Railway transport industries – The Bell Bookshop

The great train robber

Emma — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The day is 8 August 1963. It is the early hours of the morning, and a group of men are waiting at a railway bridge in Buckinghamshire. They are about to rob a mail train, on its way to London from Glasgow, and they have no idea that on board they will find approximately £2.5 million (over £50 million in today’s money) in cash – the largest of its time. Among their number is Ronnie Biggs. He will be remembered long after most of the other names are forgotten, and the money spent or lost. What is it about Ronnie Biggs that fascinates people sixty years on from the crime that made his name? Is it the man or the myth that makes Ron a latter-day Robin Hood – the odd man in the confederation of criminals who held up a train on that fateful day? This is Ronnie Biggs’ official autobiography. It tells of one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century. From Ron’s daring escape from HMP Wandsworth, to how he managed to outwit and outrun a posse of law enforcement officers as one of the world’s most wanted men; from plastic surgery in Paris, and his years on the run in Brazil – complete with two kidnappings and an attempted suicide – to his return to the UK after 13,087 extraordinary days on the run. Published for the sixtieth anniversary of Britain’s most famous crime, this is a daring, exciting and often misunderstood life of a man who has seen and done it all, told in his own words.

Last Trains

Emma — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In this superbly researched examination, Charles Loft exposes the political failures that bankrupted the railways and lays bare the increasing alienation of bureaucrats from the public they were trying to serve. The result is a fascinating study of a nation grappling to come to terms with modernity.

The Trainspotter’s Notebook

Emma — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The adventure filled memoir from the world’s most beloved trainspotter, TikTok sensation Francis Bourgeois.

‘Francis is one of the kindest, most genuine people I’ve met in a long time. His passion and unadulterated happiness is inspiring. I can’t wait for more magical adventures with him.’ – Joe Jonas

‘A National Treasure Of The TikTok Age.’ – Grazia

‘Thrashing builds and builds. I look down and pull up my sleeve: I’ve got goosebumps, making all the hairs on my arm stand on end. I’m absolutely buzzing.’

From sleeping in a car to get a good shot of 73962 Dick Mabbutt to trainspotting with Joe Jonas, Francis Bourgeois has been on one hell of a ride over the past year. Bringing joy to millions, his epic journeys have highlighted the importance of connecting with your passions.

In The Trainspotter’s Notebook, Francis shares his greatest trainspotting adventures and takes you with him across the fields and footbridges of Britain, passing through historic terminals and backwater stations in pursuit of tones, thrash and locomotive perfection. Told in his inimitable style, these hilarious and heart-warming tales take you behind the scenes of his most popular videos, and celebrate the places and people of the railway.

Are you ready to depart?

‘Oh for goodness sake, I’m on the wrong platform!’

British Rail

Emma — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The authoritative and fascinating history of the rise and fall of the state-owned British Rail

‘Wolmar’s book is impeccably organized and makes a fast, enjoyable read’ THE TIMES Literary Supplement
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You think you know British Rail. But you don’t know the whole story.

From its creation after the Second World War, through its fifty-year lifetime, British Rail was an innovative powerhouse that transformed our transport system. 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.

Born into post-war austerity, traumatised, impoverished and exploited by a hostile press, the state-owned railway was dismissed as a dinosaur unable to evolve, and swept away by a government hellbent on selling it off.

Now, award-winning writer Christian Wolmar provides a new perspective on national loss in a time of privatisation.

British Rail is ripe for a new history.
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Praise for Christian Wolmar

‘Wolmar is the high priest of railway studies’ Literary Review

‘The greatest expert on British trains’ Guardian

‘Our most eminent transport journalist’ Spectator

‘If the world’s railways have a laureate, it is surely Christian Wolmar’ Boston Globe

‘Christian Wolmar is in love with the railways. He writes constantly and passionately about them. He is their wisest, most detailed historian and a constant prophet of their rebirth . . . if you love the hum of the wheels and of history, then Christian Wolmar is your man‘ Observer