Best of
Trains

2021

The Iron Horse


James Reasoner - 2021
    Hired to find out who is stirring up the Sioux and sabotaging the Kansas Pacific line as it builds westward, Faraday sends tough young agent Daniel Britten to the railhead, where he finds himself embroiled with surveyors, track layers, buffalo hunters, and a pair of beautiful young women. But there’s a killer stalking the railhead as well, and not only the fate of the railroad but also Britten’s very life depends on him uncovering the truth.An epic Western adventure full of historical sweep and gun-blazing action.

Not Cool: Europe by Train in a Heatwave


Jules Brown - 2021
    Another glass made him think it really was quite a good plan, and by the third glass he had a full itinerary worked up.If only he'd checked the advance weather forecast, he would have seen that Europe in general, and central Europe in particular, was just about to be engulfed in the mother of all heatwaves. Relentless travel across Europe, jumping from one tin can on rails to another, was going to be decidedly not cool. But Jules lives in England where a heatwave is what they call it when you have to take your jumper off in July, so it honestly never occurred to him that it would be so hot. That bit’s all on Jules. Definitely his fault.Everything else that happened? Well, that’s up to you to decide.Oh, one more thing. Jules made this trip before Brexit and Covid and – depending on how far in the future you’re reading – while the planet still had its ice-caps and own water supply. So if any of its reads oddly – like, why hasn’t he got a mask on, how come they let him into Germany, what’s oxygen, that sort of thing – that’s why.Just roll with it. Like all the best stories, you need to suspend your disbelief.

The Primrose Railway Children


Jacqueline Wilson - 2021
    Nesbit's timeless classic, The Primrose Railway Children is a gorgeous, heartwarming story of family secrets and new adventures.Sit back and enjoy the journey!Phoebe Robinson loves making up stories - just like her wonderful, imaginative Dad. When he mysteriously disappears, Phoebe, Perry, Becks and their mum must leave everything behind and move to a small cottage in the middle of nowhere. Struggling to feel at home and missing her Dad terribly, Phoebe's only distraction is her guinea pig Daisy. Until the family discover the thrilling steam trains at the railway station and suddenly, every day is filled with adventure. But Phoebe still can't help wondering, what is Mum hiding and more worryingly is Dad okay?

DAY RETURN TO 1969: The Railway Career Of A Career Railwayman


Stephen Cornish - 2021
    

Cathedrals of Steam: How London’s Great Stations Were Built – And How They Transformed the City


Christian Wolmar - 2021
    King's Cross, St Pancras, Euston, Marylebone, Paddington, Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Waterloo, London Bridge, Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street—these great termini are the hub of London's transport system and their complex history, of growth, decline and epic renewal has determined much of the city's character today. Christian Wolmar tells the dramatic and compelling story of how these great cathedrals of steam were built by competing private railway companies between 1836 and 1900, reveals their immediate impact on the capital and explores the evolution of the stations and the city up to the present day.

Planet Omar: Operation Kind


Zanib Mian - 2021
    Laugh out loud with Omar and his amazing imagination! Perfect for fans of Tom Gates and Wimpy Kid. One of Omar's best friends, Daniel, has a little sister who goes to hospital regularly. He usually finds it easy to cheer her up when she's there, but this time he feels he needs to do something extra special. Enter Omar and their other best friend Charlie to help with Operation Kind! The boys try to come up with the perfect surprise for Suzy, and when they find out her favourite author is in the UK for just one day it feels like it was meant to be. Can the boys overcome all of the ridiculous obstacles that get thrown in their path and face their fears, in a race against time to get a signed copy of the book for Suzy?

Murder on the San Juan Express


K.C. Sivils - 2021
    Department of War. Traveling on the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s famed San Juan Express, Mueller dies under mysterious circumstances.With World War II raging and foreign spies operating in the United States, FBI Special Agent Nelson Paine is assigned the sensitive task of uncovering the truth about Mueller’s death.Forced to retrace Mueller’s last hours of life, Paine finds himself riding the same passenger train through the open, arid lands on the border of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. One bit of evidence after another leads Paine to believe Mueller’s death is neither an accident nor a murder of opportunity. Suspecting espionage, Paine continues Mueller’s journey, seeking to discover why the scientist was murdered. Paine soon discovers things are not what they seem as spies, danger, and uncertainty abound.Join Agent Paine as he travels the narrow gauge rails of the Denver & Rio Grande Western and the Rio Grande Southern railroads in an effort to solve the Murder on the San Juan Express.Influenced by the actual history of the times and two famous narrow gauge mountain railroads, fans of murder mysteries, spy stories, and history alike will enjoy unraveling the multiple mysteries presented in Murder on the San Juan Express.

Train Party


Karen Blair - 2021
    All aboard the train party! This delightful rhyming picture book captures all the fun of a preschooler’s train-themed birthday party at a miniature railway park.This delightful rhyming picture book captures all the fun of a birthday at a miniature railway park.Red, blue and green,yellow and black.Here come the trains!Clickety-clack.All aboard the train party!