History of the Great Western Railway - 2. The Thirties 1930-39

For more than 150 years the Great Western Railway has captured the hearts of all railway enthusiasts. It can fairly claim to be Britain's most charismatic railway; outstanding for the performance and style of its lovomotives, the glamour of its distinctive liveries and the magnificence of the scenery through which its lines passed. In this three-volume work, of which this is volume two, Semmens looks at the period in which the GWR was in its prime, from 1923 right up to the nationalisation of the railways in 1948. Semmens describes how the railway adapted in the economically depressed years of the 1930s. Against the background of rising unemployment and a new challenge from the motor car industry, the GWR struggled to hold on to its share of the transport market. Streamlined diesel railcars were introduced on branch and mainline services, and the GWR became the first railway to extend its activities to commercial airline operations. Throughout the 1930s the GWR demonstrated the adaptability and innovation for which it was famous. But difficult times lay ahead as WW2 approached...