At the turn of the millennium, a large percentage of the passenger services around London and the South East were operated by 'slam-door' Mark 1 stock that was life expired. To replace these, a number of new designs were produced. The offering by Bombardier was the Electrostar platform, which was produced in Derby and developed to meet the needs of the various train operating companies in the area. The almost insatiable demand for the Electrostar was such that production lasted 18 years and 2,085 vehicles were produced, including some for South Africa. This book illustrates the different types of units and liveries of the Electrostars, dispelling any thought that electric multiple units are all the same. The Electrostar has come to dominate the railway scene around London and is likely to continue to for some time to come, despite new-generation units starting to appear. With nearly 200 previously unpublished images, this book gives an overview of the routes they have worked, or are still working, as well as the different companies that these unsung heroes of the everyday railway have served. AUTHOR: Ian Buck is a recently retired career railwayman with over 45 years experience in traction and rolling stock. He won some industry awards and has articles published from time to time in Continental Modeller and Traction magazines and Todays Railways Europe.
