hot off the press 2

	PLATEWAY PRESS The Early Years of the Motor Rail Tram car Company 1911-1931 £22 95 By W. J. K. Davies The names of Motor Rail and simplex are familiar to all narrow gauge enthusiasts as the names of one of Britain's most successful small petrol and diesel locomotives. This book incorporates the authors research into the history of the first twenty years of the company, from its formation in 1911 up to the change of name to Motor Rail Limited in 1931. In these first two decades the production of tramcar was as important as petrol locomotives. This side of Motor Rail has not been documented before and is fully cover3d in this book, which ends at the point where Motor Rail began developing its first diesel locomotives. This book is comprehensively researched and produced to the high standards set by this small, but respected publisher. Hb, 116 pages, 101 b/w illustrations, 33 drawings & maps.
	WILD SWAN PUBLICATIONS LMS Journal No 23 £9 95 It must be Christmas for two ; Journals have been published at the same time!. No 23 has the usual broad mix of articles including;- Aspects of Freight Pt 2 LMS Photographic Days Pt 3 LMS Signals No 20 Of Engines & Enginemen The Kettering to Huntingdon Line An insight into early Traffic Control ...... and more Sb, 80 pages
	LMS Journal No 24 £9 95 Edited By Bob Essery This issue contains another savoury mix including:- Half a century at Watford LMS Goods Stations Leighton Buzzard 1931 Leicester and Loughborough Economics on the LMS Northern Division Willesden Revisited Bernard William Cooke 1872-1939 Track Relaying on the Birmingham Area A Recollection of Railcars More of Enginemen ....... and more Sb, 80 pages
	Locomotive Profile No 11 The Coronation Class £24 95 By David Hunt, John Jennison, Bob Meanley, Fred James & Bob Essery Now well established as a professionally researched and superbly presented series, the latest ' Locomotive Profile ' turns its attention to the Coronation class, referred to by railwaymen as the ' Big uns '. As usual the book begins with notes on the origins of the class and then looks at Coronation and Modification, Tenders, The Engines in service and Liveries. Sb, 174 pages, 86 b/w illustrations, 30 drawings.
	D. J. Norton's Pictorial Survey of Railways in the West Midlands Part One £19 95 By Bob Essery Todays modern housing, shopping centres, retail parks, industrial estates and dual carriageways have wiped away much of the older urban landscapes and tangle of railway lines and sidings in the West Midlands. It is extremely fortunate, therefore, that instead of concentrating on locomotives, D. J. Norton used his skills, and a lineside pass, to record the LMS infrastructure, including stations, yards, junctions, engine sheds, bridges, signals etc, providing a priceless record of a bygone era. Quite why all three volumes have been published at once making them a relatively expensive purchase, is not clear, but so be it. This volume provides an overview , and then covers New Street Station, Coventry to Stretchford, Stretchford to Wolverhampton via New St & Dudley Port, Stretchford to Bushbury via Aston & Bescot, Perry Barr to Soho Junctions, Grand Junction to Aston, Wichnor Junction to Dudley and Aston to Lichfield City. Sb, 144 pages, 201 b/w illustrations.
	D. J. Norton's Pictorial Survey of Railways in the West Midlands Part Two £17 95 By Bob Essery This volume looks at Tamworth to Duddeston Road, Saltley engine shed, New Street Station, Birmingham West Suburban Railway, Water Orton to Wolverhampton, Whitacre to Hampton, Birmingham Central Goods Station. Sb, 112 pages, 165 b/w illustrations.
	D. J. Norton's Pictorial Survey of Railways in the West Midlands Part Three £17 95 By Bob Essery Finally coverage of ex Midland lines is completed by looking at the Birmingham and Gloucester line via Camp Hill, The Longbridge to Halesowen branch and Barnet Green to Redditich. Sb, 112 pages, 169 b/w illustrations.
