Nigel Welbourn has had a lifelong interest in railways and disused railways in particular. His thesis on disused railways won the University of London’s Robert Davies Roberts Memorial Prize. His critically acclaimed and long running ‘Lost Lines’ series of books ran to some 16 volumes. On every trip taken at home or abroad the author has taken every opportunity to discover lost railways. He lives in Hampshire, backing onto the Watercress Line, on which he is a volunteer.