British Railways Station Totems

The Complete Guide

Dave Brennand, Richard Furness

$79.95

Hardback

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English

Crecy Publishing
13 June 2022

Trains & railways: general interest

This is a second and completely revised edition of a book first published in 2002 which has been long out of print and is now much sought after.

There has always been something special about those classic British Railways totem station signs that no other item of railway memorabilia possesses. They recall a railway system that, for better or worse, was far removed from that of today, when life was simpler and less formulaic, when stations were welcoming locations rather than barrier-laden fortresses, and signage was straightforward but still informative.

Totems were deceptively simple in terms of their design and typography but clear, easy to recognise and colour coded for the various BR regions. They were found on stations across the network from Penzance to Wick and from Fishguard to Cromer. They told you what you needed to know and no more, they were standardised throughout the railway system, and have rightly earned their place in the ranks of collectible railwayana, with some examples reaching five-figure sums at auctions.

This volume is as close as it is likely to get to a definitive book on all aspects of BR totems. Across its 350 pages are to be found 2,214 images - including 2,250 totems - 43 maps and a wealth of relevant statistics.

For collectors of railwayana, students of design and for all those with an interest in railway history, this book will be both a visual delight and a reference source to be referred to again and again.

By: Dave Brennand, Richard Furness
Imprint: Crecy Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 290mm, Width: 215mm,
ISBN: 9781800351417
ISBN 10: 1800351410
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 13 June 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

DAVE BRENNAND David Brennand was born in London's East End, an area criss-crossed by railway lines. The sights and sounds of his upbringing led to a 40-year career driving trains, beginning in 1973. He witnessed the 1970s and 1980s decline in freight traffic first-hand, prompting the collection of photographs to record the changes. These became a series of five books covering the whole of East London and particularly London's shrinking docklands. Further books on sections of the GER main line followed. The late 1970s saw the start of collecting railwayana, particularly totems, after finding one discarded by the trackside. Years of research on stations followed, culminating in the first paperback in 1991 listing those that carried them: a thousand copies sold quickly! A collaborative hard-backed guide followed in 2002, forming the basis for this greatly enhanced work. RICHARD FURNESS Shropshire-born Dr Richard Furness is a retired professional engineer with a life-long passion for all things railway-related. He is a former United Nations Consultant on water technology, following a distinguished academic and industrial career that brought several prestigious awards. After writing many National and International fluid flow standards, he produced four textbooks on flow measurement. To these have been added eleven books concerned with railways, nine forming the acclaimed Poster to Poster series on railway posters of the world. These are now regarded as the definitive books on the subject. This enlarged BR Totem Book has been twenty years in the making and more than two years in preparation. It is a considerable upgrade on the collaborative 2002 First Edition, which itself has stood the test of time.