THE GLORIOUS YEARS Steam Railway Magazine Hardback – 167 pages. ISBN 978-1-84425-430-9

There seems to be an insatiable demand for photographic essays of Steam Locomotives and this latest book from Haynes, well known for their Motor Manuals, is yet another one for the pot. It is rather unusual in that it portrays the collected works of no less than 16 world class railway photographers and shows some of the finest images that have graced the pages of Steam Railway. This magazine has become the worlds largest selling Steam Magazine, mainly on the strength of its superb photographic images of the long lamented steam locomotive. Most of the images are in black and white, but with 176 pages there is still plenty of scope for colour. The photo’s cover all parts of the UK including Ireland and the Welsh narrow gauge scene. Covering locomotives as diverse as the 1863 Dock tank at Seaham Harbour to the Duke of Gloucester and a potpourri of everything else in between. For the railway modeller the photo’s contain a positive wealth of period detail. This is a superbly produced book with over 150 images of the highest quality and is a fitting tribute to the painstaking dedication of the photographic artists whose work it portrays.

Colin Usher