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Western National Buses - Stephen Heginbotham - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

Decades after its dissolution, Western National remains one of the most recognisable and beloved bus and coach operators in Britain. Covering a broad area encompassing Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Gloucestershire, it is a brand that fired the imagination of countless enthusiasts and served its community admirably. These images, from the camera of former Western National employee David Letcher, offer a rewarding insight into Western National’s heyday.Published for the first time here in a selection curated by transport author Stephen Heginbotham, the photographs offer a richly rewarding and nostalgic tribute to a famous name.

Transition on the Western Railways - Tim Squires - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The Western Region has been going through a period of great transition, and this book aims to document these changes, such as the rebranding of First Great Western as Great Western Railway and the replacement of the High Speed Train (HST) fleet with the new Hitachi Intercity Express Train (IET) fleet. There has also been an extensive electrification and modernisation project on the Great Western Main Line between London, Bristol and South Wales, along with numerous rolling stock upgrades and changes. Also included are interesting workings around the region such as railtours and unusual visitors, as well a variety of freight workings and images taken on the heritage railways in the area, many of which have had changes of their own.

Diesels in the Western Region - George Woods - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The Great Western Railway was always a little different to the rest of the railways, and that was still the position when in 1955 British Railways announced their Modernisation Plan that would see steam replaced by diesels and electrics. The rest of the railway regions opted for diesel-electric locos but the Western would be different, opting for diesel-hydraulics. The first entered service in 1957 and by 1964 six different classes were introduced. Unfortunately there were problems with them all, which were largely solved as experience was gained, but the BRB was in favour of standardisation using the diesel-electric type and they saw the Western hydraulics as non-standard, which resulted in their early withdrawal from service by 1977.This book of mostly unpublished colour pictures taken by George Woods shows them in service from 1966 to 2019, and also includes the Class 50 locos that became their replacements.

North Western Buses - Paul Williams - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The North Western Road Car Company is just a fading memory now, but for fifty years its red and cream buses served a broad sweep of England’s North West from the Cheshire plain to the Pennines, and from Manchester’s industrial mills to the threshold of the Potteries. It was known as a friendly company, familiar as a commuter bus in Stockport, or market-day transport in rural Peak Forest, or as a fast express coach to London.Eventually, through no fault of its own, the company found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time and was dismembered to satisfy bureaucrats poring over a map. The name was revived briefly in the 1980s but today the only buses with the proud name ‘North Western’ on their sides are to be found in museums.This book isn’t a history of the company – it’s a taste of the days when a North Western timetable could be found in every home in its territory, providing a lifeline and a cheerful wave. Paul Williams has collected a unique set of photos taken between the 1950s and the 1970s from the collection of the Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester, to show that North Western’s memory is worth saving.

Western Region Rail Scene: 1970s–1980s - Garry Stroud - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

For many enthusiasts, the Western Region of BR was the home of the hydraulics, their following reaching almost cult status towards their later years. Even the Class 50s which replaced them created their own following and are now part of history. The images in this book represent not just hydraulic power but the changing scene on the Western Region during the 1970s and early to mid-1980s. In many locations the semaphore signals which were synonymous with the region are gone, with even Brunel’s main line completely transformed and electrified. Plenty of nostalgic rail-blue-era images of long-lost motive power, from front-line locomotives to first-generation DMUs, main- and branch-line scenes as well as depots are included, representing the whole of the Western Region from London to Cornwall, South Wales and north to Worcester. Garry Stroud presents a vibrant selection of nostalgic images from a time when hydraulic motive power was giving way to newer forms of traction and eventually HSTs.

North Western Railway of India - Alon Siton - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The North Western Railway of India (NWR) was one of British India’s largest railway systems. Created out of the merger of several local Indian lines, the NWR was gradually extended and charged with the double duty of running civilian passenger trains between Delhi and the rest of the country, as well as implementing Britain’s own strategic plans beyond the border – from the North Western Frontier to distant Afghanistan. In 1947, following the end of the British rule in the Indian subcontinent, the NWR was divided between the newly formed independent states of India and Pakistan.Using rare and previously unpublished photos, maps and illustrations, this book tells the story of one of the most fascinating railways of the Indian Empire.

