Sixties’ Shades of Grey (The First 20 Years)
By Peter Slater
Self-published www.blurb.co.uk /b/11155291-sixties-shades-of-grey
245mm x 205mm size, 206 pages, colour, softback/digital. £63.26 (printed copy)/£4.80 (PDF)
RAIL EXPRESS reader and photographic contributor, and ‘Tug’ aficionado, Pete Slater has gathered together his images from the first two decades of these locos’ existence and presents at least one portrait of each of the 100 Brush-built machines. More recently this class has been best known for the huge number of ‘demic’ examples quietly rusting at Toton, though DC Rail’s purchase of a batch of these earlier this year has seen quite a few return ‘home’ (see Power by the Hour, p24). This book sees the locomotives in happier days, either in their original BR sector liveries or, after privatisation, in more colourful guises. The machines are captured in a wide range of locations, illustrating their reasonably wide stomping ground from Devon to Staffordshire. And yes, in case you were wondering, No. 60500 (originally 60016) is also included.
We’re surprised that a publisher hasn’t got behind this venture, but Pete, who has previously self-published several other titles, is undeterred and has a follow-up volume (covering Class 60s from
2010 onwards) in the pipeline. In this book he has taken the rather bold decision to use black as the background colour. This is risky, as it can give images a murky feel, as well as imbuing the whole book with a funereal vibe. Luckily, that hasn’t turned out to be the case here, though there are a few images we think might have benefited with some contrast/lightening adjustments in Photoshop. As self-published books like this are often produced on a single copy (print on demand) basis, the cost of a print copy is relatively high. A digital version is also available, however, and this is excellent value – after all, what else can you get for less than a fiver these days?
By Pat Hammond
Distributed by Crécy Publishing www.crecy.co.uk
170mm x 245mm size, 448 pages, hardback. £25
THIS weighty tome is endorsed by Hornby and described as ‘the official history of Hornby, the brand, models and train sets’. That’s a pretty accurate summation of the many, many pages that start with the first train sets in
1920 and end, just before Covid gave many modellers more time to spend on their hobby, with modern sets, such as the Hogwarts Express, in 2019. While the word ‘history’ might suggest lots of wordy pages, we think the author has struck exactly the right balance between explanatory text and a profuse and sumptuous collection of images. Cleverly, the author tells the story chronologically, so that virtually everyone who was given or had access to a Hornby train set in their youth (and eagerly awaited the new printed catalogue in the days long before the internet) will be able to quickly locate their own era – and likely be instantly transported back into some
heady reminiscing. We challenge any Rail Express reader not find this to be the case! Once the personal reveries have been concluded, the book turns into a fascinating pictorial study of how both rolling stock and lineside features have been immortalised in mainstream model form over the years. The advances in manufacturing technology are clear, with the early models now appearing distinctly crude to modern eyes, used to fine detailing and extra components in the box (see, for example, the review of Hornby’s Class 91 in last month’s Rail Express Modeller). While the models take centre stage (as they should do) the text summarises the changes taking place both with the Hornby empire and the wider world or model manufacturing, though given that this is an officially endorsed work it might not be entirely impartial in some areas. Nevertheless, for those who like to do their Christmas present shopping early, this is an excellent contender.