From the earliest days of rail travel, Norfolk’s geography and its flat landscape offered the great railway companies the ideal conditions for expanding their empires. Lines were opened criss-crossing the county and at one time it seemed almost every town and village had access to a nearby station. Then the Beeching Axe fell and much of what had been part and parcel of the way of life in Norfolk, sleepy little stations and plumes of smoke following well-worn rural routes, began to disappear forever. Only through aerial views can the full extent of Norfolk’s railway heritage be clearly seen, and in the photographs included in this book what remains of these old stations, signal boxes, cuttings and sidings is fascinatingly revealed. It also shows how recent developments on the outskirts of settlements have been affected in their layout by the original rail infrastructure.

For many years it has been Mike Page’s ambition to produce a book featuring his photographs of Norfolk’s railways from the air, and expert authors Graham Kenworthy and Richard Adderson were delighted to have the opportunity of working with Mike and his fine pictures to help him achieve this aim. Their text provides additional and fascinating information regarding the historic significance of the locations shown in the images. All the photographs were taken by Mike Page between 2001 and 2009 and range from pictures of today’s 100 mph electric trains and preserved steam locomotives in action, to fading traces of railways abandoned in the 1950s. The selection is wide enough to satisfy the most critical of readers and where necessary the book strays briefly over the border into adjacent counties in order to complete the story.

This unique book is aimed at both the rail enthusiast and for anyone with an interest in the Norfolk landscape. The aerial images alone are intriguing and remarkably compelling.

Mike Page has for many years been able to combine his love of flying with his interest in photography, and has produced several books featuring aerial views of his native East Anglia. Pictures from his collection have also appeared regularly in newspapers and magazines.

Graham Kenworthy’s railway interest dates from his teenage years in the mid- 1950s, assisted by the fact that his secondary school was enlightened enough to support its own railway society. He joined British Rail as a Student Civil Engineer in 1960, and, in 1965, transferred to the Divisional Office in Norwich, remaining there until early retirement in 1996.

Richard Adderson’s interest goes back to his childhood in the 1950s. Despite the drastic changes over the years, he has continued to follow the contemporary railway scene, as well as researching the past. His particular interest is in East Anglia, where he has lived and worked all his life. Imprint: Halsgrove. ISBN 978 1 84114 946 2, hardback, 214x230mm, 144 pages. Published September 2009. Reprinted June 2010.