'A delightful book ... the perfect companion as you wait for the 8.10 from Hove' Observer After the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, many railways were gradually shut down. Rural communities were isolated and steam trains slowly gave way to diesel and electric traction. But some people were not prepared to let the romance of train travel die. Thanks to their efforts, many lines passed into community ownership and are now booming with new armies of dedicated volunteers. Andrew Martin meets these volunteer enthusiasts, finding out just what it is about preserved railways that makes people so devoted. From the inspiration for Thomas the Tank Engine to John Betjeman's battle against encroaching modernity, Steam Trains Today will take you on a heart-warming journey across Britain from Aviemore to Epping.

Steam Trains and Jigsaw Puzzles strikes most people as an intriguing title. The origin is simple,however my trainspotting youth has been synchronized with a later interest in jigsaw puzzles. The result is expensive I have a collection of over 250 jigsaws depicting British steam railways. The conclusion is impossible there are over 500 steam railway jigsaw puzzles to collect and they are being supplemented annually. The Liverpool & Manchester Railway marked the arrival of the true passenger railway service in 1830 and presented jigsaw manufacturers with another subject on which to focus. Prior to this date the jigsaw experience, started by John Spilsbury in c1760, was restricted to subjects such as religion, geography, history, monarchs, the alphabet and art. Many characteristics combine to form the basis of nostalgic images buried indelibly in the minds of people who travelled in the steam railway age. Manufacturers have not been slow to tap into this nostalgia and produce jigsaws aimed at stirring those memories and inviting people to reflect on past experiences, good, bad or indifferent. Chad Valley, Victory, Good Companion,Falcon, Waddingtons and Arrow are just a few manufacturers who produced steam railway jigsaws in the past. Most of these companies are now a distant memory while others are in foreign ownership. Equally famous names such as Wentworth, Ravensburger (Germany), House of Puzzles, Gibsons, JR Puzzles and King Puzzles (Holland) continue the manufacturing tradition. Output is generally superb thanks to the efforts of fine railway artists such as Terence Cuneo, George Heiron, T. E. North, Don Breckon, John Austin, Barry Freeman and Malcolm Root. The book is aimed at anyone with an interest in jigsaw puzzles and at those enthusiasts and aficionados who refuse to allow those evocative memories of the Golden Age of Steam to die.

Our title for January is - Time Is Running Out! So we have to make the time count. I sense imminence in time and we need to get the Gospel out in the window we have. Meanwhile, we should make every effort to live the gospel we preach and teach and be ready to meet the Lord whose return is near. Every blessing as you read this issue.

WHEN EARL WAS KING NEPTUNE is a keenly insightful account of the author's family, and of his personal experiences, observations and intersections with people, places and events in the last half of the 20th century in the Northeast portion of the United States. His story is told with great interpretative skill, wit and occasional humor and at times considerable cynicism. Part history, sociology and biography, the people, places and events, along with the author's sharp personal observations, that make up When Earl Was King Neptune, will stay with the reader long after the book is finished and put aside. They are of the life and mind before cyberspace took control

Learn the model-making process from start to finish, including the best ways to choose scale, wheels, motors, and track layout. Get advice for building steam engines, locomotives, and passenger cars, and discover fresh ideas and inspiration for your own LEGO train designs. Inside you'll find: -A historical tour of LEGO trains -Step-by-step building instructions for models of the German Inter-City Express (ICE), the Swiss “Crocodile,” and a vintage passenger car -Tips for controlling your trains with transformers, receivers, and motors -Advice on advanced building tech­niques like SNOT (studs not on top), micro­striping, creating textures, and making offset connections -Case studies of the design process -Ways to use older LEGO pieces in modern designs For ages 10+

One would be challenged to find a railroad to compare scenically and historically with the Rutland Railroad. With Yankee persistence, it struggled for its existence in the snows of Vermont and northern New York for more than one hundred years. Running through territory amply covered by larger and stronger lines, it survived bankruptcy, receivership, flood, unequal competition, seizure, depression, and strikes. Its vestigial remains operate in a small area to this day. Jim Shaughnessy—award-winning railroad photographer and authority—discusses the Rutland's entire history thoroughly, from preconstrnction in 1831 to the present. In this updated edition, the author covers the history of the three lines that continued to operate after the demise of the Rutland Railroad-the Vermont Railway, the Green Mountain Railroad, and the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority. Lavishly illustrated with more than 500 incomparable photographs (including those by railroad photographer Philip R. Hastings), The Rutland Road has other features for the railroad enthusiast and historian alike: maps, charts, reproductions of advertisements, a detailed index with engine rosters, a chronology of the Rutland Railroad, and other significant statistical information.

CLIPPINGS FROM THE VINE consists of selections from the author's seven published books, and concludes with a series of contemporary personal essays, observations and opinions as we enter the Obama Era of hopefully positive change. Ranging from Coast to Coast, all over the Inter-mountain West, and covering a period of almost sixty years, the author deftly chronicles his experiences and the characters he has encountered (such as desert rat "Mr. James," featured on the cover). He does so with wit, insight and frequent discontent. These selections can be read as a cross section of a greatly changing America. Whether for the best or not is always on the author's mind. Clippings From The Vine is "solid America," of a type we shall see little or any of in the future "instant media society." And, the author asks you not to judge him, until you've walked the streets of Victor, Colorado...