European Railroad Discussion > BR history book recommendation requested

What would be a good book for an American railfan and railroad employee that covers the history of British Railways from 1948 to privatization, with emphasis on operations (as opposed to locomotives), and also with maps and photos? I already have book-magazines about the Beeching era but I want coverage of the whole BR era. Thanks..

Try "British Rail - the Nation's Railway" by Tanya Jackson, foreword by Chris Green. Talks a lot about the organization and culture of BR and the operation, as opposed to just being equipment focused.

dwatry Wrote:
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> Try "British Rail - the Nation's Railway" by Tanya
> Jackson, foreword by Chris Green. Talks a lot
> about the organization and culture of BR and the
> operation, as opposed to just being equipment
> focused.


I would strongly agree with this suggestion, but add two other books which are of interest particularly of an earlier era. The first is an autobiography of a senior railway manager called "I tried to run a railway", by Gerald Fiennes, who got sacked as general manager for the Western region as a result, and just a few years later a book called "the train that ran away", by Stuart Joy which gives a wonderful assessment of the failures of the modernisation scheme. Only the Gerald Fiennes book has I believe any pictures, but both are well deserving of study.

Good luck, and best wishes Paul

PS get in touch if you have any problems getting hold of these books which must be out of print by now.

PPS sorry if this seems like a reading list for keen students, and neither should be read earnestly from cover to cover.

You might want to go to YouTube. There are many British Rail B/W training films. Modern day films also.

Some time in the 60's When I still lived in the UK I heard Gerald Fiennes give a talk on the radio,
he was very entertaining. I only heard one episode which was one of a series of talks. I recorded it
and over the years I have tried to find the rest of the episodes without success.
I still have it somewhere in my tape collection,
I will try to find the book.

ST2K