British Railways' Steam Locomotives	Stationary Steam Engines
Industrial Narrow Gauge	Steam Shovels
Industrial Steam Locomotives	Steam Wagons
Isambard Kingdom Brunel	Robert Stephenson
Miniature Railways	Toy Steam Accessories
Old Stationary Engines	Traction Engines and other Steam Road Engines
Discovering Preserved Railways	Richard Trevithick
Road Rollers	The Victorian Railway Worker

British Railways' Steam Locomotives

F. G. Cockman £5.99

978 0 7478 0372 0 (History in Camera 5) 80 pp, 101 ills.

When Britain's railways were nationalised in 1948 more than nineteen thousand steam locomotives were taken over from the private companies, and the manufacture of steam locomotives continued until 1960. This book describes the principal classes of steam locomotive working actively in Britain between 1948 and 1968, with emphasis on those types of which examples have been preserved. The author discusses the engines under the headings express, mixed traffic, tank and freight locomotives, comparing designs inherited from the GWR, LMSR, LNER and SR with the subsequent BR Standard classes. There are over 100 photographs of the engines at work.

F. G. Cockman has been interested in railways all his life. He has travelled well over half a million miles by train, over four thousand of them on the footplate of steam locomotives. Other titles for Shire by this author are:

Industrial Narrow Gauge Railways

Ian Dean £3.50

978 0 85263 752 4 (Album 145) 32 pp, 44 ills.

This book examines those railways in Britain that served industry and had a track gauge smaller than the British ‘standard gauge’ of 4 feet 81/2 inches. Whether they were temporary contractor’s lines or more permanent installations, these meandering, often poorly maintained railways have a special fascination. This book deals in turn with the locomotives, the rolling stock and the track, describing their development. It pays tribute to the inventors of an earlier age and to the more recent groups of enthusiasts who have been keeping the ‘narrow’ tradition alive.
Ian Dean was appointed founder Director of the Amberley Working Museum, Sussex in 1979. Developing this new open-air museum involved the incorporation of a major collection of narrow-gauge equipment. In 1989 he became Managing Director of the Mid Hants Railway, later a freelance consultant. He is now retired.

Industrial Steam Locomotives

Geoffrey Hayes £3.50

978 0 7478 0375 1 (Album 235) 32 pp, 46 ills.

The steam locomotives which served industry spent their working lives mainly behind the walls of factories, docks and shipyards, unseen by most people, and only in the colliery districts and in the iron-ore quarrying areas of the East Midlands were they a familiar sight to the general public. However, there was a fascinating variety of types, produced by numerous makers in many parts of Britain, and fortunately a great many have survived and can be seen on preserved railways. This book gives an insight into the origins and working lives of these little-known steam locomotives.

Geoffrey Hayes was born and brought up in a colliery district of Lancashire and to him the industrial steam locomotives were just as much a part of the local railway scene as the locomotives of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway. Other Shire titles by this author:

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Richard Tames £4.50

978 0 7478 0459 8 (Lifelines 1) 48 pp, 28 ills.

The greatest engineer of his age, Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859), accomplished works that others refused to contemplate: The Clifton suspension bridge over the Avon gorge at Bristol; the tunnel through almost two miles of solid rock at Box in Wiltshire; the first ship to be built completely of iron; and the precision with which his great bridge over the Tamar was assembled. He did have his failures, however, such as the atmospheric railway, in which his plans were thwarted by the limitations of nineteenth-century technology. However, his life was dogged by tragedy and near disaster, from his narrow escape from death when the water burst into the Thames tunnel he was building, to the heartbreaking problems of the Great Eastern. He died, saddened, before his great ship proved its worth, before the Clifton bridge was completed, in every sense a man who lived before his time.

Miniature Railways

Michael Crofts £4.99

978 0 7478 0529 8 (Album 405) 40 pp, many colour ills.

For over 125 years miniature railways have been a familiar feature of many seaside resorts, country estates and private gardens. This book looks at the myriad different types of miniature railways in Britain, ranging from simple tracks in suburban back gardens to extravagant layouts at stately homes and the 133/4 mile express passenger route on Romney Marsh in Kent. Track construction, locomotives, rolling stock and operating systems are described, with examples from the past and the present day. Often eccentric, usually a little whimsical and always small enough for children to relate to them, miniature railways are an expression of the playful instinct in mankind. This little book conveys a sense of fun that the author has enjoyed when building, operating and riding on miniature railways.

Michael Crofts has always been interested in railways and steam power. In the 1960s he helped to preserve industrial locomotives and a steam roller, in addition to building his first miniature railway on his family’s farm in Suffolk.

