MILE BY MILE: AN ILLUSTRATED JOURNEY ON BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS

By S.N. Pike. Aurum Press. W: www. aurumpress.co.uk T: 020 7284 9384 ISBN: 9781781316412 PRICE: £20.00 RATING: ★★★★★

this book covers each of the ‘Big Four’s’ major routes, as they were on the eve of nationalisation in 1947, faithfully reproduced from cartographer Stuart Nelson pike MBe’s original route maps. each comes complete with gradient profiles and lineside infrastructure information, as well as annotations noting nearby landmarks and trivia. Sadly, Mr pike neglected to cover the GWr during his route-mapping days, so a new one has been commissioned, which has been given the same level of care and attention. Not every mile of the network has been mapped, but sticking with main lines and trunk routes does nothing to diminish the appeal of this lovingly produced volume. there’s even an introduction to the formation and history of each of the ‘Big Four’. it’s not a complete history, but nor does it pretend to be. An excellent and well produced reference work.