The Railways of Bristol and Somerset by Martin Smith soon to be presented for sale on the excellent BookLovers of Bath web site!
Published: Shepperton: Ian Allan Ltd, 1992, Hardback in dust wrapper.
Contains: Black & White Photographs; Facsimiles; Maps; Tables; Plans;
From the cover: Despite having the city of Bristol at its heart, Somerset was an unlikely part of the country to be at the forefront of Britains railway development. And yet, it was the businessmen of Bristol who were amongst the most important promoters of the Great Western Railway and of the Bristol & Exeter the twin cornerstones of Bruneis broad-gauge empire which eventually gave Gods Wonderful Railway a pre-eminence both in the region and in the surrounding country.
The Great Western did not have it all its own way, however, with the expansion of the Midland Railway into both Bristol and Bath and then, through the immortal Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway a link to the London & South Western Railway at Bournemouth. Competition and industrial growth, such as the development of the Somerset coalfield, led to the construction of a complex network of lines. Whilst, inevitably, many of these lines have now closed, others survive indeed thrive into the 1990s.
In The Railways of Bristol and Somerset Martin Smith provides a detailed history of his home county. He examines the main lines and the branch lines, the much-mourned Somerset & Dorset, the important industrial lines and manufacturers dont forget that many of Britains most famous locomotive manufacturers were based in Bristol from the earliest years of the railway revolution through to the modern age.
Superbly illustrated with both historic photographs and line drawings The Railways of Bristol and Somerset is a fascinating reminder of the railway history of one of Britains most important counties.
Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper. Gently bruised at the head of the spine and the top corners of the boards with commensurate wear to the dust wrapper. Text complete, clean and tight.
Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 112 pages. 11¾” x 8¾”.
Of course, if you don’t like this one, may I woo you with the cream of my crop hither or maybe further, hand picked, books in my Transport Rail catalogue?
BookLovers of Bath 