Maurice Dart Boeken

In this new volume of photographs from the Maurice Dart collection the author covers the railways in the area widely known as the Home Counties which for this volume take in Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex and Oxfordshire together with north and west London. The inner city is not included. Locations of places in each county are recorded in the 'RCH Handbook of Stations' from 1938. As this book features images from the author's personal collection, the layout follows the order in which the collection is arranged. This follows locomotive wheel arrangement and types from the largest downwards in decreasing order of size, with a few exceptions. It is a system that was used in the past by several notable authors that presents a markedly different layout to the now standard practice of following routes geographically.

In this new volume of photographs from the Maurice Dart Collection the author covers the railways in the area popularly known as East Anglia while taking in contiguous counties associated with the railways of the region. Owing to the east-to-west elongated shape of Hertfordshire a section of the North West main line from Euston falls within its boundary so is included. Locations of places in each county are as recorded in the RCH Handbook of Stations from 1938. The photographs in this album have been largely selected from the author's collection of many thousands of railway scenes. Together they present an overall view of many of the types of locomotives which have worked in the area since late in the nineteenth century. Along with the photographs of engines much of what is nowadays termed 'railway infrastructure' is included, together with a varied selection of rolling stock. The detail contained in many of the photos may be of assistance to railway modellers of certain periods. As wide a variety of locations as possible is included to cover the locomotive scene on the main line, on branch lines, in goods yards and at locomotive sheds. In this way the book will appeal not only to railway enthusiasts but also to those seeking photos of local areas and will help readers to recall the magic and nostalgia of the sight of working steam locomotives.