About the Author

Jonathan Brown is a rural and business historian, and is now Hon Fellow at the Museum of English Rural Life, University of Reading, where he has worked in various capacities for a number of years. He has written extensively, producing Tracing Your Rural Ancestors for Pen & Sword in 2011. He has also written Steam on the Farm (2008) and histories of the engineering firms, Allens of Oxford and Barrett, Exall & Andrewes of Reading Iron Works (the latter in conjunction with Roy Green). His father introduced him to the early preserved railways in the 1950s, and he has followed their progress ever since, a member of a number of the preservation societies at different times.

Reviews

"This superb book reinforces the notion that the people of this country, together with our tourist friends from all over the world, can see the benefits of reviving and maintaining the various heritage railways that now run in our little country. There is an appetite for nostalgia that was never satisfied so well as with a journey on a steam railway. Magical."-- "Books Monthly"

A splendid history of Britain's heritage railways.-- "Evergreen, Winter 2017"

An extremely informative and thoughtful account of an important phase of recent railway history. It is well produced with an interesting selection of almost all colour photographs. There can be few people with an interest in today's railways who will be unmoved by the heritage aspect.-- "Friends of the National Railway Museum"