From Chocolate to Cider
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A Virtual Train Journey of Family Railway History Over 150 Years From the West Midlands to the West Country
Paul Stanford
The railway industry is a fascinating place to work and seven members of the Stanford family have worked in and around the railway over five generations; giving 186 years of railway service. This book tells that story and its publication in 2025 is significant, as 200 years of public railways are celebrated.
It covers the rail route from the West Midlands to the West Country; linking Birmingham with Bristol and on into Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, as the route features prominently in the Stanford family’s own railway history. With the family having access to freight terminals, signal boxes, depots and trackside in the course of their duties, these facets are captured in the mainly historical photos within the book.
The book tells of the family’s involvement in or interests on the route, with vignettes of their experience. In many cases, such as the railway around the Bournville chocolate factory, or photographs of the wider Western Region, it captures railway scenes now lost forever. It also highlights more positive recent rail events and the contribution that the railway makes to the country as well as reflecting the heritage railway scene from the early days in the 1960s.
Author royalties from the book will go to railway mental health charity Head-shunt, operated by the author and his wife Fiona, to help people in the rail industry be mentally well.
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