Sheffield Main Line Services: From the M S & L R Period to British Railways

A volume of a new and exciting series illustrating one of the country’s best loved railway companies in the days of steam. It consists of maps, charts, timetables and photographs are used to give the reader a sense of a journey in time along the various lines that the GCR controlled. One main theme is passenger traffic via Penistone, down to Sheffield and east to Retford.

The movement of coal is another of the dominant themes in South Yorkshire. Centered on Wath marshalling yard, wagons went west, up the notorious Worsborough incline to Penistone and then via the Woodhead tunnel, Mottram Yard to Godley on their journey en route for Liverpool and Manchester. Another stream of wagons was east passing, the mecca for all GC enthusiast, Mexborough, and onto the Doncaster avoiding line then east to cross the River Trent at Keadby. Lines from the ‘Coal Capital’ of South Yorkshire, Barnsley to Sheffield, Wakefield and Penistone are looked at.

With the trilogy written by G. Dow’s approaching its 60th birthday, it is timely that an illustrated history has been produced to bring to life some of the hidden recesses of this great company.

Bob Pixton is a WW2 ‘Baby Boomer’, spending his early days around Manchester’s stations and sheds. The impressions of youth persisted, despite his parents moving to the heart of GWR territory. His working career has almost exclusively been in the public sector in health, education, local democracy and youth justice. His numerous published works have mostly been line histories, often in several volumes, their extensive captions and picture selection are the result of dedicated research, in this case, of over a decade. He is perhaps less well known for his historical fiction works.