Trading policy

Please be aware that it is always our intention to deal with our customers promptly, efficiently and fairly at all times. However, please remember that the RCTS is a society run by unpaid volunteers and occasional problems will arise.

Postage & packing

We charge £4.00 Postage and Packing for UK orders.

For non-UK destinations we charge 40% of the cost of the books (minimum £5.00)

Non-delivery

Whilst we do try to despatch orders promptly, please allow 28 days before enquiring in case the particular item which you have ordered in temporarily out of stock. In the event of any item which you have ordered and paid for becoming unavailable we grant full credit, which can be used against further purchases or is refundable on request using the same means as payment. A purchase by credit cards avoids the need to grant credits, since no charge is made until goods are actually despatched.

Stock availability

We will do our best to inform you of any delays. If you have a problem with anything you receive from us then please contact us first before taking any other action. We will then advise the best course to take to get the matter resolved.

Delivery

Despatch is normally within 14 days or sooner after the receipt of your order by post. We will advise you if we are unable to despatch promptly. Despatch of overseas orders (including Europe) will be by airmail. Postal and packing charges apply as stated on our order form.

Returns

We want you to be delighted every time you shop with us. Occasionally, though, we know you may want to return items, so below is our returns policy. It does not affect your statutory rights.

Cancelling an item

Under the UK’s Distance selling Regulations, you have the right to cancel the contract for the purchase of any item within seven working days of delivery. This applies to our publications.

Our “no quibbles” guarantee means that if for any reason you are unhappy with your purchase you can return it to us in its original condition, within seven days of receipt, and we will issue a refund for the price you paid for the item.

Defective items

You can return items if they are defective within 7 days of receipt.

Delivery charges

If you are returning an item because of an error on our part or because it is defective, we will be happy to refund the delivery charges incurred in sending this item to you and your costs in returning it to us. Otherwise you will be responsible for those charges.

To return an item

Our books are now despatched by Book Law Publications. To return an item you will need to request a returns number from them, please see https://www.booklaw.co.uk/contact-us.html

Trade orders

Trade orders are very welcome.

Please address enquires to David Bird · trade@rcts.org.uk

For publishers

The Society welcomes the submission of new railway books for review. The review will be published in the Railway Observer.

Books for review can be sent to:

Geoff Bannister
47 Paganel Road
Minehead
TA24 5EX

Before sending books please send a brief synopsis of the contents to Geoff Bannister · pubsreviews@rcts.org.uk

The Society cannot return books after review.

Appeal for authors

The RCTS is committed to publishing books and if you are thinking of writing a book that would be of interest to the Society we would like to hear from you. We are happy to consider any subject provided it has a railway connection or theme in it.

We are particularly looking for those authors who can prepare or assist the RCTS in producing publications relevant to the modern era, especially those involving diesel and electric traction. This can be on any type of traction, the building of them or even a history of the earliest ones used in the UK. Whether you have a manuscript in draft or are just at the stage of considering a project we would like to hear from you. The RCTS has an extensive library facility that can provide assistance with research into such topics.

In addition we would particularly like to hear from persons who have experience of the book printing and publication trade to assist with the preparation of forthcoming titles.

If you feel you are able to assist or have a topic in mind then please contact the Publications team · publications@rcts.org.uk

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History of RCTS Publications

March 1935 saw the publication of the first RCTS booklet, the original Locomotive Stock Book. This was a momentous event , not only for the Society but also in the railway enthusiast world as hitherto no up-to-date complete list of all the locomotives running on the main line railways of Great Britain had been available. The booklet also included the locomotives of the Midland & Great Northern Joint Committee, London Passenger Transport Board and Cheshire Lines Committee. This pioneer publication not only raised the status and profile of the fledgling RCTS but also led to a growth in membership. It was issued free to members and was available at a sum of 1/- (5p) to non-members.

Following the instant success of the Stock Book, annual editions were produced up to the outbreak of World War Two in 1939.Each new edition introduced extra features, such as lists of named locomotives and the stock lists of the Irish railways , and minor companies. In addition illustrations were included of all classes of locomotives that had been rendered extinct during the year in question. The 1939 edition ran to 54 pages and cost 2/6d (12 1/2p).Wartime caused a break in the run of this publication but the 1946 edition caught up on the missing years. Following the end of the steam era on British Railways, the 1969 Stock Book was the last one produced in the original format.

Despite wartime restrictions on printing 1941 saw the issue of The Locomotives of the LNER ,1923-1937 by K. Risdon Prentice and Peter Proud, 136 pages , price 3/6d (17 1/2p).This book had first appeared as a series of articles published in The Railway Observer. This publication triggered an important extension of the RCTS’s activities.

