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'SCALEY' A True Account of a Signalman in the British Army by Pete Molloy ISBN 978-1-900467-38-4 Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
This book tells the true story of a young British Army Signalman not long out of his basic training and participating in the first Gulf War of 1991. Pete Molloy gives an account of his personal life and the rifts that took place between the junior ranks and the senior ranks in his troop of the Royal Corps of Signals. This book will give an understanding of what it was like on a day to day basis for a Signalman serving with the Royal Corps of Signals during a conflict. |
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COMPOUND LOCOMOTIVES OF THE BRITISH ISLES by Tom Pearce-Carr ISBN 978-1-900467-37-7 Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
This book describes in detail the evolution of the design of compound locomotives in the British Isles and their performance in service, from the highly successful to the failures. It concludes with some of the 'might have beens' that regrettably never got beyond the drawing board stage. |
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ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL 'The Finest Work in England' The Construction of the Great Western Railway by David Clifford ISBN 1-900467-28-3 Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
Recently re-awakened interest in the achievements of Britain's most famous engineer - Isambard Kingdom Brunel - reached a climax on 9th April 2006, when the Bi-Centenary of Brunel's birth was celebrated. This superb new book is intended to be a permanent memorial to that event. |
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THE DIDCOT STORY The the great Western Society at Didcot since 1967 by Michael H C Baker and John Villers ISBN 1-900467-34-8 Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of Didcot Railway Centre and this book celebrates those 40 years. The Great Western Society in its 40 year history at Didcot has devoted itself to preserving just about every aspect of the Great Western Railway, probably Britain’s most loved railway company. |
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THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS STEAM LOCOMOTIVE - FLYING SCOTSMAN compiled by David Clifford ISBN 1-900467-02-X Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
This book is a true story of national and international interest that tells the story of 'The World's Most Famous Steam Locomotive - Flying Scotsman' and illustrates in photographs - many previously unpublished - the legend that is Flying Scotsman. |
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BOTH SIDES OF THE FIRE by David L. Thompson ISBN 1-900467-33-X Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
From the earlist times, 'fire' has always fascinated the human race. In this book the author describes his personal recollections from 'Both Sides of the Fire', while working as a fireman on steam locomotives at Toton for British Railways, as a fireman for Nottinghamshire Fire Brgade, and finally driving steam locomotives on Britain's 'preserved' or heritage railways. |
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MY EARLY YEARS IN SYDENHAM by John Holt ISBN 978-1-900467-35-3 Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
In ‘My Early Years in Sydenham’ the author, John Holt takes a nostalgic look back at his life in Sydenham between 1938 to the early 1950s. |
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A LIFE WITH STEAM by Joe Challis ISBN 1-900467-04-6
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This is no ordinary book - it is a revealing look behind-the-scenes written by a man who lived, worked and breathed steam ploughing engines from the 1920s to the 1940s before enjoying a remarkable renaissance in the 1980s. From 1912 to the present, ‘A Life With Steam’ is an evocative taste of yesterday - a time not so many years ago, that now feels to many people to be centuries away. THIS BOOK IS NO LONGER IN PRINT |
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A PICTORIAL RECORD OF THE ROYAL NAVAL CORDITE FACTORY, HOLTON HEATH by M R Bowditch and L Hayward ISBN 1-900467-01-1 Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
This wide-ranging book tells the absorbing story of the Royal Naval Cordite Factory (RNCF), Holton Heath from its inception in 1914, through to 1957 - when the production of propellant was stopped - up to the present, including a detailed study of the remaining facilities, some of which today provide a refuge for wild life under the watchful eye of English Nature. |
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40 YEARS OF RAILWAY PHOTOGRAPHY A Semi-Autobiography by David E Canning ISBN 1-900467-05-4 Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
This is one man’s view of the British and Continental railway network through the lens of a camera over the forty years since he took his first photograph, right up to the present day. ‘40 Years of Railway Photography’ is printed on high quality art paper and contains 130 photographs of diverse railway-related subjects. |
