Great American Railway Journeys by Michael Portillo

$24.99 NZD

$29.99 (16% off)

Category: Railway & Trains

"Michael Portillo can be seen on screens on his second railway journey across the United States. His first took in historic East Coast sites, but these new travels are broader in scope, from the cities of the Atlantic coast to vibrant San Francisco, via Chicago, Colorado, New Mexico, and the Deep South. His route is informed by the 19th-century Appletons' guidebooks, but if you'd like something a little more up-to-date, pick up Great American Railroad Journeys and follow in Portillo's train tracks." --Radio Times This official, lavishly illustrated BBC-produced tie-in to the Great American Railway Journeys series--soon to air on PBS--captures Michael Portillo's epic journey across the United States. Michael Portillo embarks by train on an epic journey from New York and Boston to the deep south of Atlanta and New Orleans, and then on to Chicago, Colorado, New Mexico, and ultimately San Francisco. Truly a colorful and exciting collection of essays and vignettes that celebrate the rich history and expansion of nineteenth-century North America, Great American Railway Journeys is a must-have purchase for any armchair traveler and fans of nineteenth-century US history. ...Show more

The Subterranean Railway - How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever by Christian Wolmar

$27.99 NZD

Category: Railway & Trains

Reissued in a new paperback package to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the London Underground.

Greatest British Railway Journeys by Freemantle (Mi Portillo)

$49.99 NZD

Category: Railway & Trains

It is now over a decade since the much-loved Great British Railway Journeys series set off on its incredible run discovering the cultural, social and engineering landscape of the United Kingdom through the prism of George Bradshaw's Handbook to rail travel. Veteran politician and ex cabinet minister Mic hael Portillo has since presented eleven seasons of this ever-popular show on BBC Two, covering every part of the existing train network in Britain, as well as others that were closed as a result of the Beeching Report in 1963. Across a decade of these journeys, Portillo has celebrated how every corner of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was opened up by the railway line as a result of the Industrial Revolution, thus giving fans a unique insight into our shared past of train travel since the Victorian era. With the anniversary, this new collection will celebrate Michael's top fifty journeys from the hundreds he has covered, adding more insight and analysis to some of the greatest railway lines, stations, bridges, viaducts and tunnels the Victorians built to create the world we now live in. From Paddington Station to the Clifton Suspension Bridge; the Southend Pier line to the milk wagons departing from Blake Hall Station. An unrivalled narrative to be treasured.Greatest British Railway Journeys is both a celebratory and charming ride through our country's beloved history - all from the unique position of a train seat. ...Show more

Luxury Trains by Eva Marin

$140.00 NZD

Category: Railway & Trains

This thrilling book uses photographs and text to convey the rush and exhilaration of upscale voyages by rail. With the anticipation before you board and the slow departure from the station, the excitement never ends as you hurtle across various landscapes. Cocooned in a bubble of comfort and convenience , the world passes by your window. Featuring a history of deluxe train travel, this volume covers all elements of the experience from grandiose carriage interior and exterior details to majestic station architecture. ...Show more

Retro Reds To The Rescue by Tony Hurst

$30.00 NZD

Category: Railway & Trains

Currently, Wellington suburban train services are operated by Matangi electric multiple-units, all virtually visibly identical. But as recently as 2011 there was a wide variety of electric units in use, as well as one set of locomotive-hauled carriages, providing a much more colourful and varied operati ng fleet, including colour schemes of an earlier era. This was not by deliberate planning: it was rather that a lack of timely decisions on new stock had led to hurried re-introduction of previously withdrawn multiple-units and locomotives. This book tells the story of this era, with an emphasis on the variety of equipment and liveries that could be seen up until 2012. The story is lavishly illustrated with photographs illustrating the visual diversity within this period. ...Show more

