauge heritage railway in North Wales and runs through a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), for a distance of 10 miles. The journey is certainly an interesting one, for the railway closely follows course of the River Dee, crossed by the Dee Bridge a mile or so north of Llangollen station. The spectacular scenery of the Dee Valley can be viewed by the railway’s passengers; the landscape is quite varied and largely unspoilt, being punctuated only by the occasional station, lovingly restored to its former glory. The Llangollen Railway Visitor Guide is the ideal companion for a trip along this popular preserved line. The guide takes us station by station along the line and provides the history of the rebuilding of the railway, the facilities on offer, details of the locomotives and rolling stock that has been used on the line and much more. This book is sure to prove popular with visitors, would-be visitors and of course railway enthusiasts nationwide. • Following the success of the Severn Valley Railway Visitor Guide and the West Somerset Railway Visitor Guide published by Silver Link, this volume will provide a similar guide to the popular Llangollen Railway. • Written and compiled by a long-time member and volunteer from the railway, this book will feature both the background to the railway and its restoration, while providing guidance for visitors. • A super souvenir to bring back memories and to enjoy from the comfort of one’s armchair both before and after a visit!
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LOCOMOTIVE RECOLLECTIONS NO 7903 FOREMARKE HALL John Cruxon
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-85794-573-7
• RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £8.00 • PAGES: 80 • BIC: WGF WQN Great Western Railway Modified Hall Class No. 7903 Foremarke Hall served for 15 years before being withdrawn in 1964 and sold for scrap to Woodhams’ Scrapyard in Barry. John Cruxon was part of a group of enthusiasts who rescued the engine in 1981 and he became its restoration manager in 1988. This book tells the story of 7903 from 1949 right up to the present day, illustrated throughout with the author’s extensive collection of photographs. The engine is depicted in service, during its time in Barry, undergoing restoration and following its triumphant return to operations in preservation service in 2003. Locomotive Recollections No. 7903 Foremarke Hall by John Cruxon is a fascinating account of one steam engine’s remarkable career spanning nine decades.
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LONDON BUSES, COACHES & RECOLLECTIONS 1970 VOL 93 Michael H. C. Baker
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-65-2 • RELEASE DATE: MARCH 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £8 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGCF 1970 was a significant year in the history of London buses, for on January 1, the Country Area was taken out of the control of London Transport. The Green Line network had been set up in the 1930s, with comfortable coaches and well-appointed green buses operating a vast and successful network. However, by the end of the 1960s the network was showing a considerable deficit. From that landmark moment in 1970, this book takes the story forward into the decade which included the final withdrawal of the iconic RT and RF buses. The Central Area, too, had serious problems: profits were down, and a decision was taken to introduce a new breed of much bigger, single-deck one-man-operated buses, resulting in the very unpopular Merlin and Swift, which did not see out the decade before withdrawal. However, for the enthusiast, and particularly those who delighted in the extraordinary variety of vehicles on offer, the 1970s was a fascinating period, as the pictures included here illustrate. By the end of the decade things were improving, at least in the Central Area. Even if Margaret Thatcher, elected prime minister in 1979, really said that travelling regularly by bus at the age of 30 marked one out as one of life’s failures, the years since the 1970s have shown clearly that while London’s buses were then undoubtedly ‘down’, they were far from ‘out’. From the author: I was born within sight of Thornton Heath bus garage, which in 1951 replaced the tram depot of the same name. Its proximity gave me the chance to pop around the corner and check any unforeseen happenings, or just as often foreseen ones, such as the replacement of RTs, then Routemasters, by one-person single and double decker operation. The 1970s was a period of great change in London and its suburbs, fascinating for enthusiasts, not so great for customers, the greatest being that the Country Area of London Transport, into which I moved in 1969, found itself in the not-altogether welcoming arms of the National Bus Company.
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MODEL RAILWAYS EXPLAINED (BEYOND THE BEGINNING) Brian Lambert
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 238MM X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-45-4 • RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £20 • PAGES: 160 • BIC: WGF The author writes: While in these pages I write about generic items and often reference the real thing, there are many regional variations, and these cannot be taken into account within the confines of this book. Therefore I would recommend that, before starting any regional or era-based project, you undertake a good deal of research to gain the correct facts. Internet searches, books and perhaps visits to preserved railways or to the national network will usually reveal plenty of detail. If you are starting out in the hobby or returning to it after several years of absence and have not obtained a copy of The Newcomer’s Guide to Model Railways, I suggest it might be an advantage to obtain one. I hope you enjoy the items you are about to read and hopefully they will help and possibly nudge you into producing a great model railway layout. Remember – think safely, then act. • Follow-up to the best-selling Newcomer’s Guide to Model Railways by the same author. • Provides detailed guidelines to the further development of your model railway. • Full of tips and techniques from a recognised expert in the hobby.
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NO 69 SWINDON TO BRISTOL Tim Maddocks and John Stretton
• FORMAT: PAPERBACK 238 X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-858952-94-1 • RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 24TH, 2019 • PRICE: £20.00 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF Now part of the succesful GWR franchise the line from Swindon to Bristol forms part of Brunel’s original Great Western Railway from Paddington to Bristol, Wales and the South West of England. In this volume John and Tim take us on a fascinating journey along the route visiting numerous locations on the way. The numberr of stations has been reduced over the years with for example Dauntsey and Christain Malford Halt to name but two, closing many years ago with the advent of the preference for motor car travel. However the tide is turning and rail travel is becoming ever more popular with passenger numberrs steadily increasing. The need for greater capacity has seen considerable and increased investment in modernisation of the infrastructure. Details of this transformation can be found in the Recently published Transformation of the Western Region by Paul Stanford published by Silver Link. Using contrasting and complentary views John and Tim show the railways as it used to be in the days of steam and semaphore signaling through the diesel era and right up to the present day electrified railway. Tim Maddocks recently retired from Network Rail and brings his knowledge of the railway to the pages of this new volume in the best selling Past & Present series. John Stretton is no stranger to readers of the P&P series having completed several previous areas for the series.
