The Galloping Sausage And Other Train Curiosities

Download or read book The Galloping Sausage and Other Train Curiosities written by Geoff Body and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2016-01-04 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The formative years of Britain's railway network produced a host of ideas, activities and characters, quite a few of which now seem not only highly unusual, but sometimes little short of ridiculous. Weird schemes and designs, extravagant behaviour, reckless competition and larger-than-life characters all featured in the genuine struggle of the railway system to evolve. While the dawning of regulation and common sense brought about more uniform and responsible practices, factors like the weather and the innate complexity of railway operation continued to produce a stream of nonstandard incidents and outcomes, from wild storms to unusual equipment. This book, by ex-railwaymen Geoff and Ian Body, captures over 150 entertaining snippets, stories, and strange and unusual facts from an ample supply of railway curiosities.

Download or read book The Galloping Sausage and Other Train Curiosities written by Geoff Body and published by History Press. This book was released on 2016-01-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Galloping Sausage and Other Train Curiosities

Download or read book Real Railway Tales written by Geoff Body and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2014-05-05 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Running a railway is a complex business, constantly throwing up drama, misadventure and the unexpected. Geoff Body and Bill Parker have collated a rich selection of railwaymen's memories and anecdotes to create an enjoyable book of escapades and mishaps, illustrating the daily obstacles faced on the railways, from handling the new Eurostar to train catering, nights on the Tay Bridge to rail 'traffic cops', and from mystery derailments to track subsidence. However interesting the infrastructure of the large and varied railway business may be, the real heart of this great industry lies in its people, the complex jobs they occupy and the dedicated way in which they carry them out.

Download or read book False Starts, Near Misses and Dangerous Goods written by Geoff Body and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2017-01-06 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Running a railway is a complex business beset with drama. The operation of heavy equipment at speed, twenty-four hours a day, across the full length of the country and using extremely technical signaling, track and mechanical engineering is no mean feat and throws up a constant stream of challenges. Fortunately, the highly professional railway staff are ready to deal with these daily obstacles using their expertise, dedication and, as is so often required, a sense of humour. Here Geoff Body and his son Ian have collated a selection of entertaining and revealing anecdotes that illustrate just how unexpected working on the railways can be.

Download or read book Amazing and Curious Railway Tales written by Colin G. Maggs and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2021-06-17 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who won in a race between a train and a pigeon? How can you warn bats to leave a railway tunnel? Before the era of the car, which railway company carried the most prisoners? Colin G. Maggs has collected all of these answers – and more! – in Amazing and Curious Railway Tales, a compendium of stories, curiosities and little-known facts about Britain's railways.

Download or read book The Great Western Steam Retreat written by Keith Widdowson and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2022-01-06 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In mid-1964, Keith Widdowson got wind that the Western Region was hell-bent on being the first to eliminate the steam locomotive on its tracks by December 1965. The 17-year-old hurriedly homed in on train services still in the hands of GWR steam power, aiming to catch runs with the last examples before their premature annihilation. The Great Western Steam Retreat recalls Widdowson's teenage exploits, soundtracked by hits from the Beatles, the Kinks and the Rolling Stones, throughout the Western Region and former Great Western Railway lines. He documents the extreme disorder that resulted from that decision, paying tribute to the train crews who managed to meet demanding timings in the face of declining cleanliness, the poor quality of coal and the major problem of recruiting both footplate and shed staff. This book completes the author's Steam Chase series and provides a snapshot into the comradery that characterised the final years of steam alongside the long-gone journeys that can never be recreated.

Download or read book Along Different Lines written by Geoff Body and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2012-11-01 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Running a railway is a complex business. However organised it is, there will always be surprises: often hilarious, frequently unexpected, but sometimes serious. Along Different Lines includes such bizarre 'everyday' events as coping with hurricanes, rogue locomotives and runaway wagons; PR successes and otherwise; the Brighton Belle, Flying Scotsman and Mallard; training-course capers; a wino invasion; trackside antics; the Eurostar backdrop; the birth of a prison; and royal and other special occasions. Expert authors Geoff Body and Bill Parker lovingly compiled this entertaining collection in which railway professionals recall notable incidents from across their careers. This illustrated compilation provides an enjoyable look back at life on the railways.