This is the first of a new series looking in detail at the changing patterns of rail freight from 1968 to the present day which will include copious illustrations of trains and terminals throughout the period. A must for modellers and modern image enthusiasts this series will also be of considerable interest to industry and general readers with any involvement with railways today.

Volume 1 (Coal) will include the following themes:
• The gradual decline of coal mining in the UK
• The growth in opencast and imported coal
• The changing requirements of the power generators
• British Rails’s attempts to keep domestic coal traffic on rail
• Changes brought about by privatisation
• Coal wagons and terminal facilities

Illustrations will include:
• Chart showing the declining number of collieries 1968 to present day.
• Chart showing the production and consumption of coal in the UK - 1968 to present day.
• Lists of power stations in 1971 and 2003.
• Regional maps showing location of collieries and power stations
• List and/or map of domestic coal depots open in 1983
• Map of Speedlink Coal network in 1980s
• Track plans of typical collieries and power stations
• Photographs of trains, wagons and terminals

In the same series: Railfreight 2
and Railfreight 3