Product Description

Rich in romance and nostalgia, this fascinating book takes the reader on an odyssey around Britain in pursuit of the lost railways.This title focuses on the 10,000 miles of lines closed in Britain since the 1950s, bringing to life the glorious story of train travel as it used to be. Images of the railways' active past and pieces of ephemera capture British rural lines.It documents all the lost and forgotten aspects of railways, including timetabled journeys, stations, tunnels, staff and railway vehicles.Like previous books in the series, "Along Lost Lines" takes a very visual approach to the subject matter by highlighting the places and features that best tell the story, through stunning images and fascinating visual detail.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30694 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
The author's enthusiasm for the subject is everywhere apparent in his writing, and the book is beautifully produced. .... it succeeds admirably --Dorset Magazine

Review from The Countryman - You don't have to be a railway buff to enjoy this trip down memory line which brings the lost world of Britain's railway network back to life. --The Countryman

Review from Darlington & Stockton Times - The journey around the regions is packed with old and new photographs and information about timetables. --Darlington & Stockton Times

About the Author
Paul Atterbury is a long-time expert on BBC TV's Antiques Roadshow, and has written on railways, Victorian culture and arts, as well as many other topics. He is also the author of Along Country Lines and Branch Line Britain. Paul lives in a converted railway carriage in Dorset.

Customer Reviews

Last of a great series
The author clearly has a fascination for railways that no longer exist, as this is not the first book on the subject that he has written; however, it is almost certainly the best. Lavishly illustrated like the previous books in the series (Branch line Britain, Along country lines, Tickets please) and written in a similar style, this book provides a brief introduction, explaining that the lost railways mean much more than just the physical loss, and providing a brief summary of Beeching. Following the introduction, the author looks at each region in turn, beginning with the west country and following on with southern England, Wales, central England, East Anglia, northern England and, last but definitely not least, Scotland. Between the regional section are other features about various aspects of railway life as well as the trains, buildings and other structures that were once to be found. Lost journeys are described, though I suspect that most people who had to make those journeys in the heyday of the railways would have been glad to be able to make those journeys by car.

Among the special features, I particularly like the one showing the uses to which old carriages were put, some being converted into homes and classrooms, with one serving as a church for many years. The feature on forgotten freight reminds us that all freight that needed to be transported more than a few miles once went by train. These days, only bulk freight such as coal, oil and cement is carried on British trains, with everything else going by road. The feature on turntables serves to remind us that steam locomotives (especially those with tenders), unlike their diesel and electric successors, needed turning to run at maximum efficiency although some were better at running backwards than others.

The west country is a good region to study first. It covers Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Among the pictures, there's a great picture of what is now a rocky footpath on the former branch to Portland. There's also a picture of what was once Watergate Halt in Devon, with the overgrown platform providing clear evidence of its original use. In a deeply rural wooded setting, I can imagine that the route of the old railway would make for a very pleasant walk on a sunny summer day (though the author points out elsewhere that if you explore old railways in winter, you may see more because of the lack of vegetation), if it is accessible to the public. Of course, there are some pictures showing how things used to be, but there have always been plenty of books covering those. It is the pictures showing the legacy that I find most interesting.

The section on Wales includes an interesting piece on the former railway from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth. I was particularly frustrated to discover (in my hardback copy) that the text on page 94, which should have concluded this feature, actually repeated some of the text from page 92. I e-mailed the publisher, but they already knew about the problem and sent me a replacement page. Later pressings of the hardback book corrected this error (I've seen copies in bookstores to prove it) so presumably the paperback editions are all correctly printed too. Kudos to the publisher for sending me a replacement, which sits loose in my book. Another interesting feature covers a line running in mid-Wales from north to south, but which closed even before Beeching had to worry about it. This reminds us that it was once possible to travel by train from north to south Wales without visiting England along the way.

The book concludes with a couple of pages about exploration, pointing out that while many former railway lines have become public footpaths, by no means all have and even where the trackbed has not been built over, he land may be privately owned.

This is a magnificent book, not just for railway enthusiasts but for anybody interested in the surviving evidence of a bygone age. Of course, it only skims the surface of the subject, but it is a good starting point. Another publisher has a series of books that give much more information about lost railways, of which I've reviewed the ones covering Wiltshire and Northumberland. Those books are great if you're interested in a particular area of the country, but for a general appreciation of lost railways, this book is unbeatable.

Ah, those were the days
All Paul Atterbury's books are well written, very well illustrated with some fantastic photographs. This book, and his others, are nostalgia at its best!

We have a few of Paul Atterbury's books now and I would thoroughly recommend them. Any lover of trains, especially gentlemen of a certain age who were train spotters in their youth, will adore this book and look through it again and again.

My 1st Book by Paul Atterbury
I have a great interest in the UK's heritage and in particular Railways.
Although I have seen Paul Atterbury on Antiques Roadshow I hadn't appreciated that he had writtena number of these "heritage" railway books.This particular book was everything it claimed to be,proved to be a good read and would make a good reference book for any serious historian. Excellent.