Railway photographer Mike Rhodes has been capturing the railway scene in and around Preston for over 65 years. Rails around Preston is an album of his photographs covering the years from the end of regular steam operation in the late 1960s, through to the present day.
The book starts with an introduction outlining the history of railways in the area, the first line to reach Preston being the North Union Railway from Wigan in 1838. Some black & white images of steam-hauled passenger and freight trains are covered, including the “Farewell to Steam” specials in 1968, and several colour photographs of diesel and electric loco-hauled trains and DMUs, including some steam-hauled charters between the 1970s and the 2010s. Also covered are the ill-fated APT, the line serving Preston docks, and the Ribble Steam Railway. A map showing the Pre-Grouping railways, and a plan of Preston station as it was between 1913 and 1971, are also featured. The majority of images are presented in two-per-page format and all are accompanied by detailed captions.
37 black & white and 142 colour photographs. 96 pages.