'A trip back in time' DAILY TELEGRAPH
A love of railways, a love of history, a love of nostalgia.
______________________________
Get ready to board the slow train to another era, to a time when travel meant more than hurrying from one place to the next. On the Slow Train will reconnect you with that long-missed need for escape, and reminds us to lift our heads from the daily grind and remember that there are still places in Britain where we can take the time to stop and stare.
This book is a paean to another age: before milk churns, train porters and cats on seats were replaced by security announcements and Burger King wrappers. These 12 spectacular journeys will help free us from what Baudelaire denounced as 'the horrible burden of time.'
___________________________________
'Captivating' SUNDAY EXPRESS
'Deep in our soul, the railways represent an idyll that we love' INDEPENDENT
'A magical world, barely changed since the golden age of rail' DAILY MAIL
'Superb' RAILYWAY MAGAZINE
'Memory lane . . . An intriguing social snapshot' HERITAGE RAILWAY
Michael Williams writes widely on railways for many publications, including the Daily Mail, The Independent, the Independent on Sunday, the New Statesman, The Oldie and the railway specialist press. He is a veteran Fleet Street journalist, having held many senior positions, including Deputy Editor of the Independent on Sunday, Executive Editor of the Independent and Head of News at The Sunday Times. He is currently Senior Lecturer in the School of Journalism, Media and Communication at the University of Central Lancashire. He commutes regularly by train on the 440-mile return journey between his home in London's Camden Town and his office at Preston in Lancashire.
Title: On The Slow Train: Twelve Great British Railway Journeys (Slow Train 1)
Author: Michael Williams
ISBN: 9781848092082
Binding:
Publisher: Cornerstone
Publication Date: 2011-04-07
Number of Pages: 208
Weight: 0.1180 kg
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 *
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 *
A magical world barely changed since the golden age of rail * Daily Mail *
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 *
Deep in our soul, the railways represent an idyll that we love * Independent *