Following on from the huge success of his earlier book BR Blue No 1 Southampton and the New Forest, eminent railway author John Dedman now turns his attention to the former Western Region, and in particular the area from Paddington through to Bristol, South Wales and the West Country.
Covering the period from 1976 to 1990, it explores in depth the second era of modern motive power.
It was a time of great change, when the long-serving hydraulics had all but disappeared, whilst locomotive hauled trains still operated alongside the new, modern HST sets.
Interspersed with this operation, there was still a considerable amount of freight of varying types, all of which are beautifully portrayed, often in locations which were difficult to access.
Local traffic is not forgotten either, and First Generation DMUs are pictured operating alongside more modern traction.
This is a marvellous record of a golden era which has now disappeared entirely, as while HST sets can still be seen operating, the scenery of semaphore signals and the surrounding infrastructure is no more.
With stunning colour images throughout, none of which have ever been published before, this album is a must-have for all railway historians, and in particular, for modellers of this important region.
