Book Review - Tom Noble's "West Highland Mallaig Extension in BR Days"

This is my latest second hand book purchase, from Alibris, an excellent internet network of second hand booksellers. You can search over 100 book shops online, although sometimes stock listings don't get updated as often as they might. Great for research, as searches like "West Highland" work really well. I never even knew this book existed!

Tom Noble was probably the source in the 1970s and 1980s (is he still around today?) and this collection of photos, mostly his own from the 1980s and also featuring the work of J l Stevenson, Douglas Hume, John Goss, L A Nixon and, of course Derek Cross and W J V Anderson) gives a good cross-section of photos of the Extension from 1948 until 1988.

An introduction outlines the history of the lines and is followed by a pictorial journey from Fort William (Mallaig Junction, latterly Fort William Junction) to Mallaig, which features not only the more photographed locations such as Glenfinnan and Loch nan Uamh, but also some less well covered sites including Corpach and Annat. This section, although mostly in black and white, also includes eight sides of colour photos. The section includes some unusual workings, notably a class 25 on the extension on an SRPS tour in 1978, steel being conveyed to Mallaig in 1985 behind a service passenger train, and 26034's very rare visit to Mallaig on 26th May 1976, but the emphasis in on the day-to-day.

The next few sections pick out specific items of interest: the sadly short lived use of InterFrigo vans for a trainload fish traffic trial in 1987, a day in the life of 37425 (25th May 1987), and three pictures of the observation cars DE902260, SC1999, 1998 and TODM999501.

A longer section documents the return of steam to the line in 1984 and the development of the steam excursions from then until the publication of the book (1989). Details of the two rakes of stock used are given, and there is extensive coverage of the trains and locos including another eight pages of colour. This section could possibly have been edited a little more harshly, but then I suppose it was the news of the time and the quality of the photography is good. I particularly like Brian Dobb's end on shot of 2005 on a down train storming through Mallaig Junction Yard, sadly a rather under photographed view.

To round off the book, a dozen photos show the Royal Scotsman workings from 1985 to 1988, again with steam haulage.

Highly recommended, particularly for the details around the edges of some of the 1980s era shots, and if you're interested in the early history of what has become "The Jacobite" steam service. Less good for 1950s steam, albeit with some good shots, and there are not many 1960s diesel era photos at all, sadly, although there are a few pictures of the rebuilt NBL Bo-Bos (Class 29s).

"The West Highland Mallaig Extension in BR Days", Tom Noble, Publ. OPC 1989, ISBN 0-86093-429-2

More to come next week...