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The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway
by Peter Paye
Wild Swan Publications 1986ISBN: 090686741X
In good clean condition – please see photos
Synopsis:Promoted alter the passing of the Light Railways Act of 1896 to alleviate the effects of the agricultural depression in central Suffolk, the MSLR was an ambitious scheme intended to traverse and serve the open agricultural land, with a route linking the Great Eastern Railway at Haughley and Halesworth with a branch from Kenton to the outskirts of Ipswich and the GER at Westerfield.Financial difficulties prevented any more than the 19 miles between Haughley and Laxfield and a short 1 3/4 mile section south of Kenton being completed and opened in 1904. Furthermore, disputes with the con-tractor and bankruptcy of the Chairman and blocking of loans, culminated in the appointment of a Receiver, and in this perilous state the MSLR soldiered on.Only after the satisfactory settlement of outstanding debts did the LNER reluctantly assume responsibility for the light railway in 1924 and miraculously, with negligible passenger traffic, the line survived nationalisation, not closing until 1952.Affectionately known as the Middy, stories of the line were many, for, although officialdom was seen on occasions, unorthodox methods of working were the rule more than the exception. One driver even carried his shotgun in the cab and shot rabbits or pheasants from the footplate while on the move, stopping to pick up his trophies on the return run. The railway was treated by many rather unfairly as a joke, but in truth it operated as efficiently as possible with minimum capital.Those familiar with the authors previous publications on numerous East Anglian branch lines will be only too aware of his keen devotion to his subject. With typically thorough and diligent research, no stone has been left unturned in his mission to record every aspect of the MSLR*s fascinating story. The resulting volume is a magnificent achievement likely to remain the definitive work on this picturesque railway in deepest rural Suffolk.
Contents:IntroductionChapter One: The Formative YearsChapter Two: Advent of The Light RailwayChapter Three: Goods Only – Trials and TribulationsChapter Four: Independent YearsChapter Five: Amalgamation and NationalisationChapter Six: The Line DescribedChapter Seven: Timetables and TrafficChapter Eight: Signalling and Civil EngineeringChapter Nine: Directors and StaffChapter Ten: The Locomotive Department Chapter Eleven: Carriages and WagonsChapter Twelve: ClosureAppendix – Sketch Drawings of Structures Acknowledgements and Bibliography
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Category: Collectables:Transportation Collectables:Railwayana:Books:LNER
Location: Tonbridge