John Marshall (railway historian)
{{short description|Railway historian}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}
John Marshall (1 May 1922 – 12 November 2008) was an English railway historian. He is best known for his three-volume history of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway 'which he greatly disliked being described as "definitive"' {{cite journal|author=Wesley, Brian|title=John Marshall (1922-2008)|journal=Journal of the Railway and Canal Historical Society|volume=36|pages=56|year=2009}} and for compiling The Guinness Railway Book 'which, in its six editions, is arguably the best selling railway book of all time.'
Life
Born in Nottingham, John Marshall was conscripted into the Royal Air Force, serving as a wireless mechanic in India. After World War II he trained as a teacher at Loughborough, where he met his wife, Ann, going on to teach woodwork in Bolton. He retired to Bewdley where he worked as a volunteer on the Severn Valley Railway. His sons, Simon and Andrew, and his daughter Jennifer inherited his enthusiasm for railways.
He wrote many articles and books on railway history, his history of the L&YR being published by David & Charles in 1969–72, also travelling very widely in pursuit of his interest, as witnessed by his work on the metre gauge railways of Switzerland and his compendia of international railway facts for Guinness Publishing.
Selected publications by John Marshall
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |title=A Biographical Dictionary of Railway Engineers|location=Oxford|publisher=Railway and Canal Historical Society|year=2003|edition=2nd|isbn=0-901461-22-9}}
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |author-mask=2 |title=The Cromford & High Peak Railway|location=Newton Abbot|publisher=David & Charles|year=1982|isbn=0-7153-8128-8}}
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |author-mask=2 |title=Forgotten Railways: North West England|location=Newton Abbot|publisher=David & Charles|year=1982|isbn=0-7153-8003-6}}
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |author-mask=2 |title=The Guinness Book of Rail Facts and Feats|location=Enfield|publisher=Guinness Superlatives|year=1971|isbn=0-900424-08-7}} Preface dated 1972.
- {{cite book|last=Marshall|first=John|author-mask=2|title=The Guinness Railway Book|location=Enfield|publisher=Guinness Publishing|year=1989|edition=2nd|isbn=0-85112-359-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessrailwayb00mars}}
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |author-mask=2 |title=The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, vol. 1|location=Newton Abbot|publisher=David & Charles|year=1969|isbn=0-7153-4352-1}}
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |author-mask=2 |title=The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, vol. 2|location=Newton Abbot|publisher=David & Charles|year=1970|isbn=0-7153-4906-6}}
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |author-mask=2 |title=The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, vol. 3|location=Newton Abbot|publisher=David & Charles|year=1972|isbn=0-7153-5320-9}}
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |author-mask=2 |title=Metre Gauge Railways in South and East Switzerland|location=Newton Abbot|publisher=David & Charles|year=1974|isbn=0-7153-6408-1}}
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |author-mask=2 |title=Railway History in Pictures: The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway|location=Newton Abbot|publisher=David & Charles|year=1977|isbn=0-7153-7478-8}}
- {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |author-mask=2 |title=The Severn Valley Railway|location=Newton Abbot|publisher=David St John Thomas|year=1989|isbn=0-946537-45-3}}
References
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Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
Category:Royal Air Force airmen
Category:Military personnel from Nottingham
Category:People from Nottingham
Category:British rail transport writers
Category:British people in rail transport
Category:Alumni of Loughborough University
Category:English male non-fiction writers