	STRATHWOOD Seventies Spotting Days around the London Midland Region £19 95 By Kevin Derrick Unlike previous books from this publisher, this volume contains a selection of good quality images showing diesel and electric traction , with a little preserved steam, across the London Midland Region. The short captions lean towards comment on the fashions, music, television, politics, sport, film and culture, making the book a nostalgic trip back to the diesel days. Hb, 96 pages, 172 colour illustrations
	Seventies Spotting Days around the Western Region £19 95 By Kevin Derrick
	PETER KAY The Corringham Light Railway A New History £12 95 By Peter Kay The Corringham Light Railway was promoted to serve Kynocks explosive factory, set in the marshes on the Southern bank of the Thames, and was opened for goods traffic in January 1901 and officially for passenger traffic on 22nd June 1901 Kynocks was closed after the first World War and the land was acquired by Cory Bros, the coal distributors, who wished to expand a suitable site. During the war Cory Bros was taken over by Powell Duffry, who in turn took a 50% share in the vacuum Oil co in 1950 with a view to building a new refinery at Coryton. Development of the site continued over the years and following major changes over recent years the refinery, and the remains of the railway are owned by Petroplus refinery and marketing Ltd. This well researched book tells the story of this industrial development and the railway which served it. Sb, 96 pages, 186 b/w illustrations
	IAN ALLAN GNER: The Route of the Flying Scotsman £19 95 By John Balmforth When it was created under Chris Garnett, GNER was widely regarded ass the finest of the Train Operating, Companies established post-privatisation. Having unherited the recentley electrified East Coast Main Lines, with its stock of class 91 locomotives. GNER's early years saw a massive growth in passenger traffic, but in recent years the company's fortunes have fallen. Firstly it suffered a number of serious accidents, secondly it overbid when the franchise came up for removal and thirdly, its parent company (Sea container) suffered financial problems. This title now examines the history of GNER and looks in detail at the modernisation and refurbishment of the rolling stock, the temporary use of Eurostar rakes on West riding services passenger growth, accidents and a whole range of other issues. Hb, 96 pages, 142 colour, 1 b/w illustrations.
	COLOURPOINT Irish Railway Photographers Horseshoes and Trolley Poles £8 99 Fintona and Howth trams in the 1950s By Anthony Burgess In the 1950s, the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) employed both horse and electric traction at two locations. In Co Tyrone, the last horse tram in Ireland, hauled by 'Dick', plied its way daily between the town of Fintona and the junction with the Enniskillen-Omagh line. Over a hundred miles away, the last electric open-top trams in Ireland operated the scenic route over the Hill of Howth in Co Dublin. This book is a delightful pictorial tribute to these two tram systems which are still fondly remembered by many. Sb, 64 pages, 53 b/w illustrations.
	STENLAKE PUBLISHING Sheffield Trams Past and Present £13 95 By Richard Buckley The first horse-drawn tramway line in Sheffield was opened in 1873 by The Sheffield Tramways Company, which was brought by Sheffield Corporation in 1896. The following year it was decided to convert the systems to overload electricity, with the first trams entering service on 5th September 1899. By 1914 fourteen routes were in operation and the system continued to expand until 1935.As in many other cases the growth of road transport after World War Two saw the demise of trams and the last one ran on 8th October 1960. However, this was not to be the end and as early as 1971 it was recommended that certain routes be protected for future rapid transit. The rest, as they say is history, and the first super tram in service ran on 21st March 1994. This book is a pictorial tribute to book the old and the present systems. Sb, 96 pages, 189 b/w illustrations.
	PENDRAGON Railway Ships at War £25 00 By A. J. Mullay In Two World Wars nearly 200 railway-owned ships were converted to operate as troop carriers, hospital ships, minesweepers and seaplane-carriers, while others carried on normal sailings in a world suddenly more dangerous than before. Railway Ships took part in such actions as the Gallipoli landings, the Battle of Jutland, Dunkirk and D-Day, one in three of them failed to return. They were bombed, mined, torpedoed, set on fire and strafed, no matter whether they conveyed materials or wounded patients. Their crew were drowned, captured, wounded, and in one case, put to death by firing squad. This book tells their story. Hb, 128 pages, 75 b/w illustrations.
	LIGHTMOOR PRESS Archive No 60 £6 00 The Quarterly Journal for British Industrial and Transport History Every issue of this journal contains a fascinating mix and this time the main articles are:- Burnhope Colliery & Village Hall's Tramroad:Abercarn Pt 4 A Kentish Paper Railway Thirty Years of Bicycle & Tricycle Making in Birmingham (1869-1899) .... and more Sb, 60 pages.
	Railway Archive No 21 £7 50 Now published at the same time as Archive this highly respected Journal contains a wonderful mix including:- A 19th Century Mystery Painting Drybrook Halt- The First British Railway Colour Photograph? The Norman Lockett Archive:An Introduction-The Somerset & Dorset Railway The Locomoitves of William Dean Pt 2 The Southern Railway of the 1930s from the camera of S.A.W. Harvey: Locals, Stoppers and Specials The Railway Photographs of E. Pouteau Pt 21:The South Eastern & Chatham Railway The Hopwood Collection: The Glasgow & South Western Rly Wish you were here? Railway Postcards of Lanarkshire ... and more Sb, 80 pages.