• The much-anticipated new title to add to this best selling series. • Includes many illustrations captured during the extensive work on the transformation of the Western Region. • Written and compiled by John Stretton, an accomplished author of over 50 books, and Tim Maddocks, recently retired from a senior position with Network Rail. • Contains over 200 illustrations
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ONE YOUNG LAD’S LATER TRAINSPOTTING TRIPS WITH A CAMERA 1961-1964 Like so many youngsters in the 1950s and 1960s, Alan Clarke was a keen railway enthusiast and spent a number of years out and about with his ABC Combined Volume and his camera at various railrelated locations up and down the country. Living in the middle of the country enabled young Alan to visit a number of British Railways regions, thereby gathering a wider range of locomotive numbers and types, faithfully underlining them in his combined volume and, when pocket money allowed, taking pictures as he went along. These pictures form the basis for this second volume of reminiscences of years gone but not forgotten.
ALAN M. CLARKE
The development of Alan’s photographic skills unfolds before us in these evocative black and white images. Each image is accompanied by a detailed caption. The photographs are arranged in sections, one for each trip, with an explanatory
introduction to each. The quality hardback Silver Link Silk Editions are limited print runs and are not intended to be available for long, so grab them while you can! There are just a few copies of the first two volumes in the set available.
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-55-3 • RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 15TH, 2021 • PRICE: £25 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF • The author has built quite a following for his illustrated volumes telling of his escapades during his trainspotting visits to locations across the country, and here is the third in the series. • The author was fortunate in being able to carry a camera in an age when youngsters rarely did, and thus able to capture the steam age railway in all its splendour (or otherwise!). • As with previous volumes, this book benefits from the quality specifications of the Silver Link Silk Editions.
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PASSENGERS ONCE MORE SCOTLAND Terry Gough and Bob Avery • FORMAT: SOFTBACK 238MM X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-57-7 • RELEASE DATE: JULY 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £20 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF Passengers Once More is a series of books charting reinstated or new stations and lines on Britain’s rail network since nationalisation in 1948. Arranged in line and geographical order each book in the series is copiously illustrated with photographs of all the locations featured. Data provided for each location includes: • Opening, closing and reopening dates • Map reference • The original railway company and the company currently managing the station • Reference details to photographs of the same location published in the British Railways Past & Present series. • Comments on the frequency of the service, reasons for opening/reopening and other features as appropriate. This fifth book in the series, by Terry Gough and Bob Avery, takes us to Scotlandd covering all relevant stations and lines from the smallest halt to the major station developments and the popular new line re-openings. About the author: The late Terry Gough will be well known among railway enthusiasts and indeed the industry, having written several books for Silver Link and been involved with a number of rail line support groups over many years. Terry instigated the Passengers Once More series and had started this volume before his untimely passing in 2019. His good friend Bob Avery has completed this fifth volume in the series. Bob Avery has been inseparable from trains and railways since the age of three. He said: “This has taken many forms, but the common denominator has been an urge to recreate railway shapes, scenes and atmospheres, through the media of (initially) clockwork train sets, maturing through art, more serious modelling, photography and writing. An adjunct to all this has been a 43-year career in railway operations, most of which has been on a 24/7 basis. Retirement came in 2015. “A childhood two-year residence in the United States taught me at an early age that railways in other lands were sources of immense fascination, from massive freights in North America to the charisma of the Indian subcontinent. I’ve been fortunate to travel a great deal in this quest, and is a continuing passion. I’ve also been instrumental in the production of several rail-enthusiast oriented video programmes and DVDs, primarily in a scriptwriting role, but occasionally from behind the camera. “I still enjoy observing and photographing railways in the United Kingdom, in particular the scenic routes in the North of England and Scotland, which has been my home for the last 34 years. Long may this continue!
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RAIL FREIGHT IN DEVON AND CORNWALL David Mitchell
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 276 X 213MM • ISBN: 978-1-857944-73-0 • RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2019 • PRICE: £40.00 • PAGES: 208 • BIC: WGF
Although today’s railway in the South West is principally a passenger operation, an exception is china clay traffic, which has been a feature of the area’s railways for much of their history and today is the main reason for railfreight managing to retain a toehold in the peninsula. This wide-ranging survey of the history of freight traffic in the two counties commences with a brief look into the past, when the railway was a ‘common carrier’ hauling all manner of goods, largely by the wagonload. It then chronicles the ultimately unsuccessful 50-yearlong fight to retain at least a portion of such traffic on the railway, including the initial development and final demise of the ‘Speedlink’ and ‘Enterprise’ services. Other commodities that have been handled over the last 40 or 50 years are then considered in more detail, particularly where there is or has been a trainload operation, and more detailed consideration is given to traffic that is especially distinctive to the area. In the era of the privatised railway system, today’s railfreight companies have to be nimble in their dealings with customers and quick to respond to both opportunities and problems, something that British Railways often had a reputation for being poor at – it is quite probable that there would be even less freight on rail today if we still had a nationalised system. Nonetheless, railfreight activity in the South West appears to be hanging on by a thread, but it is still doing what it is good at and hauling commodities such as china clay, aggregates and cement in bulk, although increasingly freight operators are having to pin their hopes on a continued growth in intermodal traffic. About the author: The author has maintained an interest in railways for sixty years and has been an active photographer for much of this time. Having spent his early years in Cornwall before moving to Devon, he has a particular interest in the railways of the South West and has had many photos published in books and magazines, including contributing more than 25 articles and features to different periodicals. He has also authored or co-authored eleven titles in Silver Link’s long-running British Railways Past and Present series. He has travelled over most of the UK’s surviving railway network from the 1970s and also has a strong interest in the railways of the USA and Canada, and has crossed the Atlantic on fourteen occasions on photographic expeditions to these countries.