In 1951 came the giant step of the publication of Part 1 of the renowned Locomotives of the GWR. For the first time the task was undertaken of writing a complete history of every locomotive owned by a major company. This authoritative project was rounded off in 1993 when Part 14 was published.

In 1954 the Society considered reprinting and expanding the book on LNER locomotives. By then the GWR series was already highly regarded and it was decided that the LNER stock should be dealt with in a similar fashion. Part 1 Preliminary Survey was published in 1963 and the last of 19 volumes Part 11 Supplementary Information was published in 1994 to fully cover the subject. Like the GWR series this was another team effort and lasting friendships were forged in the process of achieving the objective.

1960 saw the start of Donald Bradley’s history of Locomotives of the Southern Railway and its constituent companies.Again, these publications were a tour-de-force and like the GWR and LNER series left little else for future historians to say because of the comprehensive and detailed coverage of the subjects.

Between 1986 and 1992 the Society published a four part series covering Great Northern Locomotive History from 1847-1922 by Norman Groves and this was followed by a comprehensive survey of the BR Standard Classes in five volumes, released between 1994 and 2012. All of these are still available except Volume 4 – the 9F 2-10-0 Classes.

In 1999 the Society commenced the publication of the four parts of The Great Northern Railway in the East Midlands by Alfred Henshaw completed in 2003, which have all sold out.

Currently the LMS locomotives are receiving similar attention, with books on the Highland Locos (2 volumes in 1988 and 1990) LMS Locomotive Names (1994) the Evolution of LMS Locomotive Boilers (1999), the Jubilees (2006), Hughes and Stanier 2-6-0s (2009), two volumes on Black Fives (2013 and 2015) and Pacifics (2017) already published.

With volumes on the Royal Scots and the Patriots in the pipeline it is safe to say that RCTS publishing remains well to the fore of the history of steam power in Great Britain.

It is not only locomotives that feature in the Society’s publishing programme as many other worthy subjects have been covered down the years beginning in 1966 with Tom Routhwaite’s The Railways of Weardale. Other recent titles have been The Railways of Keynsham and Plymouth’s Railways in the 1930s both by Russell Leitch and The Birkenhead Railway (LMS & GW Joint) by T.B.Maund.

Bibliography

The RCTS has a lengthy history of publishing books on railway subjects. These are predominantly based on locomotives but far from entirely. For the purpose of ease of reference the publications are presented here in the following groupings:

  • Locomotive Stock Books
  • Coaching Stock Books
  • Individual Locomotive Histories
  • Series Locomotive Histories
  • Company Locomotive Histories

After an initial period of shorter works, the Society turned to large-scale projects to document the history of all steam locomotives that worked for the post-grouping and nationalised main line railways. In many cases these were authored by teams, the exception being the late Don Bradley‘s herculean effort on the locomotives of the Southern Railway and its constituents. The projects covering the Great Western Railway, Southern Railway and the LNER are long since complete. The projects covering the LMS, Standard Classes and WD Austerities continue.

Railway Localities:

Over many years a number of diverse publications come under this heading. In some cases they are the life work of an individual whom the Society has supported with advice and publishing knowledge to enable its fruition. The Society‘s published traffic surveys from around 1960 are included under this heading.

All of these publications are available for members to peruse or borrow through the Society‘s library service. The detail below includes the library reference.

* In many cases there is more than one edition or impression. For clarity these have been omitted but are indicated by an asterisk against the library reference.

Locomotive stock books
Locomotive Stock of Main Line Companies of Great Britain as at 31 December 1934 RO Editors 351
Locomotive Stock of Main Line Companies of Great Britain as at 31 December 1935 RO Editors 353
Locomotive Stock of Main Line Companies of GB and Ireland as at 31 December 1936 Pollock, Smith, Prentice 355
Locomotive Stock Book 1937 Pollock, Smith, Prentice 356
Locomotive Stock Book Appendix 1938 Pollock, Smith, Prentice 357
Locomotive Stock Book 1939 Pollock, Smith, Prentice 359
Locomotive Stock Alterations 1939-42 RO Editors 361
Locomotive Stock Book 1946 Pollock, Smith, Prentice 363
Locomotive Stock Book Appendix 1947 Pollock, Smith, Prentice 365
Locomotive Stock Book 1948 Pollock, Smith, Prentice 367
Locomotive Stock Book 1950 Pollock, Smith, Prentice 369
Locomotive Stock Book 1952 Pollock, Smith, Prentice 371
Locomotive Stock Alterations 1952-4 Pollock, Fry 373
Locomotive Stock Book 1960 Stubbs, Boddy 375
Locomotive Stock Book 1963 Stubbs, Boddy 377
Locomotive Stock Book 1966 Stubbs, Knowles, Lissenden 379
Locomotive Stock Book 1969 (With reprint of 1934 stock book) Hope, Belton, Mallaband 381
Locomotive Stock of British Railways 1977 Wood, Mallaband 383
1983 Locomotive Stock Book Wood
Coaching stock books
Coaching Stock Book of British Railways 1974 Bowles, Mallaband 391
Coaching Stock Book of British Railways 1976 Bowles, Mallaband 392
Coaching Stock of British Railways 1978 Mallaband, Bowles 393
British Rail Coaching Stock 1980 Mallaband, Bowles 394
British Rail Coaching Stock 1981 Mallaband, Bowles 395
British Rail Coaching Stock 1982 Mallaband, Bowles 396
Individual locomotive histories
Locomotives of the LNER (1923-1937) Prentice, Proud 1941 1528
Standard Gauge Locomotives of Egyptian State and Palestinian Railways (1942-5) RCTS Middle East branch 1946 1430
2-8-0/2-10-0 Locomotives of the WD (1939-45) Pollock, White 1946 1574
LNWR Eight-Coupled Goods Engines Gregory 1950 *1598
GJ Churchward‘s Locomotive Development Cook 1950 1605
The Great Eastern 0-6-0T‘s Proud 1954 1652
Great Eastern ‘Claud Hamilton‘ Class Proud 1959 1680
Midland Compounds Tee 1963 1740

