On 3rd September 1966 the last main line built in Britain closed after just 67 years of operation - another victim of the Beeching axe. At the end of the last century it had been the ambition of Sir Edward Watkin to connect his series of regional railways, in the industrial heart of England, with the south coast, where a link via a Channel tunnel would provide easy access to the Continent. His dream was never fully realized and the line terminated at London, but the route did provide a fast link between Manchester and London, via Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester and Rugby. With the aid of photographs taken throughout the life of the Great Central Railway, this book provides a record for railway enthusiasts and anyone interested in history and the English countryside. The author's previous books include The Somerset and Dorset: Then and Now.