Railway Crimes Committed in Victorian Britain

Railway Crimes Committed in Victorian Britain written by Malcolm Clegg and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 160

The vast majority of Britain’s railways were built between 1830 and 1900 which

happened to coincide with the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). By the turn

of the Nineteenth/Twentieth Century, over one hundred different railway companies

were operating in Britain on more than 22,000 miles of railway track.

Although these new railways brought prosperity to the nation and enabled goods and passengers to be speedily transported the length and breadth of the country for the first time, this remarkable feat of engineering brought with it some unwelcome side-effects, one of which was crime. Wherever crowds of people gather, or unattended goods are being transported, a few unscrupulous individuals and career criminals will usually emerge to ply their trade. Some railway staff members are also unable to resist the temptation of stealing money or goods passing through their hands.

This book gives an insight into the nature and types of crime committed on the railways during the Victorian era, incorporating such offences as theft, assaults and murder, fraud, obstructing the railways and various other infringements of the law.

Over seventy different cases mentioned in the book are true accounts of events which took place on the railway during the Victorian era, the details of which were obtained as a result of hours of researching British Newspaper Archives of that period. The author hopes that readers will get as much pleasure from analysing the various cases cited in the book, as he himself derived from researching and writing about them.

An interesting book, Railway Crimes Committed in Victorian Britain that does exactly what it says on the tin. A wide variety of crimes were committed on the railways and surrounds. The crimes listed range from the serious right down to the almost trivial, but It’s a good read to see a lot about the social issues and crimes going on at the time. While some stories or incidents got a few pages of writing, quite a few, the least serious got a paragraph. But like I said well written and a good read about crime on the railways. Certainly one for those interested in railways or the Victorian era.

Railways of Southern California

Railways of Southern California written by Colin J. Marsden and published

by Key Publishing - £30.00 - Hardback - Pages 160

Passing through some of the most picturesque scenery in the world, several main

routes traverse Southern California. Most are freight corridors, but there are a handful

of long-distance passenger services, primarily worked by Amtrak. Some of the long-

distance and heavy freight services can be powered by up to ten locomotives, equating

to around 50,000hp. One of the most scenic routes is on the Union Pacific-owned track

between Mojave and Bakersfield, which climbs over the Tehachapi Mountains, reaching

a height of over 4,000ft above sea level, requiring locos to work hard on the climb either

side of the line’s summit. The route over Cajon, one of the busiest freight routes in the

world, is also covered, as well as the routes between Barstow and Needles, the central

California line, and the highly photogenic Pacific “Surfliner” route between Los Angeles

and San Diego. Lavishly illustrated with 200 images, this book is divided into the main

routes in the area, showing the diversity in scenery and train types found. With informative

captions explaining the locos, their routes, and the best places for rail enthusiasts to

see these trains for themselves, this is the ultimate guide to the railways of Southern

California.

I jumped at the chance of reading and reviewing this book mainly because I love anything American, trains and landscape photography and this book combines all of those. The sight of American trains moving along against the back drop of the American wilderness just in my opinion looks glorious and picturesque. This book look at all different kinds of rail transport from freight to Amtrak passenger train transport to industrial rail transport working in industry. So the book has around 200 photos with an image of a train in movement with the backdrop of the train going through a town, landscape or working in an industrial scene. So you have the beautiful picture but there is a couple of paragraphs accompanying each picture usually setting the scene or a few details about the locomotive in the picture. But what I enjoy is the fact that there isn’t too much info, the balance has been struck with picture and info, so it doesn’t get too technical. A thoroughly good, interesting and beautiful book, most definitely a book to recommend to others, ideal for the model maker, photographer or train fan.

