Miniature Railway World Library - Guides & ABC Series

Listed on these pages is the complete collection of ABC series books on miniature railways - including book description and details on how to order where available.

- Books - Guide Books - Magazines - Media -

- General Titles - Builders - Guides & ABC Series - Photo Books - 7 ¼ - 9 ½ inch - 10 ¼ - 12 ¼ inch - 15 inch + -

{Minor Railways}

MINOR RAILWAYS compiled annually by Peter Scott. ISBN 1902368002. 32pp, A5 format.

A very thorough and accurate book with summarised data on all minor railways in the UK; names, OS references, lengths of lines, layouts, contact telephone nos.

Peter Scott has also produced TRACKPLANS OF MINOR RAILWAYS in four volumes, and an update volume. These little known but wonderful volumes have neatly drawn track diagrams of all the 'Minor Railways' in the U.K. Every siding is shown, with larger lines in schematic form. If you need inspiration to design a creative track layout, you will find it here.

For further details of these publications, together with updates on-line, visit Minor Railways Online .

TINY TRAINS & LITTLE PUFFERS

 

ABC Series & Out of Print

{Crofts}

LIGHT & MINIATURE RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVES OF GREAT BRITAIN, by Eric S Tonks.
 Birmingham Locomotive Club, 1950.

If you were to write up literally all light and miniature locomotives, past and present, even in 1950 you would have come up with a pocket book substantially bigger than this one. The late Eric Tonks was the doyen of industrial railway history and his real forte was industrial railways of the Midlands, which he wrote up in some ten volumes.

This was his first and last published venture into the miniature field. Despite my comments above Eric and his circle were methodical people, and there are some useful facts and figures here. True cognoscenti also have the 'amendments list' which was produced subsequently.
{Crofts}

R H LEITHEAD'S MINIATURE RAILWAYS STOCKBOOK AND GUIDE. Narrotrack Ltd, 1975.

Rich Leithead was primarily an industrial & narrow gauge gricer, who diversified into miniature railways encouraged by Peter Nicholson, who was then Miniature Railway Records Officer of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society. Quite an interesting book, notable because nothing else like it was around at the time.

The text is in tiny type, and entries for some lines are 'minimalist', i.e. a bit sketchy. Even so there are some interesting photos.

 
{Crofts}

ABC MINIATURE RAILWAYS by B G Wilson. Published by Ian Allan, 1962.

The ABC titles, still appearing now, are an enduring brand for Ian Allan Ltd.

Wilson has never reappeared elsewhere in the library, but did quite a competent job of describing lines then open to the public. Entries in this book are alphabetical by location.

There are now specialists in buying/selling old ABCs so this one is not too difficult to get hold of.

 
{Crofts}

MINIATURE RAILWAYS by Robin Butterell. Published by Ian Allan, 1965.

Robin followed on from Wilson in producing this, with more pages and a slightly larger format. He grouped lines by gauge, there being at that time only two public 7¼in gauge railways! (There are now some 50.)

A good book. Still comes up regularly second hand.

 
{Crofts}

ABC MINIATURE RAILWAYS by Robin Butterell, Dave Holroyde and Simon Townsend.
Published by Ian Allan in 1998 & 2000, ISBN 0711025932
Price £9.99, 96 pages. 122 x 183mm.

This pocket guide, published twice and compiled by three of the most renowned miniature railway experts, included over 160 miniature railways in the UK that are open to the public.

The font size is quite small, but that is inevitable with so much information in a small space. More lines were included than featured in the first edition, because details have been included of most of the 'club tracks' that open regularly to the public.

Still available second hand.

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