Buses on the Western Isles - Richard Walter - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The Isles of Lewis and Harris are unique in that they are made up of a number of small private bus and coach operations tendered for by the local council.During 2019, Western Isles Council devised a number of options to cut costs. There were public concerns that timetables could be restricted just to commuter buses between rural villages and Stornoway, which could result in no transport for town workers on early shifts or reductions to shopping, health care, social and leisure services, or see evening services abolished.Richard Walter looks back at the years leading up to these big changes and what has happened as a result. Through a series of fascinating photographs, he shows how bus services and coach provision on the Western Isles have had to adapt to survive – from the arrival of the Cruise Liners to the modern technology expected of local operators.

Locomotives of Western Canada - Mike Danneman - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The mountains of Alberta and British Columbia in western Canada have always challenged the resolve of the railways that worked their way west, opening up the country. It was a new frontier that soon tested man and locomotive as trains crossed through a rugged and unforgiving territory. Even today, the task continues as incredible amounts of tonnage are hauled over arduous mountain passes and through spectacular river canyons, powered by modern diesel locomotives.With a stunning collection of previously unpublished photographs, Mike Danneman showcases these marvellous machines amid the splendour of some of the best mountain scenery in the world.

Memorials of the Western Front - Marcus Meulen - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

Published to coincide with the centennial of the end of the First World War, this informative book is an essential guide to the memorials of the war on the Western Front, describing their history and meaning. Graveyards, memorials and monuments have been erected since the beginning of the First World War from Brandhoek Military Cemetery in early 1915 to the Welsh Memorial Park outside Ypres in 2014. Their presence has changed a bucolic landscape into a field of remembrance, where farms stand next to cemeteries and every village and town has its memorials to the missing. The hills of Picardy, the pastures along the River Somme, the fields of Flanders; the many battles fought here have become part of our collective memory. Cemeteries, memorials to the missing and monuments of remembrance define this part of the Continent, which has become forever a piece of England.This book is a guide to the memorials of the First World War along the Western Front, describing their history and meaning. Including designs by notable architects such as Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Reginald Blomfield, the coverage ranges from the Menin Gate and Tyne Cot Cemetery and the memorials in Flanders, through the Arras Memorial to the Missing in French Flanders and Artois to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing on the Somme and Aisne battlefields.Including an insight into the function and history of the war memorials, this book is an invaluable historical and practical guide.

The Great Western Mainline - Jamie Anderson - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

Completed in 1841 and covering a distance of around 118 miles, the Great Western Mainline, affectionately known as Brunel’s billiards table due to the flat terrain of the route it follows, links the great cities of London and Bristol. This book covers a period of enormous change, starting with the withdrawal of the much-loved HST fleet and the introduction of the Hitachi 800/802 IET fleet. Along with the IET fleet’s introduction, the push for electrification of the route has brought about unprecedented changes not only to the route itself but also to multiple units in operation. The DMUs have largely cascaded to the west as EMUs and Class 387s have begun to dominate passenger traffic. Freight and on-track plant also feature alongside unusual visitors and railtours.

Wales and Western Region Railways - Brian Reading - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The 1950s and 1960s was a time of profound cultural and technological transformation. With images and vivid recollections, we journey back to post-war Wales and the Western Region of British Railways. We explore favourite routes and railway places, many now changed beyond recognition. Trackside, at busy stations, in and around depots, an evolving mood is revealed in pictures.In the 1950s railway pride and optimism overcame staff shortages, returning locomotives to pre-war performance and introducing modern BR standard classes. By the 1960s fiscal efficiency and the dawning diesel era turned pride to neglect. Sparkling steel, brass and tallow gave way to dust, rust and flaking paint. Though many locomotives were lost, some survived to be reborn as the stars of preserved railways; loved by dedicated volunteers and tourists alike.People, machines and landscapes are crystalized on film for future generations – reawakening memories for those who lived through this time of change and offering a fascinating insight for those who are too young to have been trackside during this intriguing period of railway history.

Freight Trains of the Western Region in the 1980s - Kevin Redwood - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

From coal trains in South Wales to clay trains in Cornwall, there were still large numbers of unfitted and vacuum-braked wagons of various types in use across the Western Region at the start of the 1980s. However changes were taking place, and by 1984 the traditional wagon-load freight network had disappeared, and with it many yards were closed or rationalised. The replacement Speedlink Network conveyed modern air-braked wagons, many of them privately owned. Company block trains also connected freight customers across the Region, hauled by a variety of loco classes.Between 1980 and 1986 Kevin Redwood was working in the Area Freight Centre at Bristol with a particular interest in freight traffic. On his days off he frequently travelled across the region to photograph the changing scene. His journeys took him to busy mainline locations like Didcot, as well as more obscure locations in South Wales and the West Country.

