A new edition of a classic history of the railway line between Bristol and Bath, illustrated with over 200 pictures.

A narrative history of the most iconic railway company of the great age of steam.

For many the GWR was synonymous with holidays by the sea in the West Country, but it was built to serve as a fast railway line to London, especially for the merchants and financiers of Bristol. Its operations stretched as far as Merseyside, it provided most services in Wales, and it was the main line to Cardiff, Bristol, Cornwall and Birmingham. This book, a classic first published in 2006, reveals the equipment, stations, network, shipping and air services, bus operations including Western National, and overall reach and history of the GWR. Forming part of a series, along with The LMS Handbook, The LNER Handbook and The Southern Railway Handbook, this new edition provides an authoritative and highly detailed reference of information about the GWR.

The story of a fascinating railway line

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the Great Western Railway has changed and developed over the last century between Paddington and Swindon.