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RAILWAYMEN OF THE WELSH VALLEYS 1914-67 PART 1: RECOLLECTIONS OF THE SHED, SHUNTING YARDS, FITTING STAFF AND THE VALE OF NEATH.
Phil Williams
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 269 X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-857944-88-4 • RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 24TH, 2020 • PRICE: £25.00 • PAGES: 272 • BIC: WGF This book, published in two parts, is dedicated to the memories of all those people who once worked for the Great Western Railway in South Wales, at Pontypool Road loco depot, the Eastern Valley and the Vale of Neath railway, as well as to those people who worked in the industries once served by the railway in those locations. In 2016, the UK coal mining industry is extinct, and the future of the steel industry is in doubt. This book serves as a reminder to future generations as to what a fantastic place the South Wales valleys once were for heavy industry and transport infrastructure, and also as a tribute to the pioneering 19thcentury railway builders. About the author: Local railway enthusiast, the late Phil Williams, was a contract structural engineer in the aerospace industry. His father’s uncle, Harry Miles, was a Swindon-trained locomotive fitter at Pontypool Road in the 1930s. His family have interesting links to the mining industry. His great-grandfather was Thomas Williams, the colliery engineer at Tirpentwys Colliery from before 1902 up to 1912; then at Crumlin Valley Colliery, Hafodrynys and the Glyn Pits from 1915 until he died in 1925 aged 76. His father’s great-grandfather, Joseph Harper, was one of the 1890 Llanerch Colliery disaster rescue team; he worked at the British Top Pits. His father’s uncle, Williams Harper, was the foreman of the wagon shop at the Big Arch Talywain. • The first of two volumes, this is without doubt one of the most detailed and well- researched volumes ever published on the steam age railway in the Welsh Valleys. • Includes many rare colour illustrations, maps and layout plans. • The rich variety of locomotives and traffic that passed through the Valleys is illustrated and remembered by the railwaymen who operated them.
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RAILWAYS & RECOLLECTIONS THE DARTMOUTH STEAM RAILWAY VOL 82 Mike Heath
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-23-2 • RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £8 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGF In the heyday of the Great Western Railway, the ‘Torbay Express’ ran from London’s Paddington Station to Torquay, Paignton and Kingswear, where a GWR-operated ferry took travellers to a station, without rails, across the water at Dartmouth. Nowadays diesel-hauled Great Western trains terminate at Paignton but across the platform, memories of those halcyon days live on, courtesy of the Dartmouth Steam Railway, which operates steam-hauled trains along the Paignton to Kingswear branch in true Great Western Railway tradition. The Dartmouth Steam Railway, formerly known as the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, is a seven-mile heritage railway on the former Great Western Railway branch line from Paignton to Kingswear. Between Paignton and Churston, once the junction with the Brixham branch, the railway runs along the spectacular Torbay coast, affording panoramic seascapes across Lyme Bay to Portland Bill
on clear days. From Churston the line heads inland through the wooded slopes bordering the Dart estuary before emerging riverside on the approach to Kingswear, giving unrivalled views of the fascinating boats on the river and on the opposite bank the olde worlde town of Dartmouth and the famous Britannia Royal Naval College. With a selection of archive photographs supplementing the author’s own portfolio, this book introduces us to the line and infrastructure inherited by the Dart Valley Railway Company when British Railways ceased operations in 1972. The historic locomotives that have operated services in the years since, the stunning coastal and riverside scenery through which the line passes and a number of the events and attractions held on and around the railway combine to create an atmosphere of a holiday branch line that has been enjoyed by thousands of families and enthusiasts each and every year since Victorian times.
• The latest in the Recollections series featuring Britain’s heritage railways. • Copiously illustrated with views of both the railway and the spectacular scenery through which it runs. • Written and compiled by well-known railway author and photographer Mike Heath.
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RAILWAYS & RECOLLECTIONS ‘THE END OF BR STEAM’ VOL 88
John Stretton and Peter Townsend • FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-25-6 • RELEASE DATE: MARCH 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £8 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGF The aim of this series is to appeal to readers of all ages, perhaps for different reasons... For the younger reader there are wonderful pictures of trains, real trains. There will, for example, be tank engines, steam engines, electric trains and multiple units and many more varieties besides! Some will be recognised from train sets, model railways and books, while others will be seen for the first time. For the older reader the books are designed to build into a collection placing the railway in the context of key events, thus providing a historical perspective of travel in times past. For those old enough to remember the years depicted, the series will, we hope, provide reminders for many of school days, time
perhaps spent trainspotting, shed bashing and generally gricing! The books also make ideal theme gifts for the year of birth, marriage, retirement, starting work and other such events in life. In this volume: We travel back to the year 1968 – a special year in the history of Britain’s railways, as this was the year that steam traction came to an end. Back then no one could have expected to foresee the rise of steam from the scrap yards to today’s vibrant heritage railways! This was also the year that saw: • Martin Luther King and Senator Kennedy shot • Matt Busby knighted • UK’s first heart transplant operation • 1st and 2nd class mail introduced
About the author: Peter Townsend & John Stretton Peter’s lifelong interest in railways is a result of spending his formative years between the ages of seven and 13 living in Swindon in the days when the works there were still building steam locomotives. Having forged a career in publishing, both general and specialist, it was in 1990 that he and his wife Frances bought Silver Link Publishing and the railway story continued! Having reached the ‘young’ old age of 69 he decided to pass the regulator to a new footplate crew – Mortons Media. Peter is keen to continue contributing to the Silver Link imprint in the years ahead. • Xxxxxxxxxx
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169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-85794-575-1 • RELEASE DATE:
MARCH 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £8.00 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGF WQN
RAILWAYS & RECOLLECTIONS THE STATELY TRAINS COLLECTION Mike Heath
