The Rise and Fall of British Railways by John Vaughan

There is nothing more charming and evocative to railway enthusiasts than a rural branch line. Most were built before the advent of motorized road transport and provided a vital lifeline for the communities served, but these lines inevitably declined. Although the infamous Dr Beeching usually takes the blame for closures, there were significant losses in the 1920s and 1930s, when more than a 1,000 miles of track were declared redundant. More recently, there has been regeneration of some lines and new stations opened. This beautifully illustrated book looks at lines from the steam age through to the present time of diesel and electric multiple units.