British Rural and Commuter Branch Lines Since 1968.

British Rural and Commuter Branch Lines Since 1968.

It has 126 pages of colour photos and informative captions featuring "post steam era" branch line scenes across the whole country ranging from Dungeness and the many suburban branches around London to Helensburgh in Scotland, the Welsh valleys; and from St. Ives in Cornwall to the Fraserburgh branch in North East Scotland.



The trains featured are mostly first generation DMUs and EMUs with a few loco-hauled. The odd freight only line in the south and Scotland is also included.

The Warship class loco on the front cover aims to add intrigue.

The reference to 1968 in the title is not about the end of steam but about the Transport Act of 1968 which was supposed to halt the Beeching closures but didn't with closures continuing into the 1980s, and a number of branches which closed since 1968 is featured.

The chapters are: South & South West England; Wales; The Midlands; Eastern Counties; Yorkshire, Humberside & The North East; North West England; Scotland. The final chapter has some views from branch lines which closed before 1968, such as Lyme Regis and Wigan Central.