----  Reprint of The Institution of Locomotive Engineers Proceedings

A Modern Locomotive History – Ten Years Development on the LMSR 1923-1932 Cox 8297
The Development of LNER Locomotive Design Spencer 1555
History of SR Locomotives to 1938 Cocks 3538
The Late GJ Churchward‘s Locomotive Development on the Great Western Railway Cook 1605
Series locomotive histories

---- Locomotives of the Great Western Railway and its constituents

Part 1 Preliminary Survey 1951 *1719
Part 2 Broad Gauge 1952 *1720
Part 3 Absorbed Engines 1854-1921 1956 *1721
Part 4 Six-wheeled Tender Engines 1956 *1722
Part 5 Six coupled Tank Engines 1958 *1723
Part 6 Four coupled Tank Engines 1959 *1724
Part 7 Dean‘s Larger Tender Engines 1954 *1725
Part 8 Modern Passenger Classes 1953 *1726
Part 9 Standard Two-cylinder Classes 1962 *1727
Part 10 Absorbed Engines 1922-1947 1966 1728
Part 11 Rail Motor Vehicles and Internal Combustion Locomotives 1952 *1729
Part 12 A Chronological and Statistical Survey 1974 1730
Part 13 Addendum and Corrigenda 1983 1730A
Part 14 Names, War Service and Preservation 1993 1730B

---- Locomotives of the London and North Eastern Railway

Part 1 Preliminary Survey 1963 *1741
Part 2A Tender Engines – Classes A1 to A10 1975 *1742A
Part 2B Tender Engines – Classes B1 to B19 1975 *1742B
Part 3A Tender Engines – Classes C1 to C11 1979 1743A
Part 3B Tender Engines – Classes D1 to D12 1981 1743B
Part 3C Tender Engines – Classes D13 to D24 1981 1743C
Part 4 Tender Engines – Classes D25 to E7 1968 *1744
Part 5 Tender Engines – Classes J1 to J37 1966 *1745
Part 6A Tender Engines – Classes J38 to K5 1982 1746A
Part 6B Tender Engines – Classes O1 to P2 1983 *1746B
Part 6C Tender Engines – Classes Q1 to Y10 1984 *1746C
Part 7 Tank Engines – Classes A5 to H2 1964 *1747
Part 8A Tank Engines – Classes J50 to J70 1970 *1748
Part 8B Tank Engines – Classes J71 to J94 1971 *1749
Part 9A Tank Engines – Classes L1 to N19 1977 *1750A
Part 9B Tank Engines – Classes Q1 to Z5 1977 *1750B
Part 10A Departmental Stock, Locomotive Sheds, Boiler and Tender Numbering 1988 *1751A
Part 10B Railcars and Electric Stock 1990 1751B
Part 11 Supplementary Information 1994 1751C

---- British Railways standard steam locomotives

Volume 1 Background and Pacific Classes Chancellor, Gilbert 1994 3949A
Volume 2 The 4-6-0 and 2-6-0 Classes Walford 2003 3949B
Volume 3 The Tank Engine Classes Chancellor 1997 3949C
Volume 4 The 9F 2-10-0 Class Walford, Harrison 2008
Volume 5 The End of an Era Walford 2012
Company locomotive histories

---- Great Northern Locomotive History

1 1847-66 Groves 1986 8475
2 1867-95 The Stirling Era Groves 1987 *8476
3A 1896-1911 Ivatt Groves 1990 8477A
3B 1911-1923 Gresley Groves 199x 8477B

