BR Diesel Traction in Scotland
George O’Hara
Clyard Novella
978 0 9530821 2 4
£25
Every now and then a review book comes in which is so good you drop what you are doing and retire to a quiet room and drool over its pages. This is one such book.
The basics are this is a 308 page hardback A4 black and white book with 697 pictures! Throw in the five colour pictures on the cover and you break 700 images! And virtually all of them previously unpublished… and all for £25.
The book covers diesels in Scotland mainly in the 1960/70s, with some from the 1980s and a few from the 1990s. There isn’t a 66 in sight!
Lines which have long closed are covered in the book’s 12 chapters that include depots, multiple units, loco-hauled trains, stations, freight and passenger trains.
This is a truly excellent book from start to finish, which I can’t recommend highly enough. It’s down points are minor; there is the odd loco incorrectly captioned and each traction type has a wordy description each time one is depicted - a Class 26 is called a BRCW Type 2 Bo-Bo DE – fine once or twice, but not every time. Only one or two pictures have been reproduced badly and a handful perhaps shouldn’t have been used, but in a book of 700 pictures that is really splitting hairs.
But images such as a Class 44 at Aberdeen, Claytons on passenger trains, a 50 coming off the Forth Bridge, Class 21s on the closed lines north of Aberdeen and a Class 20 at Dingwall on a passenger train (which was news to me!) all highlight the rarity of some of the images.
A fantastic book for enthusiasts, modellers and historians alike, and not just product of the month, product of the year!! Superb from start to finish and outstanding value for money. (PD)
Like this? Try these: British Railways Scottish Region (Clyard Novella), Heyday of the Scottish Diesels (Ian Allan)

Deltics the Final Roar
Alastair McLean
Amberley Publishing
978 1 4456 0098 7
£12.99
www.amberley-books.com
A second helping of pictures from Alastair McLean, following on from Deltics the Last Year published in 2005. This book is similar in being a 128-page softback A5 production.
It is split into nine chapters, with the majority of the images from Scotland. Most of the images are good, and of a better standard that the previous tome, with some especially pleasing views taken on sheds.
Again there are a few too many instances of different angles of the same train, and also a lot of use of approaching and of going away shots of the same trains which, I would argue, is not the best use of the pages.
Captions are good, with interesting information on many. A nice book that Deltic fans should like. (PD)
Like this? Try this: Deltics the Final Year (Tempus)

Big Freight The Book
Nick Meskell
Publisher: Videoscene
978 1 907648 02 1
£19.95
This is an impressive 80-page A4 landscape hardback full colour book looking at the current freight scene using pictures form some of the country’s best photographers.
Although not split into chapters as such, the book’s layout is well structured, staring with the Class 60s, then the EWS 37s, 66s, 67s before moving onto other operators such as Freightliner, DRS, GBRf, Colas, Fastline, Advenza and Serco and finally the recent developments with Class 20s.
All manner of traffic is included, including test trains. Captions are good and well written and the quality of images is excellent.
Although published by TrainCrazy, this is joint venture with Booklaw which has taken half the risk on the publication. That should not be much of a risk because this is an excellent book, and in any other month may well have been the product of the month.
The cover is a bit naff, with an American style masthead, and while some may think it’s not cheap at just under £20, that said, the quality justifies the price.
An excellent book and one that highlights there is still plenty to point your camera at in this day and age, whatever the older men may tell you. (PD)
Like this? Try this: Loco review 2010 (Freightmaster)

London’s Underground
John Glover
Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing
ISBN: 978 0 7110 3429 7
Price: £19.99
Web: www.ianallanpublishing.com
A 160-page A4 hardback book looking at the history of the London Underground Railway with plenty of colour and black and white pictures to tell all aspects of the story.
A fascinating book on this system, written by established ‘know it all’ John Glover who is a renowned expert on the LU.
A worthwhile book to read if you know nothing about the LU, but are keen to learn, this is a well produced, informative and interesting book that should be on the shelves of any rail enthusiast. (PD)
Like this? Try This: London Underground Rolling Stock in Colour (Ian Allan)

Railway Walks
Julia Bradbury
Publisher Frances Lincoln
ISBN: 978 0 7112 3167 2
Price: £12.99
Web: www.franceslincoln.com
This 144 page A5 soft back colour book details six lengthy walks along closed railways, with two in Scotland and one each in Wales, Dorset, Derbyshire and Cornwall.
Each walk has a schematic map (although walkers may be advised to take an OS map with them as well) and this is married to a selection of pictures, and text detailing the history of the line and a description of the route and what to look out for.
This book is one of those that makes you want to get up and go and visit the lines detailed and is an enjoyable text. It is also a decent transportable size. Time to dust off the walking boots perhaps?
Like this? Try these: Railway Walks of the LNER, LMS, GWR & SR, Wales (separate titles by History Press). 

Modern Locomotives Illustrated annual No. 2
Colin Marsden and Chris Perkins
Railwaycentre.com
978 0 9557887 5 8
£18.99
www.modern-locoillustrated.com
This 128-page A4 full colour hardback book is split into 14 chapters which cover a variety of subjects.
It’s an entertaining read with good images used throughout, with a mix of present day operations, heritage, nostalgia, routes and foreign subjects covered.
All in all a good book, which is an ideal Christmas present and a worthy distraction from a turkey dinner and repeats of Only Fools and Horses. (PD)

Branch Lines of Midhurst - The later years
Authors: Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith
Publisher: Middleton Press
ISBN: 978 1 906008 78 9
Price: £15.95
Web: www.middletonpress.co.uk
This latest book in the growing and popular Middleton Press series turns its attention to the South Coast.
It covers the three lines from Midhurst, to Chichester via Lavant, Pulborough and Petersfield, sadly none of which survive today.
It follows the usual format, a mixture of black and white pictures supported by maps, timetables and gradient profiles. If this area interests you, then this is certainly worth acquiring. (PD)

First of the Last – the life and times of 50050 Fearless
Coward, Horner and Thompson
D400 Fund
978 0 9566107 0 6
£13.95
www.d400fund.org.uk
This is a 140 page A4 perfect bound soft back book detailing the life of the first Class 50 off the production line, D400 – later 50050 Fearless. It has been published to raise funds for the ongoing restoration of the loco.
Some may question such a weighty book detailing the life of just one loco, but in truth it is way much more than just 50050’s life, although Fearless does, obviously take the lion’s share of the copy, there is plenty of reading to enjoy about Class 50s in general.
It is very well researched and put together, with some great archive pictures of the loco at all stages of its life, plus plenty of pictures of other Class 50s throughout the years.
It will appeal to all Class 50 followers, not just those who liked 50050! A very entertaining read and a good value for money product. (PD)
Like this? Try This: Class 50s in Operation (Ian Allan)