British Transport Police - A Definitive History of the Early Years & Subsequent Development

British Transport Police - A Definitive History of the Early Years & Subsequent

Development written by Malcolm Clegg and published by Pen & Sword Books

- £25 - Hardback - Pages 256

This book traces the history of the British Transport Police, the National Police Force

responsible for policing the railways of England, Scotland and Wales. The roots of

the Force go back almost 200 years, starting with the development of the railways

during the Nineteenth Century. Hundreds of railway companies were founded and

although mergers and amalgamations took place, by the end of the century, well over

100 railway companies were operating, most of which employed railway policemen.

The first railway policemen were recruited to work on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1826. Other railway companies quickly followed and by the 1850s, railway policemen with their smart uniforms and top hats were a common sight on Britain’s railways.

During the Twentieth Century, railway companies continued to merge before being nationalised in 1948. The following year, the British Transport Commission (BTC) was created to oversee not only the newly nationalised railway network, but also the nation’s docks, shipping, inland waterways, road transport, road haulage and other companies.

Also in 1949, the British Transport Commission Police (BTC Police) was created to take over the policing of these newly nationalised institutions. All the former railway, dock and canal police forces were then absorbed into the new BTC Police Force.

The BTC was abolished in 1962, having incurred serious financial losses. The BTC Police was renamed the British Transport Police in 1963 and has continued to operate ever since. It no longer polices the docks, harbours and canals for reasons outlined in this book.

Well this was an interesting book, and quite a revealing book in that I learnt quite a bit about another part of the police force and how it has progressed over the years. I suppose to today, that we would generally think of the British Transport Police as being London centric, but it certainly didn’t start out that way, in fact its origins were in the north of the country working for specific companies. It was also intriguing to learn that it expanded its scope to include not just railways but places like docks, canals and the road network too. The book also explains the development of these and eventually the demise really as these specific workplaces were then bought under regional forces.

The book also looks into different types of crimes encountered too or those that were specific to transport hub type places. The author has done a really good job in setting this book with plenty of good level research and detail. I’ve learnt a lot from this book and it was nice to read a book about the police that was different to ‘Jack the Ripper’ and murder cases. The back of the book has lot of additional information too which I found quite moving but good to learn about. This has been a brilliant book to read and would happily recommend it to anyone, especially if you were considering joining the police force. 

The Brunels Father & Son

The Brunels: Father & Son written by Anthony Burton and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 232

Isambard Kingdom Brunel has always been regarded as one of Britain’s great heroes

and an engineering genius. His father Marc Brunel has not received the same degree

of adulation, but this book will show just how important a part Marc played in his son’s

works and will also look at his own great achievements. Marc Brunel arrived in Britain

as a refugee from revolutionary France, after a short time working in America. He was

a pioneer of mass production technology when he invented machines for making blocks

for sailing ships. He had other inventions to his name, but his greatest achievement was

in constructing the very first tunnel under the Thames. Isambard spent his early years

working for and with his father, who not only encouraged him but throughout his career,

he was also able to offer practical help. The famous viaduct that carried the Great

Western Railway over the Thames at Maidenhead, for example, was based on an earlier

design of Marc’s. Isambard’s greatest achievements were in revolutionising the shipping

industry, where he was able to draw on his father’s experience when he served n the

navy. The book not only looks at the successes of two great engineers but also their

failures. Primarily, however, it is a celebration of two extraordinary men and their amazing

achievements.

I remember reading last year in a book about the work and accomplishments of Isambard’s father Marc and thinking this fella seems interesting, I should read more about him. Then with life, I ended up forgetting and never got around to it until I got the chance to review this book of man and boy. Both were clearly intelligent men with minds needing to let that intelligence and skill out into the open. These two men are known for some of the world's important constructions or inventions from building the first tunnel under the Thames, a number of bridges, and technological advances in construction and were heavily influential in the development in the railways. This of course was during a period of the industrial revolution when Britain was concentrating on advancement in industry and society.

This was a fascinating read in which we learned how a family worked its way up from adversity to become people of influence and industrial leaders, and how Isambard was a real chip off the old block. The book was an interesting read and I would fully recommend it to others if you’re interested in the industrial world and how it came about in Britain.