[ebooktalk] Re: railways and local history reading
- From: "Steven Bingham" <steven.bingham1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 18:03:51 +0100
June
Getting access to local history material is very difficult. Most people go
straight to the files of the local newspaper but in most cases these are now
on microfiche which is more or less inaccessible to us and even taken copies
of pages to scan does not work because the quality of the print after being
microfiched is not good enough to scan. Another problem for us is the sheer
amount of material. I recently got excited because one of our local paper's
archives has been computerised. It turned out to be very disappointing as
they had simply digitised the microfiche and converted the pictures from
microfiche to photos in .pdf files. The quality of the print was to poor to
use a scanning program to convert to text.
Libraries also seem to have some strange ideas about copyright laws and
photocopying. Our library will for a consideration photocopy extracts from
reference only books but will not photocopy the whole book or even a whole
chapter. Even in the case of the pamphlet on the history of Reading's tramps
produced in 1958 they would not copy the whole thing even though they
admitted it was out of copyright.
You will have gathered that the short answer to your question about
accessing local history material is no I haven't been able to find an
efficient way to get hold of really local material.
I did have a stroke of luck however when the RNIB put Daphne Phillips'
History of Reading on to a talking book they used a synthetic voice.
Although the voice was dreadful to listen to it did mean that the disc had a
copy of the text as a .txt file which I copied and have been able to retain.
I have found quite a few local history books about different places amongst
the Project Guttenburg material. There are several books on English towns
and counties and several of Walter Bessant's books on the history of various
parts of London. You might find it worth searching there. Most of the stuff
about your area (or at least the Lake District) will, of course, be more
about the literary connections. If you want let me know and I will run some
searches to see what can be found.
Some places have good local history societies who put a lot of local
material online. Even some places official websites are very good, most just
have a sort of potted history that isn't really a lot of use. Try putting in
a place name with .gov.uk as the suffic.
Steve
Steven.bingham1@xxxxxxxxxxxx
From: ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Tar Barrels
Sent: 22 June 2013 09:18
To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: railways and local history reading
Linda, would you believe it, I went to Carnforth yesterday! We had planned a
picnic with some friends, so we all bought a Cumbrian Rover ticket, and went
by train around the west coast, getting on and off at various places for
each course of the picnic. Morning coffee was taken at Carnforth.
In all honesty, I would give the inside of the tea room a miss - the noise
of tables and chairs being dragged back and forth into place, nearly sent me
mad. But apparently the fly pie was excellent, though the coffee left
something to be desired.
The exhibition was very good, though much of it seemed to be posters and
therefore not of much interest unless described, and the film excellent.
There was also a good video playing on a loop, that covered the history of
the line.
This brings me to the book part of this message. I would really enjoy
reading and exploring very local history sources, but a lot are on
microfiche or, more usually, in libraries for reference only. Has anyone
else managed to tackle the inaccessibility of these sources, and if so, what
tips do you have?
June
_____
From: ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Linda Welding
Sent: 21 June 2013 16:26
To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: railways
June
I didn't have much time to look around the exhibition having spent most of
it watching the film. There was probably a fair bit one could read and the
odd bits and pieces you could look at such as old suitcases. The volunteer
staff in the cafe/refreshments room were really nice and, if you speak
nicely to them, I'm sure they will let you go behind the counter to look at
items they have on display there such as the old cash till. They let me
when I asked!
Linda
From: Tar Barrels <mailto:tar.barrels@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2013 11:51 PM
To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: railways
Linda, we're planning a trip there soon. I loved the film Brief Encounter,
but haven't yet been to the exhibition. Look forward to it. Thanks.
June
_____
From: ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Linda Welding
Sent: 20 June 2013 10:28
To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: railways
For Shell and June and other railway lovers!
A little bit off topic but I visited the heritage centre at Cqarnforth
station a few weeks ago and if any of you are ever in the area, it is worth
a visit I think. The refreshment room at Carnforth was the station used in
David Lean's 1945 film Brief Encounters. They have a small exhibition and a
little theatre where you can watch the film. I'd never seen it before and
it was easy enough to follow.
Here's the link if you want to take a look.
http://www.carnforthstation.co.uk/
Linda
From: Tar Barrels <mailto:tar.barrels@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 10:49 PM
To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: railways
Newcastle has such lovely bridges, and the railway station is truly
wonderful. Did I hear somewhere that it was the first station to be built on
such a curve? I think in your case, Newcastle is not only the wrong side of
the tracks, is it also the wrong side of the river? Only joking, by the way.
What is it about trains that makes them appear romantic? Who will ever
forget those scenes in Brief Encounter? By the way, was that taken from a
novel?
June
_____
From: ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Ian Macrae
Sent: 19 June 2013 10:02
To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: railways
I was brought up when at home at the south end of the King Edward railway
bridge over the Tyne. there was a massive shunting yard very close too. My
home-time childhood was therefore full of the sounds of trains, including,
in those days, steam engines. The first job I ever had in education was
running a project based in a restored railway station building in Felling in
the east side of gateshead. Trains ran past the windows to and from South
Shields and beyond. all very magical.
On 19 Jun 2013, at 09:19, Shell wrote:
Hi June,
There is a book on Kindle, which seems to be an anthology of travel writing
about this railway line, but also talks about the history and building of
the network.
I have also always loved railways and when we looked at this house and saw
that it backed right onto the rail track, I knew we had to live here. I
love to hear the trains rumbling past all the time. The only thing we didn't
count on was the train track's amazing mouse population, which is something
we have to be constantly vidulent about.
I do have some books about train travel, I will look them out for you.
The details for the kindle book and link are
The Trans-Siberian Railway: A Traveller's Anthology by Deborah Manley
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywo
rds=Deborah%20Manley%20kindle> &field-keywords=Deborah%20Manley%20kindle
Shell.
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Tar Barrels" <tar.barrels@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 6:42 PM
To: <ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ebooktalk] railways
> Clare, I've always been fascinated by railways, and Thomas the Tank Engine
> was the bedtime reading for both my boys for many years, and had long
wanted
> an old station as a house. What I got was a bit different - the station
> master's house on a line still very well in use - the Carlisle to
Newcastle
> line. However, we love it.
>
> As for railway books - I'll read anything about the railways, fact or
> fiction, so was a bit surprised when I couldn't get away with Edward
> Marston's detective, especially as I think some of them are set in
Cumbria.
> I really will try them again.
>
> I'm just about to start a book on the building of the Burmese railway, and
> though it will be harrowing, I expect it will also be fascinating. What
I'd
> really like ot find is something about the Siberian railways, and the
people
> who built those lines.
>
> We now have a very interesting situation in the village. My husband is
> called David Horne, and we live in the Old Station House, but there is
> another Station House in the village, on the side of the Settle line, and
> the guy who lives there is also called David Horne. You couldn't make it
up,
> could you? There has to be a book in there somewhere!
>
> June
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ebooktalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On Behalf Of Clare Gailans
> Sent: 18 June 2013 09:18
> To: ebooktalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ebooktalk] Re: CURRENT READING
>
> June, I had somehow failed to realise, though you've told us a lot about
it
> on other lists, that you live in an old station-master's house. Some
people
> will remember Annette Brown from our year at school (whatever happened to
> her?). She lived in the old station-master's house at Tankersley, near
> Barnsley. In fact I think her dad was the old station-master. Can't
remember
> what job he moved on to, if any. He was a good bit older than her mum. Her
> parents had both lost their former spouses and each had a girl and boy of
> very similar ages. Annette's stepsister was a month younger than she was.
> Sorry, nothing to do with books. Clare
>
>
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