Motor Vehicles

Explore a fascinating photographic record of Edinburgh's trams and buses over the last thirty years.

On the railways, Dr Richard Beeching was appointed Chairman of the British Transport Commission - a decision that was to have considerable influence on the future of the network. The East Coast Main Line, for so long the domain of the 'A3s' and 'A4s' on express passenger services, saw the start of the diesel take-over.

Soon to be an AppleTV+ series, Enzo uncovers a wealth of new facts about the origins, ambitions, and private life of Enzo Ferrari.Drawing on years of original research conducted in Italy and abroad, this book lays bare the hidden aspects of Ferrari's career. From his earliest failed business ventures, to his political dealings with Italy's fascist government, Allied occupiers, and even Communist leaders.Revisit all the highlights of Ferrari's rise to greatness. Including his driving career in the 1920s, his management of racing teams for Alfa Romeo in the 1930s and the launch of his own company and team in the late 1940s.A must have for Ferrari and Formula 1 fans, this definitive biography makes previous accounts obsolete.

With stunning photographs and informative captions explore a pictorial story of Tanfield Railway since its inception as a heritage railway in 1971.

The British car sensation of 1959 - Triumph Herald. This book provides a concise and authoritative guide to owning, restoring and driving this popular classic.

From a highly respected heritage author comes a nostalgic collection of images celebrating steam engines on Britain's roads.

The author has recorded the railway scene in the locality for over sixty-five years. His lavishly illustrated collection is a celebration of Preston's railway history.

Entering service in early 1941, the Dornier Do 217 was designed as an improved version of the âEUR¿Flying PencilâEUR(TM), the Do 17 bomber. The Do 217E-1 twin radial-engine bomber first flew in October 1940, the same month that the production of the Do 17 ceased. The Do 217 was initially used for conventional bombing and anti-shipping missions around the United Kingdom, including the infamous Baedeker Blitz against British provincial cities in 1942\. The Do 217 was the main German bomber in this theatre until late 1943, when it started to be replaced by the Messerschmitt Me 410 and Junkers Ju 188\. During this period, the Do 217E was improved, leading to the introduction of the Do 217K or M, the difference between the two being the engines. The Do 217 would be deployed in all of the LuftwaffeâEUR(TM)s campaigns and fronts in the Second World War. Curiously, though, the only operational units to use the type on the Eastern Front were the night reconnaissance units, aside from which only occasionally did other Do 217 units fly missions against StalinâEUR(TM)s forces. With the delay in the Heinkel He 177 entering service, it was the Do 217 that became the first aircraft in history to be used to deploy precision-guided weapons in combat. This came on 21 July 1943, when Do 217s of KG 100 attacked Allied shipping in Augusta harbour, Sicily, using Fritz X radio-guided glide bombs. Then, on 25 August 1943 twelve Do 217E-5s from II./KG 100 attacked a convoy off the Spanish coast with a similar weapon to the Fritz X, the Henschel Hs 293 radio-guided glide bomb. This attack resulted in damage to three warships. In response to the intensifying Allied strategic bomber offensive, additional night fighters were needed by the Luftwaffe. The Do 217E-2 was therefore modified by fitting four MG17s and four MG-FF 20mm cannon in a solid nose. The rear firing guns, including the MG131 in the turret, were retained, as was the ability to carry bombs, creating the Do 217J-1 which was intended as a night intruder. The Do 217 also served extensively as a night fighter, with examples being fitted with Lichtenstein radar and obliquely mounted upward-firing MG151 cannon in the fuselage, the so called Schrÿge Musik modification. Despite the Do 217âEUR(TM)s versatility and wide-spread deployment âEUR" all of which is explored here by the author through a remarkable set of archive images, many of which have never been seen in print before âEUR" production ceased in October 1943\. By the following year, the Do 217 had become obsolete.

The British Railways âEUR¿Pilot SchemeâEUR(TM) orders of 1955 included six North British Type 2 diesel-hydraulic locomotives, these being introduced during 1959 for use on the Western Region. Without operational experience, a further fifty-two locomotives were delivered between 1959 and 1962\. The fleet survived intact until 1968, when half of the class was withdrawn due to declining traffic levels across the UK, with successive National Traction Plans progressively selecting the less successful, non-standard and âEUR¿numerically-challengedâEUR(TM) classes for removal from traffic. All fifty-eight locomotives were withdrawn by New Years Day, 1972. This book, the second of two, builds on the overview of the class provided in Volume 1, and makes extensive use of available archive material and the personal observations of numerous enthusiasts. Previously unpublished information, covering the performance issues of these locomotives, form a central focus, together with details of fire incidents and accidents. Liveries and detail differences are given in-depth treatment to illustrate that there really were reasons and a logical progression behind the complicated series of design modifications applied to the Class. Volume 2 concludes with sections on storage, withdrawal and final disposal.

