Kevin McCormack – författare

This book is a gallery of more than two hundred photographs, including a colour section, featuring a selection of Great Western Railway/British Railways (Western) branch lines and similar services taken between 1900 and 1965\. The emphasis is pictorial rather than factual with the aim of using photographs provided by two transport charities as well as the author, all of which are unlikely to have appeared previously in print or on the Internet. Generally, images depict working trains surrounded by recognisable infrastructure, often with station nameboards visible. Such pictures should be of particular interest to railway modellers as well as invoking nostalgia for the older generation who were pursuing their hobby around the time the pictures were taken. Most of the branch lines covered were victims of the 1960s "Beeching Axe", with closure to passengers or complete closure coming even earlier in some cases. Most of the services depicted are steam operated although a few GWR and BR diesel railcars/multiple units are included. All the scenes seem to reflect a more leisurely way of life than exists today.

This is an evocative selection of high quality colour views, each of which recaptures the lost age of Britain's branch lines and secondary railways, of which so many were axed following implementation of the 'Beeching Report' during the 1960s. Most importantly, the previously unpublished views in this book are the work of one man, Blake Paterson, a professional railwayman, who was also an outstanding photographer who some forty-five years ago was determined to record as much of the passing railway scene as possible. He set himself demanding schedules and would often travel vast distances, sometimes using overnight trains, to reach the more remote comers of the rail network.During this intense period of photographic activity, when he took thousands of colour slides, he followed his own strict rules. He would normally only take a photograph when the sun was shining and he would try to capture the train in its natural setting. For Blake, ambiance was paramount.This book is a unique record of one man's railway portraits, featuring a wealth of locations, steam and diesel locomotives, DMUs, stations and station buildings, halts, signals, gas lamps, infrastructure, staff and passengers. Anything that was set to vanish, Blake felt should be recorded. His photographs provide a perfect pictorial record of so many of the lost splendours of Britain’s rail network.

This remarkable colour album of 1950’s and 1960’s images covers non-express trains working in and out of London termini, along with a selection of feeder services operating in roughly a 40 mile radius of the Capital. The trains featured are therefore semi-fast passenger, suburban passenger and freights. The advantage of casting the net beyond services in and out of London itself is to increase the variety of locomotive types and diesel/electric units featured, making the book a thoroughly interesting read.Throughout, photographs with identifiable landmarks, for example stations and signal boxes, are used wherever possible. Furthermore, every effort has been made to show a wealth of material which has never been seen before. London Local Trains in the 1950s and 1960s is an in-depth and well-researched account of the London railway scene, that meticulously charts their progress throughout the mid-twentieth century.

This is a colour album of London Buses concentrating mainly on the 1970s which was the first decade since London Transport's inception in 1933 to feature a large number of buses on London streets which were not painted in the mainly all-red (or in a few c

Kevin McCormack has written a large number of transport books mainly using previously unpublished material, much of it sourced from the Online Transport Archive. This, his latest colour album, covers the railways of Scotland in steam days and concentrates as much as possible on depicting older types of locomotives. Consequently, this volume contains a large amount of rare 1950s colour images, often depicting areas of the Scottish railway system that were later closed or cut back during the Beeching era. The pictures in this book, were taken by enthusiasts who had the good fortune to be able to afford colour film, at a time when such luxuries, were very expensive, to the average enthusiast. All the photographers concerned, travelled far and wide in Scotland with their cameras, at a time, just before most of the lines closed, between 1953–1967. The result of all this effort, is a fine collection of very rare images, depicting a lost period of railway operation, in a beautiful and picturesque part of Britain.

Kevin McCormack has written a large number of transport books mainly using previously unpublished material, much of it sourced from the Online Transport Archive. This, his latest colour album, covers the railways of Scotland in steam days and concentrates as much as possible on depicting older types of locomotives. Consequently, this volume contains a large amount of rare 1950s colour images, often depicting areas of the Scottish railway system that were later closed or cut back during the Beeching era. The pictures in this book, were taken by enthusiasts who had the good fortune to be able to afford colour film, at a time when such luxuries, were very expensive, to the average enthusiast. All the photographers concerned, travelled far and wide in Scotland with their cameras, at a time, just before most of the lines closed, between 1953–1967. The result of all this effort, is a fine collection of very rare images, depicting a lost period of railway operation, in a beautiful and picturesque part of Britain.

