YES: British Rail is quite compact at less than 400 pages (excluding the bibliography and references), but it packs in a ton of detail from a wide array of sources and topics. What comes across most strongly is the way that interference from government has time and again messed things up.

Some of the best parts of his book come in the sidelights, as when he describes the special trains laid on for hop pickers (along with the unfortunate consequences), or when he explains the use of slip coaches – carriages detached from a rake at speed and allowed to drift into a station under their own momentum, letting the rest of the train proceed without stopping. The beautiful, if flaky, diesel hydraulic Western class aren't even named - they get lumped in with a general criticism of the Western Region's attempt to do it their way. It is always tendentious and risky to speak of golden ages, but the last decade of British Rail was undoubtedly its finest period and an example of a successful state enterprise. However, we are now able to offer limited "DDP" (Delivered Duty Paid) services to certain EU destinations. His books include The Great British Railway Disaster (1997), Stagecoach (1999), Down the Tube (2002), The Subterranean Railway (2004), Broken Rails (2001, updated 2005), On the Wrong Line (2005), Fire and Steam (2009), Blood, Iron and Gold (2009), Engines of War (2010), The Great Railway Revolution (2013), and Railways and The Raj (2017).Could any travelling passenger name the chief executive of Govia Thameslink, Avanti West Coast or any of the other twenty or so train operating companies in the UK?

Born into postwar austerity, impoverished, and exploited by a hostile press, British Rail became a punchline, dismissed and swept away by Conservative government. Uniting disparate lines into a highly competent organisation - heralding 'The Age of the Train' - and, for a time, providing one of the fastest regular rail services in the world. The evolution of locomotives, rolling equipment, signaling, and significant accidents are all thoroughly discussed. Charts the progress of British Rail up to privatisation with the changes bought about by the move from steam and the battles with the governments.The Financial Times and its journalism are subject to a self-regulation regime under the FT Editorial Code of Practice. The decision to set the chapters of this book in annual sub-sections of achievements in rail history inevitably leads to what at times seems totally disjointed reading. As he notes "Britain's railways over the years have been constantly targeted by Whitehall" perhaps most significantly by Marples and his advisory committee which led to the infamous Beeching report. It is somewhat ironic that just when the organisation had got a grip of things that ideology was to take over and privatisation rushed through. Decisions both good and bad have influenced operations, pressure from both political parties and lobbying groups have steered it in odd directions and public perception has constantly shifted.

As Christian explorers, British Rail deserves credit for bringing the railways into the twenty-first century, as they faced an enormous challenge from the rise of motorised transport and changing travel patterns. Choose from vintage Underground posters, personalised t-shirts and mugs and models of classic London buses and trains. Of course this is important, but it is given too much detail sometimes, where some of the niceties of the experience of being a rail traveller in the BR period could have had more coverage. If there is going to be a significant delay (more than 10 working days), we will contact you and, where possible, give you an estimated dispatch time.Despite the introduction of high-speed trains, intercity services and the refurbishing of stations, British Rail (BR) never recovered from the clichés.