Railways still at war

Railways Still at War tells the story of how the first and second world wars are represented in British railway preservation today. 

  

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, and so we look at First World War locomotives and rolling stock that are still in service or can be seen on our heritage lines today, some in re-creations of Western Front trench lines. 


Forties and wartime weekends are now the biggest crowd-pulling events on many of our major heritage lines such as the Severn Valley, North Norfolk and Bluebell railways. We look at several such events and the tens of thousands of re-enactors who turn the clock back to reprise the roles of anyone from Winston Churchill to the local spiv, complete with period vehicles. 


There is extensive coverage of locomotives built for the Second World War that can be seen running on heritage lines today, with a history of each type, and the stories of how several returned home to the UK. 

  

This book covers far more than just what is happening on preserved railways. See the military railway that has survived on a remote island in the Bristol Channel, and visit the forgotten London Underground station where Churchill sheltered during the Blitz and made decisions key to Britain’s survival. Read about the railways where Dad’s Army was filmed and the museum that houses a collection of vehicles from the TV series. 


Read about the locomotives named after Churchill and Eisenhower, and the campaign to build a new steam locomotive as a national memorial in time to celebrate the centenary of the Armistice in 2018.