Blake Paterson was both a career railwayman and a railway enthusiast who worked for the Western Region, based at Paddington and Reading. He was also a passionate and very accomplished photographer. Aware of the great changes to the railway network which were underway, even before the publication of Dr Beeching's notorious report, he resolved to record as much of the changing railway scene, as was possible.To do this, he set himself demanding schedules and would often travel great distances, sometimes using overnight trains, to reach the more remote corners of the network. During this intense period of photographic activity he took thousands of images, normally only taking a photo when the sun was shining and aiming to capture the trains in picturesque settings. He sought innovative angles and unlike many railway photographers of the era, he made a particular point of including people, particularly railway employees, in his photographs. It is believed that none of the images in this volume have been previously published.

This is the second book in Crecy's new Railways Remembered series to draw on the work of Blake Paterson who was a career railwayman, a railway enthusiast and an accomplished photographer. At the time these photos were taken, he was working for the Western Region and aware of the great changes to the railway network which were underway. Even before the publication of Dr Beeching's notorious report, he resolved to record in colour as much of the changing railway scene as was possible. He sought innovative angles, and unlike many railway photographers of the era made a particular point of including people, particularly railway employees, in his photos.This photographic journey starts in Kent in the east of the region and travels westwards. The photos have been broadly organised according to the territories of the pre-grouping constituents of the Southern Railway, and latterly BR's Southern Region, starting with the South Eastern & Chatham Railway (SECR), then the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway (LBSCR), and finally the London South Western Railway (LSWR). Interspersed with these companies is coverage of the Isle of Wight railways, whose services were being operated by several small railway companies prior to absorption by the SR.To our knowledge, few if any of these photos have been previously published and they will take those reading this book back to an era which, while well within living memory, depicts a railway environment that has radically changed in subsequent decades.

The latest title in our 'Railways Remembered' series draws upon the work of the distinguishedphotographer, Phil Tatt, who, for decades, together with his wife Eileen, travelled widely across theBritish Isles recording all forms of transport especially railways. After starting in the late 1940s withblack and white film, Phil progressed to colour in the mid-1950s. He was fascinated by both mainlineand branch line steam. He also covered miniature and industrial railways as well as early preservationschemes especially in North Wales, a favourite line being the Welshpool & Llanfair, which he coveredin its final days of BR operation and early preservation.While an active transport photographer long before the publication of Beeching's notorious report onthe future of the rail network, Phil resolved to record as much of the passing railway scene aspossible. He visited locomotive works, loco sheds, goods sidings and remote stations and madedetailed photographic studies of many lines listed for closure, recording both their passenger andgoods operations. He also had a keen eye for the unusual and for detail, many of the aspects of therailway scene he recorded will be of interest to today's railway modellers.

In the 1950s and 1960s the railway system in Ireland became a magnet for enthusiasts from Great Britain who realised that, as on the mainland, a way of life was fast disappearing as diesel traction replaced steam and the size of the rail network across Ireland was shrinking. Much of the interest stemmed from the similarity with the railways in Great Britain. Also, the existence of several narrow gauge systems, two railway-owned tramways and some cross-border operators added to the fascination. This album covers those main line and narrow gauge railways in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland during the 1950s and 1960s, which were photographed in colour and the images used are believed never to have appeared in print before. Although most of the pictures depict individual locomotives or ones hauling trains, the opportunity has been taken to show some of the railway infrastructure of the period as well, since this is of particular interest to railway modellers.There has been a very active preservation movement in Ireland over the years, with many wonderful steam-hauled rail tours being operated that continue to this day, however this book will focus on the normal every day operations.