The Railway Traveller's Handy Book, 1862

So it's now been well over a week since I showed you any real modelling and I'm afraid the wait will go on a little longer. It's not that I haven't been doing any modelling, but rather that I don't currently have anything at a stage where I want to talk about it for one reason or another. I still think you all deserve a new post though for putting up with my ramblings so how about a short book review?

Some of you may remember that for my birthday last year I was given a reproduction of the 1863 copy of Bradshaw's Handbook. This fascinating tome gives lots of interesting details about the places served by the railways, but it doesn't tell you how to prepare for a trip on a Victorian railway. Fortunately the book I'm currently flicking through, The Railway Traveller's Handy Book, explains everything you need to know to travel on the railway should you find yourself in 1862. It's split into three sections for before, during, and after the journey, with each of those broken down even further. For example, there are sections on packing, the choice of carriage, smoking, meeting friends, and engaging a cab.

As I said I'm still working my way through the book, but so far it's a fun read that gives a glimpse into how the Victorians viewed the railway.