The origins of the Great Western Railway lay in the desire of leading merchants in the city of Bristol for a rapid link to London to maintain the role of the city’s port in trade with the Americas in the face of growing competition from Liverpool. The crests of both cities were incorporated into the GWR’s coat of arms.
As the railway network expanded throughout the nineteenth century, Bristol became an increasingly important railway centre with the Midland Railway joining the GWR in serving the city and with tracks expanding into the docks and major industrial complexes as a consequence of increasing trade.
In this new all colour book, Bristol based railway expert Gerry Nichols explores the great variety of lines and workings in the greater Bristol area that were still active from the 1950s onwards using the superb photographs taken by the late Mark Warburton. The photos are accompanied by detailed captions throughout.
Contained within the pages of the book is a veritable feast of steam engines and early diesels, at work on main lines, secondary routes, branches and dock and industrial lines in and around the city. The photos cover that fascinating period in the 1950s and the early 1960s when steam was beginning to be eclipsed by modern traction.
The book is an absolute delight not just for Bristolians but also for all who are interested in the city, its hinterland and in the complex network of lines which served it.
