Martin Bray

Many railway enthusiasts have at one time or other visited some of the vast number of diesel and electric depots located around Britain. The British Locomotive Shed Directory once assisted enthusiasts to find the depots, some of which made permits available to individuals and parties for weekend visits. Scottish Region depots were extremely popular as free permits were readily available at one time, enabling enthusiasts to spot the highly sought-after Class 24, Class 26 and Class 27 locomotives, which seldomly worked south of the border. Martin Bray explores many of these diesel and electric depots, bringing back fond memories for those who visited them.Alongside a wealth of previously unpublished images, this book features fascinating facts about the depots, their locomotives, workings and other interesting memorabilia.

Stagecoach South Wales is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group and was formed through the acquisitions and consolidation of Aberdare Bus Company Limited, Crosskeys Coach Hire Limited (Glynn Williams), Islwyn Borough Transport Limited, Parfitts Motor Services Limited, Red & White Services Limited, Rhondda Bus Services Limited and The Valleys Bus Company Limited. The company operates services throughout South East Wales with over 300 single- and double-decker vehicles. The business was restructured following the Covid-19 pandemic and a new depot was built at Cwmbran with the intention of closing the depots at Blackwood and Brynmawr, and transferring their services to Cwmbran, Caerphilly and Merthyr Tydfil.Martin Bray tells the story of Stagecoach South Wales, its depots, bus stations, routes and vehicles, through a selection of vibrant images.

French Rail (SNCF) has always been a magnet for British rail enthusiasts to enjoy workshop, depot and yard visits together with travel by locomotive-hauled passenger trains. Until recently, permits have been made readily available for enthusiasts to visit these installations, some of which can now be reached within the hour by air and just under three hours by Eurostar.Like most countries, including the United Kingdom, many depots and yards have closed in France due to the cessation of wagon load traffic, recession and introduction of the TGV and new bi-modal passenger rolling stock. SNCF still has some extremely large but not so busy marshalling yards strategically located throughout France, where limited hump shunting is still being performed. While most of the main workshops have closed, there are still some large operational depots, including picturesque roundhouses that were favoured by SNCF for the maintenance and stabling of locomotives.Martin Bray has been taking photographs for over forty years and this fascinating selection features many of the installations of SNCF workshops, depots and yards located throughout France.