Cambrian Railways Gallery: A Pictorial Journey Through Time

This book in Pen & Sword’s ‘Gallery’ series starts with a brief history of the Cambrian Railways’ early years, followed by a magnificent comprehensive set of early photographs of Cambrian engines and Oswestry Works made available by the former Chairman of the Manchester Locomotive Society and the National Library of Wales.

A tour of the sumptuous scenery of mid Wales follows – the trains in the landscape taken from Andrew Dyke’s collection and a few so expertly ‘colourised’ by him that most find it difficult to distinguish these from the many genuine colour photographs, the Welsh countryside deserving the rich and varied hues. The book is jointly authored by David Maidment and Paul Carpenter, the latter bringing the story of the Cambrian up to date and persuading a number of former railwaymen who worked on the Cambrian system to share their memories and experiences.

The book finishes with a description to restore part of the closed section of the line through the efforts of members of the Cambrian Heritage Railways. The book has over 25,000 words of text, and more than 250 photographs, including over 40 in colour.