Locomotives & Coaching Stock 2021

AUTHOR: Robert Pritchard PUBLISHER: Platform 5 ISBN: 978-1-909431-86-7 PRICE: £24.95

WEB: www.platform5.com

THE 37TH edition of the popular Platform 5 combined volume is out and you have to admire the book’s longevity – Platform 5 certainly hit the target when it launched its pocketbooks in 1978 and followed up with combined volumes annually from 1985. It’s no shock that Ian Allan gave up its iconic combined volume after 1989 as it was simply overtaken. The book has generally moved with the times and continues to cross that divide between being an enthusiasts’ book for marking off numbers and a useful official tool. Knowing who owns what is important information for anyone involved in the industry.

This edition is 432 pages in its standard and useable A6 hardback format. It features 64 pages of colour images of the key types of rolling stock used across the UK’s network: locos, DMUs, EMUs, coaches and track machines.

There are basic technical details, liveries, detail differences, vehicle numbers and names all listed, making it a ‘must buy’ book for anyone involved in the railways or who ‘observes’ them as a hobby. There is a fair chance I’ve said it before with previous editions, but it bears repeating: this is an invaluable book. (PD)