On the Slow Train: Twelve Great British Railway Journeys

by Michael Williams

Never was the sadness of the end of an affair so poignantly expressed than in Flanders and Swann's elegy The Slow Train . This beautifully-packaged book will take the reader on the slow train to another era when travel meant more than hurrying from one place to the next, the journey meaning nothing but time lost in crowded carriages, condemned by broken timetables. On the Slow Train will reconnect with that long-missed need to lift our heads from the daily grind and reflect that there are still places in Britain where we can stop and stare. It will tap into many a love of railways, a love of history, and a love of nostalgia. This book will be a paean to another age before milk churns, porters, and cats on seats were replaced by security announcements and Burger King. These twelve spectacular journeys will help free us from what Baudelaire denounced as "the horrible burden of time."

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Railways, Trains, History

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Michael Williams writes widely on railways for many publications, including the Daily Mail, The Independent, the Independent on Sunday, the New Statesman, The Oldie and the railway specialist press. He is a veteran Fleet Street journalist, having held many senior positions, including Deputy Editor of the Independent on Sunday, Executive Editor of the Independent and Head of News at The Sunday Times. He is currently Senior Lecturer in the School of Journalism, Media and Communication at the University of Central Lancashire. He commutes regularly by train on the 440-mile return journey between his home in London's Camden Town and his office at Preston in Lancashire.

Reviews

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disappointing unfortunately. It wasn’t the subject matter - I like a bit of British rural travel writing, just as I like the same kind of thing on television too - but more the handing of the theme. Too me there was a bit too little beauty in the descriptions and too little depth, and conversely too much factual content (especially in terms of the transport history of each route) with snippets of stuff taken from other writers and poets. It would’ve worked well as monthly columns in a railway enthusiast magazine, but as a book it became of decreasing interest to me, despite having enjoyed three or four of the routes myself in real life.

Especially deserving of criticism was a strange comment on the second page stating “...how much has changed nearly half a century since Beeching and just how wrong the former BR Chairman got it, not only has it [the St. Erth to St. Ives line] outlived the good chairman, it is one of the few rural branch lines in the UK to make money...”. This felt like more predictable, sentimental attack on Dr. Beeching, and surely if - as stated - so few lines were found to be economically viable, then Beeching was right, therefore?

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gem of a book introducing us to (or reminding us of) twelve 'slow' train journies and recalling many we have lost. Enjoy these while you can as I have seen so much lost in my own lifetime (and when buildings are demolished and land is sold off it can't be put back.)

[James Tidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Williams' book is an unashamed tug at the heartstrings. It harks back to a time before Dr. Beeching wrenched the heart out of the British countryside. Williams takes us, the reader, on twelve of today's most fascinating railway journeys in Britain.

Williams takes the reader on the following journeys:

St Erth and St Ives line via Lelant and Carbis Bay.
Carlisle to Leeds via Appleby, Dent (the highest station in Britain), Ribblehead and Settle.
Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin and Wootton via Smallbrook Junction.
Wrexham Central to London Marylebone via Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Banbury and High Wycombe.
Preston to Carlisle via Grange-over-Sands, Barrow-in-Furness, Ravenglass, Sellafield, Workington and Maryport.
London Victoria to Canterbury and back via Maidstone, Ashford, Dover and Folkestone.
Stratford to Richmond (now the London Overground formerly known as the North London Line), via Camden Road and Willesden Junction.
London Euston to Mallaig via Edinburgh, Glasgow, Crianlarich, Rannoch (possibly the remotest station) and Fort William.
Shrewsbury to Swansea via Craven Arms, Llandrindod Wells, Llangammarch Wells, Llanwrtyd Wells and Llanelli.
Bristol to Weymouth via Trowbridge, Westbury, Yeovil Pen Mill, Maiden Newton and Dorchester.
My local journey: Norwich to London Liverpool Street via Buckenham (the least used station in Britain), Berney Arms (the smallest station in Britain), Lowestoft (the most easterly station in Britain) and the East Suffolk Line through Beccles, Saxmundham, Woodbridge and Ipswich.
My personal favourite: Formby to Chester-le-Street via Southport, Manchester Victoria, Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Penistone, Barnsley and Sheffield.

I am glad that Michael Williams decided to do another book on these sorts of journeys, and I have heard that there is a third one on the way. I am fascinated by this style of book, if I had the time and the funds, I would do one of my own.

[Nancy Thormann · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I almost stopped reading this book when I was two-thirds of the way through. I really liked the history and the descriptions of the different places. All of this seemed to be getting repetitive after a while and I very nearly didn't finish the book. I also would have liked to have one or two maps included in the book. When I'm reading travel books of this kind, I like looking at the maps. It gives me a better idea of where each place is and where the author is going on his / her journeys.