Stately Trains’ was born out of one man’s passion for vintage carriages. Stephen Middleton was brought up in in a railway family. His father, mother and grandfathers all worked for railway companies from pre-grouping through to the British Railways era after nationalisation. His father had a First Class pass for rail travel thus it is no surprise that Middleton junior experienced regular luxury travel on East Coast Pullmans between Yorkshire and London. At the age of five he longed to be a steward working on the Pullman cars. Fate took him in a different direction but that yearning did not leave him and in 1992 after seeing an advertisement in ‘Steam Railway’ magazine his enthusiasm for railway carriages was re-kindled. The advertisement drew his attention to an unrestored Great Eastern Railway carriage (No.14) that coincidentally had been used as the District Engineer’s saloon at Ipswich where his grandfather was station master and his father started work on the railway. He made a successful bid and embarked on a restoration journey that was to create a collection of historically significant pre-1914 luxury carriages. These further restorations have included a first class saloon built for the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1894 and three directors’ saloons, one built for the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway in 1906, one for the London & North Western Railway in 1913 and one for the Great Eastern Railway that dates from 1911. In addition to the Great Eastern Railway’s carriage (No.14) referred to previously, a family saloon built for the GER (1897) and believed to have been used by Queen Victoria’s grand-daughter, Princess
Alice, has also been acquired and brought back into use. That royal connection has been reinforced by what is considered to be the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of the collection in the form of a London & South Western Railway carriage that was constructed specifically for Queen Victoria’s royal train in 1885 and later converted for her personal use during her Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1887. Still to be restored are another GER family saloon dating from 1877 that was later to be converted for the use of Edward, Prince of Wales and a coach that, when completed, will be the oldest operational Pullman carriage in the world. In the midst of gathering this stock together, Stephen has also restored an 0-6-0 saddle tank (‘Illingworth’) that was built in 1916 and has, during its long career, helped the war effort in both the first and second world wars. As a ‘sideline’ Stephen purchased the grounded body of the North Eastern Railway 1903 built ‘Autocar’ and set up a charitable trust. With volunteers and help from funding bodies and railway companies the trust restored it and the accompanying auto coach to operational condition. This is a true pioneer being the first railcar in the world to use internal combustion to drive a generator which in turn powered electric traction motors. Each piece in the collection has had a fascinating history from its construction through its working life and on into preservation. Along the way Stephen has collected many photographs and much information/memorabilia to complete their stories and these form the basis for this book.
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RAILWAYS & RECOLLECTIONS BLUEBELL RAILWAY (2ND EDITION) VOL 40 KEITH LEPPARD
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-68-3 • RELEASE DATE: MARCH 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £8 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGF
The Bluebell Railway was one of the first preserved railways in the UK, beginning operations in 1960. It was started by a group of enthusiasts wishing to preserve steam railway operations for posterity. At that time, steam was still widespread on Britain’s railways so the Bluebell was able to secure many historic locomotives, carriages and wagons for its collection. Many of these are well over 100 years old. Visitors to the railway can expect to travel in steam-hauled trains that are regularly formed of vintage carriages, and in surroundings where every effort is made to create the atmosphere of a bygone era. Initially, the Bluebell Railway operated over five miles of track from Sheffield Park to Horsted Keynes, part of the former East Grinstead to Lewes route that had closed in 1958 – an early casualty of the era of railway closures. Later, once this initial section was secured, the railway began to expand northwards. This process culminated in 2013 with the reopening of the final stretch from Kingscote to East Grinstead. This link restores the Bluebell Railway’s connection with the main line rail network, making it readily accessible by public transport from London for the first time. The railway continues to rely for most of its staffing needs on volunteers, who can be found working as platform staff, guards, signalmen, drivers and firemen. Behind the scenes, volunteers are also busy restoring the locomotives and carriages, and maintaining the signals, track and bridges. All the money raised from train operations is ploughed back into the railway. This photographic volume captures the essence of the Bluebell Railway – a steam preservation pioneer that has been operating now for more than 50 years – and the beautiful Sussex countryside through which it runs. This new volume draws on the success of Volume 40 in the Railways & Recollections series, bringing the story up to date and published to coincide with the celebrating of the 60th anniversary of this fine preserved railway. • • •
Published to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Bluebell Railway in preservation. A brand-new edition of the earlier very successful Volume 40 on the Bluebell Railway. Copiously illustrated with images of the railway, its rolling stock, and a guide to complement a visit to the railway.
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ROAD TRANSPORT RECOLLECTIONS: THE EAST MIDLANDS FROM THE 1950S TO THE 1990S Peter Edge-Stenson
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-85794-583-6 • RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £8.00 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGC Peter G. Edge-Stenson takes a nostalgic look back at the flats, tippers, tankers and specialist vehicles operated in the East Midlands from the 1950s to the 1990s. They’re pictured carrying a wide range of loads under a variety of conditions - there’s even a section featuring circus and amusement vehicles, many of which have been adapted from more standard machines.
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RUNNING ON RAILS
A SOJOURN THROUGH RAIL-BORNE TRANSPORT DURING TWO CENTURIES
John Legg and Ian Peaty About the authors: The authors, John Legg and Ian Peaty, have been close friends for more than 50 years and have shared their enthusiasm for railways both at home and around the world. During this time they have accumulated photographs, technical data and books on vast numbers of industrial and passenger railways and some interesting events that surround them. To date Ian has had eight books published that include his interest in brewing and railways with the last book, A World of Rail, being a joint effort covering many countries the authors and families have visited around the world. Although they are the ‘older generation’ they are still very enthusiastic and keep on travelling! This book, Running on Rails, covers many areas around the UK and highlights not just a few well-known standard and narrow gauge railways, but some of the lesser known and written about industrial and passenger lines, events and locations that extend over the last 150 years up to today’s continually modernising railway network.
