The GWR Exposed Swindon in the Days of Collett and Hawksworth

At the Grouping of Britain's railways in 1923 the Great Western Railway had an advantage over the other Big Four railway companies in that it retained essentially the same management structure that it had had pre-Grouping. Yet the next 25 years were arguably characterised by a series of mistakes in its engine building policy as the advances made by the other companies were largely ignored. This controversial new history of the GWR examines the role and policy of the two Chief Mechanical Engineers at the GWR in this period - Charles Collett (1922-41) and Frederick Hawksworth (1941-7) - following the legacy of the often pioneering work of the previous CME, George Churchward (1902-22). This enlightening history brings a whole new focus to GWR history and will be fascinating reading for all enthusiasts of the railway and for more general readers.