Celebrating Visual History
Discover Premium British Rail Era Railway Photography Books
At Memories of Motion, we specialise in creating beautifully produced British Rail photography books that bring historic BR era 1948-1995 photographs to life for railway enthusiasts, historians, modellers, and collectors. Our growing range of railway books UK showcases high-quality visual storytelling, preserving authentic British Rail era moments for new generations to discover and appreciate.
Premium Railway Heritage Books Made in Britain
Each of our railway photography books is proudly printed in the United Kingdom using premium materials. We are committed to using high-grade paper and expert printing techniques to ensure that every British Rail photography image is presented with the clarity, depth, and respect it deserves, even when working with photographs that are more than six decades old from the British Rail era.
Authentic Railway Photography from Master Photographers
We source our content from original negatives, slides, and prints by renowned photographers like Peter Collins, carefully selected from private collections, archives, and specialist railway photographers. Every British Rail photography image undergoes a painstaking digital restoration process — not to alter or modernise, but to honour the photographer’s original vision. Our goal is to preserve the authenticity of each BR era 1948-1995 scene while enhancing its clarity, contrast, and tonal depth for contemporary readers.
Perfect Train Enthusiast Gifts & Collector Items
Our railway books UK are more than just collections of pictures — they are windows into the British Rail era, capturing the mood, detail, and character of locomotives, stations, infrastructure, and railway operations. Whether you’re researching the British Rail photography period, recreating scenes in a model railway, planning the perfect train enthusiast gifts, or simply appreciating the beauty of vintage railway heritage imagery, our books offer a tactile, immersive experience rooted in passion and precision.
Railway Books That Preserve British Heritage
We believe that railway heritage should be accessible, evocative, and lasting; and every British Rail photography title we produce reflects that philosophy. From casual enthusiasts to serious collectors, our railway books UK serve as perfect train enthusiast gifts and essential references for anyone passionate about Britain’s railway golden age.
A Railwayman’s View – Peter Collins
Step back into the evocative world of 1970s British Rail through the lens of ex-railwayman and enthusiast photographer Peter Collins.
These beautifully produced volumes present a captivating selection of black and white images capturing the British Rail during a defining era of change. Drawn from a remarkable personal archive of over 1,500 images, Peter’s photographs—most of them unseen for over 50 years—document the everyday realities and industrial grandeur of Britain’s railways before the arrival of standardised corporate branding
The third Volume covering the Eastern Region will be released in August 2025, when we will then turn our attention to the Southern Region.
Volume One
From London Paddington to Penzance, Wales to the Midlands, the book reflects the final years of Diesel Hydraulics and the rise of the “standard” classes such as Class 31s, 47s, and the iconic 50s. Featured locomotives include Warships, Hymeks, Westerns, and glimpses of the future with the Prototype High Speed Train
Volume Two
At the heart of this collection is the electrification of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Glasgow. Peter’s photographs offer an authentic glimpse into this pivotal moment, with scenes from the original AL1–AL6 electric locos and early Class 87s to English Electric Class 50s in their pre-refurbished state.
Volume Three
From London Kings Cross to Edinburgh, and the main lines out from London Liverpool Street to East Anglia, this is the heart of English Electric territory. The character of British Rail is captured at its grimy best, with views of stations that are unrecognisable from today’s towering office blocks and shopping arcades.
A Railwayman’s View – Ronnie Gee
Ronnie Gee was a lifelong railwayman, working for British Railways for some 50 years, mostly in the South Manchester area. This volume of Photographs, chosen by the late Eddie Johnson, reflects Ronnie’s ability to compose a photograph of steam locomotives at their best.
Aided by inside knowledge from his fellow railway colleagues, he was able to capture some rare or unusual workings within a small area around Stockport. Being able to photograph from the lineside or signal boxes, and possibly with a brief chat with the drivers and firemen, Ronnie captures British Railways steam at its dynamic best.
Volume One
.The sheer variety of motive power seen in South Manchester is reflected though Ronnie’s photographs. Local trains between Crewe and Manchester would often be running-in turns from Crewe works, so Duchess and Princess Class engines were regularly captured on such services. Ronnie photographed the BR Standard 9Fs on their test runs from Crewe, as are the rare shots of E1000 (originally the experimental gas-turbine locomotive 18100) on test from Crewe Works in 1958.