I've been quite a lucky lad over the Christmas period with relatives sending book tokens by the bucket load. Today being my 40th I woke up to even more book tokens (and a new compressor for my airbrush!) however the question arises as to what should I spend my book tokens on.
Now I do have several interests outside of model railways ('for shame!' I hear the cry) and I do like a good read so I do have quite a long "wants list" that will shortly be transformed in to stack of crisp new reading matter however ... I am still left with a 3 figure sum on book tokens to spend and they're burning a hole in my pocket so if anyone would care to offer any suggestions I'd be grateful.
Current railway interests L&Y/LNWR post WW1 through to early LMS.
I like wagon building, maps/track layout plans and "pictorial collections" such as Russell's various volumes of GWR Engines, Coaching Stock, wagons etc where line drawings showing basic dimensions are accompanied with photos and so forth. I'm also getting quite into signalling.
I don't like single subject books such as "Class 'x' A full history" much preferring something more generalised.
I already have a reasonable (if small library) containing various memoirs, Russell's GWR stuff, *lots* of modelling books, several from the "Railway Centres" series and the like.
So come on then, suggestions please, what do I spend my book tokens on?
Wow! Some pretty well-known railway experts are featured in *that* book, eh? I particularly liked chapter 5: "How to find the true way... just follow the third rail".
GWR Company Servants by Jannet Russel - Lots of peripheral info
There is a book on L&Y wagons, not sure what happened about the LNWR wagons, one chap was working on one but someone else seems to have got one in print first.
You lucky man. I had none for christmas, and it's my birthday today, and all the postman brought was a bank statement and a bill :-( Guess I'll have to console myself with browsing the Hattons etc again, drooling.
Didn't post last night in case you turned up at the club. How about Coates' book on L&Y wagons - I think Wild Swan, unsure whether still in print. Not in club library!
John Bishop wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@ddrummond.demon.co.uk:
...
On my 40th? 5 mins after making that post I was pi***d! Should be round on Monday.
Yeah, there appears to be some debate about that, I'll ask at Waterstones next week.
I know, I gave it a spin just before Christmas, if you're looking for the LMS wagon books though ... they'll be back in the library after my next visit. :-)
Only problem I found with the Coates book was that he used the original drawings but scaled down to fit the books A4 ish size - some of the numbers were difficult to make out, even with a magnifying glass
Nothing else like it out there though.
Books on LMS and GWR topics that I liked . . .
The British Goods Wagon
R. J. Essery, D. P. Rowland, W. O. Steel - David & Charles This was the first really thorough going book on the development of British Railway goods rolling stock. Unfortunately it is long out of print and my local library was not able to find a copy. Do look out for it in second hand book shops however as it has been recommended to me by several modellers who's opinion I trust.
GWR
GWR Company Servants Janet K. L. Russell - Wild Swan - 1983 - ISBN 0 906867 185 - Has a number of goods wagon photographs and a good shot of a GWR tarpaulin being folded.
GWR Wagons (Vol.1 & Vol.2 produced as a single volume) A.G. Atkins, W. Beard, D. J. Hyde, R. Tourret - Guild Publishing -
1986 - ISBN 07153 8725 1 - An excellent book packed with detail, an invaluable reference work for modellers of the GWR throughout its history including some information on the very early one and two plank wagons.
LMS
An Illustrated History of LMS Wagons R. J. Essery - OPC Vol 1 1981 ISBN 86093 127 7 and Vol 2 1983 ISBN 0
86093 255 9 Mr Essery is an acknowledged expert on the LMS and these two volumes provide detailed coverage of all the wagon types built by that company and also shows containers used by the railway. Unfortunately it does not cover pre-grouping types inherited by the LMS, some of which lasted into BR ownership.
An Illustrated History of MR Wagons R. J. Essery - OPC - Vol 1 1980/1984 ISBN 0 86093 040 8 There are two volumes in this work, as with the books on the LMS wagons above the detail is considerable and for anyone modelling the Midland Railway as such these would be an invaluable reference.
Lancashire and Yorkshire Wagons, Vol. 1. Noel Coates, Wild Swan Publications, 1990 This is the first in a series of books by the acknowledged expert on the subject of L&Y goods stock. My one criticism (and it is a small one) is that as the drawings have been reduced to suit the book some of the figures indicating dimensions are difficult to read. It is usually possible to extrapolate the required figures by comparing other drawings on which the numbers are more clearly defined.
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway miscellany by Noel Coates, Oxford Publishing Co., 1983 Mostly locomotive photographs but has some goods stock illustrations and a couple of interesting 'yard scenes'.
Petroleum Rail Tank Wagons of BritainR. Tourret - Tourret Publishing -
1980 - ISBN 0 905878 02 7 A superb book detailing a wide range of tank wagon types from the earliest days up to the 1980's. Well worth a look, there are also examples of wagons used for carrying petroleum related liquids and even edible oils. (I do like the Anglo Scottish Guano Co - Keep meaning to get some cards printed for tedious cocktail parties).
There is a book on GWR freight services, full of ideas (crated bicyles was a good one) but I cannot trecal what it was called and for some reason it is not listed in my bibliography.
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