First on the scene was the London & Southampton, soon to change its name to the London & South Western. The branch on to Salisbury was the start of the LSW’s drive to reach Exeter. Other routes followed including the Portsmouth Direct, intended to outdo the London & Brighton’s attempt to capture the Portsmouth traffic. The need to reach Bournemouth resulted in two separate lines built by the LSW. Gradually the LSW developed its network; some routes such as the Meon Valley or the Sprat & Wi...

The pre-Grouping Companies were fiercely competitive and would defend any incursion by another company penetrating what they considered to be their ‘territories’. Nevertheless, at times they would cooperate. This cooperation resulted in a large number of joint lines. These joint lines ranged from fully independent operations, complete with their own staffs, locomotives and rolling stock, to short lengths of railway used by the joint companies, the cost of maintenance of which was shared.

No fewer than sixteen pre-grouping companies were represented within Cumbria’s borders, seven of these in Carlisle alone. To the east of the mountains are the great Anglo-Scottish lines of the London and North Western and the Midland. Venturing across the Pennines were the transversal routes of the North Eastern Railway, from Newcastle to Carlisle, and Darlington to Tebay and Penrith. The Cumbrian coast presents a completely different picture. Here the multiple competing companies were con...

The railways of France present a uniquely interesting picture, consisting as they once did of two entirely separate but overlapping systems: the standard-gauge network of the great railway companies and the mostly metre-gauge network of the local rural railways. This book attempts to provide a comprehensive picture of this fascinating diversity. Featuring a variety of locations throughout France, subjects covered include the seven pre-nationalisation railway companies; locomotives of all t...

The pre-Grouping companies were fiercely competitive and would defend any incursion by another company penetrating what they considered to be their ‘territories’. Nevertheless, at times they would cooperate. This cooperation resulted in a large number of joint lines. These joint lines ranged from fully independent operations, complete with their own staffs, locomotives and rolling stock, to short lengths of railway used by the joint companies, with the cost of maintenance shared.Th...

During the railway mania of the nineteenth century many places gained more than one station, and not just in the big cities. Many small settlements ended up with two or even three stations. This was almost always as the result of competition between the railway companies, anxious to secure more business for themselves, though there were exceptions. As the railway network continued to grow and develop, many of these locations ended up with no stations at all.This is the lavishly ill...

The range and variety of British railway stations is truly astonishing; from the tiny wayside halt made of corrugated iron to the magnificent stone-built city centre terminus. No less remarkable in their variety are the buildings devoted to the transport of goods, and indeed for most years of their existence this traffic was by far the most important to the railway companies. Author Patrick Bennett also covers signal boxes and signalling, locomotive depots, bridges and viaducts and much el...

England’s second largest county contains a wealth of railway history. The county was dominated by two companies – the Great Central in the north and the Great Northern in the centre and south. The county was also penetrated by the Midland Railway and there were no fewer than three joint lines. In the south the Midland & Great Northern Joint passed through from west to east, while the Great Northern & Great Eastern Joint ran north to south. In the far north-west of the county was the Isle o...

The Chilterns consist of a band of chalk hills to the north-west of London stretching from Oxfordshire to Hertfordshire. It so happened that these hills were directly on the routes of five major companies’ routes to the North and Midlands. These were: the Great Northern, the Midland, the London & North Western, the Great Central and the Great Western. As well as the main lines there was a large number of branches, now nearly all closed. To complete the picture, to the north of the Chiltern...

Although other self-help books claim to reveal the path to happiness, F*ck Feelings warns that convincing yourself that there is such a path will actually lead you to feel like a true failure. What the Bennetts can promise you is that you can manage any situation life throws at you if you can keep your sense of humor, bend your wishes to fit reality, restrain your feelings, manage bad behavior, and do what you think is right.Life is hard. It's not fair. Our feelings cloud ...

This book examines the current research in gene-environment transactions (GEX) and its potential use in developing interventions and applications tailored to individual genetic makeups. Key concepts underlying GEX studies in this area are defined, identifying fundamental challenges in devising informed research questions and conducting valid and useful experiments. Chapters analyze GEX models inspired by the present day genome-based frameworks, particularly in terms of advances in identify...

Heartbroken? Horrible boss? Confidence crisis? Rubenesque body? Anxious? Lonely?The solution is to find out what’s bothering you and change it, right?Sorry lady. WRONG.You aren’t going to suddenly start loving yourself. You aren’t going to just become the Best Version of Yourself. You can’t stop your dad drinking, or your rubbish boyfriend from breaking up with you.Fact is, there are some things you just can’t change, and will become miserable trying.