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Great Northern Railway Gallery (Hardback)

A Pictorial Journey Through Time

P&S History > British History > Victorian History P&S History > By Century > 19th Century P&S History > By Century > 20th Century Photographic Books Transport > Trains & Railways

By Michael Vanns
Imprint: Pen & Sword Transport
Series: Railway Gallery
Pages: 152
Illustrations: 200
ISBN: 9781473882072
Published: 4th September 2019

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The Great Northern Railway was one of 120 companies that ran trains in Britain during the Victorian and Edwardian period. Formed in 1846, it traded independently for seventy-six years until absorbed into the London & North Eastern Railway on 1 January 1923. Operating a network of nearly 700 route miles it ran trains between King’s Cross, London and York, into the Eastern Counties and the East Midlands, the West Riding of Yorkshire, into Lancashire and even south of the Thames. It developed distinctive characteristics, both in the way it managed its affairs and in the appearance of its trains, stations, signals and signalboxes. Numerous photographs were taken, particularly from the 1890s onwards, by dedicated amateurs attracted to the lineside by the sight of speeding steam locomotives in apple green livery, hauling polished teak carriages. Goods trains and the endless procession of coal trains were not such popular photographic subjects, but by searching out these and images of staff, stations and signalboxes, this book aims to capture something of the spirit of a once-great organisation in the heyday of Britains steam railways.

A splendid collection of images and deserves a place on anyone's bookshelf.

4.9 out of 5

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Rail Advert

With the welcome increase in the pre-Grouping scene engendered by projects such as the Hatton's 'Genesis' coaches, books such as this will find a new audience, which is no bad thing.

Railway Modeller, April 2020

A concise and direct story accompanied by a more than interesting collection of images.

Read the full Spanish review here

Miniaturas JM

Article: 'Museum man tells story of Victorian railway in new book' as featured by

Mid Wales Journal & South Shropshire Journal, 24th January 2020

Article: 'Museum man tells story of Victorian railway in new book' as featured by

Market Drayton Advertiser and Bridgnorth Journal, 9th January 2020

Article: 'Ironbridge Museum man tells railway's story in new book' as featured by

Express & Star, 4th January 2020 – words by Toby Neal

A simply fascinating and impressively informative illustrated history that is also available for dedicated railroading history buffs in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99), Michael Vanns' "Great Northern Railway Gallery: A Pictorial Journey Through Time" will prove to be an enduringly appreciated and popular addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library British Railroading History collections.

Read the full review here

Midwest Book Review

Vanns certainly presents a splendid collection of period images displaying numerous aspects of the railway's operations.

Best of British, October 2019 – reviewed by David Brown

Provides an excellent history with an injection of new information.

Bookseller Buyers Guide

About Michael Vanns

Michael Vanns was born in Newark-on-Trent in 1956. After studying history and history of art at Leicester University, and a short spell at Tamworth Castle Museum, Michael joined the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in 1978. He remained there until 2009, working on a variety of projects starting with the Elton Collection which examined the Industrial Revolution through contemporary prints, drawings and books. He is the author of ‘Witness to Change: A Record of the Industrial Revolution’, an appreciation of the Elton Collection published in 2003. He was involved in museum education and in a number of large Heritage Lottery funded projects, including the refurbishment of the country’s best preserved Victorian decorative tileworks, and the recreation of a small town Victorian street. For both these projects he was responsible for designing the displays and, in the case of the latter, the choice of buildings that were to be reconstructed.

During his career he has also written and had published 13 books, all but two on railway subjects. These include a number of works on British railway signalling as well as ‘The Railways of Newark-on-Trent’ (Oakwood), ‘Rail Centres: Nottingham’ (Ian Allan) and ‘Severn Valley Railway: a View from the Past’ (Ian Allan).

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