Search results for ""author ian mclean""
Key Publishing Ltd CLASS 47s: From Inverness to Penzance
The Class 47 diesel locomotive was a mainstay of British Rail, with 512 built in the 1960s. As such, they were a daily sight throughout the UK, working express passenger and heavy freight trains as well as more mundane local passenger and wagon-load freight all over Britain. For rail enthusiasts, 'bashing' emerged as the art of trying to ride behind as many locos as possible. Largely due to their prolific numbers, the 47s were often disliked by bashers and the 47s were often given the disparaging nickname 'Duffs', but to those who followed them, they were 'Brush', an abbreviation of Brush Type 4, which was how BR originally referred to them. However, as time passed and other classes of locomotive fell by the wayside, a far greater appreciation of them is now the norm. This book records 1982 to 1985 and many days spent trying to travel behind all 507 of the Class 47s that were still in traffic at that time. There were triumphs and disasters in the course of these travels, but you got to go the length and breadth of the country and the book contains a wide variety of colour photographs of Class 47s at work from Inverness to Penzance.
£13.49
Key Publishing Ltd Class 47s: Inverness to Dover Western Docks, 1985-86
Following on from Class 47s: Inverness to Penzance: 1982-85, this volume picks up the story and runs to the end of the summer 1986 timetable. It was a period of change, as the first 47s to be withdrawn started to fall by the wayside in the spring of 1986, since seriously damaged crash victims were no longer likely to be rebuilt. The first non-crash-damaged locos were withdrawn - sacrificed to provide a spares pool for the others. It was also a time of change with regard to how trains were heated, as steam heat became rare south of Hadrian's Wall. Christmas 1985 was a watershed as the relief trains were now routinely electrically heated, with the latest ETH conversions emerging from Crewe Works from November 1985. In 1986, regular trips to Scotland were required to sample the delights of steam heat. Further changes came in summer 1986 as InterCity started to operate some routes in Kent, and Dover Western Docks was now on the map. With over 200 images, this volume provides a visual journey of the Class 47s in 1985-86.
£15.99