GWR Reflections : A Collection of Photographs from the BBC Hulton Picture Library

UK: Silver Link Publishing Ltd. Very Good/Very Good. 1987. First Edition. Hard Cover. 4to 0947971130 Dust jacket complete except price clipped, small nick to top of spine. Black cloth boards with bright gilt titling on spine. No ownership marks. Numerous b/w photographs. 144 pages clean and tight. THE Great Western Railway was a company that inspired a powerful spirit of pride and loyalty amongst its workforce. Incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1835, the GWR was unique in that it was the only British railway company to retain its name through the Grouping of 1923 and, by the time of Nationalisation on January 1 1948, the Company enjoyed an unbroken tradition established over more than 100 years. GWR Reflections depicts `God's Wonderful Railway' as recorded primarily by the press photographer, from the broad gauge era of Brunel to the early years of British Railways Western Region, following Nationalisation in 1948. Featured prominently in these pages are the prestige services and named trains of the GWR, together with a fascinating selection of Royal Train duties between Paddington and Windsor. Whilst the enthusiast photographer has often concentrated mainly on locomotives and trains, the press photographer's job was to record all aspects of railway development and activity, so also featured in this book are interior and exterior views of passenger rolling-stock, diesel and petrol railcars, goods trains, permanent way work, civil engineering operations, and the impressive Swindon Works locomotive test plant. Coverage of special interest focuses on the growth and development of the GWR's London terminus at Paddington in the 20th century, and the Company's railway and shipping activities associated with a visit to Fishguard by the giant Cunard liner Mauretania in 1909. Detailed captions and explanatory text in the book are the result of lengthy research by acknowledged GWR historian Keith Beck, whose expert comment is combined with many unique and previously unpublished photographs to produce an attractive album of historic merit. The superb photographs are all drawn from the historical archives of the HultonDeutsch Collection; most of the pictures were produced by the Topical Press Agency. The Hulton-Deutsch Collection is a commercial picture agency with more than 10 million pictures in its files. The pictures are supplied for every conceivable purpose to a wide range of commercial organisations for use in books, newspapers, television programmes, magazines, games and advertisements. .