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 238 X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-48-5 • RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 24TH, 2020• PRICE: £25.00 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF This new title from the authors of A World of Rail – John Legg and Ian Peaty – takes us on a fascinating tour of Britain’s rail-borne transport sytem, or rather systems, as it covers a wide variety of locations and gauges. The variety of rolling stock is a feature, including both passenger and freight vehicles. Locations range from London’s Underground to the Bass Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent and from Ford’s Dagenham plant to the whisky distilleries of Scotland. This is a book that takes the reader off the beaten track, over many years, to provide a wide variety of images from all sorts of unusual and rarely seen passenger and freight sevices the length and breadth of the country. Images from the earliest days of railways right up to the modern day scene are accompanied by informative text and detailed captions. This is a book that is sure to provide variety. • The travels of Ian Peaty and John Legg, authors of Silver Link’s popular World of Rail volume, continue with this wide-ranging look at Britain’s railway scene over two centuries. • Covering a wide range of railway locations from the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway to the Settle & Carlisle line, and from the Guinness Brewery Railway to the Isle of Wight Railway. • The chapters depict the wide variety of roles played by Britain’s railways in the development of freight and passenger services and the use of railways for both business and pleasure.
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STEAM REMINISCENCES - SOUTHERN J. C. Beckett
This book contains a selection of his collection of photographs taken in the Southern Region of British Railways in the period 1956-1968. At that time he visited areas of particular interest from the Kent coast in the East to Padstow in the West. It is not claimed to offer a complete coverage of all that happened then and there, only a collection of railway activities that caught his attention or that offered the chance of a good photograph – his reminiscences in fact.
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 172MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-47-8 • RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 24TH, 2020 • PRICE: £25 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF About the author: John Beckett started to take railway photographs in 1954. In his innocence he tried at first to use a pre-war camera with a nominal shutter speed of 1/100 of a second. Four years later, after a change of cameras, the first of his pictures to be published appeared in The Railway Magazine. Since then he has supplied a steady drip, rather than a stream, of pictures to the railway press and to various authors. In 1968 he also contributed to the photographic collection published under the title of images of steam by ‘Fenman’ where he appeared as Quintus. • The first in a proposed series of volumes in the Silver Link Silk Editions range taking a look at the regions of British Railways through the lens of an accomplished photographer, in this case J. C. Beckett and the Southern Region. • The classic medium of black & white provides that magical memory of the days when colour photography was rare and recollections were monochrome. • John Beckett is a renowned photographer and has selected a wide range of images from all over the Southern, the vast majority never before published.
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THE BEECHING LEGACY THE WEST COUNTRY EXPANDED SECOND EDITION Phil Horton • FORMAT:
PAPERBACK 238 X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-46-1 • RELEASE DATE:
OCTOBER 24TH, 2019 • PRICE: £25.00 • PAGES: 192 • BIC: WGF
The first edition of this popular volume has been out of print for several years and has become much sought after. Produced in black and white, the first edition was the first volume in the series taking a detailed regional look at the Beeching Report, its proposals for closures and modifications of the UK railway network. The report has become legendary and the interest and debate it generated is no less today than it has ever been since first published. Indeed with railways now rejuvinated and passenger numbers growing ever larger, the reflection on what Beeching got right and what perhaps in hindsight got very badly wrong makes for fascinating reading. This new expanded 2nd edition has been completely reworked and is now published with colour illustrations both new and replacing the original black & white images where possible. The text has been expanded and updated as appropriate and there are 32 extra pages bringing the total extent to 192pp.
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THE CRAFT OF THE FIREMAN Trevor Matthews
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 238 X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-57-6 • RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 5TH, 2020 • PRICE: £20.00 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF Those who have been on a footplate experience course, been given a short talk on firing and shown how to use an injector, provided they can stand on a footplate and have minimal skill with a shovel, know that they can generate enough steam to get a lightweight train (generally one coach) from A to B. However, this is vastly different from having to provide steam at or near the registered pressure of the boiler and at such a rate that the engine can develop the horsepower needed to produce the sort of mainline running that we are extremely fortunate to be able to experience at the present time. A driver is still a driver whatever sort of motive power is in use, but the fireman – given a grate, a vessel in which to boil water and a supply of coal and water – is analogous to the engine in a diesel locomotive inasmuch that he is the sole provider of power. No matter how good a driver may be, he cannot produce a top performance unless his fireman does so and while drivers tend to get the credit, they also recognise that it is essentially a team effort. As C Hamilton Ellis once said: “A good journey by steam is a realised work of art.” In the heyday of steam, many millions of tons of coal were burnt annually by the railway companies, so any small improvement in the thermal efficiency of the locomotives could have a significant effect on the balance sheet. To this end, locomotive engineers tried a number of innovations over the years, most of which were abandoned on the grounds of additional costs of construction and maintenance. Probably not many people are aware that the biggest improvement could have been effected if the overall standards of firing had been brought nearer those of the best firemen. Footplate observations in steam days showed that some firemen used twice as much coal as the best firemen on the same duty. As a corollary to Hamilton Ellis’s comment, top firemanship is an art in itself; The Craft of the Fireman helps to explain why. • The book that every member of the footplate crew should read. • A detailed look at the art of firing a locomotive, how a locomotive works and the relationship between what the fireman does and the effect it has on the efficiency and performance of the locomotive. • A book for enthusiasts, would-be footplate crew and experienced railwaymen at any stage in their railway life.
