Ian Allan books
Ian Allan photograph albums
Over the years, Ian Allan published a number of booklets which were essentially albums of photographs. Our collection contains several examples of those with a GWR interest from various album series, and these are illustrated below.
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Titans of the Track series
Although this series of small booklets bears the endorsement ABC Locomotive Series they are not 'spotters' books containing lists which can be ticked off. The format is landscape, but the same overall size as the ABC booklets, and they are more informative with longer introductions covering history and background. Each booklet contains many full page (although the pages are still 'pocket sized') photographs of engines from a number of contributors. This series of eight photo albums was published between 1944 and 1947 with two editions being published for each of the 'Big Four' railway companies.
~We have an example of both GWR albums in our collection.~
Titans of the Track - GWR
Published in 1945
Introduction by A.B.M.
photographs by M.W.Earley
32 (un-numbered) pages, priced 1/6
'Printed by Edwin Jones & Sons (London) Limited' and 'Published by Ian Allan, Staines - to whom all enquiries and applications must be made'
As confirmed in the introduction, this is the first booklet in this series to deal purely with the Great Western Railway.
The cover bears a photograph of 'King' class 6027 King Richard 1. The frontispiece shows the 'Cheltenham Flyer' at speed, this particular image being attributed as an official G.W.R. picture. The last page carries a list of other ABC and Titans of the Track booklets amongst others, one of which called Titled Trains of Great Britan is temptingly announced as being 'To be ready by Christmas'.
Titans of the Track - GWR
Published in 1946
Introduction by Cecil J.Allen
photographs by H.C.Casserley, M.W.Earley, N.F.Ingram and H.M.Madgwick
32 pages, priced 1/6
'Printed by Edwin Jones & Sons (London) Limited'
Although this edition is undated, the text makes reference to the 'Castle' class of locomotive '...that in 1946, 23 years after the first examples were produced, the G.W.R. is still building them...', so it may be correctly inferred that this booklet was published in 1946. The cover caries a photograph of 'King' class 6010 King Charles 1.
Inside the front cover many other books 'Now Available' are listed, including several in the ABC and Titans of the Track series, whilst the advert inside the rear cover lists some future publications.
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My Best Railway Photographs series
A series of these albums, eventually totalling 15 in number, was published between 1946 and October 1949. Each album covered a particular railway company or sometimes several, but each had a single contributor. As far as we can tell, only two of these albums had GWR in the title.
~We have an example of both these albums in our collection.~
The final booklet More of My Best Railway Photographs by M.W.Earley did show the ex-GWR 'Castle' class 4-6-0 locomotive 5081 Lockheed Hudson on the cover so it, and possibly others in the series did hold a GWR interest.
My Best Railway Photographs - No.3 G.W. & Southern
Published in 1946
Written and photographed by Maurice W.Earley
32 pages, priced 1/6
'Printed in the City of St.Alban by Gibbs & Bamforth, Ltd.'
This is another booklet bearing the endorsement ABC Locomotive Series, and is of the same landscape format as theTitans of the Track booklets, although slightly larger. Other than four pages of introduction, each page features a full page photograph of mainly GWR trains or locomotives taken at various locations. The nearest one to Culham is that of 'Eaton Hall' passing Kennington with an up express bound for Paddington in September 1937.
The front cover shows a 'King' class 4-6-0 locomotive hauling an express passengertrain. The inside of the front cover carries an advert for Trains Illustrated edition number 4, which gives the mail order department as being at '33 Knolly's Road, Streatham, S.W.16' and also bears the address of the shop on Vauxhall Bridge Road. Inside the rear cover is an interesting table detailing the date on which each photograph was taken, the camera and plate or film used, the shutter speed and f stop, and the nagative size.The cameras used must have been quite bulky as the negatives are all either 5"x4", or the metric equivalent of 9x12cm.
My Best Railway Photographs - No.6 Southern & GWR
Published in 1948
Written and photographed by S.C.Townroe
32 pages, priced 1/6
'Printed by H.O.Lloyd & Co., Ltd., London, N.1'
As implied by the title, this booklet is predominantly Southern in content, although it does contain a few interesting Great Western subjects.