The GWR's Forgotten Main Line to the North - Robert Hendry - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

A key part of the Great Western Railway’s network was the main line to the North through Birmingham. From London, this route including the Princes Risborough cut-off joined Didcot, Oxford, Banbury and Birmingham, and then Wolverhampton, Chester and Shrewsbury, opening up destinations in the North and North West. The GWR also ran services on its joint lines with the London & North Western Railway and the Great Central Railway, to reach Birkenhead and York. In this book author, modeller and railway historian Robert Hendry draws on his extensive collection of historical images to present a photographic portrait of this significant part of the Great Western Railway through the years.

Turkish Steam Railways - Mick Pope - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

Turkey, the country that straddles Europe and Asia, reflects this in the mix of cultures from both continents to be found there. The western and southern coastal areas are the most familiar to Western holidaymakers but the interior, Black Sea coast and east of the country are less visited. As Western railway enthusiasts found less and less to attract them in Europe they discovered that Turkey had steam locomotives aplenty, reflecting the fact that this was a country that had embraced Western industrialisation and modernisation ahead of most other Middle Eastern countries. This, and the shifting alliances Turkey had embraced, was also reflected in the variety of countries that had built the steam locomotives. Examples could be found from builders in Germany, Sweden, France, the United States and the United Kingdom. These varied from ancient specimens of Prussian State railway design to modern ten coupled designs built after the Second World War.Finding and photographing trains presented certain problems. Train services in this large country could be sparse, timekeeping notoriously unreliable and the roads, very often of dirt, hazardous. However, if these problems could be endured the landscape offered fantastic photographic opportunities.

Japanese Steam in the 1970s - Yoshi Hashida - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

Though the famous bullet train launched in 1964, many steam engines were still operational in Japan before withdrawal in 1975. These wonders of narrow gauge railway engineering have often gone unappreciated in Western countries – until now.Japan’s distinctive four seasons offer the perfect backdrop for the rail photographer, and allowed Yoshi Hashida to capture steam engines working against a variety of gorgeous backdrops and stunning settings, including mountain scenes and coastal views. This book showcases some of his best shots of steam engines hard at work from 1971 to 1975, focused mainly on Western Japan.

Landscape Gardens - Sarah Rutherford - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The landscape garden is arguably Britain’s greatest contribution to Western Art, establishing an artificial style of garden that has defined what we consider to be a ‘natural environment’. This is the perfect introduction to the subject.

The Digital Watch Story - Andrew Morten - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The Architecture and Infrastructure of Britain's Railways: West Midlands, Wales and the West - Patrick Bennett - Bog - Amberley Publishing -

The range and variety of British railway stations is truly astonishing: from the tiny wayside halt made of corrugated iron to the magnificent stone-built city centre terminus. No less remarkable in their variety are the buildings devoted to the transport of goods, and indeed for most years of their existence this traffic was by far the most important to the railway companies. Subjects also covered are signal boxes and signalling, locomotive depots, bridges and viaducts and much else besides; in fact, just about every aspect of the British railway scene. This book, focusing on the West Midlands, Wales and the South West, covers principally the areas of the London & North Western, the Great Western, the London & South Western railways and the various Welsh railway companies. Illustrated throughout with the author’s original colour photographs, many of which are now historic, this book is sure to appeal as much to the general reader as to the railway modeller.

A History of the Great Western Railway - Colin Maggs - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The story of the most iconic railway company of the great age of steam.The initials ‘GWR’ conjure an evocative picture of a Brunswick green locomotive hauling tea-and-cream-coloured coaches through a verdant West Country landscape. However, the GWR was not just engines and trains.In this comprehensive history, Colin Maggs, one of the country’s foremost railway historians, tells of other, perhaps less well-known aspects of the company’s history: its construction and expansion; the activities of its publicity department; and its sea, air and road services. It was a caring, cradle-to-the-grave employer and at Swindon even provided a hospital, school, baths and recreational facilities. These and other fascinating aspects of the company are all revealed in this accessible book, illustrated with over 100 photographs and period posters, many in colour.

