Welcome to Irwell Press

We distribute a wide range of high quality railway books, from those covering the main lines of Britains railway network to highly detailed locomotive histories. We have a growing list of industrial railway books and a popular series of colour books which have recently been expanded to include buses. In addition to our range of railway books we also publish two railway magazines, British Railways Illustrated and Railway Bylines. As well as the latest issue you can also find back issues of these magazines and a comprehensive index. If you cannot find the book or magazine your are looking for then you can check our forthcoming books section, or alternatively give us a call on 01525 861 888 and we will be happy to help.

Fed up wandering the streets trying to find BRILL or BYLINES. Well now you can find them on-line. Simply click the image on the right and be directed to our 'Magazine Retailer Search engine'. Type in the magazine title, your post-code and it will tell you where you can find the mags or indeed where you can order them.

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This months news

Hi and welcome to another month of news from Irwell Press. We start with an apology to some customers in North Kent who experienced a little problem with obtaining their copy of Brill and Bylines. A distributor problem at W H Smith caused some branches to run short. Happily we were able to rectify the problem early and to send copies out to those of you who were unable to get a copy. Many thanks for those customers who pointed out the problem which enabled us to do something quickly.

We have a number of books in the pipeline for you but firstly to announce the reprinting of two favourites, BOOK OF THE A1/A2 PACIFICS and BOOK OF THE CASTLE 4-6-0s. Also due over the next couple of months are WHISKY RAILS AND WHISKY TRAILS a book by Ian Peaty about the whisky trade in Scotland and the influence the railway had on the industry. A thorough account detailing each pre-grouping company and including a colour section of Ian's watercolours. Part 3 of BOOK OF THE BLACK FIVE 4-6-0s takes us half way through the class whilst ex BR guru, Peter Coster, writes his memoirs and his experiences with the LNER A3 pacifics. A fascinating account with all new photos and information. Finally Peter Townend brings us his account of LNER PACIFICS REMEMBERED with contributions from many former BR railwaymen including T.C.B.Miller, MBE., C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E., J.F.Harrison, OBE., K.R.M.Cameron, ERD., C.Eng., F.Mech.E., P. Coster, C.Eng. MICE.,MCIT., G.W.Carpenter, C.Eng. MIMech.E., G.Fiennes, OBE.,MA., OSt.J. and many more. We have many more titles in preparation which will be announced shortly.

George Reeve

Last updated 7/5/2013

New Books and Magazines

The PANNIER PAPERS No.6 £11.95 DUE 23rd MARCH at the ALLY PALLY SHOW No. 6 1366, 15XX By Ian Sixsmith These two classes of pannier, tiny numerically compared to the others dealt with in the Pannier Papers so far, were both hugely distinctive in their way. One was a barely altered derivative of a design first arrived at in the 1870s, in the days of Francis Trevithick. The other was the most advanced pannier tank ever built; huge and with modern motion and accessibility virtually unheard of on the GWR. find out more	The PANNIER PAPERS No.7 £12.95 DUE 23rd MARCH at the ALLY PALLY SHOW No. 7 54XX, 64XX, 74XX By Ian Sixsmith The daintiest and most specialised of the pannier tank hordes, including some specifically for passenger work. This brings to an end at last The Pannier Papers, the most exhaustive survey of the post-Grouping 0-6-0 tanks of the Great Western. There were more than 1,200 of them, and they’re all here! find out more	The PANNIER PAPERS No.1 £12.95 REPRINT BY POPULAR DEMAND DUE 23rd MARCH at the ALLY PALLY SHOW Being a part of the Irwell Press 'The Book of the Pannier Tanks' By Richard Derry Intended to Make Up into a Set as a Volume in the Famous 'Book Of' Series Something 'a little less Victorian looking' The 94XX 0-6-0PTs were designed by F.J. Hawksworth, last Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway. They eventually came to 210 in number; a further hundred in the 84XX series and the final ten, 3401-3409. Though a pure GW design they were GW engines, just; only the first ten, 9400-9409, were actually constructed at Swindon and were the only ones built in GW days. The remaining two hundred were all built by outside contractors spread over a number of years, 1949-1956. find out more

THE BOOK OF THE H15 and S15 4-6-0s £27.95 NOW IN STOCK BY PETER SWIFT In 2008, Irwell Press published The Book Of The King Arthur 4-6-0s, to complete a sequence of three volumes on the named express locomotives of the pre-second world war Southern Railway. In this volume, we will look at the mixed traffic and freight versions of the King Arthur, which the Southern classified H15 and S15. Whilst the H15s were all basically LSWR locomotives, although the last fifteen were built or rebuilt by the Southern, the S15s, like the King Arthurs, were the products of two very different groups of locomotive designers. All three classes were initially produced from the Eastleigh based design team of Robert Urie, the last Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London & South Western Railway. All were solidly built, easily maintained and, once initial problems with heated axleboxes had been overcome, reliable. find out more	THE BOOK OF THE COUNTY 4-6-0s £22.95 NOW IN STOCK BY IAN SIXSMITH This is the second ‘Book Of’ to describe a Great Western class and it is a cause for rejoicing or lamentation, according to taste, that the detail variation within the class is minimal, at least compared to the devilish Castle brew. The Counties were completed in under two years, remarkably quickly for the Great Western, which rather liked to build its engines over generations. So no ‘joggled’ frames, fluted cylinder casings or a mysterious voyage through two, three, four row superheater boilers and occasionally back again. But we hope one or two revelations – the much-prized ‘nuggets’ – have emerged. find out more	HARPERS BUS MEMORIES IN COLOUR £12.95 NOW IN STOCK BY PAUL ROBERTS Latest in a growing series of bus topics. Full colour to show the joyous variety of liveries we enjoyed then, described by a life-long enthusiast, technical expert and senior man in the industry today. Most people living in the Cannock Chase, Aldridge and Brownhills areas, before 1975, will have heard of Harper Bros (Heath Hayes) Ltd. This company, almost always simply referred to as ‘Harpers’ was synonymous with public transport in the area, taking many residents on their journeys to school, work, days out, tours and even on a summer Saturday coastal express service to their chosen holiday destination. The company also put the name of Heath Hayes, a small Staffordshire mining village, on the national map as bus enthusiasts throughout the country took an interest in this well-known operator. Their mixed fleet amounted to over 50 vehicles, making them the largest independent operator in Staffordshire. They included buses bodied by their own workshops, ancient second-hand workhorses and purpose-built brand new vehicles. find out more

THE STEAMING SIXTIES : STEAM ON SHED £9.99 ONLY AVAILABLE FROM W. H. SMITH HIGH STREET SHOPS OR DIRECT FROM THE PUBLISHER In the 1960s Hugh Ramsey toured the engine sheds of Britain recording the everyday scene to be had with the locomotive in its lair. Join us on his journey and glory in the days of steam. Colour throughout - card back - 80 pages find out more	BRILL MAY 22.8 £4.10 find out more	RAILWAY BYLINES MAY 18.6 find out more