Railway Centre York

A Pictorial & Historical Survey

AUTHOR: David Mather

PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword Transport

ISBN: 978-1-39909-036-0

PRICE: £30.00

WEBSITE: www.pen-and-sword. co.uk

THE CITY

of York is rich in railway history, with the city’s main station being a hub on the East Coast Main Line, as well as now also being the home to the National Railway Museum.

David Mather has produced a mainly photographic history of the iconic station and the railway network that surrounds it. The book contains a large selection of images taken around York over the last seven decades.

Starting with a look at some of the steam locomotives that were once a common sight in the city and on the ECML, the book then moves the spotlight to the diesel locomotives and DMUS that replaced steam, with further chapters covering the arrival of the High Speed Train fleet in the late 1970s, freight services around the city, the electrification of the ECML and the introduction of the Class 91s onto Intercity services, preserved steam main line running, and the latest generation of passenger trains in use, such as the LNER Azumas and Transpennine Express Nova fleets.

There is a decent mix of monochrome and colour photographs included.

The text and captions accompanying the photos are well written and the author clearly knows the area and its railway history well.

The biggest problem with producing a book like this is there is such a large variety of traction and information relevant to the area that it can be difficult deciding what to include and what to leave out. Pen & Sword is good at producing this style of book, and it is presented in an attractive format on good quality paper.

There is a lot of detail covered throughout the 144 pages of the A4-format hardback and photo reproduction is generally very good, although it is evident that some of the photos are included more for their historical value and relevance. Priced at £30, this book should be of interest to anyone who is interested in railway history. It illustrates very well just how the railway network has evolved over the last 60-odd years.

Highly recommended.

(AMC)