At Christmas 2018, a friend gave me a book by John Minnis entitled 'Britain's Lost Railways'. It would be natural to assume that this was a book about the different lines that have been lost throughout the UK. This is, however, a book about the lost infrastructure that surrounds the railway, particularly about railway architecture. I have written a short review of the book: http://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/16/book-review-john-minnis-britains-lost-railways-a-commemoration-of-our-finest-railway-architecture
Very sadly, losses similar have taken place world wide. Here in the States, it continues. Thankfully some of the now gone places and pieces have been documented. If only that could be true for everything, but....
As fans, generations over have understandably concentrated to excess on locomotives. We should be grateful to the photographers who had the foresight to capture the greater landscape of structures, signals, bridges, tunnels, catenary, cuts, fills, rolling stock, yards, shop equipment, people, documents and more that encompass the greater realm of railroading.
So many of these structures could have been put to other uses. Many were unique. One if the saddest elements is that even when structures have been listed and retained, they have lost the essential environment which used to surround them and so longer have the status intended by the listing.
