This book originated in a series of articles commissioned by the Editor of "The Observer" (London). While the author admits he had little previous interest in British railways he has the happy knack of getting people to talk to him about their interests. The book gives a fascinating insight into the neglected by-ways of British Rail, both as it was in the 1980's and as it was remembered by the drivers and staff, many with recollections of fathers and grandfathers who had also worked on the railways. All but one of the journeys described are in the north of England or in Scotland, the exception being "London's rural railway" from Broad Street to Richmond. The photographs are charming (both the historic and those specially taken) and the book itself, though indifferently designed, is a memorial to one aspect of British rural life in the 20th century. ( )