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  • Published: 15 April 2011
  • ISBN: 9781848092082
  • Imprint: Arrow
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 208
  • RRP: $29.99
Categories:

On The Slow Train

Twelve Great British Railway Journeys




An unashamed tug at the heartstrings for a lost era, a time before Dr Beeching chopped the heart out of the British countryside. Renowned railway writer Michael Williams takes us on 12 of the most beautiful and historic railway journeys in Britain. Revised and updated for paperback.

This beautifully-packaged book will take the reader on the slow train to another era when travel meant more than hurrying from one place to the next, the journey meaning nothing but time lost in crowded carriages, condemned by broken timetables. On the Slow Train will reconnect with that long-missed need to lift our heads from the daily grind and reflect that there are still places in Britain where we can stop and stare. It will tap into many things: a love of railways, a love of history, a love of nostalgia.

This book will be a paean to another age before milk churns, porters and cats on seats were replaced by security announcements and Burger King. These 12 spectacular journeys will help free us from what Baudelaire denounced as 'the horrible burden of time.'

Updated for the paperback.

  • Published: 15 April 2011
  • ISBN: 9781848092082
  • Imprint: Arrow
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 208
  • RRP: $29.99
Categories:

About the author

Michael Williams

Michael Williams is a writer of plays, musicals, operas and novels and the Managing Director of Cape Town Opera in South Africa. He has written operas for young people based on African mythology, as well as the libretti for symphonic operas that have premiered around the world.

Also by Michael Williams

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Praise for On The Slow Train

The author does take us along memory lane , but his description of each route also encapsulates a taste of 21st century Britain gleaned from talking to the people he meets along the way ... an intriguing social snapshot

Heritage Railway

Williams manages to meet a range of characters who enliven the book and provide evidence of a Britain that is as forgotten as the lines on which he travels. That is the strength of the book. Williams does not just offer the journey but takes us through the history of each line and importantly meets the people who have campaigned to keep them open or ensure their smooth operation ...

Christian Wolmar, The Oldie

The author's superb narrative, interspersed with dry humour, acute observations and some excellent anecdotes that make you feel you know the lines so well that you want to travel on them ... there are some wonderful bitter-sweet moments emerging from the pages, as the reader is taken on a fascinating series of journeys ... I enjoyed this book immensely. It's a great anytime read and hope the publishers can be persuaded to to commission a second volume

Railway Magazine

Captivating

Sunday Express

A magical world barely changed since the golden age of rail

Daily Mail

Deep in our soul, the railways represent an idyll that we love

Independent

On track to a trip back in time

Daily Telegraph