Best Selling Books by David Larkin

Model Trains.

The American countryside attracted European settlers in search of rich farmland. Bringing with them the architectural ideas of their native countries, but few highly skilled craftsmen and a lack of sophisticated tools, they developed a more simplified building style. Often an entire community was called upon to participate in the building of a house, barn, or church, and the traditions of the diverse cultures were combined to produce a unique American form.

David Larkin is well-known for his study of British Railways goods wagons, and this new work pays particular attention to those ordered by BR in the earliest years of its existence. The Big Four pre-Nationalisation companies all had outstanding wagon orders under construction in 1948, and these continued to be delivered with their original numbers, albeit with new prefix letters. In addition, the newly-created BR acquired a fleet of wagons from the erstwhile Ministry of War Transport. These are also considered in this book, together with the early BR orders for wagons based on existing Big Four designs and on its own early standard designs in the period up to the eve of the Modernisation Plan of 1955. Profusely illustrated, this book includes Lot and Diagram details, wagon number ranges, information on the builders and livery details. The wagons featured are very diverse and include Lowfits wagons, open wagons, containers and container wagons, mineral wagons, ventilated vans, railtanks, cattle wagons and brake vans.

Comprehensive numbering and building details of almost every variety of parcels and passenger-related stock built by or for British Railways.

Written by a leading expert in the field, this volume contains comprehensive numbering and building details of almost every variety of Engineers Department wagon built by or for British Railways between 1978 and 1994.

David Larkin continues his comprehensive survey of freight wagons by turning to the British Rail era. 1969 has been chosen as the starting point for this volume as it was the first full year of non-steam operation.

An evocation of the visual aspects of M. M. Kaye''s novel The Far Pavilions.