A MASSIVE library of beautifully illustrated books are already on offer for the army of railway enthusiasts. 'Western Branch Lines' by David Soggie and Michael Welch adds considerably to that collection.

Mysteriously, the Forest branch, the old Severn and Wye, is missing from this collection of 45 lines. But it does, however, feature the Wye Valley line and the route from Gloucester to Hereford.

The beauty of both sections is that they feature previously unpublished photographs, all the work of intrepid railway photographer David Soggie, a man with a love affair for the 'Western' region.

Being a "hands on" railway man, he took full advantage of his concessionary travel tickets to explore the west country and south Wales. His work captures the last days of steam in the late 1950s and early 60s.

'Western Branch Lines' is more than just a photo collection. It's lavishly illustrated 95 pages are real quality and the illustrations are captivatingly brought to life by a super text contributed by joint author Michael Welch.

As time has passed meaningful and new text has been become hard to find but Michael Welch's extended captions are carefully researched and informative.

The book, available locally at the Dean Forest Railway headquarters in Lydney, and at WH Smith in Gloucester, will add more than weight to your shelf of railway books. There is a real sense of history here and a reminder of what we have lost.

'Western Branch Lines' is published by Capital Transport Publishing (ISBN 978-1-85414-349

-5). £16.95