Country Railway - Softcover

St John Thomas, David

3.76

21 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0711232601 ISBN 13: 9780711232600

Publisher: Frances Lincoln, 2011

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Possibly read more than any other railway book, The Country Railway has sold over 170,000 copies. This is a redesigned edition of the original text and photographs. Everyone loved the country railway with its neat stations and colourful gardens, the shining brasswork of its tank engines, viaducts daringly built over gushing rivers, embankments carpeted with flowers, and guards whose appearance and voice as well as the traffic they carried in their vans reflected exactly the character of the terrain being served. Basing his work on deep historical research and rich personal experience, David St John Thomas lovingly portrays the branch and cross-country railway in all its nostalgic, technical and commercial aspects. He tells of the days of high expectation when the local promoters first met and chose the architectural style for their stations, sees the navvies at work hacking through the countryside, reports the arrival of the first trains, recalls the troubled realisation when traffic receipts failed to provide enough for dividends. Stations, signalboxes, engines and their men, coaches and trucks, cattle docks and railway pubs, junctions and termini, varied landscapes, special occasions and disasters! In words and pictures here is a unique study for railway enthusiasts and for those who just miss the passing of the country railway.

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About the Author:

David St John Thomas was the author of many books, including a bestselling series chronicling the four big railway companies. He was the founder of the publishing house David & Charles, which he ran for 30 years.

Review:

Remains a classic, already cherished by many readers, but now available for a new generation. Ffestiniog Railway Society Magazine

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