Search results for ""author paul d shannon""
Pen & Sword Books Ltd British Railway Infrastructure Since 1970: An Historic Overview
This book examines in words and pictures the huge changes that have taken place in the last 50 years on the British railway network. We see how steam-age infrastructure has gradually given way to a streamlined modern railway. The beginning of the period saw the final stages of the Beeching cuts, with the closure of some rural branches and lesser-used stations. Since the 1980s the tide has turned and numerous lines and stations have joined or rejoined the network. As for freight, we see how the complex operations of the 20th century have been replaced by a far smaller number of specialised terminals, while marshalling yards in the traditional sense have all but disappeared. And the long process of updating our railway signalling has continued apace, even though some semaphore gems have managed to survive into the 21st century.
£22.50
Amberley Publishing Rail Freight in the 21st Century
Freight operations on Britain’s rail network have changed enormously in the last two decades. In this book author and photographer Paul D. Shannon surveys the changes in the rail freight scene since the year 2000. With superb colour photographs he illustrates the different freight operating companies in this period, the wide range of traction that they have used and the variety of wagons that could be seen. Views include the terminals, both sea ports and inland. There was a wide range of goods carried in this period, from aggregates and cement for the construction industry, minerals and waste, including china clay, gypsum and potash, to metals and energy materials such as coal, nuclear and biomass. Intermodal freight carrying containers is also important, and other logistical freight operations include mail and parcels. Although the wagonload network has declined in this period, loads such as timber continue and also niche markets such as bottled water. With an array of superb photographs, Paul D. Shannon offers a fascinating overview of the recent and present-day freight scene in Britain.
£15.99
Pen & Sword Books Ltd Branch Line Britain: Local Passenger Trains in the Diesel Era
This book examines in words and pictures the network of British branch lines and other secondary routes that survived the mass closures of the 1960s. While nearly 4,000 route miles were lost between 1963 and 1970, the cuts were less severe than they might have been. Some lines were reprieved because of their social importance, even though they would never pay their way in purely commercial terms. They included some lengthy rural routes, such as those serving the Far North of Scotland, Central Wales and the Cumbrian Coast, as well as some urban backwaters such as Romford to Upminster and the St Albans Abbey branch. As the 1970s progressed, closures became scarce, but cost-cutting measures included the singling of some lines as well as scaled-down stations and simplified signalling. Yet even today, some pockets of traditional operation survive. Mechanical signal boxes still control many hundreds of miles across the network, in areas as diverse as West Cornwall, East Lincolnshire and South West Scotland. This book also celebrates several reopened and new lines, ranging from the major Borders Railway project in Scotland to the Stansted Airport and Barking Riverside branches in South East England - making the point that the branch line concept is far from dead.
£27.00