[Paul Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like trains you will like this book, written a real enthusiast with a great feel and knowledge for railways and their history. This book, its title taken form the beautiful song by Flanders and Swann describes the story of a series of lines which were either shut by Beaching or destined to be closed and then, in one form or other, secured a reprieve. A lovely testament to the love of trains which goes well beyond their role as a form of public transport.

[Danny Withington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written travel book, where the author documents his journeys across the UK using many of the country's forgotten secondary routes. From suburban London routes to rural back lines, there's a bit of everything in here, and following reading the book, my list of places to visit has grown somewhat!

[Les Chatfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bucolic measurement amblings

Very pleasant awayday trundle down the secondary railways of Britain. It reads like an old steam railway trip to nostalgia junction. However this is today's railway!

[Sarah Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful read! I bought the book on a whim from one of those 'cheap' bookshops, then nearly didn't bother to read it. I'm glad I did! It is an easy read but a fascinating look at 12 very different 'old' journeys taken on the modern equivalent trains.

[David Carty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy to read. Evocative and nostalgic but not overly so. And I can only recall one mistake. Recommended.

[Kelvin Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant writer, can't wait to read the next instalment.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable Travelog, memories of a more sedate pace of life.

[Emily Watkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read! Made me realise how much I miss train travel.

[Elliot Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely collection of writings about various scenic railway journeys in the UK

[David Bradley]

I haven’t read much travel writing and so this was a very nice introduction to that. Very gentle but captures the essence of the rural rail network.

[Rachel Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Williams caveats this tome by saying that it is unashamedly nostalgic. This is true, mourning, as he does, the country station with a roaring fire, cheery porter with a fob watch, restaurant cars with starched white tablecloths and the clinking of wine glasses. The sprung seat of a Pullman 576 B class rolling stock. I'm just nostalgic for the days when you could buy a supersaver on the day for any train, rather than three months in advance. He does over egg the pudding though when he says station cafes now serve coffee in styrofoam cups. The book was written in 2010 – even Pumpkins have cardboard takeaway cups now.

Nonetheless this is a cute book of twelve classic railway journeys, some of which I've done (St Erith to St Ives, Ryde to Shanklin, Stratford to Richmond), some of which I'd like to do (Settle to Carlisle) and some of which I’m not bothered, ta, (Preston to Sellafield, Shrewbsury to Swansea), with lots of local history and colour. His bugbear is Dr Beeching, whose report closed down many of these branch lines, rather than privatisation, which makes it impossible to travel spontaneously, unless you're writing a book and your train ticket is tax deductible.

As is often the case with these male-written travelogues, women take a third class seat to the male historians, engine enthusiasts, train spotters and English people who believe they are right about things; women's roles in heritage railways are to tend to the geraniums in the platform tubs, or “man” the tea-rooms, or just be a hair colour (“Ann Ridley, a jolly blonde”). Later on, a steam railwayman says of his train: She's like a woman. She's beautiful, but she's quite capable of being temperamental and moody.” Sounds more like a man to me.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author writes about his experiences on some of the most interesting train journeys in the country. In tone, it feels a bit like a written version of Michael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys but I like the way this book concentrates far more on the journeys, the stations, the scenery and the people involved with the railways (especially those enthusiasts and volunteers who are instrumental in keeping some of the smaller lines open) than that TV series does.

It is hardly a literary tour de force, admittedly, but the author's enthusiasm for his subject really comes across and it was very relaxing and fun to read - I kept finding myself picking it up to read a bit more whenever I had a few minutes to spare. If I was taking one of these trains, I'd definitely take it with me and look out for all the things the author mentions while on the journey!

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with "On the Slow Train Again" this is a gentle wander along branch line Britain. There are books with more depth but this is not that sort of read. More the people involved with the service provision and the lovely camaraderie of volunteers and passengers.
Admittedly quite archaic, but then are railways purely about speed.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can review this before finishing, as I'm confident my opinion won't change: this book is pleasant, unhurried, and nice, but not exactly exciting. Bit like the slow-trains, I guess! It's a good read/listen to relax to.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect Sunday afternoon read - not too taxing and nothing that we didn't already know in there. Just allows you to dream of long forgotten journeys that you might once have taken and to make a mental note for new ones to take one day.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read but not one of the laugh out loud travel reads. Instead, it's one that I can relive certain parts of journeys that I have made before and then think about how I would like to make new ones. So, now, I am hoping to go on the line around the perimeter of Cumbria.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little book about train jornies that are off the beaten track

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little gem of a book. Williams takes us on a dozen whistle-stop journeys through the UK rail network, encounter a near lost world of railways and the people who love them.

[David Pencheon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just wonderfully light. Am always tempted to f/u the anecdotes and related stories he tells about places and people along the line.

[Fritzov · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never got into this book. Interesting about current and past railroads but no this wasn't for me.