FOR those who delight in the nostalgia of steam and the fact it can still be seen on our mainlines, ?Railway Moods Devon? (Halsgrove £12.99) is just the ticket. A collection of 120 colour photographs gives the reader a first class armchair journey oozing with atmosphere. Author and keen railway photographer Roger Malone, who is deputy editor on the Times, has travelled the rail routes of one of the country?s most attractive counties in pursuit of preserved steam in all its glory on the mainline. Here he has picked some of his favourite images from the past twenty years. By telescoping two decades the author has created an impressive cavalcade of steam celebrities. During that period famous classes from the GWR, SR, LMS, LNER and British Railways ? including the world?s most famous locomotive, ?Flying Scotsman? ? have all crossed the county line. Due to the fact that Devon has been a popular destination for enthusiasts? specials since steam returned with the GWR 150 celebrations in 1985, there has been much material for the railway photographer. The demanding Devon banks of Hemerdon, Rattery and Dainton and the dramatic Dawlish seawall have seen them all ? Kings, Castles, Bulleid pacifics, Stanier pacifics, A4, V2, BR Standards . . . Amazingly some 35 different locomotives from more than 25 classes have travelled the West of England mainline under the banner of enthusiasts? specials. With its demanding gradients and seawall splendour Devon has proved to be a particular magnet for train operators. And with a triangle at Laira and a turntable on the Paignton and Dartmouth Railway the county has proved itself more than able to facilitate mainline steam. As a result of such varied mainline activity this book bursts with a fascinating range of locomotives ? all depicted amidst the scenic delights of glorious Devon. Between the covers the reader is transported from the seafront at Dawlish ? possibly one of the best locations to enjoy steam ? to the edge of Dartmoor; from smoky departures at Plymouth to sylvan settings in the county?s heartland. Steam ended on British Rail in 1968. But as ?Railway Moods Devon? shows, the impressive spectacle of preserved steam can still be enjoyed on the mainline right into the 21st century. ?Railway Moods Devon? will be available from the end of the week from local stockists throughout the area, or in case of difficulty from Halsgrove direct on 01884 243242 or online: http://www.halsgrove.com">www.halsgrove.com. l Roger Malone will be signing copies of Railway Moods Devon at Bookstop in Market Street, Tavistock on Friday, June 10 from 11am to noon.