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THE HELSTON RAILWAY PAST & PRESENT (NEW EDITION) Chris Heaps
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 238 X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-85895-303-8 • RELEASE DATE:
MAY 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £20.00 • PAGES: 144 • BIC: WGF WQN Helston is world-famous for its annual ‘Furry Dance’, which takes place in early May to welcome the spring. For transport enthusiasts, however, it is equally famous as the location of the most southerly railway station in the UK, and the starting point of the first railway-operated motor omnibus service in Great Britain, introduced by the GWR in 1903. Although plans for a railway were laid in the 1840s, it was not until May 1887 that the branch from Gwinear Road opened, winding through the Cornish countryside to Helston, some 8 miles away. In 1898 it was taken over by the GWR and settled down to the quiet existence of a rural branch line serving the local community. Rumours of closure began to circulate in the early 1960s, and in November 1962 the last passenger train ran, even before Dr Beeching took his axe to the BR system. This was the first branch in Cornwall to lose its passenger service since the war. Goods traffic continued for a further two years, then the line was closed and lifted. Happily that was not to be the end of the story. The Helston Railway Preservation Society was formed in 2001, and in 2005 work began to clear more than 40 years of vegetation between Nancegollan and Truthall Halt. Track-laying commenced in 2006, and by the early summer of 2010 a new station had been completed at Trevarno; the project was subsequently awarded the Ian Allan Publishing Heritage Railway of the Year Award. May 2012 marked the 125th anniversary of the opening of the Helston Railway, and the first edition of this fully illustrated history of the branch, from inception to closure, was published to mark that important date and to celebrate the re-commencement of passenger services on one small part of the line as a new popular tourist attraction. This new expanded 2nd edition brings the story up to date.
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THE LAST DAYS OF BR STEAM IN WESSEX SOUTHERN REGION Philip Horton
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-85794-577-5
• RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £8.00 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGF WQN This book forms the last part of a trilogy by the same author which records the decline of BR steam in ‘Wessex’. The author’s first book The Last Years of BR Steam Around Bath (Silver Link Railways & Recollections No. 64, 2016) describes the situation in and around the city. The author soon extended his search to the lines in the neighbouring counties. His second book, The Last Days of BR Steam in Wessex - Western Region (Silver Link Railways & Recollections No. 110, 2020), covers the lines of BR’s Western Region. In this book the same treatment is given to the lines of BR’s Southern Region. Each chapter follows the region’s mainlines, including the southern half of the old Somerset & Dorset. The boundaries of the two regions are as they existed between 1959 and 1962. The major changes to regional boundaries which occurred subsequently, which particularly affected the SR lines, are also described. Points of particular interest to a ‘trainspotter’ of the day along each line is noted while lists of numbers, compiled by the author, are given for the engine sheds passed. Photographic coverage extends from 1960 to the last steam workings which, on the Southern Region lasted until July 1967. Coverage of the early scene is much enhanced by the inclusion of the colour photographs of M E J Deane which appear courtesy of Ian Bennett.
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THE LAST DAYS OF BR STEAM IN WESSEX WESTERN REGION Philip Horton
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-85794-576-8
• RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £8.00 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGF WQN In his earlier book The Last Years of BR Steam Around Bath (Silver Link Railways & Recollections No. 64, 2016), the author described his early interest in trainspotting in 1959/60. At the time the changing railway scene was all too evident. The author therefore decided to attempt to record these changes pictorially, initially using his Box Brownie camera. This book extends his search from Bath to the lines of BR’s Western Region in the neighbouring counties, an area often referred to as ‘Wessex’. Here the region’s boundary is taken as the one which existed between 1959 and 1962. Subsequent major changes to this boundary are also described. Each chapter follows one of the region’s mainlines through the area. These include the former Midland lines from Bristol along with the northern half of the old Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway from Bath (Green Park) to Templecombe. Points of particular interest to a ‘trainspotter’ of the day along each line are noted while lists of numbers, compiled by the author, are given for many of the engine sheds passed. Photographic coverage extends from 1960 to the last steam workings which, on the Western Region, (almost) ended in December 1965. Coverage of the early scene is much enhanced by the inclusion of the colour photographs of M E J Deane which appear courtesy of Ian Bennett. The lines of BR’s Southern Region during this period are described by the author in a companion volume The Last Days of BR Steam in Wessex - Southern Region.
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THE LLANGOLLEN RAILWAY COUNTRY WALKS FROM OUR STATIONS Peter Dickinson
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 210 X 148MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-71-3 • RELEASE DATE: APRIL 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £6.00 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGF About the author: Peter Dickinson is an active volunteer on the preserved Llangollen Railway and first encountered the line during his geology fieldwork as an undergraduate in 2011. Since then, extensive research and his volunteering at Berwyn Station has brought him into contact with many who knew and worked on the line. He is an active member of the railway’s heritage group, which oversees all aspects of conservation and heritage on the preserved line.
Featuring 10 country walks from the Llangollen Railway’s stations as follows:
• Walk 1 - Old Railway from Llangollen to Trevor • Walk 2 - Llangollen to Castell Dinas Bran • Walk 3 - Plan Newydd Circular Walk • Walk 4 - Llangollen to Berwyn • Walk 5 - Horseshoe Falls Circular Walk • Walk 6 - Llantysillio & Velvet Hill Circular Walk • Walk 7 - Glyndyfrdwy Circular • Walk 8 - Carrog to Glyndyfrdwy • Walk 9 - Corwen to Care Drewyn • Walk 10 - Old Railway from Corwen to Cynwyd This handy guide has walks of varying lengths and levels from simple strolls to more challenging rambles. All feature the varied and beautiful scenery the Dee Valley has to offer.
• Following the success of the West Somerset Railway Walks book published by Silver Link, this volume is sure to prove popular. • Features a number of walks from the Llangollen Railway’s stations, which are without exception located in spectacular scenery. • The walks are graded to suit a variety of fitness levels, varying in distance and terrain.
