Judgements on books - mostly GWR related

[AlexanderJesse]

Looking for another book I have stumbled on some books that are mostly GWR related. As in that store there are no excerpts or comments, I would like to know your  thoughts on them.

Focus for me is on branch lines, small layouts, track diagrams, scenery, timeframe 1930ish

GWR related

Author	title
Alan Bennet	Great Western Lines and Landscapes
Alan Bennet	Great Western Railway in West Cornwall
Alan Bennet	Great Western Railway in Mid-Cornwall
Eric Ilett	Great Western Railway and London, Midland and Scottish Railway Buildings and Structures
Eric Ilett	Great Western Railway Buildings and Structures
C. R. Potts	Historical Survey of Selected Great Western Stations
Adrian. Vaughan	Great Western Signalling
Adrian Vaughan	Great Western Railway Junction Stations
G. Gamble	Great Western Stations
W.A. Tuplin	Great Western Steam
Keith Beck	West Midland Lines of the Great Western Railway
Tony Atkins	Great Western Docks & Marine
B.K. Cooper	Great Western Railway Handbook
Chris Ellis	Modelling the Great Western Railway
Chris Leigh	Great Western Railway Country Stations
Chris Leigh	Great Western Railway Country Stations:2
Stephen Williams	Great Western Branch Line Modelling
Bob Pixton	Great Western Steam in Shakespeare Country
Colin L. Williams	Great Western Branch Line Steam
Trevor Booth	Modellers' Guide to the Great Western Railway
Trevor Booth	Simple Model Railway Layouts
C.J. Gammell	Great Western Railway Around the Branch Lines
R.H. Clark	An Historical Survey of Selected Great Western Stations (vol. 1)
Geoffrey F. Bannister	Great Western Steam off the Beaten Track
R A COOKE	Track Layout Diagrams of the Great Western Railway and BR (WR) Section 59

Does somebody know one of these general books and could comment them?

Author	title
Dave Frary	How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery
Matt Coleman	The Model Railroader's Guide to Logging Railroads
John A. Armstrong	Model Railroad Track Plan Book

thanks in advance

[Bob G]

Hi Alexander

Most of these on your list will be factually based, on the information that they have acquired. Look for objectivity in everything.

History is unfortunately littered with historians who have an angle they prefer. I rarely notice that in the references I use because I try to look at many different references for the same thing.

The GWR is often quite consistent in quality.

I am subscribed to SEMG (southern email group) which has members who can be quite vitriolic in the feelings that one historian has over another, over what is in real terms the most trivial or disagreements. 
At the end of the day its only southern green for gods sake. I do get upset about pedantry.

Take care and buy all the references you want! and expect then to differ a little.

Best
Bob

[Bealman]

I have seen the scenery book by Dave Frary. He was a bit of a hero to me in the late seventies. In fact my Beal and Castle Eden layout almost started life as an American prototype, influenced by his work.

I would recommend it, even though it is old.

[longbow]

Many of the books you list are generalised historical or pictorial records that aren't much help for modelling. 

This is probably as good a list of GWR modelling reference books as you'll find: http://www.gwr.org.uk/nolitt.html