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Since its first issue was published in 2007, The Southern Way has become the acknowledged definitive journal on the history and heritage of the Southern Railway and the Southern Region of British Railways. Now under the editorship of Peter Waller, as always, four issues will be published in the course of 2024. Each contains a mixture of articles and photo features on various aspects of the SR including rolling stock, infrastructure, operations and personalities. The Southern Way remains the essential read for all who are interested in the SR and those engaged in modelling it. Among the features and articles in Issue No. 65 are: Class 4VEP EMUsSecond‐hand SR locomotivesThe Folkestone, Hythe & Sandgate TramwayLBSCR AtlanticsThe Crystal Palace (High Level) branchA Day in the LifeSouthern sheds in London

abc Rail Guide has established itself as the single most comprehensive, detailed, accurate and reliable guide to the railway networks of the British Isles. The new 2024 edition of this best‐selling annual publication has, as always, been thoroughly revised for its regular April publication date.The book provides the full fleet lists of the Train Operating Companies, open access and freight operators as well as a round‐up of new trains, charter operators, rolling stock providers, spot hire and maintenance providers. Stock used by Network Rail and the channel tunnel operators is also listed.Main line preservation groups, depots and maintenance works, heritage lines, preserved locos, main line steam, charter promoters and scrapyards are also all included. abc Rail Guide 2024 is simply the most comprehensive and accurate single volume reference source on the contemporary railway scene.Portable, up to date, concise, easy to use, with Train Operating Company route maps and a new selection of quality colour photographs throughout, this is the essential guide for all railway enthusiasts seeking to keep up to speed with the dynamic and rapidly changing railway landscape throughout Britain and Ireland.

Now remarkably in its 29th edition, since it was first published in the 1960s every edition of Wrecks & Relics has been eagerly sought after by aviation enthusiasts, historians, restorers and curators alike. Through five decades of publication under the authorship of Ken Ellis, 'W&R' has become renowned as the go-to source charting the highlights, changes and trends in the preservation of the aviation heritage of the British Isles. With in-depth coverage of more than 700 locations across the UK and Ireland, it lists more than 4,000 aircraft including their potted histories, previous identities and arrival dates. Wrecks & Relics remains the only publication required to discover the incredible aeronautical treasures found across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It provides a trusted, comprehensive rundown of museums and collections and their exhibits - static or flying - together with workshops, military 'gate guardians', stored and instructional airframes etc. It also reveals redundant and even derelict airframes being used for the most unlikely of purposes, including 'glamping' and at paint-ball sites. Each edition of Wrecks & Relics is profusely illustrated with both colour and black and white photographs and is fully indexed making easy the task of where to go over the weekend, or where to find an extant example of a favourite aircraft type. Whether it travels in the car or sits on the bookshelf, this new and fully revised edition of Wrecks & Relics will continue to be the most useful and accurate companion to the aviation heritage of the British Isles, which will be referred to again and again.

First published in the 1970s, Military Aircraft Markings has become an indispensable annual publication for all aircraft enthusiasts, historians and students of military aviation.

The 2024 edition of this best-selling annual publication builds on the long history and heritage of the title. First published in 1950, this will be the 75th edition of Civil Aircraft Markings (two editions were published in 1982).

Since its first issue was published in 2007, The Southern Way has become the acknowledged definitive journal on the history and heritage of the Southern Railway and the Southern Region of British Railways. Now under the editorship of Peter Waller, as always, four issues will be published in the course of 2023. Each contains a mixture of articles and photo features on various aspects of the SR including rolling stock, infrastructure, operations and personalities. The Southern Way remains the essential read for all who are interested in the SR and those engaged in modelling it. Among the features and articles in Issue No. 64 are:Post-Nationalisation Southern-built LocomotivesBranch line to Lyme RegisSouthern SnippetsThe Class 460 StorySouthern Engine Sheds in Surrey and BerkshireFocus On: Bishop''s WalthamA Day in the LifeThe Class B4Bulleids at Bournemouth

Hugh Longworth has published a number of very successful volumes on British Railways'' steam locos, DMUs and coaching stock. His thorough and detailed research has focused on the operation history and allocations of the rolling stock types covered in these books.In this completely new work, in the style of those previously published, he covers in detail all the classes of diesel and electrics locomotives that were introduced by BR from the modernisation plan of 1955 to the present day. Each class, which operated over this lengthy period, is covered in the book. The headlong rush to eliminate steam traction and modernise the railways from the 1950s onwards produced very mixed results. Some of the locomotives introduced were very successful and long lived with examples still in service well into the twenty first century whilst others were found seriously wanting and withdrawn completely after only a few years in service. For each class, a concise history is provided giving construction details and full technical specifications. For every individual locomotive, a full listing is provided including all numbers applied throughout its career, names where they were allocated, details of entry into service, full allocation details over their operational life as well as withdrawal and scrapping dates.The book is illustrated throughout predominantly using colour photos and drawings and the data it contains is fully cross referenced. Comprehensive in its coverage, this book will be referred to again and again by all those interested in the diesel and electric era on Britain''s railways.

