Trains to Nowhere: British Steam Train Accidents 1906-1960 Second Edition Revised by Malcolm Gerard by J. A. B. [James Alan Bousfield] Hamilton hits the £1 shelf in my shop.
George Allen & Unwin, 1982, Hardback in dust wrapper.
2nd (revised) edition. [First Published: 1967, as British Railway Accidents of the Twentieth Century. ] Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Diagrams; Maps;
From the cover: There is something particularly awe-inspiring about the idea of a steam train in trouble, a living monster weighing hundreds of tons and thrashing along out of control during a few seconds which to those involved must have seemed like hours. Such disasters had many varied causes, but most could be traced back to basic human error: a distracted signalman, a negligent maintenance fitter, the fixed stare of a driver too tired to observe the night signals. Improved working conditions and advances in technology are therefore an important theme in any history of railway accidents, but such a history has another dimension as well: every incident had its heroes and its villains and so provides a fascinating, if sometimes tragic, picture of how ordinary people behave under intense stress. How would you have reacted in that moment of comparative silence after the turmoil of screeching metal, splintering wood and hissing steam?
This survey of the major accidents of the British steam age since 1900 is based on the late J. A. B. Hamiltons well-known British Railway Accidents of the Twentieth Century, which has been out of print for some years. It has been skilfully revised by Malcolm Gerard, author and researcher of several radio programmes on the subject. He has omitted some chapters from the previous edition to make room for more contemporary photographs, new track layout diagrams and an entirely new chapter on the Settle accident the last big accident of the steam era. The result will be of interest not only to railway enthusiasts but to everyone who travels by train.
Very Good in Good Dust Wrapper. Dust wrapper heavily tanned. Pages lightly age-tanned, more heavily so at the margins.
Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine.
96 pages. Index. 9″ x 7¾”.
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