West Country Railways

The name of Peter Gray will need little introduction to lovers of railways in the West Country. The compiler of several colour albums all of which are sought after and long out of print, Peter’s vast collection of colour material is now in the hands of the Great Western Trust at Didcot who have made available the images to produce what might well be described as a tribute album to this master of railway photography.

The photos, dating back to the 1950s, cover lines in the counties of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall and span the period from the steam era through the years of transition to the complete dieselisation of the railways. The images in the book feature subjects ranging from tank engines on long closed branch lines to Warships and Westerns on expresses and half –forgotten services such as the MotoRail trains. Many of the photos in the book are being published here for the first time.

The editors have had access to Peter’s original notes which contain much detailed information about the services being recorded. All proceeds from the book, including the compilers fees, are being directed to the Great Western Trust to further its aims of preserving the memory of the Great Western Railway.