"I enjoyed this excellent book, it is well written, very detailed and full of technical information."

Bradford Railway Circle

This is a splendid book and I commend it to our readers, especially as it forms the third book in the trilogy by this author, following Gresley and Peppercorn as significant LNER locomotive designers.

These are beautifully produced books, and any locomotive enthusiast should be proud to have any one of them gracing their shelves.

The author has a sympathetic and attractive style of writing which seeks not to condemn that which has taken place but looks for explanations of why it has happened.

Well done Tim Hillier-Graves! A splendid piece of work.

Reviewer: Richard Gibbon OBE

York Model Engineers, September 2022

As featured in

Best of British

"Definitely a recommended title if you have any interest in the former LNER; other readers will also find the descriptions of the changes in the early twentieth century railway workshop and engineering scene give a fascinating insight into this period of change."

The Journal of The Stephenson Locomotive Society - No.933 Volume 98

Featured in

Best of British Magazine - March 22 Issue

"This is an important work that gives a new and well-argued perspective about Edward Thompson. The book is extremely well presented and laid out, with an excellent selection of photographs, several or rare, if not unique, interest, together with many locomotive drawings, line diagrams and statistical information. It is essential reading, not just to LNER devotees, but to anyone interested in the development of the steam locomotive in the 20th Century."

Phillip Benham, NRM Review Autumn 2021

This excellently illustrated book is a first class defence of the man and his locomotives.

Roger Backhouse, York Model Engineers

Tim Hillier-Graves’ work on Edward Thompson, the LNER’s penultimate CME, is a thoroughly readable and comprehensive account of his career and provides fascinating insights into the man and his achievements. Often seen as a controversial character, who is seen by some as attempting to undo some of Gresley’s work, the reality is somewhat different and Thompson as CME needs to be judged against the background of circumstances in which he was forced to operate.

West Somerset Railway Association

Thompson seems to have rather divided opinion during his lifetime, and has certainly done so since his death; this book takes a commendably dispassionate view of its subject, and provides a useful overview of the man and his role in the LNER’s history.

LNER Society Newsletter, Spring 2021