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THE NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS RAILWAY AND THE ESK VALLEY LINE – PAST AND PRESENT VOLUME 5 John Hunt
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 238 X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-858953-02-1 • RELEASE DATE:
OCTOBER 13TH, 2020 • PRICE: £20.00 • PAGES: 160 • BIC: WGF WQN The latest North Yorkshire Moors Railway volume of British Railways Past and Present covers the line from the Network Rail terminus at Whitby to the heritage railway from Grosmont to Pickering and on to Malton – as well as the Esk Valley line from Grosmont to Battersby and Middlesbrough. Once again, in true ‘Past and Present’ style, John Hunt presents a completely new selection of ‘past’ views that have been paired with their present-day equivalents to tell the unfolding story of one of Britain’s most popular heritage lines. During its 50th anniversary in 2017 the NYMR celebrated everything it has achieved since its inception back in 1967; it now carries around 350,000 passengers each year, has an annual turnover of more than £5 million, employs more than 100 paid staff in the peak season, and is supported by an even greater number of volunteers, who actually run the trains. All this is a far cry its lowest ebb back in March 1965. Meanwhile, the fortunes of the 35-mile Whitby-Middlesbrough Esk Valley line have also been turned round, and it is now supported by the Esk Valley Railway Development Company set up in 2003, which was designated a Community Rail Partnership in 2005 by the Department for Transport. Apart from the essential service of bringing Esk Valley students to school, the number of visitors to Whitby has grown since 2003. This is the fifth volume of British Railways Past and Present dedicated to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the third in colour.
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THE PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTISTRY OF RAILCAMERAMEN 2 John Hillier
This second book features once again the photographic artistry of many of the UK’s leading railway photographers who, as members of the Rail Camera Club have been familiar figures at the lineside for many years. The Rail Camera Club had its origins in the prestigious Railway Photographic Club which Maurice W. Earley formed in 1922 and which continued until 1976 when ‘MWE’, its Secretary throughout its 54 years, decided to ‘retire’. Membership of the RPS was by invitation only and over the years virtually all of the top photographers were members. As a result of the circulation of ‘Boxes’ of prints for fellow members to see and comment on, the standard of railway photography improved significantly. In 1980, Stephen Crook, the respected Carlisle-based photographer, decided that the RPS should be resurrected under the guise of the Rail Camera Club. Several ex-RPS members were interested and once again ‘Boxes’ of pictures of railway subjects began circulating. Although the age of digital photography really took off from the mid-1970s RCC members favoured the opportunity of taking time to examine and comment on colleagues’ prints in detail and two Folio Boxes, packed with pictures, were circulated about six months apart, a practice that still continues. The lOOth RCC Folio began circulating in the autumn of 2017 and hence the opportunity has been taken of producing this ‘Commemorative’ book; it features work from virtually all the photographers who have contributed to the Folios over those 38 years. The National Railway Museum has also commemorated this milestone by hosting an exhibition, ‘Rail Cameramen’, at Locomotive Shildon for several weeks in 2018 featuring many of the images contained in this book. Although until the 1960s many photographers concentrated on ‘traditional’ front % views taken on sunny days several RPS and RCC practitioners assumed rather more adventurous styles and various approaches are included here. The book also includes copies of some of the ‘Criticism sheets’ giving comments from colleagues about work submitted.
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 213 X 276MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-64-5 • RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 10TH, 2019 • PRICE: £35.00 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: S About the author: John Hillier is the son of a career railwayman, his father having worked as a Technical Assistant to Sir Nigel Gresley before e eventually joining BR Engineering’s HQ staff. It was therefore not unsurprising that with an interest in railways and also photography he became an active railway photographer in the 1960s, towards the end of steam in the UK. Invited to join the prestigious Railway Photographic Society in 1966, he was a member until its demise in 1976 and then joined its successor, the Rail Camera Club of which he is still an active participant. His photographic style is varied and, having been a member of several camera clubs and Secretary of two, his work has appeared in books and magazines and in photographic exhibitions. In 2018 he organised a successful Exhibition, Rail Cameramen, at Locomotion, Shildon which featured over 100 images from all RCC Members, past and present and was the author of the Silver Link’s first volume of ‘The Photographic Artistry of Rail Cameramen’ which included all these pictures. Such was the success of that book that he has produced this second volume for Silver Link Publishing. He has contributed to some of SLP’s ‘Past & Present’ titles and recently authored Locomotives & Recollections No 45596 Bahamas which was published in July 2019. In his spare time (!) he is a Director of the Bahamas Locomotive Society and led the project group which resulted in the engine’s £1m overhaul and its return to the main line in 2019.
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THE SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY STOCK BOOK David C. Williams
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 238MM X 172MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-63-8 • RELEASE DATE: APRIL 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £10 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGF Over the years the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) has amassed a magnificent collection of locomotives, carriages, freight wagons and maintenance rolling stock. This volume is the long-awaited new edition, the first to be produced by Silver Link in association with the SVR, and follows the popular Visitor Guide, recently published and selling fast! Compiled by David C Williams, a founder member and director of the railway, with contributions from fellow SVR volunteers and enthusiasts, this comprehensive volume covers all current stock on the railway and also includes details of many past visiting and resident items. Comprehensive details are provided for each item covered and the illustrations provide ease of recognition. Railway modellers will find the information contained within these pages of particular interest as they seek to extend their collection of rolling stock. The SVR has an extensive collection of carriages spanning many eras of British railway history and can for the most part when required pair the correct locomotive with the correct rolling stock to represent the period desired. Featuring both steam and diesel locomotives, large and small, static, in service or under restoration, this volume is sure to prove popular. About the author: David Williams joined the Severn Valley Railway Society in 1966, seven months after founding. He soon became SVR news editor, from Issue 3 to date, more than 50 years later. A member of the committee of the society from 1967 to 1970, he became a director of the newly formed SVR Company in 1972, and its chairman from 1979 until the present day. He has also been a director of Severn Valley Railway Holdings from 1977 until the present. He retains an interest in rolling stock, having been instrumental with colleagues in saving locomotives 43106, 80079 and 75069 from scrap, and assisted in other schemes. He was a locomotive fireman for five years and a driver for nine. He thinks the SVR is the best railway in the country, and has devoted most of his life to it. • This long-awaited new edition of the Severn Valley Railway stockbook will find a large and appreciative audience. • Compiled by a founder-member and director of the SVR, this volume has been exhaustively researched and features current locomotive and rolling stock on the railway. • This volume joins the best-selling Severn Valley Railway Visitors Guide 10th edition, and is sure to prove popular with visitors and supporters of the SVR and the wider public.
