Explore a fascinating array of electric locomotives and their trains working on the Scottish railways.

Colin J. Howat offers a stunning collection of diesel locos and their trains working on Scottish railways.

“A book full of nostalgia for those who thought railways after the end of steam would be an endless stream of lookalike boxes . . . a revelation.” —Rail Advent In the 1980s and early 1990s, Scotland was an excellent destination for the railway enthusiast. The many locomotive hauled trains running through splendid scenery, together with the surviving railway infrastructure and mechanical signaling, provided many fine photographic opportunities. Peter J. Green’s first railway visit to Scotland was on board the Fair Maid railtour to Perth, behind Flying Scotsman in 1983. The following year, he again traveled to Scotland, this time on the F & W Railtours’ The Skirl o’ the Pipes 4, to Kyle of Lochalsh and Mallaig, his first visit to the Scottish Highlands. Green had previously been traveling abroad for railways, but impressed by what he saw, he decided that he would quickly return to photograph the Scottish railway scene, before it changed too much. This was the start of a series of visits, each for one or two weeks, between 1984 and June 1991, covering the whole country. This book is a photographic record of the locomotives, trains and infrastructure of the railways of Scotland and the landscapes through which the trains ran, as recorded by Green’s various cameras during the period of his visits. “Lots to enjoy, not just the Scottish locomotives themselves, but their trains and the world beyond, which in some cases has changed beyond recognition in the years since these photographs were taken. Highly recommended.” —The Railway Magazine

The contribution made by The company to electric traction at home and abroad.

A stunning pictorial survey of the Class 37/4s, covering their operations in Scotland, England, and Wales. In the prelude to the privatisation of British Railways, the Provincial Sector (later Regional Railways) became responsible for local / secondary train services. It initiated the refurbishment of thirty-one Class 37 locomotives, fitted with train heating equipment—hence designated Class 37/4—to support the shortfall of DMU trainsets. Their initial task was to work services on Scottish lines radiating from Inverness to points north and Glasgow to service the West Highland Line with a small batch based in South Wales to service Cambrian Line services and services from Cardiff traversing the Marches Line to serve Liverpool. These services were soon replaced by Sprinter trainsets thus releasing the fleet to other duties including freight operators hence, at privatisation in April 1994, the fleet became owned by freight companies who subsequently hired locomotives to both other freight companies and passenger operators. Throughout their working life, the fleet members have proved invaluable and capable of powering a variety of services whose history confirms both the locomotives’ adaptability and prowess in handling the duties allocated to them. Fred Kerr’s book seeks to show this adaptability by detailing the reason for their initial creation and the tasks successfully undertaken once released from their initial roles as support for the shortage of DMU trainsets. The advent of privatisation saw an increased demand for their ‘go-anywhere do anything’ ability which is also displayed by the range of photographs that illustrate the wide range of duties performed by class members. Once withdrawn from service some class members were purchased for preservation and—such was their adaptability—that preserved examples were hired by train operators to cover duties that no other class of diesel locomotive was capable of achieving.

The genesis of 25kv overhead electrification began in the late 1960s on the West Coast Main Line, the 1980s for the East Anglian Main Line, and the East Coast Main Line in the late 1980s. Development took place in stages culminating in fully electrified lines from London to Scotland on both East and West Coast lines, and from London to Norwich. The introduction of these lines required the construction of new motive power.Initially five types were produced for the WCML, from which the second phase of loco design was developed, giving a higher level of reliability, as well as power output. These newer designs were applied to the Anglian services, but the ECML plans required an updated design, ostensibly for mixed traffic, but hardly ever used on anything other than express passenger services, for which their 140mph potential enabled a major recast of the timetable. The opening of the Channel Tunnel required a mixed traffic dual voltage locomotive, running on both 25kv and the Southern Region 750v third rail DC.The locomotives are classified between 81 and 92 inclusive, and this book of photographs by David Cable covers all the classes in a variety of locations and duties.

Electric trains have a long and fascinating history, in which, as with steam trains, British engineers pioneered many developments. The first electric locomotive ran in Scotland in 1842 but it was a commercial failure. The world's first successful electric tube railway opened in London in 1890. It was soon followed by the world's first 'overhead electric' railway in Liverpool. By 1940 more people travelled to work by electric train in Britain than in any other country in the world. This book describes those first fifty years of successful electric traction in Britain and the development of the vehicles. Between 1890 and 1940 electric trains were transformed from a new experimental form of transport into one so reliable that it was taken totally for granted. Also included is information on where to see early electric trains that have been preserved.