Victorian & Edwardian Railways from Old Photographs

Jeoffry Spence examined thousands of old railway photographs. From those photographs he selected photographs that represented the social and human side of railroading, rather than the technical interests to create Victorian & Edwardian Railways from Old Photographs.

The book, Victorian & Edwardian Railways from Old Photographs, is broken down into chapter/sections. There are chapter/sections on locomotives, rolling stock, staff, uniforms for staff, signaling etc. He devotes the services chapters/sections to services to the “newly mobile”. This includes chapters on hotels and refreshments, steamers (steamboat connections) and royalty. The spread of railways excursions made all these supporting services possible. In 1908 railways made a visit to the Doncaster Races by Edward VII on the Royal train. This was one of the first “football specials” at Park Royal.

The years covered by Victorian & Edwardian Railways from Old Photographs, were prosperous ones for many different railway companies. Among them were The Great Western, The Highland, The London Chatham & Dover and the South Eastern. Railway hotels were built. Railway buses provided inter-station transportation. Railway buses began to provide sightseeing tours in London. Railway steamers provided transportation with Ireland and the Continent. Railways transported people to the terminals for the transatlantic lines.

Jeoffry Spence, the author of Victorian & Edwardian Railways from Old Photographs, has had a lifetime interest in railways. He was the assistant curator of the Clapham Museum of British Transport for 20 years. He wrote the introduction to the book and the commentaries that accompany the photographs. This book covers British railways before the days of standardization of the lines.

Victorian & Edwardian Railways from Old Photographs is a wonderful look into the railways in Britain before the standardization of the lines. The photographs give the reader a glimpse into railways at the turn of the 20th century. The book is focused on the social and human side of railroading. You will love this look into the early days of railroading in Britain.