Shown on the front cover is 'Lord Nelson' class 4-6-0 Sir Martin Frobisher. The inside of the front cover carries an advert for Studies in Steam and The Book of the Schools Class which is another work by S.C.Townroe. Inside the rear cover is advertised 'For the First Time Ever' a book containing The Railway Clearing House Maps of England, Wales, Scotland in six colours and priced at 7/6.
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Trains Album series
A series of 15 slightly larger photo albums was published between August 1953 and August 1959. Each of these albums covered a particular region within BR with the first and last ones in the series both happening to cover the London Midland Region. Three of these albums covered the Western Region, the first being number 3 in June 1954, followed by numbers 7 and 11.
~We have copies of all three of these albums in our collection.~
Trains Album - No.3 Western Region
Published in June 1954
32 pages, priced 1/6
'Printed by H.O.Lloyd & Co. Ltd., London, N.1.'
The cover repeats an image taken from within the booklet of the up Cornish Riviera double headed by 'Manor' and 'King' class 4-6-0s 7814 Fringford Manor and 6028 King George VI. A very short, and anonymous, foreword serves to introduce what is still a new series of railway photograph booklets. Every page features a single photograph with an accompanying description as to the subject, location and photographer. There are a few fairly local images including one taken approaching Didcot and another showing a Shrewsbury-Paddington train passing Kennington Junction just south of Oxford. Use is made of the space on the covers to promote other publications including a small range of 20 piece jig-saw puzzles at 1/9 each including purchase tax (who remembers that?), and a number of other railway picture boks.
Trains Album - No.7 Western Region
Published in August 1954
32 pages, priced 1/6
'Printed by Crampton & Sons, Ltd. Sawston, Cambridge'
The cover for Nos 6-15 has seen a re-design from that used on the first five editions, with this particular edition showing the '2800' class 2-8-0 locomotive no 3806. The internal layout however remains much the same. There are several fairly local images with one taken at Moreton near Didcot and another showing the Fairford Branch train passing Wolvercote Junction just north of Oxford. As may be expected, full use is made of the space on the covers to promote other publications including a range of 72 piece jig-saw puzzles at 'only' 3/6 each.
Trains Album - No.11 Western Region
Published in October 1958
32 pages, priced 2/-
'Printed in England by Pegasus Press, Chertsey'
Shown on the cover is '4500' class 2-6-2T 5541. The foreword, still anonymous, is identical to that of album number 7 and whist the general format of the booklet remains the same the layout of the descriptions has been amended which allows for slightly larger photographs. The subject matter is a trifle more diverse than in album 7, with Princess Risborough being the closest location. Once again, full use is made of the covers to promote other publications whilst the jigsaws have grown to 200 pieces with a consequent increase in price to 6/11, although four very small 20 piece puzzles are also advertised at 1/- each.
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British Rail in the fifties series
Whilst being published long after steam had disappeared from regular main line use these books, as the titles suggest, still cover a period when steam was still very much in use. This series of nine books was published in 1977 and followed the style of the earlier Trains Album series. The first four books were, apart from the covers, identical re-issues of numbers 11,12,13 and 14 of that series. The other five books were new collections of photographs. Books number one and six covered the Western Region.
~We have copies of both numbers one and six in our collection.~
British Rail in the fifties - number one Western Region
Published in early 1977
32 pages, priced 25p
'Printed by Ian Allan Printing Shepperton Middlesex TW17 8AN'
The front cover bears a colour photograph of 'Manor' class 4-6-0 7827 Lydham Manor, and the rear an advert for the magazines Modern Railways and Railway World. Inside the front cover is the introduction to the series ...'These Albums have been reproduced by popular demand exactly as they were originally published - apart from the covers - in 1958 and 1959. The captions are deliberately unaltered in attempt to take the reader back to those halcyon days when steam was still supreme on Britain's railways'. The title page notes that this is '(previously Trains Album 11)' and the short introduction to that booklet remains unaltered, still referring to it as being the eleventh of a new series.
British Rail in the fifties - number six Western Region
Published in June 1977
32 pages, priced 25p
'Printed by Ian Allan Printing Ltd'
Shown on the cover is an unidentifiable 'County' class 4-6-0 believed to be in Sonning Cutting. There is no foreword or introduction, the only text being captions to the photographs. Advantage is taken of inside the front cover and the two sides of the back cover to advertise the three mgazines Modern Railways, Railway World and Model Railway Constructor.
