Urban rail transit systems Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Railways
Book SynopsisFrom Britain's most popular railway historian, a concise, authoritative and fast-paced telling of how the railways changed the world. The arrival of the railways in the first half of the nineteenth century and their subsequent spread across every one of the world's continents acted as a spur for economic growth and social change on an extraordinary scale. The 'iron road' stimulated innovation in engineering and architecture, enabled people and goods to move around the world more quickly than ever before, and played a critical role in warfare as well as in the social and economic spheres. Christian Wolmar describes the emergence of modern railways in both Britain and the USA in the 1830s, and elsewhere in the following decade. He charts the surge in railway investment plans in Britain in the early 1840s and the ensuing 'railway mania' (which created the backbone of today's railway network), and the unstoppable spread of the railways across Europe, America and Asia. Above all, he assesses the global impact of a technology that, arguably, had the most transformative impact on human society of any before the coming of the Internet, and which, as it approaches two centuries of existence, continues to play a key role in human society in the twenty-first century. 'A lucid and engaging account of the far-reaching effects that trains have had upon society' The Railway & Canal Historical SocietyTrade ReviewChristian Wolmar – always a stimulating writer – presents a lucid and engaging account of the far-reaching effects that trains have had upon society * The Railway & Canal Historical Society *PRAISE FOR CHRISTIAN WOLMAR: 'Witty, fluent and opinionated' The Times, on To the Edge of the World. 'Fascinating... An excellent examination of one the most extraordinary engineering feats of the 19th century' Daily Express, on To the Edge of the World. 'I can think of few better ways to while away those elastic periods awaiting the arrival of the next eastbound Circle Line train than by reading [this book]' * Sunday Telegraph, on The Subterranean Railway *
£11.69
Safe Haven Books Seats of London: A Field Guide to London
Book SynopsisMoquette is the carpet-like fabric covering the seats we sit on in London's Tubes, buses, trams and Overground trains - and here is a brilliantly colourful guide to all its patterns. London Transport has always wanted the best design, be it Charles Holden's superb art deco Tube stations on the Piccadilly Line, its elegant Johnston typeface or Harry Beck's Tube map. And this pursuit of excellence has extended even to the design of the fabrics it covers our bus and Tube seats with: moquette. In the Thirties top artists like Paul Nash and Enid Marx were commissioned to design patterns; nowadays every line like Crossrail or the Overground gets its own unique, colour-co-ordinated moquette pattern. Now, in conjunction with the London Transport Museum, which has the definitive London Transport moquette archive, Andrew Martin has written a delightful, surprising and covetable guide to all these patterns, from the first horse bus to the latest Tube train.
£999.99
The History Press Ltd London Underground Symmetry and Imperfections:
Book SynopsisThere are currently 272 London Underground, 113 Overground and 45 Docklands Light Railway stations. Luke Agbaimoni has been slowly attempting to capture visual moments at each one.When we see a symmetrical image, it soothes us. It feels as if a puzzle has been completed in front of our eyes. In his first book, The Tube Mapper Project: Capturing Moments on the London Underground, Luke Agbaimoni captured themes such as light, reflections, tunnels and escalators, and documented how the London Underground is part of our identity, a network of shared experiences and visual memories. This follow-up project sees Luke delve into his obsession with symmetry, seeking out stunning and powerful examples across the network in his quest to find beauty in the seemingly mundane. London Underground Symmetry & Imperfections considers such questions as what symmetry means and how to find it in your daily commute, and also revels in the design of the newly opened Elizabeth line.
£21.25
The History Press Ltd The Little Book of the London Underground
Book SynopsisDid You Know? In 1884 the Circle Line opened and was described in The Times as ‘a form of mild torture which no person would undergo if he could conveniently help it.’ According to one psychologist, Tube commuters can experience greater levels of stress than a police officer facing a rioting mob or even a fighter pilot going into a dogfight. Underground trains have only twice been used to transport deceased people in coffins: William Gladstone and Dr Barnardo. Some of the most bizarre items handed in to lost property include 250lb of sultanas, a 14ft canoe, a child’s garden slide, a harpoon gun, a pith helmet, an artificial leg, someone’s brother’s ashes and a sealed box containing three dead bats. WITH well over a billion passengers a year, more than 250 miles of track, literally hundreds of different stations and a history stretching back at least 160 years, the world’s oldest underground railway might seem familiar, but how well do you actually know it?This book offers a feast of Tube-based trivia for travellers and lovers of London alike.
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers Tunnel Visions: Journeys of an Underground Philosopher
Book SynopsisWhen Christopher Ross put on a hi-visibility vest and joined London Underground as a station assistant, he discovered a Plato's cave of reflection and human comedy, populated by streakers, buskers, onanists and angry commuters. A meditation on life, a philosophical enquiry into human nature and a profoundly funny dissection of urban madness. Christopher Ross, philosopher and traveller, decided to cease his journeyings and go underground, working for a year as a station assistant on Platform 6 (northbound Victoria Line) at Oxford Circus. After training school, where he is taught how not to electrocute himself and always to look a member of the public in the eye as they are assaulting you, he faces up to his new duties with a mixture of curiosity and foreboding. ‘Tunnel Visions’ is a delightful mixture of lived experience in the sureal world of London’s Underground and the more elevated ideas, thoughts and imaginings that experience provokes. Oxford Circus station, complete with its weeping wall, its streakers, buskers, onanists and cupboard containing one employee whose ideal working day was to sleep soundly 100 feet below ground, is a Plato’s Cave of reflection and human comedy. Christopher Ross, a still point in the whirling stream of the bizarre and otherworldly life below ground, has written a profoundly funny book.Trade Review‘This is one of the most original and surprising books that I have read for years: a reflection on city life by an unusual mind that proves just how extraordinary the ordinary can be.’ Christopher Matthew, Daily Mail (Critics Choice) ‘Ross has produced a truly brilliant book.’ Gary Younge, Guardian ‘Very funny…a parable of our times.’ Iain Sinclair, Daily Telegraph ‘…this unique, utterly original little philosophical tome. This is pop philosophy in its best sense: a kind of subterranean “Sophie’s World”, but more adult, darker-edged, its modest wisdom harder won.’ Literary Review
£8.99
Capital Transport Publishing London's District Railway Volume 2: Twentieth
Book Synopsis
£33.25
Hancock House Publishers Ltd ,Canada Northwest Ferry Tales
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£10.44
Hancock House Publishers Ltd ,Canada Ferry Tales from Puget Sound
Book Synopsis
£10.44
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Born to Run
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£30.39
Capital Transport Publishing The Birth of the Tubes
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£16.10
Capital Transport Publishing Away from it all by Underground
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£22.50
Schiffer Publishing Ltd Boston Below
Book SynopsisEvery day, roughly 720,000 people from all walks of life use the four lines of the Boston MBTA subway system: Red, Green, Blue, and Orange. The T, as it''s known, is a vital link to living, working, or visiting in Boston. The subway system acts as the city''s arteries. It includes 28 underground and 80 above-ground stations. Over 145 compelling art photographs explore the T-riders, their behavior, their actions when waiting for or riding a train, and their response to the chaotic push of rush hour. With a keen eye, both the T''s infrastructure and its many stations with their varied architecture, artwork, and physical layouts are captured. With the first tunnel excavation begun in 1895 and the last station completed in 1985, there is plenty of variation to explore. Interestingly, this volume also offers a rarely seen glimpse of how the trains are kept operational in several maintenance facilities. Here is a fascinating visual journey through one of the nation''s oldest subway systems.
£33.29
