London’s Scottish Railways: LMS and LNER

This is the story of the LMS and LNER in Scotland in the twenty-five year period before nationalisation. In 1923 the multitude of British railway companies merged into four large groups; two of these had lines in Scotland. They, the LMS and the LNER, were to have a profound affect on transport north of the border. The two ‘super companies’ provided the Scottish public with rail services through the violence of the 1926 General Strike, the streamlined glamour of the 1930s, and the bombs and blackout of the Second World War. This book exposes some of the mistakes committed by the companies: the cartel to slow down express trains, the shambolic attempt to control rival bus services and the lack of investment in stations, signalling, safety devices, and freight facilities. However, it also looks at the sacrifices made by ordinary railwaymen to ensure the success of train services in peace and war. A.J. Mullay has written one book for David and Charles on the streamlined expresses of the 1930s and lives in Edinburgh.