Bøker av Laurence Waters

From the opening of the Great Western Railway in 1838 through to the end of steam traction on the Western Region in 1965 the 'engine shed' formed an important role in both the infrastructure and operation of the railway. As the Great Western system expanded so did the need for larger locomotive servicing facilities and from the 1870s right through to the 1930s many sheds were rebuilt into larger locomotive depots or in some cases replaced by entirely new structures.Nationalization of the railways in 1948 saw the formation of the 'British Railways Western Region'. Apart from a few early sub-shed closures the number of Western Region steam depots and sub-sheds remained almost unaltered until the regional boundary changes of 1958.Using black and white and color images from the Great Western Trust archive at Didcot, the book illustrates Western Region steam depots and 'sub sheds' that were in operation in the mid 1950s. With many previously unpublished photographs the book should interest modelers, historians and enthusiasts of the Western Region.Today the unique atmosphere of the steam 'shed' can be still be experienced at Didcot, where the original 1932 locomotive shed forms the centerpiece of the Didcot Railway Centre.

Using previously unpublished material from the extensive 'Great Western Trust' collection at Didcot Railway Centre, the book illustrates in both black and white and colour many facets that made the Great Western 'Great"

Written by a well-respected author of Great Western Locomotive history.

Written by a leading authority on Great Western locomotive history, who over twenty five books in print. The Great Western Saint Class Locomotives is an important addition to his already extensive series of books on Great Western locomotive development