The Aspinall Era by Bullied, H. A. V - 1967

Runnymede, Surrey, England: Ian Allan Ltd, 1967. 1st Edition . Hardcover. Very Good/Good. 270 pages b/w photos line drawings - Sir John Aspinall ('of the L&Y') was part of the railway scene from 1868 till 1936 although strictly speaking the 'Aspinall Era' ran only from 1882 till 1919. During those years he led first the Great Southern & Western Railway and then the Lancashire & Yorkshire. A gifted railwayman, and a close friend of H.A.Ivatt, his era marked high achievements in engines, operating, and management during the spacious days before Grouping. Naturally Aspinall had numerous contacts with other railway engineers and these famous contempraries and sparring partners are seldom off-stage; the reader meets them in the Works, in the Board Room, at meetings of the Association of Railway Locomotive Engineers, and less formally in casual meetings and anecdotes. The results of their efforts are shown in 170 photographs, engravings and drawings, fully indexed. The text is in chronological order, and the main settings are Crewe, Inchicore, Howrich, Manchester and London.