'British Railways Past and Present' is a nationwide series of books featuring photographs of railway locations taken several decades ago and comparing them with the same scene today. Such is the current pace of change on our railway system that even a few years can reduce a busy and vibrant railway scene to a wasteland or housing estate - or conversely can bring electrification and up-to-the-minute technology to an outdated, run-down route. The contrasts are often dramatic, while sometimes hardly anything has altered in 30 or 40 years. Whatever the change, the comparison of 'past' and 'present' will intrigue not only the railway enthusiast and historian, but also anyone interested in our recent history. This will be the 5th volume in the series to visit the county of Devon. The previous volumes in the series being:No 8 DevonNo 52 East DevonNo 53 North and West DevonNo 67 Plymouth & South West DevonSuch has been the popularity of both Devon and the series as a whole we can be sure of a ready and waiting audience for this brand new volume looking at the major railway centre of Newton Abbot and its environs. Newton Abbott has a fascinating railway history having in the past had a railway workshop and several branch line connections.Even today the railway is an important part of the transport infrastructure - several branch lines may have closed but there is still much to see both as the working railway and the traces of past lines. David Mitchell has yet again come up with a wonderful mix of past images with which to contrast the present... Enjoy!