Lines of Character

Hardcover, 1952. 188 pages, with index. Very Good hardcover, fullbound blue cloth boards with silver lettering to spine. Binding is solid and square; no markings inside or out. Dust jacket is in Good condition, with some edge wear, creasing and rubbing, most notably at upper right front corner and at top of spine. Small triangular chip on upper edge of front panel, and a couple scattered 1/4 inch or less closed tears. Lower left corner of front flap is clipped. A tribute to the lesser-known and more remote railway lines of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, intended for "anyone who enjoys a railway journey or who has ever succumbed to the lure of that most fascinating and characterful machine - the steam locomotive." Includes 66 black and white photos, mostly of engines but also with some yards, sheds, bridges, cars, etc. "Though the great main lines are not wholly ignored, Mr Rolt has been more concerned to explore the remote and lesser known outposts and byways of our railway system. With sympathy and charm he explores the bucolic branch lines which, with the passing of the years, have become a part of rural England; the romantic Grampian route of the old Highland line to the North of Scotland; the narrow guage railways of the Welsh Highlands and of Western Ireland. Here ha has found the fascination of diversity and individual character which is fast disappearing from the busier main lines as a result of amalgamation and nationalisation.".…