Railway modelling offers a unique opportunity for the modeller to construct and operate an authentic simulation of the real thing. When one creates a model railway, one should strive to embed the sense of purpose from the real railway into their model. Simply moving trains around aimlessly around a layout may be enjoyable, but it doesnâEUR(TM)t reflect how the real railway operates. There is much focus on absolute accuracy with regards to locomotives and rolling stock but far fewer modellers in general pay attention to prototypical accuracy and replicating authentic railway operations in miniature. Operating your layout in a realistic fashion is not only more authentic, but it can also be an enjoyable pastime in its own right. It gives purpose to the movement of every train on the layout and, if it involves co-operation between more than one operator, involves teamwork and good communication which can be immensely satisfying. Finally, realistic operation is supported by many other factors, a sense of time and setting, sensible track layout, correct placement of signals, the proper formation of trains, realistic civil engineering, and layout âEUR¿clutterâEUR(TM). These all add to the overall atmosphere and setting of a real or fictional railway, tying it to a time and place, and making the whole ensemble more authentic and thus making the whole experience feel more âEUR¿realâEUR(TM). This book is intended to help those with an interest in the BR Blue (TOPS) and Sectorisation eras present their layout in a realistic manner using easy-to-understand sketches and drawings, previously unpublished period photographs and source material from the era. This book will give the reader ideas to help their N Gauge model railway come to life.

This is the story of how the luxurious steam yachts of the Victorian and Edwardian eras were transformed into weapons of war. These beautiful vessels were the ultimate status symbols of British and European royalty, American magnates, the landed aristocracy and the nouveau riche, but when wars came, in 1898 and 1914, they were quickly transformed into warships, and many of their crews became warriors rather than servants. The US Navy was the first to recognise the potential of these elegant vessels. In the Spanish-American war of 1898, the USN âEUR" short of ships to operate a blockade of Spanish-owned Cuba âEUR" purchased twenty-eight of them and turned them into patrol craft and bombardment ships. In Britain in 1914 steam yachts became a stop gap navy, filling in for neglected investment in small craft. The USN followed suit in 1917\. Their wonderful interiors were ripped out, antiquated guns and sometimes depth charges fitted, and their crews signed into the naval reserves. Around the coasts of the Britain and France, in the Mediterranean and the USA, Canada, these former luxurious playthings now attacked land positions and fought surface warships and U-boats. They interdicted blockade runners, escorted convoys, were used as depot ships, served as hospitals afloat and undertook a host of other functions. In all, some 300 yachts fought at sea. This new book, lavishly illustrated with photographs and plans of pre-war and wartime steam yachts from a world now lost to view, tells their story and the stories of the men who served in them. It examines their peacetime origins and development, describes their owners and designers, and considers their naval deployment, the conditions under which the crews lived and worked, the many and varied duties assigned to the yachts, and their successes and failures together with the losses sustained. In just a couple of generations these beautiful craft progressed from status symbols to instruments of war to complete extinction; Steam Yachts at War tells this compelling story.

George Hudson was the greatest British railway entrepreneur of the 19th century. In 1848, he controlled over 1,000 miles of railway and, when it came to railway promotion, it seemed he could do no wrong. However, in early 1849 it came to light that some of his business methods had been less than ethical and he was forced to relinquish the chairmanship of each of his companies. His fall from grace was spectacular and his detractors, of whom there were many, were quick to denounce him as a fraudster, a charlatan and a crook. Even today, when the name George Hudson is mentioned, these same insults are often levelled at him. This new biography takes a fresh look at HudsonâEUR(TM)s extraordinary life, from his humble beginnings as a farmerâEUR(TM)s boy, to becoming Lord Mayor of York before catching the railway bug. He was MP for Sunderland between 1845 and 1859\. After his fall from grace, Hudson endured a 20-year court battle with the York and North Midland Railway (subsequently the North Eastern Railway) for outstanding debts. Hudson made many mistakes in creating his railway empire, but did he deserve all the vitriol that still accompanies his reputation? In seeking to answer this question, Matthew Wells looks at the evidence, including what was said about Hudson during his lifetime and what Hudson himself had to say about the actions he took.