Railways of Ireland - C. Winchester - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

At its peak in the 1920s Ireland had some 3,500 route miles of track, today it has less than half that amount. By the beginning of the twentieth century the list of companies included the Belfast & County Down Railway, the Cork, Bandon & South Coast Railway, the County Donegal Railway Joint Committee, the Dublin & South Eastern Railway, the Great Northern Railway of Ireland, the Great Southern & Western Railway, the Midland Great Western Railway, the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway and the Northern Counties Committee. Then, in 1925, the various companies within the Irish Free State were merged to form the Great Southern Railways.Clarence Winchester’s account, originally published in the 1930s, is combined with the best archive images in this portrait of Ireland’s railways in former times.

Battlefield Trails - Paul Johnson - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

This compendium looks at the lives of a selection of soldiers of the First World War who never returned home. Presented in chronological order, the narrative covers both significant battles and lesser known actions on the Western Front, including Mons, Ypres, the Somme, Loos and Amiens. Each pen picture is accompanied by a portrait and additional images, bringing the reader face to face with some of those who fought and died in the trenches and fields of Western Europe and culminates in a poignant final tribute to their service. Complemented with archive black and white and colourised images, this book will prove an invaluable guide for those with an interest in the human story of the First World War as well as the battlefield tourist.

On Southern Lines in Devon and Cornwall - Robert Hendry - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The Southern Railway, and later British Railways’ Southern Region extended its reach into Devon and Cornwall, competing with the Great Western Railway. The main line served Exeter and Plymouth and named trains such as the ‘Atlantic Coast Express’ and the ‘Devon Belle’ took holidaymakers to the coastal resorts, including Padstow, Bude and Ilfracombe. In addition, a network of lines served smaller locations in the two counties. Many of these lines were closed in the 1960s, during the Beeching era, and earlier BR’s Western Region had taken over the Southern’s lines in Devon and Cornwall west of Exeter. In this book railway historian Robert Hendry documents in photographs the changing race of the railways on these lines, from the days of the Southern Railway into BR’s ownership.

Welsh Military Airfields Through Time - Alan Phillips - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

It was inevitable that certain areas of Wales would be chosen as locations for airfields in times of conflict and war. The nation''s distance from Continental Europe made it relatively safe from enemy attack and, therefore, ideally suited for training. It also due to its location on the western side of Great Britain near to the Western Approaches and the Atlantic convoys that the airfields in Pembrokeshire, as a peninsula, were ideally suited for Coastal Command operations into the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay. In Wales there were thirty-seven airfields and four relief landing grounds, eleven of which were operationally involved in air defence and maritime operations. Also there were numerous temporary landing areas attached to army camps associated with pre D-Day landings, which do not count as proper airfields.

Arthur and the Kings of Britain - Miles Russell - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

Written in 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain) purported to chronicle the British monarchy from the arrival of the Trojan Brutus, grandson of Aeneas, through to the seventh century AD. The Historia was a medieval best-seller, and copies spread across the whole of western Europe. It was the first work to outline the story of King Arthur.The Historia has long been dismissed as an unreliable piece of medieval propaganda. A new examination of the text, however, shows that it is very much more than that. Miles Russell explains how individual elements can be traced back to the first century BC, a time when Britain was making first contact with Rome. Geoffrey of Monmouth’s skill was to weave these early traditions together with material culled from post-Roman sources in order to create a national epic. In doing so, he also created King Arthur, a composite character whose real origins and context are explained here.This important work establishes Geoffrey of Monmouth as no mere peddler of historical fiction, but as the man who preserved the earliest foundation myths of Britain. It is time to re-evaluate the Historia Regum Britanniaeand shine a new light into the so-called ‘Dark Ages’.

Railways of the Chilterns - Patrick Bennett - Bog - Amberley Publishing - Plusbog.dk

The Chilterns consist of a band of chalk hills to the north-west of London stretching from Oxfordshire to Hertfordshire. It so happened that these hills were directly on the routes of five major companies’ routes to the North and Midlands. These were: the Great Northern, the Midland, the London & North Western, the Great Central and the Great Western. As well as the main lines there was a large number of branches, now nearly all closed. To complete the picture, to the north of the Chilterns was the Oxford to Cambridge transversal route, part of which remains open, and part of which is being actively restored.This book relates the story of these lines and their branches, through their construction and operation, the closures of the 1960s, to the situation today. Illustrated throughout with historic and modern photographs, maps, diagrams and timetables.