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THE STEAM ENGINES OF WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE Philip Horton
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-69-0
• RELEASE DATE: MARCH 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £25.00 • PAGES: 144 • BIC: WGF Few events had a greater influence on Europe’s railways in the 20th century than the Second World War. As described in this book, thousands of steam engines were produced for the conflict by all sides. Although many were damaged during the war, most survived. Indeed, many of the British and American engines arrived in Europe too late and were immediately put into store. They and their German contemporaries were to form a mainstay of the peacetime railways of Europe and Great Britain, in many cases until the end of steam. Many other ex-war engines found employment on the Continent’s heritage railways. The author first encountered these engines while trainspotting in the late 1950s. At the end of GB steam he extended his interest to the Continent. With the help of like-minded enthusiasts this book records his pursuit of these engines, when they were still at work and in preservation.
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THE STEAM ENGINES OF WORLD WAR II IN EUROPE Philip Horton
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 169MM X 238MM
Few events had a greater influence on Europe’s railways in the 20th century than the Second World War. As described in this book, thousands of steam engines were produced for the conflict by all sides. Although many were damaged during the war, most survived. Indeed, many of the British and American engines arrived in Europe too late and were immediately put into store. They and their German contemporaries were to form a mainstay of the peacetime railways of Europe and Great Britain, in many cases until the end of steam. Many other ex-
• ISBN: 978-1-857945-69-0 • RELEASE DATE: MARCH 24TH, 2021 • PRICE: £25 • PAGES: 238 • BIC: WGF war engines found employment on the Continent’s heritage railways. The author first encountered these engines while trainspotting in the late 1950s. At the end of GB steam he extended his interest to the Continent. With the help of like-minded enthusiasts this book records his pursuit of these engines, when they were still at work and in preservation.
From the author: Philip Horton was born in Bath in 1947 and was educated there before leaving to go to university. He developed an early interest in two rather disparate subjects: natural history and railways. Both have stayed with him, the first as a career, the second as a hobby. In 1969 he graduated with an Honours Degree in Botany from University College London and joined the Nature Conservancy Council as their field officer for Wiltshire. After posts in Kent and North Yorkshire he joined the NCC’s Peterborough office in 1985. The family moved to Castle Bytham in Lincolnshire where Philip and his wife Susan still live. He started trainspotting in 1959 when BR was in a state of flux, culminating in 1963 with the publication of the Beeching Report. Already fascinated by railways, he realised that the scene would be changed forever. He decided that he would try to travel on as many of the lines affected as possible. Starting in south-west England, he eventually covered many lines in both England and Wales. These included one of his favourites, the former Somerset & Dorset from Bath Green Park to Bournemouth. Since then he has followed and photographed Britain’s railway scene. After the end of BR steam in 1968 he turned his attention to the Continent and travelled widely in both Western and Eastern Europe, in many cases travelling with his wife, who is a linguist. In recent years he has made good use of the material collected in a series of books published by Silver Link. He has had numerous articles published on a wide range of railway-related topics over more than 30 years. Latterly he has been a regular contributor to the magazine Narrow Gauge World. It is, however, only since his retirement from English Nature that his first book: Volume 1 of his ‘Beeching Legacy’ series: ‘The West Country’, based on his travels in the 1960s, was published by Silver Link in 2010. Four more volumes followed, which cover the whole of Wales and southern England respectively. A second edition of Volume 1 is about to be published. Three of his books: The Last Years of BR Steam Around Bath (no. 64), Rails to the Yorkshire Coast (no. 86) and The East German Narrow Gauge (no. 101) have appeared in Silver Link’s Nostalgia Collection.
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TRAM & TROLLEYBUS RECOLLECTIONS 1958 Henry Conn
• FORMAT: SOFTBACK 169 X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-85794-584-3 • RELEASE DATE: JUNE 1ST, 2021 • PRICE: £8.00 • PAGES: 64 • BIC: WGCF Trams operating in Sheffield, Leeds and Glasgow during 1958 are covered in this new fully illustrated volume as well as the London Trolleybus network. The latter had a fleet of more than 1800 vehicles at its peak, plying more than 60 different routes - but it all came to an end when the system finally closed in 1962. Enthusiasts and former passengers alike will enjoy this nostalgic look back to a bygone era of public transport.
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WALTER ALEXANDER & SONS BUSES AND COACHES 1960 Henry Conn
• FORMAT: HARDBACK 169MM X 238MM • ISBN: 978-1-857945-60-7 • RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 10TH, 2021 • PRICE: £25 • PAGES: 128 • BIC: WGCF Walter Alexander was registered on May 23, 1924 and for many years was the largest bus company in Scotland. For more than 30 years the operations were divided into three areas – Southern, Fife and Northern. The area of the Southern company was substantially that developed by the Alexander company. The basis of Alexander’s development in Fife was the General Motor Carrying Company Limited of Kirkcaldy and Wemyss & District Tramways Company Limited, which were purchased by Alexander in March 1931. In Kirkcaldy the operating rights within the town were purchased by Alexander, and Corporation tramcars were replaced by Alexander buses on May 15, 1931. In Dunfermline Simpson’s & Forrester’s Limited was absorbed on April 1, 1938. The area of the Northern company came into Alexander hands from 1930 onwards with the takeover of services operated by the Scottish General Omnibus Group. Also acquired were the Northern General Services of Arbroath and the bus services of the London & North Eastern Railway Company in Aberdeen. At the end of 1949 Scottish Motor Traction services around Dundee were transferred to Alexander, and on March 1, 1950 James Sutherland of Peterhead was transferred to the company. This pictorial book will cover all three areas with views taken in 1960, featuring a number of buses from the acquired operators. • • •
The second in a series of volumes featuring this major Scottish operator. An amazing collection of images taken in black & white during the period, featuring not just the buses and coaches but also the wider street scene. A trip back to a period when traffic was often sparse and the pace of life so much slower, the half-cab bus and coach dominated the transport scene, and few families owned a car.
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