JIM BLAKE's second volume of his photographs featuring the London Underground cover the period from 1985, shortly after the Thatcher regime's destruction of London Transport and its re-birth as London Underground Ltd., to 2021 when the Northern Line gained its new branch from Kennington to Battersea Power Station. This was a turbulent time in the system's history, encompassing the withdrawal of the last pre-war passenger rolling stock (in 1988) and then the abolition of two-person operated trains at the beginning of 2000. With the exception of the Waterloo & City Line, which was transferred from British Rail to London Underground in the 1990s, all Underground lines are covered together with the rolling stock operating them. Jim's photographs concentrate on the older types. What is very striking in them is how the system seemed to be going downhill rapidly during the Thatcher years when this survey begins - plagued by the curse of graffiti and liberally littered thanks to cuts in staff who once dealt with such problems. Fortunately, since Transport for London's takeover of the Underground from 2000 onwards, things in that respect have markedly improved, trains and stations are much cleaner and therefore welcoming to passengers. The contrast between the late 1980s/early 1990s and today's Underground is very clear in Jim's photographs featured here, most previously unpublished. It is unfortunate that further improvements, not to mention long-planned extensions to the system, continue to be frustrated by government spending restrictions at the time of writing.

Situated in the Welsh borderland to the West of Oswestry, the scenic Tanat Valley reached westwards into Wales, its Llangynog terminus nestling where the road starts the climb over the Berwyn mountain range towards Bala. It was a lightly populated area that sustained agriculture and some mineral extraction whose residents struggled to get their produce to market. During the 19th Century there were several schemes for a railway that failed due their inability to raise sufficient capital. The Tanat Valley Light Railway is, therefore, a true child of the 1896 Light Railways Act, promoted by the Oswestry Urban District Council the following year to take advantage of the grant-making facilities of that legislation. Because it took so long to obtain powers, and it was not opened until 1906, the Light Railway never really fulfilled its potential. Operated initially by the Cambrian Railways, it was not heavily worked, although it benefited from pipe traffic generated by renewals of Liverpool CorporationâEUR(TM)s Vyrnwy reservoir pipeline. Although closure came in stages during the 1950s, and was deemed to be complete in 1960, a short section of track remains in situ at Porthywaen. Author Peter Johnson has drawn on the material available at the National Archives at Kew and the Parliamentary Archives in the House of Lords as well as conducting extensive research in digitised newspapers to tell the Light RailwayâEUR(TM)s story, producing the first in-depth account of its development, operation and closure. Peter Johnson is also the author of The Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway âEUR" the rise and fall of a rural byway, published by Pen & Sword Transport in 2024\. The two railways were connected at Blodwel Junction and the surviving section of the Tanat Valley Light Railway thence to Porthywaen enabled stone traffic on the Shropshire & MontgomeryshireâEUR(TM)s Nantmawr branch to continue until 1971.

The United States and Soviet Union began a race to develop the first and most capable fifth generation stealth fighters in the late 1970s. The Cold WarâEUR(TM)s end, however, was followed by both a near total collapse of Russian efforts and major cuts and delays to American programs. This provided an opening for a rising and fast modernising Chinese defence industry to kick off its own ambitious program to produce a world leading fighter jet with next generation capabilities. Once unveiled, the program came to be seen as a herald of ChinaâEUR(TM)s rising status as a leading player in high tech and major world power. Development of the Chengdu J-20 began in the 1990s and has since consistently far exceeded expectations in both its performance and its development timeline. The fighter made its first flight in 2011 and began deliveries to the People's Liberation Army Air Force in 2016 âEUR" a small fraction of the time its American and Russian rivals would take. Today it is the worldâEUR(TM)s second most numerous stealth fighter, outnumbered only by AmericaâEUR(TM)s much smaller Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, with the two rivals seeing their first of many likely encounters confirmed in March 2022\. As the J-20âEUR(TM)s capabilities have rapidly improved and the rate of production has significantly grown, it has very conspicuously played a growing role in patrolling major hotspots in East Asia from Korea and the East China Sea to the Taiwan Strait and disputed South China Sea. The J-20 programâEUR(TM)s success has been the most potent symbol of ChinaâEUR(TM)s ascent from a minor player in combat aviation during the Cold War, to the United StatesâEUR(TM) only peer level competitor today. It has also set China on a course of pursuing multiple other fighter development efforts âEUR" including a close competition with America to field the first and most capable sixth generation fighter in the 2030s. The J-20 thus marks a major landmark not only in Chinese aviation history, but also more broadly in the evolving balance of power between East and West as the countryâEUR(TM)s technological and economic ascents allow it to successfully pursue highly ambitious weapons programs. This book takes the J-20âEUR(TM)s story far back to the formation of the PeopleâEUR(TM)s Liberation Army Air Force and its trial by fire in the Korean War, tracing the rationale for developing a top end air superiority fighter. It also compares its performance with rival fifth generation fighter programs in other countries and looks ahead to what the future may hold in this new arms race.

