Michael A. Vanns's Books

The Severn Valley Railway

By: Michael A. Vanns

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The Severn Valley Railway has long been considered by many to be Britains premier heritage railway. That reputation was earned early thanks to the quality of locomotive and carriage restoration, the careful refurbishment of stations and the standard of service offered to visitors. As with all heritage railways it has had to adapt to changing expectations over the years whilst attempting to keep the original aims of railway preservation at the heart of everything it does. This guide traces the history of the original Severn Valley Railway from the early plans of the 1840s, through its days when operated by first the Great Western Railway and then British Railways. The last chapter looks at the challenges and the achievements of the preservation era and the whole narrative should be of interest to anyone keen to know more of the story of a national treasure.

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Page Count

179

Publisher

Casemate Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473892066

ISBN 13

9781473892064

The Great Central Railway

By: Michael A. Vanns

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The Great Central Railway

By: Michael A. Vanns

This compelling book centers on the Great Central Railways early history, focusing particularly on its drive to reach London. It follows the subsequent fortunes of the London Extension right up until its closure, and into the preservation era, examining the remarkable achievements of hundreds of enthusiasts and their continuing struggle to fulfill the aspirations of those 1969 visionaries.In 1899 the Great Central Railway opened a new main line between Nottinghamshire and London. It was built to the highest of standards; civil and mechanical engineers able to benefit from the experience of over fifty years of British railway construction. It was a glorious achievement. Yet, despite incorporating some of the best facilities to enable it to operate in a more efficient way than its older rivals, it had a short working life compared to its contemporaries. By the end of the 1960s, most of it had closed. However, ironically, that abandonment by the state-owned British Railways presented an independent and enterprising group of railway enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to operate their own main line with their own engines. In 1969 the Main Line Preservation Group was formed with a vision to re-create a fully functioning, double track, steam-worked main line between Nottingham and Leicester. This book explores the journey, development and changes of the Great Central Railway and is a fantastic guide to how the railway industry has changed over time.

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Page Count

204

Publisher

Casemate Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473892147

ISBN 13

9781473892149

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway

By: Michael A. Vanns

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The North Yorkshire Moors Railway

By: Michael A. Vanns

This fantastic guide traces the history of, arguably, the most popular heritage railway in Britain from the origins of the line in the 1830s through the good, bad and controversial times, up to the present day. Every year since 1973, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has transported hundreds of thousands of visitors in preserved steam and diesel-hauled trains between Pickering and Grosmont through an ancient landscape of unmatched beauty. When those trains started to run regularly to and from Whitby in 2007, it revived a service started by the Whitby & Pickering Railway Company back in 1836. The history of the NYMR is a fascinating one that will do well to be remembered. This book explores the journey, development and changes of the NYMR and is a fantastic guide to how the railway industry has changed over time.

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Page Count

186

Publisher

Casemate Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473892104

ISBN 13

9781473892101

Great Northern Railway Gallery

A Pictorial Journey Through Time

By: Michael A. Vanns

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Great Northern Railway Gallery

A Pictorial Journey Through Time

By: Michael A. Vanns

“A simply fascinating and impressively informative illustrated history” of the British steam railway by the author of The Leicester Gap (Midwest Book Review). The Great Northern Railway was one of 120 companies that ran trains in Britain during the Victorian and Edwardian period. Formed in 1846, it traded independently for seventy-six years until absorbed into the London & North Eastern Railway on 1 January 1923. Operating a network of nearly 700 route miles it ran trains between King’s Cross, London and York, into the Eastern Counties and the East Midlands, the West Riding of Yorkshire, into Lancashire and even south of the Thames. It developed distinctive characteristics, both in the way it managed its affairs and in the appearance of its trains, stations, signals and signalboxes. Numerous photographs were taken, particularly from the 1890s onwards, by dedicated amateurs attracted to the lineside by the sight of speeding steam locomotives in apple green livery, hauling polished teak carriages. Goods trains and the endless procession of coal trains were not such popular photographic subjects, but by searching out these and images of staff, stations and signalboxes, this book aims to capture something of the spirit of a once-great organization in the heyday of Britain’s steam railways. “With the welcome increase in the pre-Grouping scene engendered by projects such as the Hatton’s ‘Genesis’ coaches, books such as this will find a new audience, which is no bad thing.” —Railway Modeller “Vanns certainly presents a splendid collection of period images displaying numerous aspects of the railway’s operations.” —Best of British

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Page Count

272

Publisher

Pen and Sword

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473882095

ISBN 13

9781473882096

The Leicester Gap

The Last Semaphore Signalling on the Midland Main Line

By: Michael A. Vanns

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The Leicester Gap

The Last Semaphore Signalling on the Midland Main Line

By: Michael A. Vanns

An analysis of the history and legacy of Victorian operating practices and how their replacement ended an era in British railway history. Until 1987, there was still a busy stretch of British main line railway where traditional Victorian operating practices were used to control the movements of both express passenger and a variety of freight trains. At the heart of the former Midland Railway main line from St. Pancras to Sheffield, the 45-mile section between Irchester in Northamptonshire and Loughborough in Nottinghamshire was equipped with semaphore signals worked from twenty-three mechanical signalboxes. It was the last main line in the country where this once-standard arrangement remained virtually unchanged since the days of steam. This pocket of mechanical signalling was christened The Leicester Gap, because Leicester was to be the site of a new power signalbox, the last in a chain of just five that would control the whole of the Midland Main Line into the twenty-first century. From 1984 when resignalling work started, to 1987 when it was completed, the author photographed as many trains passing through the Leicester Gap as he could. This book is the result of those efforts. “This is a high-class work, well produced and with copious good illustration. It will be of particular interest to students of signalling, but will also appeal to the general railway enthusiast.” —Wessex Transport Society

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Page Count

326

Publisher

Casemate Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473878594

ISBN 13

9781473878594

Book's by Michael A. Vanns

The Severn Valley Railway

The Severn Valley Railway

The Great Central Railway

The Great Central Railway

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Great Northern Railway Gallery

Great Northern Railway Gallery

The Leicester Gap

The Leicester Gap

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