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FROM NINE ELMS TO WATERLOO Compiled by William T File ISBN 1-900467-03-8
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This fascinating publication tells the story of M7 Class 0-4-4 tank engine No.30053. Expicitly told in words and lavishly illustrated with both colour and black-and-white photographs taken over the years (most never published before), the book, as well as providing a detailed history, describes the efforts that went into the repatriation of the locomotive from the USA and the huge amount of effort required to bring the locomotive up to main line running standards. |
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PATRICK OF BON AVON by Jean Manners Meffan ISBN 1-900467-06-2
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In this inspirational story, Scottish author - Jean Manners Meffan - claims that an area of the Vale of Leven called ‘Bonhill’, is not only the birth place of Patrick, but the site of the first Abbey dedicated to his name. Although born into a privileged family, his life was made difficult due to what is known today as Dyslexia. He was intelligent and with some help struggled to train as a priest. When a boy of fifteen, he was taken into slavery, ill treated and left to die. The miracle of his revival was the beginning of his healing ministry. His love and compassion for mankind shines like a beacon throughout this book. |
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RAILWAY POEMS by Barry Allen ISBN 1-900467-07-0
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This latest book of 36 poems by Barry Allen, himself a railway employee until 1965, relates in verse the period towards the end of steam, that is remembered with affection by so many, to the modern marvel that is now the heritage railway movement. NOTE: THESE POEMS WERE WRITTEN BY A RAILWAY PRESERVATIONIST TO RAISE FUNDS FOR RAILWAY PRESERVATION GENERALLY. |
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STAND BY YOUR BEDS by Michael King ISBN 1-900467-08-9
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This book is a personal reflection of two years National Service undertaken by one very typical young man of the 1950s, from initial training, through the routine of Army life, to eventual demob. The author gives an inight into discipline these men had to learn, some of the ways the system could be turned to their advantage, the characters he met along the way and the lifelong friendships he made. |
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THE SILVER FAIRY by Ranjit Chall ISBN 1-900467-09-7
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She didn't know that Christmas was going to be spent in an old Victorian house, hidden deep in the New Forest. She was unaware that she would discover an ancient brown book. Ella had no idea that once the cover of the book was turned, the secrets to a forgotten tale would be released forever. Consequently this is only the beginning as the thick mists of Winter begin to effortlessly emerge from the horizon and nature prepares to reveal its undeniable force and fascinating Winter beauty. Things will never be the same again. The Silver Fairy by Ranjit Chall is episode one of the texts from the 'Great Hall of Fathoms'. |
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THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS BUS DRIVER by Tommy Steele ISBN 1-900467-10-5
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Tommy Steele - just like his famous namesake - has been singing to audiences for more than two decades. But, unlike the top entertainer, he hasn’t been performing to huge crowds at the London Palladium. Tommy is most famous for being Dorset’s one and only singing bus driver. This fascinating book describes what it was like to work and travel by bus, before one-man operation took away the camaraderie which existed between the bus crews themselves and sometimes even their passengers! Packed with anecdotes and personal stories about life on the buses, this book will appeal to anyone who has travelled by bus and still has a sense of humour! |
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ENGLAND'S LAST HOPE! Light-hearted memories of National Service in The Royal Corps of Signals' by Louis Samuels ISBN 1-900467-12-7
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In this book, Louis Samuels vividly describes his personal experiences, which many people of the time will readily recognise. The immediate post-war period was no doddle. Life was much harsher than for the youth of today. There are reflections of his life as a soldier, often described in great detail and with considerable humour, which was, of course, the cornerstone of military service. Haircuts, drill, bulling boots, inspections and Army food, are all subjected to the usual derisive treatment. But, there is also the camaraderie that service life generates; the making of friendships that last for life. |
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THE 1940s REVISITED by Michael King ISBN 1-900467-13-5.
