Nottingham's Railways

Book excerpt: This fascinating selection of evocative railway photographs will delight railway enthusiasts and all those who remember the days of steam. The book shows railways in and around Nottingham in the twilight years of steam, capturing areas which have long gone and are now completely redeveloped. The bulk of this wonderful collection has been drawn from the archives of Bill Reed, whose interest in railways goes back to his early childhood when his mother used to take him to her sister's in Hucknall, travelling on Sentinel Steam Railcars. Growing up in Bulwell, Bill was always aware of the rail services with such a complicated network and so many stations. When he left school the only job he could fi nd on the railways was as a messenger lad at Nottingham Victoria station. He spent his lunch hours on the station's platforms where he met local enthusiast Freddie Guildford, who encouraged him to take photographs and showed him how to develop films and make prints. Fortunately Bill's wife Mary shares his interest in railway photography. Today, when possible, they both photograph main line steam. According to Bill: 'It is a real treat to see the locomotives in such fine condition, bringing back memories, though they were seldom so clean and shining in my early days.'