Old Stationary Engines

David Edgington £4.99

978 0 7478 0594 6 (Album 49) about 48 pp, colour and b/w ills.

This book describes the evolution of the first practical stationary engines and illustrates some of the many designs, with notes on their important features and information on the better-known manufacturers. This book is designed for the newcomer who wishes to learn about old stationary engines and the reasons why people collect them. It will also be of interest to the longer-term enthusiast because of the large collection of captioned photographs, which will be useful for reference.

In 1974, David Edgington launched Stationary Engine, a magazine for collectors and enthusiasts, and was editor until 1990. He still contributes articles and continues to study the engines as well as assisting newcomers who wish to take up the hobby.

Discovering Preserved Railways

F. G. Cockman £6.99

978 0 7478 0568 7 (Discovering 253) 144 pp, 49 b/w ills, 54 maps.

The closure of many of Britain’s most attractive country railways and branch lines was a sad process for railway enthusiasts. But not all the closed routes remained dead, nor did steam operation disappear forever. For in many parts of Britain steam fans and local people combined to take over favourite stretches of railway and started running trains again, often worked by steam. There are now many thriving preserved railways and railway societies and museums, so that the public may again enjoy travelling behind a shining steam locomotive. In this new, enlarged edition the author describes fifty-seven railways in Britain which, by being revived or by having survived against the odds, deserve to be called preserved railways.

The late F. G. Cockman was born in London. His business career was in the insurance world but railways were always his hobby. After his retirement he devoted his time to writing articles on railway subjects and to lecturing. Having travelled on nearly every preserved line and also having worked on three of them, he was familiar with both the difficulties and the pleasures of preservation. Other titles for Shire by this author are:

Road Rollers

Derek Rayner £3.50

978 0 7478 0153 5 (Album 355) 32 pp, 43 ills.

Well-surfaced roads are essential to a fast growing industrial nation and, as roadmaking in Britain improved from the late eighteenth century onwards, heavy rollers hauled by men or by horses were used to compact the surface. Steam power was first used to propel road rollers in the 1860s and thereafter there was rapid development, in parallel with that of the traction engine. This book outlines the early development of steam and motor rollers, with some technical details, and illustrates the different types. The firms which manufactured them and the men who owned and operated them are described and there is a chapter on some of the unusual and unique machines which were either powered by unconventional means or designed for specific tasks. Although Europe’s last steam roller was built in 1954, these powerful and impressive machines have not lost their place in the public’s imagination.

Derek Rayner has been interested in steam engines since his schooldays in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Mr Rayner has been the sole owner since 1968 and he also acquired a small motor roller in 1975. He is Archivist to the Road Roller Association. A member of the National Traction Engine Trust, he has frequently contributed to its magazine, Steaming, and is the assistant editor. Other titles for Shire by this author:

Stationary Steam Engines

Geoffrey Hayes £3.50

978 0 85263 652 7 (Album 42) 32 pp, 34 ills.

In Victorian times the steam engine was almost the only source of mechanical power. Thousands of these engines were at work driving machinery in factories and pumping stations throughout Britain, but following the development of the electric motor steam power has become virtually extinct in British industry. Ironically, with their disappearance from commercial use, more engines are available for public viewing than ever there were during their heyday, and some can be seen operating under steam in the places where they spent their working lives. To most people these engines will seem complex and mysterious. This book aims to resolve some of the complexities and mysteries. It gives an outline of the development of the stationary steam engine and explains in simple language how it works.

Geoffrey Hayes spent his early life around Worsley near Manchester, where some say the industrial revolution began. He became an engineering trainee in the coal-mining industry, where there were steam engines at every hand. He then proceeded to a career in mechanical and electrical engineering. Mr Hayes became concerned in steam preservation from its beginnings and was involved professionally with the restoration of the Leicester beam engines. He is a consultant to the National Museums of Scotland and is Honorary President of the International Stationary Steam Engine Society. Other titles for Shire by this author:

Steam Shovels

Peter Manktelow £3.50

978 0 7478 0483 3 (Album 355) 32 pp, 40 ills.

The steam shovel was the forerunner of all powered, single-bucket, ‘dry land’ excavators and was the first machine successfully to replace the hand shoveller in loading wagons on construction sites. This book explains the workings of the machine and its application to the tasks demanded of it.

Peter Manktelow spent his early working life as an engineering draughtsman. He later became involved in technical illustration and, as a natural spin-off and for light relief, he developed a fascination for past technical achievements.

