Bøker av John Jackson

The importance of our railways in the movement of sea containers cannot be overstressed. Industry figures suggest that one in four of all containers arriving at UK ports move onwards via the UK rail network. This is particularly significant to the railfreight sector given the dramatic downturn in coal traffic in recent years. Four of the country's major players in the freight sector - Freightliner, DB Cargo, GB Railfreight and Direct Rail Services - all move significant volumes of container traffic to almost all parts of the UK. This book takes a look at these movements, from the major ports of Felixstowe and Southampton to destinations as far afield as Bristol and the Scottish Highlands. John Jackson takes an in-depth look at the diversity of locomotives and container wagons used on these services provided by these key players on our twenty-first-century railway.

Nuneaton, the largest town in Warwickshire, sits on an important railway crossroads in the Midlands. At its Trent Valley station, the busy West Coast Main Line heads broadly north to south with the important link between Birmingham and Leicester crossing east to west. An equally important line heads south-east from the town, through Coventry and Leamington Spa, carrying local passengers as well as an important freight link with the docks at Southampton. This line to Coventry and beyond has had a chequered past and was one of many victims of the Beeching Axe before, fortunately, reopening to passengers in the late 1980s. The author has spent many thousands of hours watching and photographing rail movements through Nuneaton station. This publication takes a look at the considerable variety of both passenger and freight traffic on offer to the enthusiast, ranging from the everyday to the unexpected.

As the Rover's name suggests, the north of the area ranges from Cardiff and Bristol (close to the Severn) to Swindon and Cheltenham, then extends down to the Southampton area (on the Solent) with a coastal stretch from Portsmouth as far as Weymouth. What's more, it takes in some fascinating railway centres such as Eastleigh, Salisbury and Westbury. The Rover offers travel on a variety of express and local passenger services operated by several different train companies, combined with a variety of freight action across the region. This includes the container trains to and from Southampton Docks, steel workings to and from South Wales and stone and aggregate movements from the Mendip Hills. The author demonstrates the variety of traffic on offer today across this popular Rover ticket area.

In this book, the author takes full advantage of the diversity on offer as a regular user of this rail ticket. It offers the choice of three of the country's main lines stretching north to south across the ticket's boundaries (West Coast, Midland and East Coast) and a wide variety of other railway lines in between. With Milton Keynes at its southern edge and north to Sheffield and Doncaster, from Staffordshire on the West Coast Main Line eastwards to Lincolnshire and South Humberside, it is an area rich in contrasts. The rover user is spoilt for choice of passenger train operators. Express services are provided by Virgin's Pendolinos and LNER's Class 91s and, soon, state-of-the-art Azumas, among others. These are complemented by a wide variety of both diesel and electric local services ensuring every day's journey is different. The area is also one of the busiest for observing the country's freight train movements, with many of the country's acknowledged freight hotspots falling in this rover ticket's area.

The two most westerly counties in England remain hugely popular for travellers looking for a break in the UK. Perhaps less well known is the fact that, against all the odds when faced by the Beeching Axe, a number of popular destinations can still be reached by today's railway. From Barnstaple to Gunnislake, Exmouth to Falmouth, John Jackson explores the variety of lines and stations that remain on the railway map in the counties of Devon and Cornwall. With much of the area's industry now consigned to history, there is little remaining freight traffic in the area. The main exception is the flow of Cornish china clay for export that is still carried by rail and centred on the area around Par and St Blazey. The author has spent countless hours chasing these somewhat elusive workings in recent years. From rolling countryside to seaside views, these two counties have it all.

The book examines the pioneering work by codebreakers which was to shorten the war.

John Jackson takes a highly illustrated look at passenger and freight trains on the Midland Main Line.

A pictorial celebration of GB Railfreight, packed with previously unpublished images. Looking at the operations and fleet of this successful rail business.

John Jackson takes a look at passenger and freight working on the railways in and around Peterborough.

A look at the contemporary freight scene in the UK.

An examination of the role and contributions of the four Welland Canals to the development of Niagara Peninsula communities.

An important examination of the new reality of race in American culture