Identify railway novels - Help please

[56 1/2]

Can anyone identify two novels I read once both were set on British Rail and thrillerish.

1) Leads up to a crash between a passenger and a goods train somewhere on the Eastern Region, I think the freight partially derailed and swiped the passenger train. Freight driver was called Denning and maybe based at Norwich

2) Involved SR perhaps DEMUs and a tunnel so perhaps the Hastings line Published before 1985

Any suggestions for similar titles would be appreciated

 

[Dr Hoo]

Can anyone identify two novels I read once both were set on British Rail and thrillerish.

1) Leads up to a crash between a passenger and a goods train somewhere on the Eastern Region, I think the freight partially derailed and swiped the passenger train. Freight driver was called Denning and maybe based at Norwich

2) Involved SR perhaps DEMUs and a tunnel so perhaps the Hastings line Published before 1985

Any suggestions for similar titles would be appreciated

The first is "Crash", by James Broom Lynne. It was first published as "The Commuters" in 1973 but soon re-named for later editions to chime in with the popularity of 'disaster' films at the time. James Broom Lynne wrote a number of other novels (not about railways) and a 'diamond' series under the pen name of James Quartermain. He lived in Suffolk, where Crash was largely set.

The second sounds like "Electric Train" by David Beaty. It was first published in 1975. Beaty was mainly associated with aviation and a leading thinker on what we would now call 'human factors' relating to 'pilot error'. Most of his 20 novels were about flying. He also used pen names - Paul Stanton and Robert Stanton.

I have both books and have read them several times. Neither is particularly good in my view.

 

[davetheguard]

56 1 / 2, you request similar novels to read.

You could try Stephen Done's "Inspector Vignoles mysteries"; the series started with "New Brighton Rock" published in 2013.
There is also a series based around "Jim Stringer Steam Detective" by Andrew Martin. The first was "The Necropolis Railway" published in 2002.

Hope this helps.