Lost Railways of the World

Lost Railways of the World is a new book by Nigel Welbourn that covers lost railways in Britain and Ireland. The material for the book has been collected and researched over almost fifty years of world travel by the author, and every country with significant disused railways is included. The book has a surprisingly British flavour, as historically many railways throughout the world used British equipment and operating practices. The world's top ten lost lines are listed, including the seven-mile-long sea bridge on a line that ran through the Florida Keys, the rugged mountain splendour of the Khyber Pass Railway, and the mysterious disappearance of the ex-Lynton & Barnstaple Railway locomotive Lew. 300 colour illustrations are included, maps and stories from around the world will delight readers with an interest in nostalgia, history, geography, and travel.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 08 November 2022
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Many readers will be familiar with Nigel Welbourn's long-running series of books, covering lost railways in Britain and Ireland. This new book, Lost Railways of the World, is the latest by this author on the subject of disused railways. The material for this volume has been collected and researched over a period of almost fifty years of world travel by the author. Informative text records the fortunes of the world's lost railways and every country with significant disused railways is included. Lost railways are a unifying theme, being found throughout the world, from the hottest African desert to the coldest steppes of Russia. The book has a surprisingly British flavour, as historically many railways throughout the world used British equipment and operating practices. On his first trip in the 1970s, the author discovered British signalling equipment in Europe. In 2020, he discovered the same firms' equipment in South America. The world's top ten lost lines are listed, from the seven-mile-long sea bridge on a line that ran through the Florida Keys, to the rugged mountain splendour of the Khyber Pass Railway. Some of the oldest, largest, longest, most northerly, southerly, expensive, crookedest, steepest, highest, lowest, and most notorious lost railways are included. Quirky and other unique tales from lost railways are included, such as the disappearing phantom bridge, a line destroyed by molten lava, to one that sank under the sea, another that conveyed giant turtles, to a memorial to a brave railway elephant. The author also visited remote areas of Argentina and provides more information on the mysterious disappearance of the ex-Lynton & Barnstaple Railway locomotive Lew. A large number of the 300 colour illustrations have not been published before, maps, and stories from around the world.

Weight: 1294g
Dimension: 226 x 288 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399096171