Gazetteer of the Coal Mines of S. Wales & Monmouthshire from 1854

Hardback, 192 pages, plus searchable CD of colliery information (1800 pages)

£30

Narrow gauge album 1950-1965 in colour

Michael Whitehouse

Lightmoor Hardback 2018, 208 pages

£25.00

Motor Rail Catalogues by Alan M. Keef

Lightmoor Press £24.00  Members £22.50

As the owner of the Motor Rail business since 1987 the author is in a unique position of not just continuing the tradition of locomotive building started by the Abbott family but also being able to use his knowledge as a locomotive manufacturer to produce a thoroughly enjoyable and comprehensive book on one of Britain's few remining locomotive manufacturers. In 1923 Motor Rail produced a complete product catalogue extending to 126 pages and it is reproduced here in full, together with other brochures and leaflets. These are supplemented with explanatory captions and photographs of Motor Rail products in use.

Cliffe Hill Mineral Railway by M.H.Billington and D.H.Smith

Plateway Press 1997 £7

This is a complete revision of the first edition to include the full story of the preservation of ISABEL and PETER - the two surviving Bagnalls from the Cliffe Hill fleet. The detailed and well illustrated text includes detailed scale drawings and maps.

The early years of the Motor Rail & Tram Car Company 1911-1931

Covers the early years of the Simplex range, with several general arrangement drawings

116 pages W J K Davies

  Plateway Press 2008 was £22.95  NOW £11.00

Industrial Gwynedd volume 3

Articles on Ynys Y Pandy slate mill, Gorseddau; Dorothea quarry; Slate workers in Wales France and USA; Holyhead breakwater broad gauge

52 pages Gwynnedd Archaeological Trust

 Plateway Press 1999  £3.00

Light Railway Construction by E.R.Calthrop

Plateway Press reprint 1997 

Softback, now £3.50

This is a reprint of Calthrop's paper of 1897, explaining his theories of the capitalisation, building and economic and profitable operation of narrow gauge light railways, with particular reference to India. 17 photographs.

The Melbourne Military Railway & the Derby to Ashby branch Part 1

Mike Christensen

Lightmoor Publishing 2019  £25

From late 1939 to the end of 1944, the War Department leased most of the branch line from Derby to Ashby de la Zouch to provide for training Army Railwaymen. The first of this two part work covers the history of the Ashby Canal railway and the Midland Railway and LM&S line, and the industries that they served, up to 1939. The second part will recount the operation of the line by the War Department for civilian traffic as well as training purposes, and the post-war years up to closure.

Harecastle's Canal and Railway Tunnels

Allan C Baker & Mike G Fell

Lightmoor Publishing 2019  £25

This book traces the history of the two canal and three railway tunnels once owned by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) that have been driven through Harecastle Hill in North Staffordshire, together with coal and ironstone mining which took place in the vicinity of the tunnels. Once vital transport arteries, only one of the tunnels remains in use today – Telford’s canal tunnel opened in 1827, through which tugs powered by electricity once operated. James Brindley’s earlier pioneering tunnel opened in 1775 was closed in 1918. This was once the longest transport tunnel in the world. The three railway tunnels were opened in 1848 after the NSR had acquired the Trent & Mersey Canal; two of them known as ‘south’ and ‘middle’ were taken out of use in 1966 following the diversion of the railway around Harecastle Hill as part of British Railways’ West Coast Main Line electrification scheme, on the route from Colwich via Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove and Macclesfield to Manchester Piccadilly. The third ‘north’ tunnel was opened out as part of this scheme but a new railway tunnel had to be built just to the south of Kidsgrove; that and the railway diversion scheme are also dealt with in the book. The authors’ extensive research is presented here for the first time in this fascinating and well illustrated volume.

The Melbourne Military Railway & the Derby to Ashby branch Part 2

Mike Christensen

Lightmoor Publishing 2020  £35

From late 1939 to the end of 1944, the War Department leased most of the branch line from Derby to Ashby de la Zouch to provide for training Army Railwaymen. The first of this two part work covers the history of the Ashby Canal railway and the Midland Railway and LM&S line, and the industries that they served, up to 1939. The second part will recount the operation of the line by the War Department for civilian traffic as well as training purposes, and the post-war years up to closure.