The Branch Lines of Gloucestershire

The range and number of lines in Gloucestershire, and the type and diversity of the locomotives operating both branch and main lines, make it a particularly interesting railway county. In this well-researched book, all of Gloucestershire's branch lines are described in an entertaining and highly informative narrative. We encounter horse-worked lines and one line boasting the longest railway bridge in England. There is also a line operated by a veteran tank engine, complete with open-backed cab, and a timber bridge still in use in the 1950s. Against the national trend and a background of closing lines and stations, rail traffic in Gloucestershire increased and new halts were opened. Gloucestershire became the testing ground for an experimental geared locomotive, which it was hoped would revolutionise motive power on rural lines. It did not, however, meet with success, although the introduction of rail buses on some branches had a more positive effect. A marvellous, wide-ranging view of over a century of rail travel in Gloucestershire, highly illustrated with over 200 fascinating photographs and ephemera, this volume will appeal not only to steam railway enthusiasts, but also to local historians.