The Times Lost Joy of Railways

Journey back to the 1950s and 60s with this nostalgic look at Britain’s railways in their glory days. Packed with hundreds of photographs, journey logs, trainspotting notebooks and ephemera. This is a vivid recollection of the whole atmosphere of the railways during that glorious era. Organised by the six regions of British Railways, each chapter is a roll call of the top spots to visit in search of that elusive number, the best sheds for an unusual sighting and, of course, the star locomotives that plied the lines. With detailed records of trainspotting trips, region miscellany and information on the locomotives that survived, Lost Joy of Railways, is a journey down memory lane to the final days of steam, and the move to diesel on Britain’s beloved railways.

From a very young age, Julian Holland has had a fascination with railways. He is the writer and photographer on many bestselling railway books, including the award winning The Times Mapping the Railways (HarperCollins, 2011), and Dr Beeching’s Axe: 50 Years On (David & Charles, 2013). As well as being passionate about train travel, Julian is a leading commentator on railways – he travels around Britain giving illustrated lectures and regularly appears as a guest expert on radio and television.