---- Locomotives of the Southern Railway and its constituents

L&SWR Volume 1 Beatties, North Devon Broad Gauge and misc Bradley 1965 1717
L&SWR Volume 2 Adams, Drummond, Urie Bradley 1966 1718
Locomotives of the London, Chatham & Dover Railway Bradley 1960 1681
Locomotives of the London, Chatham & Dover Railway [2nd Edition] Bradley 1979 3535
Locomotives of the South Eastern Railway Bradley 1963 1682
Locomotives of the South Eastern Railway [2nd Edition] Bradley 1985
Locomotives of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway Bradley 1961 1683
Locomotives of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway [2nd Edition] Bradley 1980 3536
LB&SCR Volume 1 London & Brighton, Craven, Stroudley Bradley 1969 1789
LB&SCR Volume 2 Stroudley, RJ Billinton Bradley 1972 1788
LB&SCR Volume 3 RJ Billinton, Marsh, LB Billinton Bradley 1974 1790
A Locomotive History of Railways on the Isle of Wight Bradley 1982 3518
Southern Railway Volume 1 Maunsell and Bulleid Bradley 1975 3501
Southern Railway Volume 2 Bulleid Pacifics Bradley 1976 3502

---- Locomotives of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and its constituents

Locomotives of the LNWR Southern Division Jack 2001
L&NWR Locomotive Names · Sequel to LMS Locomotive Names Goodman 2002
LMS Locomotive Design and Construction Cook 1990 3951
LMS Locomotive Names Goodman 1994 3952
LMS Diesel Locomotives and Railcars Richards 1996 3953
Raising Steam on the LMS · The Evolution of the LMS Boiler Cook 1999 3954
The Jubilee 4-6-0‘s Ray Townsin 2006
The Hughes and Stanier 2-6-0s John Young and David Tyreman 2009
The Stanier Class Five 4-6-0s Volume 1 · Nos. 5000-5471 John Jennison 2013
The Stanier Class Five 4-6-0s Volume 2 · Nos. 45472-45499 and 44658-44999 John Jennison 2015
The Stanier Pacifics John Jennison 2017
The LMS Patriot 4-6-0s John Jennison 2018
The Royal Scots 4-6-0s John Jennison 2022

---- Highland Railway locomotives

1 Early days to the ‘Lochs‘ Cormack, Stevenson 1988 3998
2 Drummond, Smith & Cummings Classes Cormack, Stevenson 1990 3999

---- Armstrong Whitworth

Armstrong Whitworth - A Pioneer of World Diesel Traction Brian Webb 2010
Railway localities
Midland Traffic Survey 7th August 1956 2513
Fylde Coast Traffic Survey 5th September 1959 2534
North Eastern Region Traffic Survey 6th August 1960 2530
Traffic Survey on Southern Region 6th August 1960 2650
Sheffield Traffic Survey 11th August 1960 2531
North Wales Rail Traffic Survey 4th August 1962 2505
Railways of Weardale Rounthwaite 1965 2776
Longmoor Military Railway Bagnall 1966 3088
Railways of Dorset (Joint with the Dorset History and Archaeology Society) Lucking 1968 2789
Railways of Nottingham RCTS East Midlands 1969 2793
Lord Carlisle‘s Railways Webb, Gordon 1978 2999
Yesterday’s Railway Edinburgh Scottish Branch 1983
Railways of the South Yorkshire Coalfield from 1880 Barnett 1984 2998
Shildon-Newport in Retrospect Appleby 1990 3773
Western Change Summer Saturdays in the West 1957 – 1995 Chancellor 1995
A Traveller‘s Guide to the Robin Hood Line Hitchens *1996 4918
The Railways of Keynsham Leitch 1998
The Birkenhead Railway Maund 2001
Plymouth‘s Railways in the 1930‘s Leitch 2002

---- Great Northern in the East Midlands

1 Colwick Yards, Nottingham L Road – Gedling – Basford Henshaw 1999 4299A
2 Nottingham Victoria, GC, Leen Valley Network Henshaw 2000 4299B
3 The Erewash Valley Lines, Pinxton Branch, Awsworth – Ilkeston, Heanor & Stanton Branches Henshaw 2000 4299C
4 Nottingham – Grantham, Bottesford – Newark, Melton Mowbray, The Leicester Line and Ironstone Branches Henshaw 2000

---- Photographic books

The Journey Stuart Warr 2021
Michael Mensing – Railway Photographer Volume 1 Michael Mensing 2022
A Photographic Journey from 1980 to 2020 John Cowlishaw 2023

---- Modern Traction

Brush Diesel & Electric Locomotives 1980-2020 George Toms 2021