Around the Great Western Then & Now
Of all the 'Big Four' companies to emerge in 1923, the Great Western Railway —God's Wonderful Railway — was the one that managed to retain its pre-Grouping ambience through to Nationalisation. This individuality was arguably perpetuated through the Western Region of BR until the 1960s. During the Grouping in 1923, the only significant change was that the GWR got greater, taking over many of the smaller companies that had, particularly in South Wales, provided the company's only competition. However, although the GWR and its successor in BR(WR) dominated railway transport to the south and west of London, from the early 1920s onwards there has been a gradual, but inexorable, decline in the provision of railway services in the region, a decline which can best be exemplified through direct photographic comparisons. In his second contribution to Ian Allan Publishing's hugely successful 'Then & Now' series, Laurence Waters has travelled the length and breadth of the GWR network, recording the shifting scene. Featuring some 300 locations, from the great urban termini such as London Paddington to the rural branch line stations, the book explores how the ex-GWR/BR(WR) network has evolved from the days of steam to today's high-speed era with a privatised railway network. With `Then' photographs drawn from a number of sources, in particular the impressive archive held by the Great Western Society at Didcot, the book illustrates the fascinating process of continuity and change, and how this has impacted on to the railway as seen today. All of the 'Now' photographs, taken over the past year, have been specially taken for the book, resulting in the author having travelled many thousands of miles to record the changing railway scene. For all those interested in the Great Western Railway and its successor British Railways (Western Region), Around the Great Western: Then & Now is an excellent examination of the changing role of railways over the past half century. It will appeal to railway enthusiasts and local historians alike.
Hardback with dust jacket, 256 pages, black & white photographs
Condition: Very Good
ISBN: 9780711028432
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