Locomotive No 32 Tamerline became the first steam locomotive to be completed at Crewe Works on 10 March 1843. One hundred and fifteen years later BR 9F No 92250 became the 7,331st steam locomotive to be built at the Cheshire works, when completed in December 1958. This publication is a tribute to the thousands of people employed there during the steam locomotive building era.In 1913 The Railway Magazine proudly described Crewe as "the most famous railway works in the world". Indeed, railways throughout the world benefited from adopting 'best Crewe practice'. Many who worked at Crewe in its heyday, first under the London & North Western Railway and later the London Midland & Scottish Railway, held the firm belief that the works was the 'beating heart' of the Cheshire town.Back in those days you would be hard put to find a local family without some kind of connection to that vast engineering enterprise. In earlier times the works not only provided the steadily growing town with employment, but furthermore supplied the town with both gas and domestic water. For example, the consumption of the gas produced at the works in the 1940s was assessed as 30% to the works, 20% to Rolls-Royce and 50% to the town. Those statistics are a great example of the many close ties that existed between the works and the town.After the post-war Transport Act, steam locomotive construction and maintenance continued under the newly created company British Railways. From 1948 under Nationalisation in addition to locomotive building, BR Crewe Works was responsible for the maintenance of some 2,779 steam locomotives. However, even as the Standard Locomotive building programme got underway plans for a future railway system without steam traction were being drawn up.The timeline of this publication highlights those steam locomotive classes which were listed as being built by Crewe Works (in any time period) but importantly included in the BR January 1948 stock list. It also includes BR Standard class locomotives built at Crewe post 1951. Steam traction did return to the works, albeit in only a token manner during the occasion of the September 2005 Great Gathering.Crewe Works - A Celebration of Steam by Keith Langston is not intended to be a source of detailed steam engineering practices, but is a comprehensively illustrated record of steam locomotive building and maintenance at Crewe Works. Fortunately, important engineering work was still carried out at Crewe Works in 2023. Given the reduced size of the works, and reduction in numbers employed, it would not be unfair to say that the once 'beating heart' of the town is at least a 'discernible pulse'.

Showcases over 350 detailed artworks of Rolls-Royce Merlin-powered Spitfires, from prototype to late-war Seafires, featuring RAF aces and Allied color schemes.Supermarine's iconic Spitfire needs little introduction - its graceful lines and remarkable combat record during the Second World War speak for themselves. Rolls-Royce Merlin-powered Spitfire Mk Is fought their way through the Battle of Britain during the summer and autumn of 1940 with the Mk II, incorporating a more powerful Merlin, being introduced in the meantime.As the war progressed, the Spitfire underwent an intensive programme of upgrades and enhancements as well as modifications to expand its capabilities. Unarmed Merlin-powered photo reconnaissance Spitfires flew hazardous missions over occupied Europe and Germany, while the Seafire, a navalised Spitfire, was operated from Royal Navy carriers in the Far East. In Europe, the Mk Is and IIs gave way to the Mk V and then the world-beating Mk IX before the last major Merlin-powered Spitfire, the Mk XVI, was introduced. While some later marks of Spitfire would receive Rolls-Royce Griffon engines, it is undoubtedly the Merlin variants that bore the brunt of the action and which are the most fondly remembered today.In Ronny Bar Profiles - Spitfire The Merlin Variants, renowned profile artist Ronny Bar presents an exciting and colourful selection of more than 350 highly detailed artworks, most created specifically for this book, showcasing the full range of Rolls-Royce Merlin-powered variants from the original Type 300 prototype, K5054, to the late-war Seafires. Aircraft of RAF aces including Robert Stanford Tuck, Alan Deere, 'Sailor' Malan and Douglas Bader are included as well as colour schemes worn by Spitfires in service with Allied forces around the world. Bar's love of Spitfires clearly shines through in his incredible attention to historical accuracy throughout this fascinating and illuminating collection.

