Author: Peter J. Green
Publisher: Pen and Sword Transport
ISBN: 9781399086547
Price: RRP £30.00
Publication Date: 2nd September 2022
Number of pages: 184
Format: Hardcover
How Obtained: Purchased
Personal railway photo albums featuring diesel locomotives have been popular recently with new volumes seemingly appearing every few weeks. With so many around is there any point in another? Well, this one is a little different – all images are black and white! Does it work?
Railways in South Wales and the Central Wales Line in the Late 20th Century by Peter J Green presents a compilation of photographs, predominantly from his own collection. It was published in September 2022 by Pen and Sword.
South Wales and Central Wales railways in monochrome
An unusual feature of the book is that the pictures are individually numbered, with the Contents Page identifying the photographs rather than the pages. This allows the author to make maximum use of available space without page numbering interfering. The photographs are arranged geographically from east to west across South Wales with Newport, Cardiff and Swansea being featured individually along with the valley lines and the Main Line. The Central Wales route features in its own section before images of heritage and preserved machines including steam hauled trains.
Strikingly, every single photograph in this book is black and white, despite being captured in the 1980s and 1990s! Green gives no clue as to whether the originals were monochrome or they have been digitally ‘greyscaled’ for publication. The quality of the photos would tend to suggest the former, but digital filters have advanced hugely in recent years. Whether the approach was down to artistic reasons is similarly obscure. Strangely, after a while, you forget that they are not in colour!
In common with other personal albums the images can give a distorted view of railway operations. The reader may, for example, get the idea that the majority of passenger trains in the Rhymney Valley in the 1980s were hauled by Class 37 diesels. Many of the subjects are of exclusive services with railway society railtours and specials associated with Rugby Internationals in Cardiff being especially featured.
Not just the main line….industrials, perserved engines and more
Image annotations are good with information on locomotives and something of the background and infrastructure. Nevertheless, this is not a history book and it is unrealistic to expect that the reader can gain an in depth appreciation of the region from captions alone.
The most impressive pictures are distance shots which show trains often set against valley backgrounds. Coal mines and the Abercwmboi Phurnacite plant feature among the industrial sites. Their motive power is not forgotten and a number of industrials make an appearance. A short postscript focussing on heritage railways including the Pontypool and Blaenavon, Brecon Mountain and Gwili Railways is a pleasing touch.
The book maintains Pen & Sword’s high standard of production. Along with the already mentioned superb photographic reproduction, the book is well presented with quality paper and hardcovers.
In Summary
Giving a subjective view of railway operations in South Wales during the closing two decades of the twentieth century in an unusual monochrome format. Recommended if you are looking for a different approach to the diesel era in South Wales.
The Good
- A striking and unusual book
- Good quality photographs which are well reproduced on the page
- A regional map shows the railways in existence during the period covered by the images
The Not So Good
- The monochrome approach may not suit all readers especially those interested in detail and liveries
- A subjective view of railways which tends to foreground the unusual rather than the every day
About the Author – Peter J. Green
Peter J Green’s interest in railways really began in 1959 during a holiday near the former Great Western main line in Devon. At first his hobby was about collecting numbers but, encouraged by his father’s interest in photography, he soon began to record the general railway scene. His focus was on steam locomotives initially, but quickly expanded to include diesels, signalling and railway infrastructure. Pursuing what has been an absorbing interest, he has recorded the trains, and the railways on which they run, not only in Great Britain, but also in many other parts of the world. Today he continues to travel and photograph railways as often as he is able to do so.
(From Pen and Sword Books)
Related reviews
Class 37s by Mark V. Pike
Diesels in the Western Region by George Woods
Diesels Around Cardiff by Andrew Wiltshire
Welsh Railways: A New Perspective by Jeff Morgan and Wayne Elsridge