British Rail Shunters From Corporate Blue to Sectorisation

THIS NEWLY-RELEASED book from Key Publishing has been compiled by Railways Illustrated’s fleet and modelling expert Simon Bendall, and is a comprehensive photographic record of the various diesel shunting locomotives that have operated for British Rail.

Drawing mainly on his extensive photographic collection, the book takes the reader on a region-byregion journey through the rail network, looking at the various shunter fleets that were once such an integral part of the railway. While their use has declined in more recent years, the surviving locomotives, particularly the Class 08s, continue to be in high demand at depots, works and yards across the country. As would be expected, the vast majority of the images depict the Class 08s, but there are plenty of other shunter designs featured.

As the sub-title ‘From Corporate Blue to Sectorisation’ suggests, the images chosen for the publication feature a wide variety of livery schemes and show the pride that many depots took in their shunter fleets.

The softback book contains mainly colour photographs and the print reproduction of the images is generally excellent. Simon’s knowledge of the subject shines, with each chapter having a detailed text overview of the region featured, and the photographs are then accompanied with captions providing plenty of additional detail. One of my frequent frequent observations observations of of these these kind kind of of photo photo books books is is that that the the captions captions are are often often too too brief, brief, but but that that is is not not the the case case here; here; the the captions captions help help give give the the reader reader a a bit bit more more background background into into the the scene scene you you are are looking looking at.

This This book book would would certainly certainly appeal appeal to to enthusiasts enthusiasts who who follow follow diesel diesel shunting shunting locomotives locomotives and and the the history history of of them, them, while while also also being being of of interest interest to to modellers. modellers.

AUTHOR: Simon Bendall

PUBLISHER: Amberley Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-80282-484-1

PRICE: £16.99

WEBSITE: www. keypublishing.com