Like other British motor manufacturers, the Rover Company spent World War II helping the war effort rather than building cars. Bombed out of its original home in Coventry during the Blitz in 1940, it was fortunate in 1945 to be able to move into the new factory at Solihull that it had been managing on behalf of the Air Ministry. The Solihull factory was not only new: it was huge. Its size presented Rover with a welcome opportunity for expansion, but first the company had to get back into the game. With no new car designs ready, Rover's only option was to re-start production with mildly improved versions of their pre-war models. New models were a long time coming. Early ideas focused on a small economy car, but it soon became clear that this was not what the public wanted. Meanwhile, ambitious plans for a new and ultra-modern car, using mechanical elements that had been under development before the war, had to be put back when there were delays in designing a satisfactory modern body style. As a temporary measure, Rover added their new mechanical elements to modified pre-war style bodies to deliver the P3 models in 1948. The solution was unexpected. Rover's Chief Engineer had bought a war-surplus Jeep for his own use, and he quickly realised that Rover could easily build something similar that civilian users both at home and abroad would find useful. Combining their new engine with the simplest of chassis and body to save time and costs, Rover had the Land-Rover ready shortly after the new P3 - and its immediate world-wide success took them by surprise. It had plans, too - far too many to put into production. There were gas turbine-powered cars inspired by the company's wartime jet engine work; there was a hybrid of Rover car and Land-Rover called the Road-Rover; and there were ideas for expanding the existing model ranges and adding more. By 1953, when the story told in this book ends, Rover was ready to introduce new saloons and Land-Rovers that would see it comfortably through the 1950s. Not only had it survived, but it was in better health than ever before.

When London Buses LtdâEUR(TM)s subsidiary companies were privatised in 1994, northwest London-based Metroline passed to its management. The company promptly took over Atlas Bus in 1995 and then n doubling its size in 1998 with the acquisition of neighbouring MTL London. A new livery of red with a deep blue skirt set Metroline apart from its rivals, and in 2000 a powerful but unusually hands-off patron was secured with the companyâEUR(TM)s sale to Delgro (later ComfortDelgro) of Singapore. Since then, Metroline has held its own as a dependable TfL contractor, continuing to expand with the acquisition of Thorpes and Armchair in 2004 and pulling off an even bigger coup in 2013 when First LondonâEUR(TM)s western portfolio was acquired as Metroline West. In terms of vehicles, the London Transport inheritance had all gone by 2004 and low-floor purchases moved to hybrids, including Borismasters, and now to electric buses. With over 250 colour pictures, this book is the first of a new series that explores the major corporate London bus operators that have arisen in the quarter-century since the privatisation of London Buses Ltd. Included are details of takeovers, reorganisations, vehicle comings and goings and the kind of unpredictable but wholesale changes that fascinate enthusiasts.

Carrying on from his first EC Electrics volume, which focussed on classes 86, 87, 90 and Driving Van Trailers (commonly known as DVTs), this book examines classes 91, 92 and DVTs around the UK. The British Rail (BR) Class 91 is a high-speed electric locomotive, which was ordered as a component of the East Coast Main Line modernisation and electrification programme of the late 1980s. The BR Class 92 is a dual-voltage electric locomotive, which was designed specifically to operate services through the Channel Tunnel between Great Britain and France.

This updated 25th edition is a comprehensive glove compartment guide to Britain's Std-gauge Heritage Railways for 2024/5. With detailed directions,mono photos and opening times plus news about steam working this is an essential buy for railway enthusiasts and anyone looking for a good day out, especially with children.

A revealing, access-all-areas look inside the thrilling, high-stakes world of MotoGP, packed with exclusive interviews and untold stories.

Having spontaneously bought a houseboat after a break-up, Hannah is plunged into life on the water, learning quickly how to deal with exploding toilets and disappearing hulls. When life threatens to sink her, Hannah embarks on an odyssey along Britain's canals. An uplifting and hilarious story of a woman trying to keep her boat and life afloat.

¿¿¿Journey through the decades of Formula 1 glory, from the ground-breaking innovations in speed to the intense rivalries between teams.This book captures the essence of each F1 World Championship from 1950 to present day.