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The Trains Now Departed: Sixteen Excursions into the Lost Delights of Britain's Railways

The Trains Now Departed: Sixteen Excursions into the Lost Delights of Britain's Railways

by Michael Williams (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2015

    $4.20
Synopsis

Sometimes you come across a lofty railway viaduct, marooned in the middle of a remote country landscape. Or a crumbling platform from some once-bustling junction buried under the buddleia. If you are lucky you might be able to follow some rusting tracks, or explore an old tunnel leading to...well, who knows where? Listen hard. Is that the wind in the undergrowth? Or the spectre of a train from a golden era of the past panting up the embankment? These are the ghosts of The Trains Now Departed. They are the railway lines, and services that ran on them that have disappeared and gone forever. Our lost legacy includes lines prematurely axed, often with a gripping and colourful tale of their own, as well as marvels of locomotive engineering sent to the scrapyard, and grand termini felled by the wrecker's ball. Then there are the lost delights of train travel, such as haute cuisine in the dining car, the grand expresses with their evocative names, and continental boat trains to romantic far-off places. The Trains Now Departed tells the stories of some of the most fascinating lost trains of Britain, vividly evoking the glories of a bygone age. In his personal odyssey around Britain Michael Williams tells the tales of the pioneers who built the tracks, the yarns of the men and women who operated them and the colourful trains that ran on them. It is a journey into the soul of our railways, summoning up a magic which, although mired in time, is fortunately not lost for ever.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 336
 Edition: First Edition
 Publisher: Preface Publishing
Published: 07 May 2015
ISBN 10: 1848094353
ISBN 13: 9781848094352
Book Overview: A richly observed and researched personal history of the bygone age of Britain's railways.

Media Reviews
This is a wistful and sepulchral affair yet ... The Trains Now Departed is more than just a lamentation for the days of steam and soot. Times Literary Supplement In elegant prose Michael Williams takes us on nostalgic journeys, reminding us - with smuts and smells - of what we have lost. -- Michael Portillo Revel in what we've lost and wonder how on earth we ever had it. It's a perfect book for a leisurely, long rail journey. If the scenery leaves you uninspired, then read a chapter, refresh your mind, and gaze once more from your window. -- Philip Haigh Rail Magazine Reflects a mood of nostalgia for the days of steam... charming -- Books of the Year 2015 The Tablet A nostalgic thrill for anyone with the least longing for the lost age of steam. Press Association Williams is to railway writing what his namesake Portillo is to railway television Rail Magazine Chock full with enjoyment - will capture and transport Bookbag An excellent read, and amongst the most enjoyable and entertaining railway books of the year...Underlying Williams's prose is a sense of joy...and real knowledge of his subject. -- Andrew Roden Steam World 'Book of the Month' Even if you are not particularly interested in railways, you will find much to enjoy in this book. Williams writes well and engages you in his passion -- Toby Neal Shropshire Star A wonderfully evocative read -- Andy Peebles BBC Radio 1 DJ From charming rural branch lines to the glamourous Night Ferry, the accounts in Williams' new book are sure to give a nostalgic thrill to anyone with the least longing for the lost age of steam. Anecdotes detail eccentric lines where crews would stop services to pick mushrooms, then fry them on the firebox; luxurious carriages are lovingly detailed, producing a pang in anyone familiar with drab modern services. Aberdeen Press & Journal Williams explores old routes and services with an historian's eye for detail and a novelist's sense of pace. Who can now imagine having kippers on a commuter train or know that the 'Slow and Dirty' was the nickname for the old Somerset and Dorset line? Well written, with a wealth of detail for the railway buff. The Tablet Dreamlike is the word for many of Williams's skillful evocations -- Andrew Martin Spectator
Author Bio
Michael Williams is the best-selling author of On the Slow Train, On the Slow Train Again and Steaming to Victory. He is a journalist, academic and author - writing, blogging and broadcasting on railways and other subjects for many media outlets, including the Independent, the BBC, the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph and the New Statesman, as well as the specialist railway press. He is also a travel writer, having covered the world for a variety of publications. He lives with his family in Camden Town, not far from St Pancras - Britain's most splendid railway station.