Steam Wagons

Derek Rayner £4.50

978 0 7478 0551 9 (Album 413) 40 pp, 80 colour and 30 b/w ills

Steam wagons – steam engines that carry goods on the roads – developed considerably later than traction engines and steam rollers, which had started to appear in the mid 1860s. This book tells the story of steam wagons from the earliest designs through to the last models. It explains how they worked and what they did. An informative text is combined with a selection of photographs to illustrate steam wagons both at work in their heyday in the early twentieth century and in action more recently in the period in which they have become valued historical artefacts.

Derek Rayner is President of the Leeds and District Traction Engine Club, vice-chairman and archivist of the Road Roller Association and a member of the Road Steam Forum. He is a frequent contributor to Steaming, the magazine of the National Traction Engine Trust. Other titles for Shire by this author are:

Robert Stephenson

D. J. Smith £4.50

978 0 85263 186 7 (LL 8) 48 pp, 29 ills.

The construction of the London and Birmingham Railway was one of the greatest engineering feats since the erection of the pyramids. Wolverton Viaduct, Primrose Hill Tunnel, Tring and Blisworth cuttings were all major obstacles, but the greatest challenge of all to Robert Stephenson’s skill, courage and perseverance was Kilsby Tunnel – more than a mile long through a hill whose centre consisted of quicksands fed by underground springs and a subterranean lake. It took thirteen pumps working night and day for over nineteen months to staunch the quicksand. Robert Stephenson’s reputation is unjustly somewhat overshadowed by that of his father, George; Robert had all his father’s energy and inventive flair, but also a more sophisticated intelligence deriving from his better education. Stephenson was buried in Westminster Abbey, and such was the esteem in which he was held that Queen Victoria permitted his funeral cortege to pass through Hyde Park, a rare privilege.

Donald J. Smith’s interests included the graphic arts, the study of transport history – especially railways and canals – and architecture. Other titles for Shire by this author are:

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Toy Steam Accessories

Marcus Rooks £3.50

978 0 7478 0313 3 (Album 324) 32 pp, 72 ills.

This album deals with a once neglected area of toy collecting, the multitude of different accessories produced for use with the vast range of stationary steam engines. These toys range from Ferris wheels to fountains and include a variety of machine tools and a large number of working men, including the intriguing sausagemaker. This book describes the principal types of accessory and covers the heyday of production between the two world wars, giving information about the major firms that manufactured them, especially the great German toymakers.

Marcus Rooks has been fascinated with all things mechanical, particularly those connected with steam engines, from an early age.  

Traction Engines and other steam road engines

Derek Rayner £4.50

currently out of print - reprinting Spring 2008

978 0 7478 0525 0 (Album 404) 40 pp, 49 colour and 29 b/w ills

Traction engines developed in the mid 1860s and were usually dirty, noisy and somewhat crude to handle. They were driven initially by men who were perhaps not very skilled in handling them but these men were not just drivers – they developed the task into an art. This book brings together much information about these engines, from the earliest to the latest. Attention is also given to the various derivatives of the traction engine – the humble portable, the well-known steam roller, the little steam tractor, majestic road locomotives and ploughing engines and, not least, the King of the Road, the glorious and glittering showman’s engine.

Derek Rayner first drove a traction engine in 1963. He and two friends purchased a 1915 Aveling & Porter steam roller in 1964 and he has been its sole owner since 1968. Mr Rayner is president of the Leeds & District Traction Engine Club and is assistant editor of Steaming, the magazine of the National Traction Engine Trust. Other titles for Shire by this author:

Richard Trevithick

James Hodge £4.50

978 0 85263 177 5 (LL 6) 48 pp, 25 b/w ills

The career of this erratic genius is an extraordinary story. The son of a Cornish mine captain, Trevithick single-handed totally changed the unwieldy steam engines of Newcomen and Watt to efficient prime movers with many applications, inventing in the process a vast range of widely differing machines, from high-pressure engines to the world’s first railway locomotive. His immense physical strength was legendary; he could write his name on a beam six feet from the floor with half a hundredweight hanging from his thumb. Yet his strength was nothing compared to his mental energy and initiative, involving schemes for mechanical refrigeration, tunnelling under the Thames, wreck salvage, agricultural machinery, land reclamation, and gun mountings.

James Hodge is a member of the Newcomen Society and was chairman of the Trevithick Society for many years.

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The Victorian Railway Worker

Trevor May £3.50

978 0 7478 0451 2 (Album 351) 32 pp, 59 b/w ills