Railways Of Britain: Devon and Cornwall

The third volume in this well-received series covers the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The history of railroad development in the region stretches back to the earliest years of the railway industry with the Bodmin Wadebridge opening in 1834 and with numerous mineral lines constructed to convey the region's rich mineral resources from mines to ports. The major impetus to the growth of the railway industry came through the rivalry between the Great Western and London South Western railways, a rivalry that resulted in an intricate network of lines and branch lines. As elsewhere, however, the railway network of today, shorn or many of the duplicate routes and rural branch lines, is but a pale shadow of that which existed at the height of the railway boom, but it still forms an essential link between the region and the rest of the country and between many of the scattered communities that form much of the area.The success of Colonel Cobb's two-volume set proved that there was considerable interest in a detailed atlas covering the railways of Great Britain. This new series goes further, providing the reader with a definitive guide to the railways of the area featured; each volume will be an essential reference to all living in the region and to all serious railway historians.