Books by Dr. Alan Earnshaw

Holmfirth was, in its genesis, little more than a northern industrial textile town, despite the fact that it nestled in some stunningly beautiful countryside. By the mid-1960s many of the mills had gone out of business and the short branch railway had closed in May 1965. Then, something rather unusual happened that would change Holmfirth forever. On 4th January, 1973 the first ever Last of the Summer Wine programme hit the TV screens.The programme was a great success and the rest, as they say, is history! Today Holmfirth has changed out of all recognition from the town where the respected transport historian, Professor Alan Earnshaw went to school. In this book he charts the history of the former Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway branch line from Brockholes Junction to Holmfirth in a way that will be enjoyed by railway enthusiasts, railway modellers, locals and visitors alike.

Perhaps best known for their well-kept fleet of AEC lorries and for their ''Fletton brick'', the London Brick Company of Stewartby and Peterborough sold its products throughout the country. Through both good and bad times the company serviced the needs of the nation''s building industry, firstly by rail and then by road. In this book, noted transport historian Bill Aldridge describes the growth of the company, its many acquisitions and above all its delivery services. To explain this development, the brick making process is also briefly explained. Coverage is also given to recent events, including the take-over by the multinational Hanson Group who themselves began life as a small haulage company in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.However, the second, fully revised edition of this remarkable and highly praised book not only looks at the London Brick Company delivery fleet, but also includes the range of ancillary vehicles operated by the company, including buses, fire engines, ambulances, refuse wagons and landfill site vehicles. This second edition also includes four extra colour pages.

Chronicling the development of the LMS road vehicle fleet, this book covers a fascinating variety of vehicle types and operations. Using a large selection of official company photographs and recalling the personal experiences of staff involved in the operation, it is a truly unique account.

In 1931, the Vauxhall Motors subsidiary of General Motors began to produce a new range of British-built commercial vehicles known as Bedfords. Their introduction followed the Wall Street Crash of October 1929, which not only decimated world trade, but also brought about a minor revolution in the way that goods were carried. A shift from rail to road was obvious, and more and more firms began to acquire their own delivery vehicles. Yet, to service this market a range of good, reliable (and above all) cheap vehicles were needed. It was into this market that Vauxhall successfully launched the new Bedford truck.Yet in addition to commercial goods work, the Bedford chassis was also ideal for bodying as a small coach or service bus, and soon relationships were developed with firms like Duple, Waveney and Thurgood, and before long the Bedford chassis found its way into almost every type of coaching operation. By the end of the 1940s, Bedford coaches accounted for a massive proportion of all non-municipal buses and coaches in Britain. The story of this phenomenal rise and the history of Bedford buses and coaches is now told by transport historian Professor Alan Earnshaw using official photographs and company records kindly supplied by Bedford''s parent company, Vauxhall Motors Ltd.