NEW BOOKS as reviewed by Tony Wright

AMBERDALE AND THE RAILWAY WHICH RUNS THROUGH IT, by Philip Harvey. Fonthill. PRICE: £20.00

admit to never having heard of the railway described in this book, despite its being over 60 years old in its creation. I’m told it appeared in a few issues of the MRJ, but those escaped my gaze. As such, it’s a pity it isn’t more widely-known, but this beautiful work should redress the balance somewhat. It’s certainly not a text book on the use of the modelling techniques employed to create the whole thing, and the author admits that. Instead, it’s more of a visual journey along the model Amber Valley by rail, taking everything in from the carriage window and beyond. Considering the age of some of the modelling (I assume the layout’s complete now?), the consistency is incredible. The overall standard of modelling is very high indeed, and it’s impossible to tell which structures date from the 1960s from those of more-recent construction. The level of expertise behind the model-making is incredible – I learned a lot about the workings of a colliery and a mill, for instance. And, everything seems to have been built from the simplest of materials. It