Railways Then and Now: The Changing Railway Scene in Britain
There are three main phases in British railway history, each characterized by the best means of locomotion at that time; horse, steam, diesel and electricity. The changeover periods-the 1830s and the 1960s-were revolutionary. This book illustrates the second of these two revolutions by means of photographic comparisons supported by a detailed commentary on each illustration.
Dr Course has set out to compile a record (with many of the photographs taken by himself or coming from his own collection) of the past that has long been obliterated: a station where trains once thundered through what is now someone's home, a complete section of a busy line that is now a quiet footpath, water cranes for steam locomotives, street tramways and narrow gauge pleasure railways that have disappeared, or been revived-and also of the past that is still there for the observant enquirer to see: the distinctive railway architecture of the independent railway companies that operated before nationalization in 1948, ironwork bearing the company initials, boundary marks, or evidence that what may now be a minor halt was once a large and important station.
While no extensive analysis of social and economic change is made, the author frequently alludes to the interaction of prevailing conditions and the development of the railways, and his book will make fascinating reading for those who read widely on historical subjects and for the more sophisticated railway enthusiasts.
Hardback with dust jacket, 19x25cm, 168 pages, black & white photographs
Condition: Good/Very Good
ISBN: 9780713405330
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