NCW Libraries

From the early steam trains to the high-speed bullet trains of today, 'The Iron Road' tells the hidden stories of railway history - the inspired engineering, blood, sweat and tears that went into the construction of the railways. Uncover the compelling tales of bold vision, invention and error, and social change behind the history of trains and railways, with famous railways such as the Transsiberian fully explored.

Featuring amazing images of trains, virtual tours of engines, and profiles of key innovators, designers, and engineers, Train: The Definitive Visual History traces the history of the railroad and the role of trains, from the first steam engines to today's high speed bullet trains. Comprehensive catalogs feature the most important trains from each period, exploring in detail iconic trains such as the Fairy Queen, Orient Express, and Javelin, and follows...

The image of a little red caboose trundling along behind a long freight train is a classic slice of Americana. With the help of nearly 300 marvelous modern and historical images depicting cabooses of all colors, this collection traces the development of this iconic, bygone rolling stock from the nineteenth century to their almost total demise by the mid-1990s. Bobber, cupola, bay window, and transfer cabooses are shown at work across the United States,...

Gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Additional features include a table of contents, a Fast Facts spread, critical-thinking questions, primary source quotes and accompanying source notes, a phonetic glossary, an index, and sources for further research.

Rob Shorland-Ball's researches for this book, and several visits, convinced him that he was putting together a jigsaw of facts. No previously published account of the area have brought together these stories of iron & steel making, limestone quarrying, coal mining, terra cotta, lead mining, and the railway systems they all needed to move their products to market. There were narrow and standard gauge railways — 80 miles of tracks in the Shotton...

Rail By Request is an enthusiast's personal story and tells how the author visited, photographed, and spent time at every request stop on mainland Britain. It also explains where his love of railways is rooted, why he began this odyssey and how it became a very different and important experience to him. Journeying across the whole railway map to capture these often ignored stops — not just for posterity, but for the journey. The lure of request...

After the Second World War, Britain's railways were rundown and worn out, requiring massive investment and modernization. The 'Big Four' railway companies were nationalized from 1948 and the newly formed British Railways embarked on a program of building new 'Standard' steam locomotives to replace older types. These started to come on stream from 1951. This program was superseded by the 1955 scheme to dieselize and electrify many lines, and so, the...