Railroad Stations: The Buildings That Linked the Nation by David Naylor

$90.00 NZD

Category: Railway & Trains

Almost overnight railway lines sprawled across the United States, quickly assuming a key role in America s rapid growth and development. Linking these lines that crisscrossed the map were the stations themselves, the very centerpieces physical and metaphorical of civic and cultural life in America. They were backdrops to commonplace comings and goings as well as public lecturers and evangelists, rallies and wartime troop movement; outposts of Western settlement; staging grounds for presidential whistle-stop tours; and destinations for a new class of tourists that arose at the turn of the twentieth century. Reflecting a vast range of shapes, styles, and sizes, their architectural diversity defined them nearly as much as their hallowed place in American history.Organized by region, Railroad Stations: The Buildings That Link the Nation captures all their expressions, from modest to glorious. Here are rugged Western depots, ghost-town stations in the Plains, an art deco masterpiece in Ohio, and grand urban landmarks. Also showcased are related features such as waiting rooms and concourses, some with lavish displays of artwork; elegant details including cornices, cupolas, campaniles, and clock towers; adjacent train sheds and hotels; carriage shops and roadhouses; baggage carts; and much, much more. In over 600 striking archival plans, drawings, maps, and images many from panoramic and aerial perspectives, and taken by such noted photographers as Jack Boucher, Jack Delano, and Jet Lowe the stories of railroad stations big and small are charted, a visual feast of images chronicling the history and stylistic character of one of our nation s most iconic building types. An online portfolio showcasing all the images is available for browsing and downloading. The portfolio also offers a direct link to the Library of Congress's online, searchable catalogs and image files. ...Show more

The Flying Scotsman : The World's Most Famous Train

$24.99 NZD

Category: Railway & Trains | Series: Old House

Hoping to attract attention and passengers, in 1923 the newly-established London and North Eastern Railway Company officially named its premier service: the 10am from London King's Cross to Edinburgh: the Flying Scotsman. The following year one of the newest class of express locomotives, named for the s ervice, was proudly displayed at the British Empire Exhibition. Already a household name when this book was published in 1925, the Flying Scotsman has never lost its place in the public imagination. This is the story the LNER wished to tell of The World's Oldest and Most Famous Express. ...Show more

High Speed Trains by Peter Clark

$49.99 NZD

Category: Railway & Trains

This is a comprehensive history of high speed trains beginning with Japanese bullet trains of 1960s and including the French development of TGVs. The book covers not just the trains but the problems and solutions for the lines on which they run. It looks at European adoption of high speed trains now an accepted alternative to shorter distance air travel and covers the early history of fast trains, the technical aspects of the fast trains leading up to and including the latest Chinese locomotives. ...Show more

Illustrated Book of Steam & RAil by Garratt

$21.99 NZD

$28.99 (24% off)

Category: Railway & Trains

Engines of War: How Wars Were Won and Lost on the Railways by Christian Wolmar

$39.99 NZD

Category: Military History

Engines of War tells the dramatic story of how the railways revolutionized the nature of warfare, ushering in an age of industrialized conflict in which wars were fought on a previously unimaginable scale. From the moment of its first appearance, the 'iron road' not only rendered armies more mobile, but also massively increased the power and the deadliness of the weaponry available to them. Christian Wolmar's epic account - of how an invention that brought prosperity in peace-time metamorphosed in time of war into a weapon of death - is counterpointed by a wealth of human stories of personal endeavour and private tragedy. Embracing every major conflict in which railways have played a part - the Crimean War, the American Civil War, the First and Second Boer Wars, the two World Wars, the Korean War and the Cold War, Engines of War is awe-inspiring tale of industrial might and the transformative power of machinery. ...Show more

Underground: How the Tube Shaped London, 1863 - 2013 by David Bownes

$60.00 NZD

Category: Railway & Trains

In 2013 London Underground, the world's first underground railway, marks its 150th anniversary. This new, lavishly illustrated history is the official anniversary publication of the London Underground, drawing on previously unseen sources and images to celebrate the crucial role of the tube in the creat ion and everyday life of modern London. London Underground experts David Bownes, Oliver Green and Sam Mullins have a lifelong passion for the city and the Tube. In London Underground 150 they blend social history with the story of the pioneering engineers, designers, and social reformers who created the system, reflecting on the problems of keeping a fast growing city on the move. From providing access to the business heart of the Victorian City of London to the leisure delights of the Edwardian West End, through the growth of the suburbs and the vital role of the Underground as shelter during the Blitz, the story continues through urban regeneration to the challenge of upgrading the original network to meet the needs of the 21st century. With a cast of characters encompassing entrepreneurs, architects, politicians and passengers, this is the story of how the world beneath our feet made history. ...Show more

Fifty Railways That Changed the Course of History by Bill Laws

$39.99 NZD

Category: Railway & Trains

Railways are much more than just a mode of transport and their impact on the past 200 years of history has been profound. Railways have brought freedom of movement to the masses and been the agents of social change. They have fostered industrial and economic growth, they have been used to mobilise armie s and fight wars, and they have inspired great feats of engineering and technological advances. These processes continue today, with high-speed rail links and growth of urban mass transit systems. The impact each railway has had in changing the course of history is defined by social, commercial, political, engineering and military influence. Entries range from the Metropolitan Line of the London Underground, the world's first underground railway, to the Central Pacific Railroad, the first transcontinental railway in North America. ...Show more