	ADAM GORDON Works Tramcars of the British Isles £25 00 By David Voice Works tramcars were fascinating but mysterious vehicles, usually only venturing from the depot on overnight work schedules. They carried out a wide range of functions which are all described in this limited edition book. These works vehicles included Water, Cars, Snowploughs, Overhead Line Cars, Revenue earning Non-Passenger Cars, Stores Cars, Special use Cars, Permanent Way & Engineering Cars, Road Vehicles, Works Trailers, Contractors Vehicles, Illuminated & Decorated Cars and modern maintenance vehicles. Adam Gordon is renowned for tackling more obscure topics and this title is no exception. Sb, 238 pages, 537 b/w illustrations.
	THE HISTORY PRESS Yorkshire Engine Company £12 99 Sheffield's Locomotive Manufacturer By Tony Vernon Founded in 1865, near the present M1 Junction 34, the Yorkshire Engine Company, outlived many of its contempories and dispatched its last locomotives in 1965. Established by local businessmen, technical expertise was provided by Archibald Sturrock and Charles Sacre. As initial orders from UK and Indian railways fell away, the company became a leading manufacturer of fairlie locomotives, but had disastrous results with the manufacture of marine and tramway engines in the 1870s and later with motor cars. The company was acquired by United Steel Companies in 1945 and production of diesel locomotives began in 1950, with the last steam engine, a pannier tank for BR western Region, being built in 1956. Yorkshire Engine diesel locomotives still operate in steelworks in Sheffield and Scunthorpe. This illustrated history details the financial fortunes of this company the locomotives it built and the men who ran it. Sb, 160 pages, 150 b/w illustrations, 13 drawings.
	PLATFORM FIVE European Handbook No 4 French Railways £18 95 By David Haydock The Fourth Edition of this handbook is a comprehensive listing of all locomotives and multiple units operated by the Societe National des Chemins de fer Francais (SNCF), open access railway undertakings, track maintenance companies and RATTP's fleet for Paris RER lines. It also includes SNCF-operated and Independent Narrow Gauge lines, ex SNCF locomotives in industrial use, snowploughs. Preserved locos and units and museums. Sb, 208 pages, 70 colour illustrations, 8 maps.
	VOYAGEUR PRESS American Passenger Trains and Locomotives Illustrated £17 99 By Mark Wegman The decades spanning the 1890s to the 1950s were the heyday of passenger rail travel in the United States- a period when every engineer was a boyhood hero, every locomotive was a modern marvel and first-class service was offered abroad luxurious cross-country passenger cars. These glorious years are captured in this lavishly illustrated book which combines photographs and superb drawings. prepared from original railroad company records. These show profiles, end elevations and interior layouts representing the steam, diesel and electric locomotives and passenger cars of more than 40 of the most celebrated " Golden Age " named trains across the nation. The illustrations are accompanied by histories of each train and postcards, mends, luggage labels, stickers and adverts. Hb, 160 pages, 55 b/w, 20 colour illustrations, 60 pages of drawings.
	Santa Fe Railway £25 00 By Steve Glischinski Foreword By Kevin P. Keefe Perhaps the best known railroad in history, the Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe, grew from humble beginnings in 1868 to a high-flying icon of the American West known simply as 'The Santa Fe'. Today its legacy survives as part of BNSF. In this book the author looks back at the mystique of the Santa Fe from the famous 1905 record breaking LA to Chicago high speed run of " Death Valley Scotty " to the inauguration and career of the world class super Chief, the pioneering freight trains of the nineteenth century, and modern BNSF intermodal runs that link Chicago and Los Angeles. He also looks at motive power from the diminutive early 4-4-0 steam models to the 4500 horse power diesel electrics of the 1990s. Hb, 160 pages, 109 colour, 16 b/w illustrations, plus period adverts ephemera etc.
	IAN ALLAN Level Crossings £19 99 By Stanley Hall and Peter Van Der Mark One of the beauties of the railway network is that it is, on the whole, segregated from other transport infrastructure. There is,however, one point of conflict between road and rail-the level crossing. In recent years, there has been growing concern about the safety issues surrounding these crossings as there have been a number of accidents, on both the national network and preserved lines, that have led to fatalities, written by one of the British Railway Board's former signalling and safety officers, this is an authoritative look at the history of level crossings and all the safety issues surrounding them in the current day and age. A final chapter by Peter Van Der Mark looks at level crossings in Europe. Hb, 128 pages, 119 colour, 79 b/w illustrations.