Motor Vehicles

Steam-driven locomotives played a major role in the 19th century where they took over the heavy haulage tasks from horses and ushered a new era in the history of transport.

Luke Agbaimoni's latest project, focussing on capturing contrast in the London underground

A superb photographic portrait of the railway route from Settle to Carlisle, one of Britain's most scenic railway lines.

A photographic celebration, mostly previously unpublished, of the bus scene in South and West Wales in the 1960s.

Before the modern era of passenger air travel, the ocean liner was the only means of travelling overseas to countries all around the globe. Of the routes established, the most prestigious was the North Atlantic run from north European and Mediterranean ports to New York, and the demand for speed, regularity and luxury on this route was the driving force for the introduction of ever greater, more magnificent ships. By 1913, the expansion in size and splendour occasioned the adoption of the term 'super-liner', a definition based on precise and unambiguous criteria. Only 13 ships were entitled to be singled out for this exclusive accolade: the Imperator trip; Bremen *and *Europa; Rex; Normandie; Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth; United States; France; QE2 *and *QM2. This is their story.

Michael Burgess tells the story of the oft-forgotten four-wheel Reliant cars. He puts these once popular four-wheeled cars back in the public eye where they belong.

A book featuring seaside open-top buses in operation around England and Wales, starting at Southend-on-Sea and then working clockwise around the coast.

Packed with rare and unpublished images, this book celebrates the British lorry and road haulage scene of the 2000s.

The start of Space Shuttle operations in 1981 marked a new era in spaceflight - with the five orbiters launching numerous satellites, interplanetary probes and the Hubble Space Telescope. But Shuttle was only partially reusable, its external fuel tank being expendable and its solid rocket boosters having to be recovered from the ocean and refurbished. Putting a satellite into orbit using a rocket was even more wasteful - with boosters such as Ariane being one-shot only. The costs were literally astronomical. So when rocket scientist Alan Bond met propulsion and systems specialist Bob Parkinson at the British Interplanetary Society in 1982 during a lecture on Ariane 5, they got to talking about alternatives to the expendable rocket and concluded that the solution was... an aerospaceplane. The concept was deceptively simple - a vehicle able to take off from a conventional runway, fly up into space, complete its mission, then fly back down and land. Bond and Parkinson believed it could be done and HOTOL - HOrizontal Take-Off and Landing - was born. By 1985 both British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce were backing the project. A television news broadcast in 1987 made HOTOL famous overnight, with the whole nation now aware of its existence. The Government agreed to provide yet more financial backing and the work ramped up into high gear, with some of Britain's best engineers engaged in making this remarkable vehicle a reality. Just a year later, Minister of State of Trade and Industry Kenneth Clarke, under pressure from Margaret Thatcher, withdrew funding - signalling the beginning of the end of HOTOL. Decades later, Elon Musk and SpaceX would finally corner the market in reusable space transportation with the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, putting an end to any hope of a HOTOL revival. HOTOL: Spaceplane of the Future by Dan Sharp covers the full story of HOTOL's development in detail from beginning to end drawing on both the BAE Systems archive and the personal archives of the project's creators. It includes hundreds of previously unseen diagrams and illustrations, ranging from full colour brochures and publicity material - both used and unused - to schematics of all of HOTOL's numerous configurations.

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

Grands Prix: 75 Years of Formula One Racing showcases a stunning collection of photographs from the beginning of this compelling and dangerous sport in 1950, right up to the present day.

Models of sailing ships, with their towering masts and billowing sails, have always held a special fascination for model makers because they capture all the romance of the sea, shipboard life, and a fighting spirit. However, many would-be modellers are discouraged by the inherent complexity of the subject - especially the masts and rigging, as well as the often-sumptuous decoration. Plastic kit manufacturers were quick to capitalise on this interest and produced kits that were advertised as easy and reasonably quick to assemble, featuring ready-made detail that is easily tackled by modellers of varying skills and ages with the promise of a good result. Plastic sailing ship kits are affordable, especially in comparison to wooden ship kits, and building a fleet of the most famous ships in history is easily achieved. Despite their ease of assembly, plastic models of sailing ships, like the ships themselves, remain complicated to build. Manufacturers devised several simplifications of the most difficult aspects, such as moulding the lower, upper, and topmasts in one piece, offering preformed moulded plastic shrouds and ratlines, or sails in vacuum-formed plastic. However, modellers have long complained that these simplifications, the physical limitations of injected plastic mouldings, and the very medium of styrene plastic itself have resulted in often crudely detailed and unrealistic finished models. This book is the remedy. It describes and demonstrates techniques unique to plastic sailing ship models that overcome these limitations, allowing the construction of authentic and personally satisfying models. Each modeller has a different expectation for their model. Some will want a simple build with some straightforward refinements, whereas others will want a more detailed build that takes advantage of the many new aftermarket items, and there are those who seek the most accurate and detailed replica possible. _Sailing Ships from Plastic Kits_ aims to give every modeller - regardless of skill and experience - a range of fundamental and advanced techniques to choose from when transforming a plastic kit into an authentic sailing ship model. Heavily illustrated in colour throughout, this book is an ideal addition to the purchase of any plastic ship kit.

