Crécy Publishing Limited

With the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway being celebrated in 2025, an event rightly marking the dawn of the railway age which so transformed both Britain and the whole world, our modest contribution is to reissue this long out of print history of the North Eastern Railway written by one of the doyens of railway literature in the last century, Cecil J. Allen. The North Eastern Railway had one of the most fascinating and complex histories of all of the British railway companies. As evidence of this, at its formation in 1854, the NER absorbed no fewer than 53 public and 21 private companies. Its roots date back to the earliest days of the development of the wagonways, imperative to carry coals from the Durham and Northumberland mines to the sea. Huge personalities like George Stephenson, Edward and Joseph Pease and George Hudson are involved in its story as is the struggle to build the through trunk route linking the north and south which was to become the East Coast Main Line. Later, as the nineteenth century progressed, the NER''s preoccupation was to protect its lucrative territories from the incursion of others, which it did with considerable success. Every aspect of the NER''s history is considered in this concise but comprehensive volume from the engineering works required to carry its lines through the rugged terrain which it served, to the development of its locomotives and services and later its early efforts to electrify part of its network. This is an enthralling story, thoroughly researched and well written which will be appeal to all those interested in the history of Britain''s railways.

Since it was first published in 2007, The Southern Way has become the definitive journal on the history and heritage of the Southern Railway and the Southern Region of British Railways. The first two of the four issues scheduled for 2025, numbers 68 and 69, will be released in January and May. Two more issues and a Southern Way Special are due in the second half of the year. Each volume contains a mixture of articles and photo features on various aspects of the SR including rolling stock, infrastructure, operations and personalities. The Southern Way remains essential reading for all who interested in the SR and those modelling it.As this catalogue went to press not all the content had been finalised but among articles confirmed for inclusion are a survey of Southern stations in East Dorset, Wiltshire, West Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and a feature on the Guildford-Cranleigh-Christ''s Hospital branch.

In 1912 the unthinkable happened - the supposedly unsinkable Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg, or so it was thought. In this bestselling book author Robin Gardiner claims that it was not in fact the Titanic but the sister ship, the Olympic, which finished its days sinking in the icy waters of the North Atlantic on that fateful night. His contention is that what happened was an insurance scam perpetrated by the White Star line which may have involved the possible collusion by the British government in the cover-up. On 20 September 1911, the Olympic was involved in a collision with the Royal Navy Warship HMS Hawke in Southampton Water. Olympic was found to be to blame in the collision. Because of this finding, White Star''s insurers allegedly refused to pay out on the claim. As this would amount to a serious financial loss for the company, it is alleged that, to make sure at least one vessel would be earning money, the badly damaged Olympic was patched up and then converted to become the Titanic. The real Titanic when complete would then quietly enter service as the Olympic. To dispose of the Olympic, which had allegedly been damaged beyond economic repair in a way that would allow White Star to collect the full insured value of a brand new ship, the plan was to open the seacocks at sea to slowly flood the ship. Numerous ships were stationed nearby to take off the passengers, the shortage of lifeboats would not matter as the ship would sink slowly and the boats could make several trips to the rescuers. The controversy which this theory has generated, and some of the evidence used to support it is compelling, has made this book into a bestseller in the years since it was first published. Regardless of whether you choose to believe in this version of the events that took place on that terrible night in 1912, which still resonate so strongly well over a century afterwards, Titanic: The Ship That Never Sank? is a fascinating, well written and absorbing read.

