Industrial Railways of the South West

The industrial railway was the ancestor of modern railways but developed in an individual and unique way. The south west of England had many such lines, certainly many hundreds, from the late eighteenth century but most had gone by the end of the twentieth century. Some were well known but others were very obscure and left little trace.

The author has spent many years researching such railways and this book is a collection of his photographs taken mainly in the 1960s and 70s when a good number of the systems were still flourishing. It covers lines dating from the 1830s both below and above ground, standard gauge and broad, narrow gauge and plateway. Some lines were extremely simple but others were very complex and busy. Sites visited include tin mines and stone quarries, clay works and harbours, and even a castle and a lighthouse. As well as illustrating the locomotives, both steam and diesel, and rolling stock the photographs also place the lines in their landscapes. Some scenes will be familiar today but others have changed totally, particularly with the developments of recent times.

The majority of the 129 black and white photographs are taken by the author, and most have not been published before. They are supplemented by a few historic ones from his collection. Fourteen maps add additional information.

ISBN 978 0 906294 59 8 [ISBN-10: 0 906294 59 2]
96 pages, 143 illustrations. Soft back with full colour cover £9.50

Buyers outside Europe need to add £1.00 per book towards surface mail. Email us for airmail rates.

Reviews:

'There are some delightful pictorial scenes . . . excellent value for money and recommended.' Industrial Railway Record, September 2005

'Excellent new photographic coverage . . . A must have for the bookcase.' Narrow Gauge & Industrial Modelling Review, April 2006

Also by Michael Messenger:

North Devon Clay, £21.00

Caradon & Looe, £26.00

The Culm Valley Light Railway, £15.00