PLATEWAY PRESS

Hardback, 235mm x 174mm, colour dust jacket, 272 pages.
[ISBN 1 871980 50 X]

Comprehensive history of the contrasting narrow gauge railway systems on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. It includes full details of the locomotives and rolling stock on both systems and is well illustrated with both photographs (both colour and black and white) and maps.

This book, the first detailed study of both islands in English for over thirty years, explores and compares the history and geography of their narrow gauge railways. It relates the stories of the companies that built them and their successors; the routes and the terrain they run through; the many spectacular engineering works; the ways in which both are meeting the challenges of running narrow gauge railways commercially in the 21st century. It includes details of the locomotives, railcars and rolling stock from opening to the present day, and lists the motive power and stations of both surviving and closed lines.

Softback, 80 pages, 75 black & white photographs, 14 maps, 18 scale drawings.
[ISBN 1 1871980 20 8]

A history of the 750mm gauge railways installed on the Estonia coast and on the offshore islands guarding the approaches to St Petersburg, in the period 1907-18. Little used in 'military' service, many were later absorbed into the Estonia State Railways. The book also describes the 600mm gauge 'Feldbahn' railways built by German occupying forces. Includes full details of the various German and American built locomotives from O&K, Krauss, Baldwin, Alco, Vulcan, and many others.

Hardback, colour dust jacket, 235 x 174mm, 240+ colour and black/white photographs and maps.
[ISBN 1 871980 54 2]

Lawrence Marshall visited India no less than twenty-five times between 1970 and 1994 and photographed steam traction in almost every Indian state. Following his much acclaimed book covering the Indian narrow gauge this book describes and illustrates his travels and experiences on the Indian metre gauge. A substantial number of designs are depicted both in colour and monochrome and many British locomotive builders products are illustrated. The book also covers metre gauge industrial railways where, again, British built locomotives feature strongly. Many of the lines have now been converted to broad gauge whilst others have been closed.

Included in the book are full details of the metre gauge locomotives that worked on seven of the nine zonal railways during the time of Lawrence's visits plus lists of all the Indian Railway standard (IBS) designs and the later standard classes. Detailed maps showing the extent of the metre gauge in 1975 and 2001 are included plus a further map showing the locations of the various metre gauge locomotive depots. For purposes of comparison some interesting archive pictures also appear in the book plus some original manufacturers illustrations.

Hardback, colour dust jacket, 235mm x 174mm, numerous photographs, maps.
[ISBN 1 871980 48 8]

Based on numerous visits to India between 1970 and 1994 this photographic album illustrates in both colour and black and white the amazing variety of steam locomotives that once operated on Indian public and industrial narrow gauge lines.

This book forms a fitting tribute to the narrow gauge steam scene in India, many of the lines illustrated are now in the annals of history and steam is finished with the exception of the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway. Included are full details of the narrow gauge steam locomotives of the nine zonal railways forming Indian Railways and maps showing the locations of the lines and factories covered.

Casebound, full colour jacket, 280mm x 215mm, 336 pages, photographs, drawings.
[ISBN 1 87980 52 6]

Starting with a general survey this book goes on to a more detailed study of all the main types of railcar however powered including 4 wheel, bogie and multiple unit types. No less than 180 different examples from fourteen different countries are covered and the authorative text is complemented by many photographs, in colour and black and white, and scale drawings.

Softback, colour cover 80 pages, 30 black & white photographs, 5 maps.
[ISBN 1 871980 46 1]

A remarkable collection of photographs and notes by members of the Ellis family form the core of this book, in addition to further research by the author and writings and photographs from former Sudan railwaymen.

This book charts the history of two railways from Trinkitat. The first an 18in gauge line which ran to water wells at El Tib was built in 1896 under Egyptian military supervision and later abandoned. The second the Tokar-Trinkitat Light Railway, a 600mm gauge line primarily used for the export of the cotton crop from Tokar, built in 1921/22 by contractors, using ex-War Department Light Railways rolling stock and Simplex locomotives, effectively absorbed by Sudan Railways in 1993 and closed in 1952.

Softbound, 235mm x 175mm, 80pages, numerous photographs & illustrations.
[ISBN 1 871980 43 7]

This is a reprint of a very scarce work written by the inventor of the Garratt articulated locomotive, to which has been added a number of period photographs of Garratt locomotives built before 1920.

The introduction and brief biography of Herbert Garratt were contributed by Richard Hills, himself the author of a comprehensive history of Beyer Peacock & Co Ltd.

Casebound, full colour dust jacket, 235mm x 174mm, 256 pages, 200+ photographs, maps, drawings.
[ISBN 1 871980 51 8]

The history of Mallorca's railways was told in Giles Barnabe's book 'The Railways and Tramways of Majorca', published in 1993 and now out of print. Now, drawing on numerous sources the author brings the story up to date. The much revised and expanded text provides historical information on all the island's railways, descriptions of their routes and for the lines still open - summarises developments over the last 10 years.

There are chapters devoted to the motive power and rolling stock, methods of train working, timetables and there is a full description of each line. A fascinating new Appendix gives 'eye witness' accounts of travel on the FC Mallorca in 1875, 1929 and 1957. Finaly there are notes on industrial railways on Ibiza and Formentera. The book is illustrated with numerous photgraphs, maps, track diagrams of major stations, scale drawings of locomotives and rolling stock.

Hardback, 235mm x 175mm, full colour dust jacket, 224 pages, 122 photographs, 6 maps.
[ISBN 1 871980 31 3]

Brian Fawcett came to South America as a young man of 17, and spent almost a quarter of a century in the service of the Central Railway of Peru. His duties gave him a unique insight into the workings of that great railroad - which scales the highest railway summit in the world, at 15,848ft - and also enabled him to collect information, hitherto unpublished, about other Andean railroads. The result was 'Railways of the Andes', the first major English-language survey of the planning, construction and operation of the main Andean railroads.

This is a reprint of his classic work of 1963 describing his own experiences with much more on other of the fascinating railways that penetrate the Andes mountain range.