Over the years, Derek Cross'' photographs have graced the pages of many magazines and several photographic albums featuring his work have been published, recalling railway scenes which have changed radically in the space of a few short decades.Drawing upon his extensive collection of colour images taken from the late 1950s through to the early 1980s, this new collection of the photos of Derek Cross focuses on those years which saw the elimination the steam locomotive and its replacement by the first generation diesel and electric traction, a period which is of so much interest for many railway enthusiasts.The photos are arranged geographically and whilst they range across many parts of Britain, many were taken in those areas with which is work is synonymous including the south-west of Scotland, the Somerset & Dorset line and Kent and the south east. The book will include more than 200 colour photos and has been complied by Derek Cross'' son David who has also written the captions. These that have been compiled drawing on his father''s notes. This new album is a visual delight and a fitting tribute to one of the great railway photographers of his era.

The design and production of the airborne signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft of the USAAF during World War Two was an example of a rapid wartime evolutionary process. In three short years, the USAAF went from hand-built prototypes to full scale production of an aircraft type that had not previously existed in the US inventory. Government partnered with universities to form research laboratories focused on radar countermeasures (RCM) while US airline maintenance facilities were requisitioned to form production centres for modifications to allow rapid insertion of the technology. The USAAF pushed the bounds of systems integration and programme management, learning how to rapidly develop, field and operate aircraft in the ever evolving war in the electromagnetic spectrum.Just as the technical design changed, so did the operational employment of these 'ferret' aircraft. Ferrets started as an adjunct to bombing missions but quickly evolved into aircraft flying their own missions off the enemy coast. New schools were developed to train personnel to operate these aircraft, and when output was lagging, squadrons set up their own schools in theatre. Technical representatives from US and Allied universities helped modify aircraft as tactics changed, providing feedback for later production equipment and aircraft. The story of these 'ferret' aircraft is one of talented people across all walks of life pulling together to solve a complex problem under trying conditions.Each chapter in this new study of the beginnings of US SIGINT operations is profusely illustrated with an introductory essay placing the aircraft in context of the war in the theatre and includes expansive captions, maps, and operational details. The author William Cahill, a former USAF officer with a reconnaissance background, offers unique historical insights into the development and operation of these vital airborne signals intelligence assets.

The Chance Vought F7U Cutlass was ahead of its time. In 1948, when it first flew, it could hardly have been more exotic or state-of-the-art: a tail-less fighter to be powered by two afterburning jet engines. It was not only to be carrier-based but also climb quicker and be faster than the Air Force''s new swept-wing North American F-86 Sabre. Developmental problems resulted in it taking too long to reach operational squadrons, which partly accounts for its relatively unsuccessful career.The Cutlass was designed too soon to benefit from the discovery of the area rule, which doomed it to transonic performance in level flight. Similarly, its lack of a horizontal tail was intended in part to address the transonic pitch-control difficulties being encountered at the time but they proved to be avoidable with one. Unfortunately, no horizontal tail resulted in it not only being radical in appearance but also having challenging handling qualities at approach speed. The F7U-3''s service introduction was also accomplished before the Navy perfected a rigorous process for transitioning pilots to new airplanes, particularly important in the case of the Cutlass and its unusual handling qualities, one of which resulted in a rare aeronautical phenomenon, the post-stall gyration. It was also first deployed before the introduction of the angled-deck concept that greatly reduced the degree of difficulty in landing high-performance jet fighters back aboard a carrier. The F7U Cutlass did eventually join the fleet and deploy, albeit to mixed reviews. It is often included, perhaps unfairly, on short lists of the world''s worst jet fighters. It was genuinely innovative in many respects and this new detailed history of the development and operation of the type provides a more balanced perspective on what was a fascinating aircraft.

