Hot off the press

	CAPITAL TRANSPORT Somerset Steam : Scenes from the 50s & 60s £8 95 By Michael Welch Mention Somerset and thoughts normally turn to the Somerset & Dorset Railway linking Bath and Bournemouth, but the county had much more. There was, and still are the GW main lines from Bristol to Taunton and Westbury to Taunton, parts of the former LSWR main line from Waterloo to Exeter and numerous delightful branch lines. Together these lines served Frome, Castle Cary, Witham, Yatton, Yeovil, Taunton, Clevedon, Chard, Minehead, Barnstaple, plus the S & D route and more. All these are illustrated, using largely unpublished material, in this new title from the respected author, Michael Welch. Sb, 84 pages, 95 colour illustrations.
	NOODLE BOOKS Southern Way Special No 2 Southern in Colour in the Sixties £14 95 By Terry Cole This selection of unpublished photographs covers an area roughly from the Isle of Wight to Tunbridge Wells and between Guilford and the south coast. The illustrations,which are of moderate quality, paint a broad picture of the last years of southern steam on the secondary routes and branch lines of the area. The book is divided into section covering Trains in the Worthing area, The Steyning Lines. The Hayling Island Line, The Isle of Wight, The Lewes & East Grinstead Line and early Bluebell and finally the " Cuckoo " line. Sb, 96 pages, 102 colour illustrations.
	MARTIN BAIRSTOW Railways Around Whitby Vol 1 £12 95 By Martin Bairstow This book begins with a tale about a camping coach holiday at Sandsend and then goes on to trace the history of the lines from Whitby to Maltby, Middlesborough, Saltburn and Scarborough. It then looks at the Forge Valley line from Scarborough to Pickering, and the Ryedale area. The book ends with a look at the closure period and the emergence of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Originally published as Railways around Whitby in 1989 and reprinted in 1991,by which time it had acquired the suffix Volume One, this new edition is further revised, updated and enlarged. Sb, 112 pages, 178 b/w, 4 colour illustrations, 6 maps.
	MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PRESS British Railway Enthusiasm £60 00 By Ian Carter In this remarkable book, the author, a professor of Sociology, sets out to examine, analyse and explain the British enthusiasm for all matters relating to railways. It is estimated that up to 5 million people are interested in railway books and magazines, train spotting, collecting railwayana and railway preservation, the whole forming a serious culture in its own right. Although an academic work of the highest standard it is a fascinating read and if it were not for the fact that it would be way over their head, it should be be compulsory reading for many employees of todays media. This is a book written by an academic for an academic market and will thus be a limited print run-hence the price. Hb, 316 pages
	THE CROWOOD PRESS LTD Digital Command Control for Railway Modellers £18 99 By Nigel Burkin Nigel Burkin is a respected British Rail modeller who has been using DCC since 2001. In this book he looks at the benefits of DCC technology as a model railway control system and offers practical advice on the choice of systems, applying the technology to a layout, how to use it to enhance operation and how it can be used to overcome technical difficulties such as banking, double-heading, lighting and sound. The book begins with background information on the technology itself and then looks at wiring, decoders, hand controllers, wireless and many practical projects. It is probably the best book on its subject to be published to date. Sb, 190 pages, 453 colour illustrations.
	SILVER LINK Railways and Tramways of the Isle of Man £17 99 By Ted Gray As a result of Victorian holidaymaker's discovery of the Isle of Man as a popular destination, no fewer than nine public transport systems were established between 1873 and 1896. By the middle of the 20th century increased car ownership and foreign holidays were taking their toll on the islands railways and tramways, yet against the odds, Government intervention and voluntary effort ensured that a remarkable amount of the transport infrastructure has survived. The Manx Electric Railway and the Snaefell Mountain Railway remain intact as does the steam railway line between Douglas and Port Erin. Horse-drawn trams still operate on Douglas promenade, while the Groudle Glen Railway and Laxey Mines Railway have been restored by volunteers. Using good quality illustrations the author now looks at these, and the remainder of the railway and tramway network, from the earliest times to the present day to contrast 'past' and 'present' scenes across the island. Sb, 128 pages, 257 b/w illustrations.
	An Illustrated History of Cardiff Docks £19 99 Vol 1: Bute West Dock, Bute East Dock and Roath Dock By John Hutton Bute West Dock was opened in October 1839 and over the next 68 years an interconnected dock system rivaling that of any other port in the world, was constructed. It comprised 17 docks, dock basins and dry docks, 165 acres of water and 7 miles of linear quay. At its peak in 1913 Cardiff handled over 13.6 million tons of exports and imports, the greater part of which was the " black gold " from the South Wales Coalfield. Today the Queen Alexandria and Roath docks comprise 84 acres of water served by 2.7 miles of quay and handle some 3 million tons of cargo. In this book the first of a three volume work, the author provides an in-depth portrait of Cardiff's docks. The first volume covers Bute West, Bute East and Roath Docks, from the 1840s to the present period of redevelopment and modernisation. Sb, 144 pages, 209 b/w illustrations, 22 mpas & plans.
	ROYAL BLUE DAYS £16 99 By Colin Morris One of the great names of the British bus and coach industry was Royal Blue, where vehicles were a familiar sight on the main routes between London and the West Country. Royal Blue was the name adopted by the Southern National and Western National companies for their express services, but the name dates back tot he late 19th century when a horse drawn coach service linked Bournemouth with the Southampton & Dorchester Railway. The operation originally flurished under the ownership of the Ellison family until it was acquired by the two subsidiaries of the Tilling Group. As part of this group, the company passed into the National Bus Company and its identity was finally lost with the creation of NBCs long distance coaching arm, National Express. This book examines the day-to-day running of the company and how it interlinked with other operators in the area that it served. Hb, 96 pages, 100 b/w , 59 colour illustrations.