There was nothing quite like the Thames-Clyde Express. Covering well over 400 miles, its route stretched from the dreaming spires of London’s St Pancras via the Shires of England, the legendary Settle-Carlisle line, Walter Scott’s Border Country and finally into Glasgow – the Second City of Empire. It never offered the quickest journey between England and Scotland, but it was undoubtedly the most scenic.A former signalman on the tracks of the Thames-Clyde Express, David Pendleton has written what he terms ‘a love letter’ to this famous named train. Rather than a text ending on the sad day in 1975 when the last train reached its destination, he instead views its history and the route it traversed from a present-day perspective. Here is a rich mix of anecdotes and observations, including attractions and oddities either visible from today’s train services or within easy reach of principle stationsGavin Morrison, one of Britain’s most experienced railway photographers, has compiled more than 60 books and has gained the highest reputation for the quality of his work. He is able to capture the Thames-Clyde Express in its glory days and portray both steam and diesel locomotives on the complete route from London to Glasgow in its many moods. The result is a superb array of images taken during a lengthy period of well over 60 years between 1955 and 2022.Collectively this book is a journey in both words and pictures that is highly informative and richly illustrated. It is to be enjoyed as a record of recent times as well as evoking memories of years long past