Arguably, since the 1920s but markedly since the 1960s, the railways have been fighting a losing battle with the road transport to retain their share of freight traffic. Gone are the days when almost every British passenger station had its own goods yard, handling all kinds of freight in wagonload quantities for distribution in the local area. That network of general freight terminals was gradually reduced and, eventually, eliminated, as the railway lost out to its main competitor, the lorry, with British Rail effectively throwing in the towel in relation to wagonload traffic with the demise of the Speedlink network in the 1990s. At the same time, rail freight has developed new markets for heavy trainload operations. That growth has led to the setting up of specialised terminals for aggregates, cement, steel, deep-sea containers and other bulk cargoes. The move from traditional wagonload traffic to lengthy and heavy block trains conveying only type of freight has been fully accomplished. This book illustrates and describes the huge transition that has taken place across the British railway network over the last 60 years in relation to the handling of goods traffic. It provides views of long-forgotten operations forming a stark contrast with the streamlined facilities of today. The book also looks at the range of traction and rolling-stock which was used to handle the nation''s railway freight traffic over the decades ranging from steam-hauled pick-up goods trains to today''s uniform loads of 2,000 tonnes and more.

Blake Paterson was both a career railwayman and a railway enthusiast who worked for the Western Region, based at Paddington and Reading. He was also a passionate and very accomplished photographer. Aware of the great changes to the railway network which were underway, even before the publication of Dr Beeching''s notorious report, he resolved to record as much of the changing railway scene, as was possible. To do this, he set himself demanding schedules and would often travel great distances, sometimes using overnight trains, to reach the more remote corners of the network. During this intense period of photographic activity he took thousands of images, normally only taking a photo when the sun was shining and aiming to capture the trains in picturesque settings. He sought innovative angles and unlike many railway photographers of the era, he made a particular point of including people, particularly railway employees, in his photographs. It is believed that none of the images in this volume have been previously published.

This is an account of a fascinating but largely unknown aspect of post World War 2 US military aviation history, the conversion and use of former frontline aircraft to serve as remotely piloted drones. This story begins as far back as the 1920s, gains momentum during World War 2 and peaks with the postwar glut of airframes during the Cold War era.The list of manned aircraft converted to drones over the decades is long and includes at least the following: P-12, B-17, PB4Y-2, SB2C, F-80, T-33, F6F, F-86, B-29, B-47, F9F Panther and Cougar, F-100, F-102, F-104, F-106, F-4, F-16, P-39 and Boeing 720. These aircraft were used in a wide range of capacities; as test beds, flying bombs and targets for missiles and other aircraft to intercept and shoot down. One example of the sort of secret projects covered by this book, was a postwar scheme to use remotely controlled B-29s as one-way nuclear delivery devices under the code name Banshee.Since the 1970s the author has visited a number of drone sites, including the plant that converted F-100s and F-102s as well as ranges where drones were used. His files include many photographs, mostly never previously published of the many and varied types of drone which were created including the last B-17G Boeing that rolled out the door in Seattle and was ultimately consumed as a QB-17 drone.Aviation historians and enthusiasts will find so much of interest in this genuinely original, thoroughly researched, well-illustrated and utterly absorbing book which explores in detail a neglected but compelling aspect of recent US military aviation history.

Dioramas are invariably associated with scale models, providing a setting or background for a completed kit, though arguably the scenery and buildings on a model railway layout is essentially, a very large diorama. The techniques and materials used are much the same whether you wish to create a landscape through which the track of a classic English branch line will run or a smaller base displaying a Hawker Hurricane being readied for take-off, a Panther tank stuck in the mud of a battlefield or a Monte Carlo Mini in the snow. This book shows how you can create interesting dioramas irrespective as to what you are modelling. It looks at the materials required for building dioramas, primarily tools, paints and glues. Similar skills and techniques are required to create everything from simple bases that contain only a few items, to larger structures that need far more work and effort in their creation. It covers the materials that can be used to create earth, vegetation and water - from seas and oceans, to what you may find in a bucket. It also deals with landscaping, creating a miniature world as the setting for your models. The building of specific dioramas as settings for museums exhibits, architectural and educational projects is explored as are forced-perspective dioramas where, though the majority of the elements that make up a scene will be in the same scale, parts of it will not be to create the illusion of distance. Once you have the materials and the knowledge, as the author says in his Introduction, there is really only one rule when it comes to building model dioramas, your imagination.

Speedlink was launched in 1977 as an attempt to arrest the decline in British Rail''s wagonload freight business. One of the things that distinguished Speedlink workings from almost all of the freight services that had preceded it, was that all the wagons used were air braked. At its peak in the mid 1980s, it carried over 8 million tonnes annually. However, despite this, Speedlink was never profitable and in the run up to railway privatisation, the service was abandoned in 1991. This is the first of short series of four books, each one complete in itself, which will provide a comprehensive survey of the whole Speedlink wagon fleet. This first volume begins by setting the scene from which Speedlink emerged. It explores the background to BR''s lossmaking wagonload business from the 1960s onwards and examines the circumstances which led to the creation of Speedlink as the solution to these problems. Having dealt with the background to its emergence, the book moves on to look at existing air braked stock owned by British Rail prior to the launch of Speedlink including that built in the 1960s for use on train ferries and vehicles converted to air braking. All the many types of existing covered vans and open wagons that could be used on Speedlink are thus featured in this volume.Written by wagon expert David Larkin and heavily illustrated throughout, this series will be an invaluable source of reference for all those interested in the post steam era on Britain''s railways. Those modeling the railway scene from the 1970s to the 1990s will also find these books essential reading.