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Popular author Michael King (his previous book was reprinted four times), has once again put pen to paper, this time setting out to take readers back to a period of Britain's history, when the country's very existence was under threat. He then goes on to deal with the 'post-war' period and the aftermath of those terrible years. Aged only five-years-old at the start of this unique period of history, the author sets out to describe his personal experiences during the period of the Second World War; the sadness and anxiety of the war years and the varying moods of the people during the years that followed during the rest of the decade. |
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A NATIONAL SERVICEMAN IN KOREA by George C Pagan ISBN 1-900467-16-X
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This is the story of one conscript’s personal experience covering the period 1950-1953, from ‘Call Up’ and training at Catterick Camp in North Yorkshire with the Royal Corps of Signals, to further training in Germany. Within weeks he was drafted overseas to Korea to serve with a United Nations force as part of the 1st Commonwealth Division and his experiences with various units as a radio operator forms the main thrust of his story. To mark the 50th anniversary of the ending of the most serious armed conflict of the Cold War period, a war often referred to as the ‘Unknown War’ or the ‘Forgotten War’, author George Pagan recounts events that will not only fascinate, but also recall the uncertainties faced by these young soldiers. |
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THE ROAD TO ELYSIUM The Life of a Coach Driver by Barrie J Haynes ISBN 1-900467-17-8
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This is a book on coach driving that follows a format where every page is a little story in itself! The author records something of the ‘Good Old Days’, which in his case started in 1951, when his father purchased his first coach, a pre-war Bedford 25-seater. This book gives an idea of what life is like when ‘coaching’. It’s not an autobiography, or a book for ‘bus spotters’, more a journey of over one million miles, with no blood spilt and a few laughs on the way. |
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STEEL IN THE SAND The History of Egypt and its Railways by Gary Goldfinch ISBN 1-900467-15-1
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Steel in the Sand is the only book in the world concentrating on the historic and beautiful railways of Egypt. Part gazetteer, part history, this extraordinarily readable reference work gives a comprehensive and satisfying insight into one of the oldest railway systems to exist outside Europe and the USA, and one that still has a thriving passenger and freight scene. This history tracks the development of Egyptian Railways against the backdrop of an emerging country. |
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RECOLLECTIONS OF THE 1950s by Michael King ISBN 1-900467-18-6.
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This book takes readers back to a time when Britain and its people were just beginning to settle down after the vicissitudes suffered during and immediately after the Second World War. 'Recollections of the 1950s' is a nostalgic glance over the shoulder by this acclaimed author, who vividly describes what it was like to live in Britain during the 1950s. |
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ZELDA STORIES or 'TAILS OF THE DOG' by Louis Samuels ISBN 1-900467-19-4. Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
Zelda Stories or 'Tails of the Dog' is a collection of 44 light-hearted short stories about the adventures of a small black dog called Zelda who always had good intentions, some of which did not always work out. |
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NAVY LARKS by Dennis Knibbs ISBN 1-900467-21-6.
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This is the author's story of his life in the Royal Navy as a ‘Boy Seaman’, joining HMS London in April 1948, and then going on to serve in minesweepers, destroyers and an aircraft carrier. However, it was a member of the crew of HMS London in April 1949, when the ship was caught up in the infamous ‘Yangtse Incident’ that the author’s memories are at their most vivid. |
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HEATWAVE, SNOW, FOG, FLOOD AND TEMPEST by Michael King ISBN 1-900467-24-X. Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
'Heatwave, Snow, Fog, Flood and Tempest' is a nostalgic glance over the shoulder by this acclaimed author, who vividly describes the extremes of weather sometimes experienced in this country. |
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SCOTTISH IVATT CLASS 2MT 2-6-0s A pictorial album by Iain A H Smith ISBN 1-900467-25-9. Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
With over 60 pictures, many previously unpublished, and detailed appendices, this book outlines the fascinating history of this popular class of locomotive, and the BR Standard derivative, throughout Scotland from the 1950s through to the preservation era. |
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WOODY BAY by Harriet Bridle ISBN 1-900467-27-5. Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
This book is for all who love wild, grand and lonely places for they are sure to appreciate beautiful Woody Bay. The author aims to give the ‘feel’ of this remote North Devon inlet together with its historical background. The book offers literary and artistic views of the Bay and the local area seen through the eyes of other writers and artists in the past and present. ‘Woody Bay’ also presents miniature portraits and reminiscences of local people of both those who have died and those still living. It describes the renowned Lynton & Barnstaple Railway and touches on folklore and other similar unusual subjects. |
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A MUSICAL JOURNEY by Michael King ISBN 1-900467-29-1. Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
‘A Musical Journey’ is another nostalgic book from the acclaimed author Michael King. This book is about the music he has appreciated and changes in musical taste between 1940 and 1970. In order to give his book some continuity, Michael King has written about some milestones in his life, but at the same time, he has born in mind that his book is mainly about music. |
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'LEEDS Anecdotes, Humour and Nostalgia' by Louis Samuels ISBN 1-900467-31-3. Click here for further information about this book and how to place an order. |
In his latest book, Louis Samuels vividly describes his personal experiences in and around Leeds mainly during the years 1937 and 1968. The book was written almost entirely from memory and in between his recollections of the City of Leeds and the surrounding area, the author has interspersed related anecdotes, which he hopes will give readers a 'right good' laugh! |
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The magazines we have produced |
Who we are and where you can contact us |