The West Country Railway History In Pictures

The West Country
Railway History In Pictures
by R.C. Riley
West Country railways were as colourful and diverse as the land they served. They included several first class main lines such as the Bristol and Exeter, many picturesque branches, litlle self-contained systems such as the Lynton & Barnstaple and, though this is less well known, some of Britain's first industrial lines. As early as 1730 wagons were trundling down a primitive railway from Ralph Allen's quarries near Bath.
This well balanced pictorial history traces the development of the broad gauge route pioneered by Brunel, and its later narrow gauge rival, the London & South Western; it of course also deals with the later development and eventual decline of many lines and finds room for close ups on the minor systems of the South West.
Above all the beauty of the south west scene is shown, whether on rural branches, familiar lines serving holiday resorts or obscure mineral railways. Brunel deservedly gains some prominence in having engineered much of the GWR, on whose line the Saltash Bridge remains a memorial to him, but other architectural and engineering aspects are not overlooked.
112 pages, 1972, Case bound, 7½" x 9¾", 580g
ISBN 0-7153-5479-5
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