The quarterly periodical has now reached issue number 62 with 63 to follow in November. It continues to be the ''go-to'' reference for all those interested in the UK''s Southern Railways. Each issue contains a variety of articles and photo features, each offering an in-depth exploration of a historical aspect of the railways, rolling stock, infrastructure, incidents, events and people associated with The Southern Way.Features in the new 62nd edition include:- Locomotives at Nationalisation- Class 456 Farewell- Southern Snippets: Second World WaR- The Wimbledon & Croydon Railway- Southampton Pacifics- Southern Engine Sheds in Sussex- A Day in the Life- Dorking Greystone Lime Co.

Over the course of the age of steam on Britain''s railways, relatively few engine men picked up the pen to write about their life on the footplate and the engines on which they worked. One who did was Norman McKillop, who also wrote under the pseudonym of ''Toram Beg'' (''little Norman''), a nod towards his Gaelic parentage and heritage, whilst still working as an engine driver, contributing to publications such as Trains Illustrated. Enginemen Elite was first published in 1958 and is an account of Mc Killop''s railway career which began in 1910 when he joined the North British Railway as a cleaner. He rose through the ranks and in time, based at Haymarket shed in Edinburgh, he became one of the top link drivers on the East Coast Main Line. He has been described, as at once a master and a lover of the locomotiveman''s craft and his observations relating to the various types of engines on which he worked are both fascinating and insightful. He was also an active trade unionist who wrote a history of his union, ASLEF, which was published in 1950 and there is a strong tread of social concern running through his autobiography focusing on the sometimes appalling working conditions of railway staff especially in the dark economic landscape of the 1930s. This reissue of a superbly written work on life on the footplate which has been out of print for many years, one both romantic and thoughtful in turn, will be much welcomed by a new generation of readers.

A popular feature of our publishing programme for a number of years has been our facsimile reprints of selected titles from the famous Ian Allan Publishing abc series that first appeared in the 1940s. These modestly priced reprints are welcomed by both the enthusiasts who may have used them when they first came out and also by those not around at the time they were first published. They provide wonderful, nostalgic snapshots of a railway scene which has long since disappeared.The volume selected for reissue this Spring is abc British Railways Locomotives Combined Volume Summer 1959. This is in effect two books in one, abc British Railways Locomotives and the Locoshed Book. The abc lists all the locomotives which were in service at that time and the Locoshed book shows where those engines were allocated at the time the listings were compiled.The year covered in this volume is a particularly interesting one. By now, many of the new diesel classes conceived as a consequence of the BR modernisation plan of 1955, were coming into service though the steam locomotive was still supreme across most of the network, and indeed, new BR Standard steam locomotives were still under construction. As with all of these facsimile reprints, this volume provides a wonderful, nostalgic snapshot of a railway scene which has long since disappeared and will be enjoyed by enthusiasts of both steam and modern traction.

This book examines the last generation of high-performance British propellor-driven fighters, types such as the Firecrest, late mark Spitfires and Seafires, Spiteful and Seafang, Sea Fury, late mark Tempests, Hornet and Sea Hornet, M.B.5 and Wyvern. From about 1942 onwards these extraordinary and very complex aeroplanes brought British piston fighter development to its zenith, but then in a very short space of time the new jet engine wiped this generation away. Perhaps it would not have been possible to take piston power and further anyway but the turboprop might have been a longer-term alternative, though in the end the only British type with this form of powerplant would be the Westland Wyvern naval strike fighter.Chapters look at the engines involved including the Rolls-Royce Merlin 130 series, Griffon and Eagle, Napier Sabre and Bristol Centaurus, propellor developments (contra-rotating) and then take each fighter type in turn. The coverage described their development and testing and includes quotes and passes from flight test reports.Additional appendices look at some British one-off designs and testbed programmes, then the only fighter types flown abroad powered by these engine types (the Australian CA-15 and Argentine IAe 30) and finally two similiar unbuilt projects proposed by Sweden (the J 27 Mustang lookalike) and Switzerland (the N-6). Illustrated with over 300 photos, many previously unpublished, this is a must for enthusiasts of World War II aviation and the history of the British fighter.