A Book of Trains, by W.J. Bassett-Lowke and F.E. Courtney (Puffin Picture Books 10)

From The Brighton Toy and Model Index
Jump to navigationJump to search


A softback landscape-format book, "A Book of Trains", by W.J. Bassett-Lowke, and F.E. Courtney (32 printed pages, including covers).

The book was published as Book 10 of the Puffin Picture Books series.

Cover

The same cover design is shown on the front and back, a very simply block-colourised reproduction of a black-and-white pencil or charcoal picture of a pair of locomotives illustrating the development or the railways: Stephenson's "Rocket" in yellow, alongside Coronation 6220, in red.

This copy differs from some images of the book available online, which seem to show a more elaborate cover-colouring (including the sky), with Stephenson's Rocket somehow acquiring red wheels and a green body(!).

Contents

The book explains to young people early forms of human transport, railways, types of locomotives and signalling, streamlining, and other railway matters. Illustrations are based on black-and-white drawings, some with careful red, green and yellow overlays.

The book does not appear to use any blue ink, which may explain why the the Coronation 6220 loco on the cover (identifiable by name, crest and number) has been coloured in red rather than blue (it's the "proper" Coronation 6220, without the headlight that was fitted to the fairing of 6229 when she was marked up as 6220 for the US trip).