Highland Railway: People and Places

This fascinating new title, written by experienced railway author Neil Sinclair, has unpublished views of engines, a host of interviews with railwaymen and extracts of previously unpublished diaries. It also provides an intriguing insight into the huge impact the opening of the railway line had on the people of the Highlands.

The opening of the Inverness and Nairn Railway in 1855 was one of the most significant events in the history of the Highlands. It created new communities, led to the development of villages into towns and boosted agriculture and tourism.

In this new book, published to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Inverness and Nairn Railway, Neil Sinclair looks for the first time at the social history of the railway line, through the lives of those who worked on it and the communities in which they lived. Drawing on interviews with former railway staff, newspaper cuttings and diaries and letters from the Highland Archives, the author has pieced together detailed portraits of families and individuals whose lives were tied to the railway they worked on. The major events of the 20th century - two World Wars, the rise of the unions and the growth of road transport - are considered in the context of their impact on the railway and its workers.

Highly illustrated with more than 200 carefully sourced photographs, many of which have never been seen before, the book is sure to appeal to anyone with an interest in the Highlands, as well as railway enthusiasts.

About The Author

NEIL SINCLAIR is an experienced railway author whose previous publications have included a guidebook to the Strathspey Railway as well as books about the Highland Main Line and the railways of South Shields.

Highland Railway: People and Places is published in May 2005 priced at £14.99. ISBN 1859834531. For more information see Breedon's website at www.breedonbooks.co.uk