French Railways: A-Z, Paperback

The railways of France present a uniquely interesting picture, consisting as they once did of two entirely separate but overlapping systems: the standard-gauge network of the great railway companies and the mostly meter-gauge network of the local rural railways. This book attempts to provide a comprehensive picture of this fascinating diversity. Featuring a variety of locations throughout France, subjects covered include the seven pre-nationalization railway companies; locomotives of all types, including the successful and the spectacular failures; freight and passenger trains; the great railway engineers; famous lines, such as the Vivarais, as well as the not-so-famous; tourist railways; some of the great engineering marvels, such as the Viaduc du Gabarit; accidents and disasters; railways in wartime; and even railways which were built but never saw a train. Using the authors own photographs as well as historic postcard views, this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in railways.

Patrick Bennett is a lifelong railway enthusiast who pursued a varied career, ending up as a lecturer in further education. Retirement to France in 2007 brought the chance to also study the railways of his adopted country, resulting in a number of books on the history of French railways.