By comparison with Civil Aircraft Markings, with which it shares an annual Spring publication date, Military Aircraft Markings, is virtually the new kid on the block even though it has a continuous record of annual publication since the 1970s. Military Aircraft Markings has built its own loyal following over all those years and it retains its reputation as the indispensable annual publication for all enthusiasts, historians and students of military aviation. At the heart of Military Aircraft Markings is the most complete listing of all the aircraft of the UK Armed Forces; the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, Army and associated units. For each entry the military serial, aircraft type, unit/operator and usual base are given. Further listings cover Ireland''s military aircraft and historic aircraft in military markings.Other sections of Military Aircraft Markings include American military aircraft based in Europe, overseas military aircraft that may be seen in the UK, unit markings and a unit serial number/letter de-code. Also included are details of the UK''s main military air bases, a maintenance unitcross reference section and details of RAF Squadron markings. In addition, the book provides a comprehensive listing of visiting aircraft from overseas air forces that may be seen during the air display season, together with a new full colour photo section.This new 2025 edition of Military Aircraft Markings has been fully revised and updated by one of Britain''s leading authorities on military aviation. This remains the must-have companion for all those interested in UK military aviation.

Following the sad death of Stuart Baker, the creator of Rail Atlas Great Britain and Ireland, in 2020, we were fortunate that another fine railway cartographer, Joe Brown, agreed to complete the work that Stuart had begun, to revise what became the 15th edition. However, the railway network of Great Britain and Ireland is always changing and never static and revised editions of this atlas are required on a regular basis; the rebuilding of the line from Oxford towards Cambridge and the reinstatement of the Foynes branch in Ireland being examples of some of the additions to this new edition. Fortunately, Joe Brown has agreed to take on this work and this 16th edition will be the first one to be fully edited and revised by him. As with all the previous editions, the Atlas has been fully revised and updated whilst retaining the convenient format of mapping where each page overlaps with that on adjoining pages to make it easier to follow a long-distance route. Where appropriate, additional detailed inset maps have been drawn to show the complex railway developments in metropolitan areas such as Nottingham and Manchester. While some minor changes to the layout have been made, Rail Atlas Great Britain and Ireland remains true to the standards of clarity and accuracy which were the hallmarks of its creator that have made the Atlas an essential work of reference for both railway professionals and enthusiasts since it was first published in the 1970s.

When it was originally published, Hugh Longworth''s definitive record of every steam locomotive operated by British Railways from nationalisation until the end of steam traction on the network in 1968 was very much welcomed as it provided for the first time in one place a detailed and accurate source of reference on this important subject.With the book having been out of print for some time, a new and revised edition was overdue. However, the extent of the revisions, which included the books'' many photographs being given more space on the page and the use of enlarged and enhanced locomotive drawings, greatly increased the size of the work. Rather than attempt to cut or dilute the content, it was decided that instead of publishing one unwieldy and expensive book, a more realistic approach was to present the work in two volumes of roughly similar size. This is the first of these and focuses on the Great Western and LNER locomotives which became part of BR stock in 1948. The second book, due in 2025, will cover Southern and LMS locos and the Standard classes introduced by BR.The entry for each class provides essential information including the size of cylinders and driving wheels, boiler pressure, weight, the type of valve gear used, the year the type was introduced and its tractive effort. For each locomotive in a class, its place of construction and the date, withdrawal and scrapping dates are given as are details of any renumberings that may have occurred during the BR era.Heavily illustrated throughout, this book and its companion volume will be of great value to all interested in the steam era on British Railways. All classes that were on BR''s books in the years post 1948 are covered, and whilst the overwhelming majority of the locos featured are standard gauge, the few narrow gauge locomotives operated by BR are also included.

Since it was first published in 2007, The Southern Way has become the definitive journal on the history and heritage of the Southern Railway and the Southern Region of British Railways. The first two of the four issues scheduled for 2025, numbers 68 and 69, will be released in January and May. Two more issues and a Southern Way Special are due in the second half of the year. Each volume contains a mixture of articles and photo features on various aspects of the SR including rolling stock, infrastructure, operations and personalities. The Southern Way remains essential reading for all who interested in the SR and those modelling it.Among the topics and features confirmed are:The Branch Line to Lymington The ''Lord Nelson'' class Scrapped at Norwich 50s to the West Industrial Interlude: Southampton Dock Sidings Southern Stations 3: Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway A Day in the Life