Berkshire Traction

Starting in the late 1970s when the High Speed Trains (HSTs) were first introduced on services out of London Paddington, this book covers approximately forty years of change to the railways of Berkshire. Passenger, parcels and freight services are seen with a variety of traction ranging from the older diesel classes to the latest Class 800 InterCity express trains.

Railways radiate from Reading in all directions. Starting at Reading we travel to the extremities of Berkshire, along the Great Western main line to Langley in the east and Lower Basildon in the west, along the ‘Berks & Hants’ route as far as Hungerford and south on the line to Basingstoke as far as Mortimer. Also covered is the former Southern route to the capital as far as Sandhurst and Ascot.