Scotland's Lost Branch Lines by David Spaven

Scotland's Lost Branch Lines by David Spaven

David Spaven traces the birth, life and eventual death of Scotlands branch lines, and outlines the controversial closure process through the unique stories of how a dozen routes lost their trains in the 1960s: the lines to Ballachulish, Ballater, Callander, Crail, Crieff, Fraserburgh, Kelso, Kilmacolm, Leven, Peebles, Peterhead and St Andrews.

'A very detailed analysis which highlights not only the damage caused to local communities, but also the lost potential of these branch lines that could now be an amazing resource for Scotland’s tourist industry and for local communities cut off from the network'

-- Christian Wolmar * RAIL Magazine *

'Impeccable accuracy and insight into the railways of Scotland.. this is an excellent book and is highly recommended'

* Railway Magazine *

'The author forensically dissects the case presented for closing ten of the routes… expertly exposing the flawed arguments that sealed their fate'

* The Scotsman *

'David Spaven explores the reasoning and impact behind these branch line losses in this comprehensive overview'

* Scots Magazine *

'The politics revealed by David are fascinating... [he] achieves for Scotland what Charles Loft did for England in Last Trains and follows up on Richard Faulkner and Chris Austin’s Britain in Holding the Line'

* Retired Railway Officers’ Association *

'Spaven's style is accessible to all. What’s more, his conclusions about the potential reinstatement at a time of climate crisis are hugely topical'

* Scottish Field *

'Absolutely fascinating… [railways are] so integral to Scotland's economy, our people, our future, our past… This is obviously something [Spaven] is deeply passionate about'

* BBC Scotland Outdoors *

'Spaven analyses the reasons used for the Beeching closures, and the processes and their participants in great depth, making it a thoughtful and thought-provoking volume'

* Far North Express *

'This extremely well researched book examines the birth, life and death of these routes, with detailed description of the closure process'

* West Highland News Plus *

'Spaven has made a substantial contribution to the history of Scotland’s transport services. This highly detailed text is enhanced by the author's lucid writing style… this book is recommended for any railway enthusiast not satisfied with settling for a misty-eyed nostalgic view of Scotland’s branch lines'

-- Sandy Mullay * Backtrack *

David Spaven has spent his working life in and around the rail industry. His first book, the award-winning Mapping the Railways, was published by Times Books/HarperCollins in 2011. Highland Survivor: The Story of the Far North Line, published by Kessock Books in 2016, was also an award-winner. He is the author of the best-selling Railway Atlas of Scotland (Birlinn, 2015).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781839830198
ISBN 10	1839830190
Title	Scotland's Lost Branch Lines
Author	David Spaven
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Birlinn General
Year published	2022-03-03
Number of pages	320
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.