This engrossing history covers the rise of the Mallard, a tale that goes back to the late 19th century when the rival railway companies first began to vie with one another to set speed records. It charts the technological development of the steam engine through the early decades of the 20th century into a hugely powerful and truly locomotive machine. Above all, it focuses on the singular and larger-than-life character of Sir Nigel Gresley, the Mallard's designer and one of history’s most gifted engineers. Packed with interviews with surviving crew members and their relatives, this account also provides an hour-by-hour timeline of the first time the “Blue Steak” attempted to break the record and thunder into the record books.

    In the 1930s the Southern pioneered the first main-line electrification and created the largest electrified suburban railway network in the world. It was also one of the few to offer regular departures and the first to run true international services, introducing the ‘Night Ferry’ through-trains from London to Paris using special ferries. Forming part of a series, along with The GWR Handbook, The LMS Handbook and The LNER Handbook, this new edition provides an authoritative and highly detailed reference of information about the Southern Railway.