The Great Central Railway is the only double track preserved steam railway in the world and its main focus is on the hugely popular modern day line running between Loughborough and Leicester North. Author Robin Jones, editor of Heritage Railway magazine, uses an incredible collection of images from Britain's top railway photographers to showcase the very best of preserved steam running in an authentic setting. History has its place too with the formation of the original Great Central Railway, built in 1899 to connect the cities of Manchester, Sheffield and London, being explained and examined. Preservation sites set up elsewhere on the former Great Central line are also detailed including those at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Elsecar Heritage Railway and Dinting Railway Centre in Glossop.

This book will take you on a photographic journey along the eight mile line of the Great Central Railway. You'll see the collection of locomotives, historical rolling stock and the restored stations. Some of the photographs also catch that 'lucky moment' when two steam trains pass each other at speed.

A full history of this important 296 mile railroad that ran from Western Kentucky through Nashville to eastern Tennessee. It had the best routing to and from the city of Nashville, and was an important gateway route as well as connector. It was an important coal hauler as well, and had the full range of passenger and freight services and facilities. It fell on bad days after WWII and eventually its trackage was taken over after 1968 and operated by Southern, Louisville & Nashville, and Illinois Central. The line had interesting ALCO diesels, including FAs! Author Cliff Downey has given a very complete history of the line and concentrates much of the book on the trains, equipment, and operations, with excellent B&W and color photos, maps, and illustrations. This is the definitive history of this railroad, well researched, and well written.

“Sets out to address what really happened . . . through its LNER days and into British Railways custodianship . . . A well-researched and presented tome.” —Key Model World For generations of railway enthusiasts and more lately for social historians, the life and times of the former Great Central Railway and in particular its extension towards London in the 1890s and closure seventy years later, have generated considerable interest and controversy. Although many books have been written about the Railway, the majority in recent times have concentrated upon providing a photographic record and a nostalgic look in retrospect to what was generally perceived as happier times for the route. None of the books have presented the outcome from thorough research into the business aspects of the Railway and its successive private (LNER) and public (BR) ownerships through war and peace, and times of industrial, social and political change, that influenced and shaped the demand for a railway service. While retaining a strong railway theme throughout, the book identifies the role played by successive governments, the electricity and coal industries and the effect of social change that, together resulted in a case for closure. The content of the book replaces much supposition with fact and places on record what really happened. The final part of the book acknowledges the fine work over half a century of volunteers dedicated to saving a section of the line in Leicestershire. “A valuable addition to the social and political history of railways.” —The Railway Correspondence and Travel Society

This compelling book centers on the Great Central Railways early history, focusing particularly on its drive to reach London. It follows the subsequent fortunes of the London Extension right up until its closure, and into the preservation era, examining the remarkable achievements of hundreds of enthusiasts and their continuing struggle to fulfill the aspirations of those 1969 visionaries.In 1899 the Great Central Railway opened a new main line between Nottinghamshire and London. It was built to the highest of standards; civil and mechanical engineers able to benefit from the experience of over fifty years of British railway construction. It was a glorious achievement. Yet, despite incorporating some of the best facilities to enable it to operate in a more efficient way than its older rivals, it had a short working life compared to its contemporaries. By the end of the 1960s, most of it had closed. However, ironically, that abandonment by the state-owned British Railways presented an independent and enterprising group of railway enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to operate their own main line with their own engines. In 1969 the Main Line Preservation Group was formed with a vision to re-create a fully functioning, double track, steam-worked main line between Nottingham and Leicester. This book explores the journey, development and changes of the Great Central Railway and is a fantastic guide to how the railway industry has changed over time.

A lavish photographic history of all the key railway stations of London for transport buffs and anyone interested in the rich history of London.

The acclaimed author recounts his epic journey across Europe and Asia in this international bestselling classic of travel literature: “Compulsive reading” (Graham Greene). In 1973, Paul Theroux embarked on a four-month journey by train from the United Kingdom through Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. In The Great Railway Bazaar, he records in vivid detail and penetrating insight the many fascinating incidents, adventures, and encounters of his grand, intercontinental tour. Asia's fabled trains—the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express, the Trans-Siberian Express—are the stars of a journey that takes Theroux on a loop eastbound from London's Victoria Station to Tokyo Central, then back from Japan on the Trans-Siberian. Brimming with Theroux's signature humor and wry observations, this engrossing chronicle is essential reading for both the ardent adventurer and the armchair traveler.