THE GREAT DAYS OF THE EXPRESS TRAINS

(David St John Thomas and Patrick Whitehouse)

A companion volume to the best-selling, much-praised ‘The Great Days of the Country Railway’, which is again reprinted to mark this work’s publication.

The great express trains of yesteryear, often heavier and travelling longer non-stop distances than is common today, knitted Britain together using the most colourful as well as powerful locomotives and took thousands on journeys which dramatically changed their lives.  Here we recapture the days when the train journey was the most eagerly-anticipated part of a holiday, when the expresses reflected the character of the lines they served and there was great individuality in carriages, restaurant cars and their fare, station organisation – and everyone took a keen interest in the performance of each day’s run by the select named trains.

With main chapters recapturing the great days of express trains in their many moods, ‘fillers’ highlighting more specific matters and some individual trips, a wealth of anecdote and comment in the ‘snippets’ in the outside column (a popular feature of the works by these two authors), a feast of colour and black and white photographs with expansive captions, tables and other ingredients of reference value, this book itself promises a great and sustained journey.  It has been guided by a team of well-known experts and includes material contributed by those who helped run as well as travel by the great trains.  Step on board!

Non-UK buyers please note this book will be posted through eBay's Global Shipping Programme and will, therefore, unable to be combined with other purchases.

This 1990 edition hardback publication is in very good overall condition.  The pages are tightly bound and are free from tears, creases and significant marks.  The dustjacket displays some rubbing and light knocks to the edges (see photograph).  The book runs to 208 large format pages (27.5cm x 21cm) is well indexed and profusely illustrated throughout the text.