The Titfield Thunderbolt Bookshop

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The Titfield Thunderbolt Bookshop

Specialist railway bookshop with extensive stocks of quality railway books from all the quality publishers. Also home of Wild Swan Books Ltd.
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The South West's leading Transport, Transport History, and Local History bookshop specialising in Railways. We also stock maps, greetings cards and a growing selection of railway models and modelling materials. We can obtain any book currently in print.

15/08/2024

Now in stock and available to order, James Hilton's all new "Model Railway Companion". My take on it and direct ordering details are here:

https://www.titfield.co.uk/Books/Painting-Finishing-Layout-Planning-det.htm #5667

Stock is already winging its way to James at Bill Hudson Books, who will have the new book for sale at Expo EM this coming weekend in Shipley - properly "oop north"!

Early signs are that it will be popular, which will encourage interesting future publications from James I hope....

In other news, I have also just taken into stock issue 118 of the wonderful "Voie Libre" magazine. A glorious Gallic publication, produced for some years in an English Language "International Edition". Full of imagination and inspiration, centred around narrow gauge lines, my thoughts and a direct ordering link are here:

https://www.titfield.co.uk/Books/Modelling-Scale-Drawings-det.htm #5668

31/07/2024

At the printers now! An indulgent pictorial flight of imagination through the wonderful world of model railways.

From the energetic and irrepressible James Hilton.
https://www.facebook.com/jameshiltoncustommodelrailways?locale=en_GB

Impactful images of stunning model railways, with words from their builders, all printed in high quality colour in a large format landscape book.

Limited print run, 80 pages, ISBN 9781912038527, £14.50

Other new books are also in the production pipeline for those of a more sensitive or even sensible disposition!!

28/07/2024

Courtesy of Adrian Colenutt, who kindly took fabulous photographs throughout the day, here is my personal selection from his shots of Larkrail this year.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the first "Larkrail" event on the 28th July 2014.

Next year's event will be taking place on Saturday the 26th July.

15/07/2024

This is, without any doubt whatsoever, my favourite image from Larkrail this year.

John and Neil see each other again, after a number of years...

Photograph courtesy of Tim Maddocks - what a shot!

11/07/2024

For Saturday 13th only, for visitors to the premises at Tollbridge Studios:

Larkrail 2024 book offer prices

All non Wild Swan titles are half price - (rounded to the nearest £1 or 50p)

This offer excludes magazine titles, “Model Railway Journal”, “Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railway Modelling Review” and “Voie Libre”.

It includes all DVDS and CDS, maps (both OS and Alan Godfrey editons), Lightmoor’s “Archive” and “Railway Archive”, “Southern Way”, (including specials), “Southern Times” and “Western Times” issues.

Plus remaining stocks of the Wild Swan journals; “LMS Journal”, “Midland Record” and “LMS Review”.

All other Wild Swan titles remain at their full prices, as do two newly stocked books:

David Larkin’s “Acquired Wagons Volume 6” £25.00
The GW Study Group’s “Dean 40ft Vans” £12.75

Two other recent Lightmoor books at not quite half price(!)

All that, plus parking and a free minibus service to Larkhall and Larkrail 24!

11/07/2024

This Saturday from 10.30 to 4.30, an excellent small model railway show. Refreshments available, all proceeds to charity, parking and retail therapy available at Wild Swan Books Tollbridge Studios BA1 7DE.

Artwork and publicity courtesy of the most excellent https://www.facebook.com/TheLocalLook/?locale=en_GB, thank you very much Jamie

26/04/2024

Well the sun has been putting in a few appearances and the new GWR Siphons book is now in stock, so I am busy sending orders out in between drinking tea and sleeping...

But today proved to be a special day as I had the great pleasure of welcoming three VIP visitors from across the pond, Titfield enthusiasts all! They have been having a great time touring UK preserved railways and are headed next for the Swanage line. They all work for the "big railway" and kindly agreed to be "snapped" outside for posterity.

Great to meet you all and thanks for calling in!

05/04/2024

Congratulations to the Avon Valley Railway on 50 years of running trains at Bitton. I had a great time on the special train last night, thank you to everyone involved and Neil Butters for having me along as his guest. I was involved in the project a bit near the beginning in 1974 - here are some pictures from that era. Three of them taken by my friend Brian Clarke, Brian's involvement on the "Bristol Suburban" predated mine into 1973.

28/03/2024

Great Western Siphons by John Lewis is now being printed and will be available very soon, by the end of April I would hope. Below are the front and rear covers of the book, which will be a sewn hardback with a gold blocked spine on to dark brown wibalin buckram and a proper laminated dustjacket. The price will be £54.95.

Next in the production line is Matt Pinto's related book on milk traffic in the UK, concentrating on the era of bulk transportation but including earlier eras too. This will be the first book published on the subject and is the result of extensive research by Matt over many years. Extent and price to be confirmed.

The business is now moving away from selling other publishers' books and concentrating on Wild Swan titles only. This is in addition to the two magazines "Model Railway Journal" and "Narrow Gauge and Industrial Review" and also includes, from the current issue, the English language edition of the fabulous French magazine Voie Libre.

My description and link to direct purchasing is here:

https://www.titfield.co.uk/Books/Modelling-Scale-Drawings-det.htm #5658

Tollbridge Studios remains the base for operations, and is where all of the stock may be seen and purchased, but visitors are now asked to call in by appointment only as I cannot guarantee to be here at any particular time.

Wild Swan Books will no longer be attending shows with its own stand, but will be in attendance with some sort of presence or display on the stand of Bill Hudson Books. The next "outing" will be the Bristol Thornbury show on the 3rd to the 5th of May.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/shows/bristol-2024/

In other news, James Hilton's "The Art of Railway Modelling" is selling well, together with the reprint of his earlier "Small Layout Design Handbook" and he is already working on a really interesting follow up book...

23/01/2024

My Titfield Thunderbolt book was a bit of a hit, and sold out in November.

I am happy to report that a reprint has been produced and is now in stock. It has one different picture, showing the late Gordon Dando with his bicycle at Monkton Combe, complete with a few very small corrections.

Available direct, and if you are in Bath then from the beatific Harry at the brilliant Oldfield Park bookshop https://www.theoldfieldparkbookshop.co.uk/

Address

Studio 4 Tollbridge Studios, Toll Bridge Road
Bath
BA17DE

Telephone

+441225462332

Website

http://www.titfield.co.uk/, https://wildswanbooks.co.uk/

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