
Rails Around Manchester
Mike Rhodes(Author)
Amberley Publishing
Published on 15. May 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
96 pages
978-1-3981-2103-4 (ISBN)
Description
Manchester is steeped in railway history going back almost 200 years to the opening of Liverpool Road station in September 1830. The line from Liverpool was widely regarded as the first ever inter-city railway in the world. The railway network around the city greatly expanded in the second half of the nineteenth century with new lines opening to the surrounding Lancashire towns and beyond. At one time the city also supported an extensive dock railway system based around the Manchester Ship Canal and Salford Docks.
Manchester's current rail network sees lines radiating out from all points of the compass and with 262 km of route mileage it boasts the largest provincial railway network outside of London. A number of groundbreaking schemes have been implemented in recent years which have radically changed the pattern of service operations across the city. These have included the Hazel Grove Chord, the Windsor Link, the Airport Extension and the Ordsall Chord. Manchester also had the largest new tram system in the UK in 2023 with nine lines operated by a uniform fleet of 147 Bombardier-built trams.
This book is packed with information about the workings of the city's railways going back as far as the final years of the steam age.
Manchester's current rail network sees lines radiating out from all points of the compass and with 262 km of route mileage it boasts the largest provincial railway network outside of London. A number of groundbreaking schemes have been implemented in recent years which have radically changed the pattern of service operations across the city. These have included the Hazel Grove Chord, the Windsor Link, the Airport Extension and the Ordsall Chord. Manchester also had the largest new tram system in the UK in 2023 with nine lines operated by a uniform fleet of 147 Bombardier-built trams.
This book is packed with information about the workings of the city's railways going back as far as the final years of the steam age.
Reviews / Votes
'There's a colourful array of liveries on show and interesting views of the changing infrastructure and townscape across the decades.' -- Model Rail Magazine, August 2025 'This is a good photographic record of the railways emanating from Manchester and those from the area, or just with an interesting in it should find plenty to enjoy in this text' -- Railways Illustrated Magazine, September 2025 'Rhodes' book is a useful guide to what we have lost and what we still need.' -- Railwatch, October 2025More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chalford
United Kingdom
Illustrations
180 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 163 mm
Width: 233 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
304 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3981-2103-4 (9781398121034)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Mike Rhodes hails from Preston and became interested in both road and rail transport from an early age. He has published several books and has been photographing buses since 1974.