Passenger Trains in the North of England features over 270 black and white pictures and takes the reader northbound from South Yorkshire and Cheshire to the Scottish Borders. Also covered in detail are a wide selection of pictures from Cumbria, West and North Yorkshire among others. We see main line expresses, branch line and local trains, plus special workings running along today's railways and lines that have faded into history. Steam, diesel and electric powered trains are pictured right across the North of England including industrial and city views plus a great selection taking in the highly picturesque locations of the northern hills and Dales. Embracing a period of 65 years the book features images from as early as 1957 right through the late steam era up to the present day. The stars of the book are obviously the trains of the past, but just as important are the top photographers who have kindly provided these high-quality pictures for your enjoyment. While the author has sneaked a few of his own efforts in, the main contributions come from the great names of the railway photography world including Gavin Morrison, Les Nixon, Peter Fitton, John Whiteley, John Cooper Smith and others. AUTHOR: John Matthews was born in 1951 at Preston Royal Infirmary which interestingly looked over the Preston to Longridge railway line, possibly an omen of things to come. Brought up in a terraced house in Penwortham, the River Ribble ran by the bottom of the street which in those early days was devoid of a single car and the terms 'Global Warming' and 'Climate Change' had not yet been discovered by the weather scientists of the time. Growing up surrounded by railways, the Preston to Southport line was passed under on the walk to school, and the clanking of coal wagons could clearly be heard in Ribble Sidings as a game of football was being played in a nearby field. Not surprisingly it wasn't long before trainspotting became a huge interest and armed with an 'Ian Allan ABC Combined Volume' from Summer 1961 many glorious hours were spent watching the greatest free show on earth. On leaving school with two 'O' levels, John went to work in a bank followed by a time as a Ribble bus driver. Today he enjoys watching cricket and art plus spending time with his two grandsons William and Charles. 260 b/w illustrations
