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The Country Railway
Possibly read more than any other railway book, The Country Railway has sold over 170,000 copies. This is a redesigned edition of the original text and photographs. Everyone loved the country railway with its neat stations and colourful gardens, the shining brasswork of its tank engines, viaducts daringly built over gushing rivers, embankments carpeted with flowers, and guards whose appearance and voice as well as the traffic they carried in their vans reflected exactly the character of the terrain being served. Basing his work on deep historical research and rich personal experience, David St John Thomas lovingly portrays the branch and cross-country railway in all its nostalgic, technical and commercial aspects. He tells of the days of high expectation when the local promoters first met and chose the architectural style for their stations, sees the navvies at work hacking through the countryside, reports the arrival of the first trains, recalls the troubled realisation when traffic receipts failed to provide enough for dividends. Stations, signalboxes, engines and their men, coaches and trucks, cattle docks and railway pubs, junctions and termini, varied landscapes, special occasions and disasters...In words and pictures here is a unique study for railway enthusiasts and for those who just miss the passing of the country railway.
- GenresRailways
160 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 1976
3 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
David St. John Thomas
38 books1 followerDavid St John Thomas (30 August 1929 – 19 August 2014) was an English publisher and writer who founded David & Charles.
The son of writer Gilbert Thomas (1891–1978) he shared his father's enthusiasm for railways, particularly in the running of their Bassett-Lowke model railway.
Brought up in Devon over the World War II period, his first job was as a reporter on the Western Morning News in Plymouth where he specialised in covering transport and holiday stories. He later became a freelancer, combining journalism and radio and television reporting with fruit farming and being commissioned by the Dartington Hall Trust and others to produce reports on rural transport. His first book (for young people) was published in 1959 and in 1960 he produced the first book in the series he was to edit (and later publish), A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, The West Country.
Foundation of David and Charles
On 1 April 1960 he founded, with canal writer Charles Hadfield, the non-fiction publishing house of David & Charles of which he became chairman. This was run from his house at Ipplepen before moving to its better-known address at Newton Abbot railway station. With a staff of up to 300 the firm ran Britain's second-largest book club group, Readers' Union, which had a score of specialised clubs totalling about 250,000 members.
In later years, he also published some books under his own imprint. He continued to write himself, including a series of well-illustrated books on railway topics with Patrick B. Whitehouse and others, and more books on travel-related topics. He was keen to encourage new writers, and to this end launched the magazine Writers’ News in 1989, since sold.
source: Wikipedia
The son of writer Gilbert Thomas (1891–1978) he shared his father's enthusiasm for railways, particularly in the running of their Bassett-Lowke model railway.
Brought up in Devon over the World War II period, his first job was as a reporter on the Western Morning News in Plymouth where he specialised in covering transport and holiday stories. He later became a freelancer, combining journalism and radio and television reporting with fruit farming and being commissioned by the Dartington Hall Trust and others to produce reports on rural transport. His first book (for young people) was published in 1959 and in 1960 he produced the first book in the series he was to edit (and later publish), A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, The West Country.
Foundation of David and Charles
On 1 April 1960 he founded, with canal writer Charles Hadfield, the non-fiction publishing house of David & Charles of which he became chairman. This was run from his house at Ipplepen before moving to its better-known address at Newton Abbot railway station. With a staff of up to 300 the firm ran Britain's second-largest book club group, Readers' Union, which had a score of specialised clubs totalling about 250,000 members.
In later years, he also published some books under his own imprint. He continued to write himself, including a series of well-illustrated books on railway topics with Patrick B. Whitehouse and others, and more books on travel-related topics. He was keen to encourage new writers, and to this end launched the magazine Writers’ News in 1989, since sold.
source: Wikipedia
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October 7, 2021
Not only is this volume historically enlightening, but the writer also evokes the most wonderful memories of a time long gone, when life was simple and we had the ability to find pleasure in the most commonplace of things.
This is probably my favourite book in my railways collection, and I re-visit it regularly, which is why I have updated my review on 7th October 2021.
This is probably my favourite book in my railways collection, and I re-visit it regularly, which is why I have updated my review on 7th October 2021.
Displaying 1 of 1 review