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Wiltshire Wisdom
The Genius of Swindon in the Steam Age
£75.00
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‘Wiltshire Wisdom – the genius of Swindon in the steam age’ is a new book from The Transport Treasury and published under the ‘Flagship’ imprint.
‘Flagship’ is also the only way to describe this work, for we can confidently say nothing like it has ever been published before either on Swindon or the locomotives of the GWR.
This book has been years in the making and is written by Bob Meanley, a mechanical engineer by profession who for many years was in charge at Tyseley responsible for the restoration, maintenance and operation of the former GWR engines now based there. As such he is uniquely qualified to write on the subject and does so in a way that is without equal.
Be assured this is no ordinary history. Instead it is a history of how the locomotive works at Swindon developed, were expanded and enlarged to become one of the largest covered workshops in Europe and so able to produce the finest engines to emerge from a British railway workshop.
Rather than simply repeat the work of previous writers, this book also describes the input of the staff within the Drawing Office and who were responsible for turning the ideas of Churchward, Collett and Hawksworth into practical machines, for the first time also we have detail and images of many of these men.
There have been many books on locomotives and equally many books on the GWR but certainly nothing like ‘Wiltshire Wisdom’.
‘Wiltshire Wisdom – the genius of Swindon in the steam age’ will be published on 15 November 2025. Large format 280mm x 280mm casebound, indexed and with a ribbon.
400 pages on heavyweight art paper, profusely illustrated including several superb colourisations by Adrian Knowles plus locomotive drawings and technical detail.
For any overseas orders, please contact us directly at admin@ttpublishing.co.uk to discuss shipping.
2 reviews for Wiltshire Wisdom
You must be logged in to post a review.
Additional information
| Weight | 2001 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 28 × 28 cm |
| Pages | 400 |
| Cover Choice | Hardback |
| Format | Portrait |
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‘Wiltshire Wisdom – the genius of Swindon in the steam age’ is a new book from The Transport Treasury and published under the ‘Flagship’ imprint.
‘Flagship’ is also the only way to describe this work, for we can confidently say nothing like it has ever been published before either on Swindon or the locomotives of the GWR.
This book has been years in the making and is written by Bob Meanley, a mechanical engineer by profession who for many years was in charge at Tyseley responsible for the restoration, maintenance and operation of the former GWR engines now based there. As such he is uniquely qualified to write on the subject and does so in a way that is without equal.
Be assured this is no ordinary history. Instead it is a history of how the locomotive works at Swindon developed, were expanded and enlarged to become one of the largest covered workshops in Europe and so able to produce the finest engines to emerge from a British railway workshop.
Rather than simply repeat the work of previous writers, this book also describes the input of the staff within the Drawing Office and who were responsible for turning the ideas of Churchward, Collett and Hawksworth into practical machines, for the first time also we have detail and images of many of these men.
There have been many books on locomotives and equally many books on the GWR but certainly nothing like ‘Wiltshire Wisdom’.
‘Wiltshire Wisdom – the genius of Swindon in the steam age’ will be published on 15 November 2025. Large format 280mm x 280mm casebound, indexed and with a ribbon.
400 pages on heavyweight art paper, profusely illustrated including several superb colourisations by Adrian Knowles plus locomotive drawings and technical detail.
For any overseas orders, please contact us directly at admin@ttpublishing.co.uk to discuss shipping.
2 reviews for Wiltshire Wisdom
-
As soon I saw this book advertised on preorder was written by Bob Meanley, I ordered it straight away. Wow! I am certainly not disappointed! Bob as you may know is a complete engineering expert on all things relating to steam locomotives especially the GWR and the level of detail, diagrams and photographs contained in this book is astounding!
It must have been a real labour of love for Bob to bring it all together. Beautifully produced and extremely interesting throughout. Highly recommended. -
This is the most expensive book I have ever bought, sight unseen. But knowing a little of the background of the author, I did not hesitate to place an order, and when it arrived, I was not disappointed. If anyone was to write this book, Bob Meanley is that individual, having years of first-hand experience of restoring, operating and being on the footplate of a variety of GWR engines. He has backed this up with exhaustive research from primary sources, much of it at the STEAM Museum in Swindon.
Bob’s writing style is both very readable and grammatically correct, and there are precious few typos, stray apostrophes or other grating irritations.
The content is well organised, comprehensive and richly illustrated by photos, diagrams, tables and plans.
It is by any definition a magnum opus.
The publishers have done the author proud – the book is beautifully printed (in England) on high quality paper and the photographic reproduction, both mono and colour is outstanding. The colourised images (by Adrian Knowles) are exceptionally well done.
A follow-up book is in preparation, and this will focus on the technology of the generic Churchward engine. Publication of this second volume will be an eagerly anticipated event for me, less so for my bank manager.
I imagine that when this book eventually goes out of print, secondhand copies will be much sought-after, so buy a copy while you can.
For those wanting to experience ‘The Genius of Swindon…’ and Bob’s handiwork at first hand, then I highly recommend taking some trips with Vintage Trains behind one of Tyseley’s lovingly restored GWR Castle Class locos.
You must be logged in to post a review.
Additional information
| Weight | 2001 g |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 28 × 28 cm |
| Pages | 400 |
| Cover Choice | Hardback |
| Format | Portrait |
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5080gwr –
As soon I saw this book advertised on preorder was written by Bob Meanley, I ordered it straight away. Wow! I am certainly not disappointed! Bob as you may know is a complete engineering expert on all things relating to steam locomotives especially the GWR and the level of detail, diagrams and photographs contained in this book is astounding!
It must have been a real labour of love for Bob to bring it all together. Beautifully produced and extremely interesting throughout. Highly recommended.
nick-morris –
This is the most expensive book I have ever bought, sight unseen. But knowing a little of the background of the author, I did not hesitate to place an order, and when it arrived, I was not disappointed. If anyone was to write this book, Bob Meanley is that individual, having years of first-hand experience of restoring, operating and being on the footplate of a variety of GWR engines. He has backed this up with exhaustive research from primary sources, much of it at the STEAM Museum in Swindon.
Bob’s writing style is both very readable and grammatically correct, and there are precious few typos, stray apostrophes or other grating irritations.
The content is well organised, comprehensive and richly illustrated by photos, diagrams, tables and plans.
It is by any definition a magnum opus.
The publishers have done the author proud – the book is beautifully printed (in England) on high quality paper and the photographic reproduction, both mono and colour is outstanding. The colourised images (by Adrian Knowles) are exceptionally well done.
A follow-up book is in preparation, and this will focus on the technology of the generic Churchward engine. Publication of this second volume will be an eagerly anticipated event for me, less so for my bank manager.
I imagine that when this book eventually goes out of print, secondhand copies will be much sought-after, so buy a copy while you can.
For those wanting to experience ‘The Genius of Swindon…’ and Bob’s handiwork at first hand, then I highly recommend taking some trips with Vintage Trains behind one of Tyseley’s lovingly restored GWR Castle Class locos.