Joint Railways Scotland and Northern England

AUTHOR: Patrick Bennett

PUBLISHER: Amberley Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-39811-931-4

PRICE: £15.99

WEBSITE: www.amberley-books.com

AMBERLEY PRODUCES many different books that are of interest to railway enthusiasts, although the vast majority are photo albums that tend to follow a similar format. However, this new title, authored by Patrick Bennett, takes a look at those railways in Scotland and the North of England which were originally built as collaborations between railway companies during the railway mania days that existed preGrouping, in the 19th Century.

The book features five main chapters, these being: Joint Lines in Yorkshire; Joint Lines around Manchester; Joint Line around Preston; Joint Lines in the North West; and a closing chapter covering those lines in Scotland.

Although containing plenty of photographs of the routes and lines being described, this book also has an interesting text content that summarises each of the lines without going into too much detail. The chapters are illustrated with a large number of historical and contemporary photography, both in colour and monochrome. The wide range of images selected shows the effort the author has gone to in researching this book. Well-designed and attractive maps have also been provided to give the reader an understanding of the geography of the network being described. I am pleased that Amberley is now starting to produce railway books that are not solely photo albums, and with this softback book priced at £15.99, it represents good value for money.