There are plenty of ways to delve into the history of a city like London, but itâEUR(TM)s not often done through the world of the motor car. But thatâEUR(TM)s exactly what Chris Randall has done, exploring the links between the capital and its automotive past. That makes this book a somewhat unique approach to the subject, and readers will discover a fascinating history that involves some of the most famous names in motoring. Enthusiasts will certainly recognise the likes of Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce but amongst those are names that might be less familiar today. The buildings that youâEUR(TM)ll find within this book all exist today, which means you can see the motoring history for yourself. Some are now famous restaurants, others are offices and a few are private homes, but what they all have in common is the automobile and for those that love all things four-wheeled there are some real treasures to be found. Illustrated with photographs that show you what those places look like today, along with how some of them appeared in their motoring heyday, this is a very different look at the history of the famous city. ItâEUR(TM)s played a part in the very earliest days of the automobileâEUR(TM)s story, and thatâEUR(TM)s something this books sets out to celebrate.

In 2019 it was announced that the Isle of Wight's iconic 1938 Stock tube trains were to be withdrawn and replaced with a 'new' fleet of refurbished ex-London Underground trains, as part of a wider project to upgrade the Island's ageing railway infrastructure. This book examines in detail the events that followed: the infrastructure works, the withdrawal and disposal of the old trains, and the development and introduction of their replacements - all of it carried out in the midst of a global pandemic. What went wrong, and what went right? What would happen to the 1938 Stock? And would the new trains even fit through Ryde Tunnel...?In writing this book the author has been able to draw upon unique insights provided by some of the key figures involved in the Island Line upgrade, as well as by the current owners of many of the withdrawn 1938 Stock units.

The book looks at rail travel from the passengerâEUR(TM)s point of view, beginning when a coach drawn by horses, rumbled down the newly laid tracks linking Swansea to Mumbles in 1807 and takes the reader right up to the present day. It was not long after that first service opened in Wales that the first steam passenger trains began to operate. The story broadens out from the first inter-city line connecting Liverpool to Manchester to spread first around Britain and eventually spread across the world. The book paints vivid pictures of how travel seemed to passengers in different countries, drawing on many first-hand accounts. The early days offered little in comfort âEUR" third class passengers had to make do with carriages that were simply open trucks. Gradually conditions improved and eventually there was an age of luxury travel epitomised by the famous Orient Express. Every aspect of rail travel is looked at, from tragic tales of fatal accidents to the role of railway travel in films and books. This lively account of the pioneering days and what many regard as the golden age of rail travel will be welcomed by anyone who enjoys taking the train.

JIM BLAKE'S latest book on London's buses may come as a surprise, since he usually concentrated on older vehicles in the fleet. However, the unpopular, unsuccessful DMs and DMSs were still part of London Transport's history, so he recorded them too, particularly towards the end of the short working lives. Forced by central government to buy "off-the-peg" standard manufacturers' products, rather than their own tried and trusted designs, LT opted for Daimler Fleetlines for their first fleet of one-man-operated double-deckers. Optimistically christened "Londoners" when they first entered service in January 1971, they instantly became unpopular with passengers, staff and bus enthusiasts alike. Their square, box-like appearance and bland all-over red livery did not endear them to the latter. Passengers used to boarding buses immediately with fares collected or tickets checked by a conductor objected to waiting at termini until the driver appeared and opened their doors, and having to queue at stops waiting to pay as they entered. Automatic ticket machines meant to mitigate this broke down making matters worse; all this increased journey times. The vehicles had flimsy bodywork, easily damaged by the slightest collision, and were also mechanically unreliable: their rear engines often caught fire. This made them unpopular with drivers and maintenance staff. Although the type worked satisfactorily in the provinces, it was just not suited for the rigours of London service. This book presents a selection of pictures of them, many previously unpublished and also graphically illustrating the buses' many defects.

Part ethnography, part memoir, and part critical reflection on the Anthropocene, this book examines the ways that islands form and inform human experiences of the everyday and the extraordinary.

An unprecedented exploration of the intersection of events and family studies, Family Events uses events as a lens through which to explore the concepts of families, family practices, family displays and family intimacies.

This book presents theoretical and empirical perspectives on platform-mediated tourism, with a special focus on Airbnb. The case studies included in this volume show that the impacts of short-term renting on neighbourhoods, residents and tourism operators are uneven, but increasingly significant.

This volume explores the relationship between cities and railways over three centuries. Despite their nearly 200-year existence, The City and the Railway in the World shows that urban railways are still politically and historically important to the modern world.

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.

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).