Books or blogs about Railway Leadership

[alexl92]

Hi,
Have any respected railway leaders/managers/CEOs etc in the UK written books about running a railway or a TOC? I'm thinking the likes of Andrew Haines, Lord Hendy, Graham Eccles, even going back to Gordon Petit or others.

Listening to Eccles and Sir Michael Holden being interviewed on last week's Green Signals, I realised there's a huge amount to be learned from these guys about railway operation (even if you don't necessarily agree with them on everything).

Additionally, are there any other good books, podcasts etc that one could use to learn more about railway operations and management?

Thanks!

 

[DelW]

This is one of the best known, although from a while ago.

"I Tried to Run A Railway" by Gerard Fiennes

I see that this is to be reissued in paperback on 1st June 2017 - here's a link to the Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/1786691280/ref=tmm_pap_new_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1489503403&sr=1-3 I read it many years ago when it came out, and I've always want to to...

www.railforums.co.uk

(Link to a forum discussion about "I tried to run a railway" by Gerard Fiennes)

 

[WAB]

These are the books I have read on running a railway. A lot of it is very dated, but each has something useful to draw from it. You have to be careful to read them with a critical eye, though.

The train that ran away : a business history of British Railways, 1948-1968 (1973)	Joy
Inside British Rail : challenges and progress on the nationalised railway	Poole
Blueprints for bankruptcy 1995	Gibbins
The InterCity Story 2013	Chris Green
Work identity at the end of the line? : privatisation and culture change in the UK rail industry	Strangleman
Losing track 2019	Nelson
The regional railways story : sectorisation to privatisation 2015	Pettitt
British Rail : the first 25 years 1981	Bonavia
A privileged journey : from enthusiast to professional railwayman	David Maidment
Adrian Shooter A Life in Engineering and Railways	Shooter
Bob Reid’s Railway Revolution: 2021	Muir
Chiltern Railways The Inside Story	Shooter
Fiennes On Rails 1986	Fiennes
From clerk to controller	Fowkes
On and off the rails : the anecdotal reminiscences of more than 40 years at work with British railways	Rayner
The Network SOutheast Story 2014	Green and Vincent
Off the rails	Murray
The Organisation of British Railways	Bonavia
The twilight of British Rail	Bonavia
Changing trains : messages for management from the ScotRail challenge	Stewart and Chadwick

 

[Albaman]

The following books by Terry Gourvish may also be of interest :-

British Railways 1948-73 A Business History

British Rail 1974-97 From Integration to Privatisation

Britain's Railways 1997 - 2005 Labour's Strategic Experiment

 

[Ashley Hill]

The Area Managers Diary series by John Heaton gives a good insight into the day to day running from 1986-1991.
Day Return to 1969 gives a good account of the railway career of Stephen Cornish from 1969 to his retirement.

 

[D365]

I haven’t read it, but I’m surprised that the autobiography of the late Adrian Shooter has not yet been mentioned. Yes it has been listed. Oops.

 

[John Luxton]

An interesting one from the narrow gauge "I Tried to Run a Little Railway: Managing the Ffestiniog Railway 1991-1996" by Gordon Rushton.