Page updated 23 November 2007

Welcome to Trains On-line’s book review page. A small selection of edited book reviews appears on this page every month. For a full review of each book please check the review pages in the current magazine.

Brunel: An Engineering Biography, Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 0-7110-3078-2.

OVER the years many biographical studies of have been written about Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but Adrian Vaughan’s offering is no mere history of the man; it examines his life from an engineering perspective.

Profusely illustrated with drawings and photographs the book offers the reader a critical analysis of the engineer’s achievements, his methods of work and the life of the man himself.

In his re-examination of the ‘great man’ the author has delved deep into the records to piece together a picture that reflects the day to problems that beset him and how he overcame them.

The reader is guided through the complex developments of his projects through his letters and these not only expose the events and intrigues that took place but provide an intriguing insight into the engineer’s personality and approach to work.

This is a book that rewards careful study and though its £19.99 price tag may put off some, it will command an audience among all those with an interest in the period and the man.

Rail Centres No. 10: Shrewsbury, Book Law Publications, ISBN 1-901945-20-0.

First published in 1986 by Ian Allan and now reissued under the Booklaw Publications banner (£16.99), Richard K Morriss’s book remains a seminal work covering as it does the period from the mid-1840s to the 1980s.

Unfortunately, no attempt has been made to update the book and the events of the past three decades are missing from what is otherwise a comprehensive history of railways in the area

Split into five chapters, the book covers the history of the railways in the area, the development of passenger services, stations and signalling, the development of good traffic and locomotives depots and locomotives.

Liberally illustrated with black and white pictures reflecting the period covered by the book and with a range of track diagrams to aid the modeller, Rail Centres: Shrewsbury can be safely recommended.

Birmingham-Derby: Portrait of a Famous Route, Runpast Publishing, ISBN 1-870754-63-8.

THE route from Birmingham to Derby, though not quite as famous as some of the lines covered in this series, is a vital link in the route linking the South West with the North East.

Its history is quite complex and author Bob Pixton covers this in the introduction to the book.

The book splits the route into sections, each being illustrated by a range of monochrome photographs that cover both the pre-nationalisation and post-nationalisation periods.

A small selection of maps is included along with locomotive allocations at the principal sheds and some sample workings. The table listing regular freights through Birmingham on the Derby line (up trains September 1960 to June 1961) is sure to be of interest to modellers.

This is an eminently readable book and its photographs will reward careful study. At only £12.99 there is no excuse for not adding it to your library—even if you are not a Midland fan!

Brunel, Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7110-2305-5.

ISAMBARD Kingdom Brunel, probably the most influential engineer of his day, has earned a special place in the history of railways, but his work encompassed far more than that.

Not content with overseeing the creation of the Great Western Railway, he also designed its buildings, bridges, tunnels and viaducts, and his triumphs outside of railways included the first tunnel under the Thames, the first transatlantic steamers, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Author Jonathan Falconer, examines the life and career of the great Victorian splitting his text into four sections: Brunel the Man, Brunel’s achievements, What’s left to see today and a Selection of study sources.

Illustrated throughout with many contemporary photographs and line drawings this is a book likely to appeal not just railway enthusiasts, but a wide range of readers with an interest in things Victorian.

It is a snip at £9.99 and a worthy companion to more weighty tomes on Brunel.

Full reviews of the above books, together with reviews of Britain’s Railways Rail Atlas 1890 and Profile of the Westerns can be found in the December issue of Trains On-line Magazine.

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