|
|
 Express Publishing, 37 Rhyd Fadog, Caernarvon, LL55 3HL. ISBN
9781901056181. Price £13.95. 80 pages, soft covers.
This, the twenty-fourth book from specialist publisher Xpress, is a
reference work about the minutiae of railway operation. It deals, in
great detail, with the carriage workings, working timetables, train
formations and carriage siding arrangements of the Torbay Branch in the
summer of 1957.
The first thing one realises from it is the sheer complexity of running
a railway with an intense service on an inadequate infrastructure. It is
also a tribute to those whose daily efforts was to provide a public
service; Would that our current system was run by such people.
This is no bedtime read but a serious text book itemising every
passenger train, its formation, origination and next destination. The
layout shews the book's origins in the working timetables and
instructions used by its writers. There is enough information here to
model, say, Paignton and run the services exactly as they were run in
the 50's. Whether its operators could run the model as well as the real
thing is a moot point.
The author is renowned for his trenchant views but, though strictly
speaking a text book, the narrative is written with compassion and
humour. There are some 22 b/w photographs - mostly half plate - with
many diagrams, charts and tables in a well-produced document (I spotted
only four typos).
The major part of the book deals exhaustively with each up and down
train. One section is devoted to weekday services and the other to
Saturdays. Each entry's notes demonstrate that the author and
collaborators have an encyclopaedic knowledge.
Some surprising facts emerge; for instance, the prestigious Bristolian
set was used on summer Saturdays as part of a Paddington-Paignton
working. We should be grateful that this knowledge of a bygone era is
being painstakingly and permanently recorded.
An essential reference book for any student of railway operation
generally and in the West particularly.
Back to top
Back to Book Reviews |
