01 November 2021
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Nottingham to Mansfield. The Midland & Great Northern Railway Routes to Today, by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith. Middleton Press. PRICE: £18.99
Along with a further volume of this ‘Ultimate Rail Encyclopedia’ on the inland NER route between Alnmouth and Berwick, this is the latest in this enormous series. It’s also one of the last to be written (as co-author) by the late Vic Mitchell, who, with Keith Smith, collaborated on over 300 Middleton Press titles. This latest book is a fitting tribute. It follows the usual tried and trusted format of a description of the routes in their geographical settings and an historical background. These are followed by scores of photographs (all well reproduced), captions, maps, diagrams, plans and reproductions of tickets. Many of the photographs follow the ‘then and now’ theme, and always show (at least to me) how much has been lost with regard to the railways’ infrastructure. That said, it’s marvelous to see Mansfield Station in operation again (devoid now of its overall roof). On its closure in 1964, it left Mansfield as the largest settlement in the realm without a railway station. Which is the largest now, I wonder? There is the usual and sentimental sadness at what has been lost, but at least the current passenger services seem to thrive. As always, this latest book in the series will be of great help to modellers – from pre-Grouping times to up-to-date scenes.
Review: Tony Wright.
More information: www.middletonpress.co.uk
