Red Ball Express: Supply Line from the D-Day Beaches

by Pat Ware

The latest title in our very successful railway modelling series tackles two areas which are fundamental to the hobby. There is little more basic in terms of railway modelling than the accurate replication of track formations and the employment of appropriate signalling arrangements which the track layout dictates. Yet it is in these very areas that many layouts fall flat. Whilst this may be excusable in the case of modellers new to the hobby, it is unforgivable for those constructing layouts for exhibition purposes. Over many years of involvement in the model railway hobby, Bob Essery has seen countless layouts in operation, some good, some indifferent and some downright appalling. As a regular judge on the exhibition circuit, he is better placed than most to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different layouts. Drawing upon this experience, as well as his own first hand knowledge of railway operation, drawn not just from a lifetime of researching aspects of railway history and operation, but from the practical experience he gained from his time on the footplate as a fireman for British Railways, few are better placed to write authoritatively on these subjects. In Railway Signalling and Track Plans, Bob Essery provides a detailed analysis of the inter-relationship of track, signalling and operation. Using a wide range of examples from the prototype, he explains how this approach can help to make a model railway much more realistic. As the technology available to model railway enthusiasts, in particular Digital Command Control, becomes more sophisticated, so the need for ever more accurate track plans and signalling becomes all the more important. With the publication of this book, modellers can no longer make the excuse that this sort of information is not widely available.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

We got a big shipment of these as publisher’s remainders, so I read through it on a lunch break or two. Mostly consisting of pictures of trucks, this book had some grammatical errors and typos, and gives a fairly straightforward account of the famous supply line that allowed the Allies to rapidly push through France after breaking out of Normandy. Alas, this book failed to cover the many trucks that were hijacked by deserters who had organized crime rings based off looting supplies, which ultimately helped halt the Allied advance!