DON'T let anyone kid you that nostalgia's a thing of the past. OK, so trains in the good old days" were smelly, noisy and uncomfortable but they had class. And while the station buildings and platforms lacked today's high-tech notice boards (Your train

DON'T let anyone kid you that nostalgia's a thing of the past. OK, so trains in the "good old days" were smelly, noisy and uncomfortable - but they had class. And while the station buildings and platforms lacked today's high-tech notice boards (Your train will be 44 minutes late), they had style. So, back in the 1950s or 1960s, you might be on a freezing cold platform waiting for the "smoke train" but the station had character. Radical changes on the railways meant our public transport system would change forever - much of it down to that nasty Dr Richard Beeching (younger readers should ask their parents/grandparents about the man whose recommendations brought about the closure of more than 2,000 stations as many branch lines were axed). Potters Bar to Cambridge, the latest offering from Vic Mitchell and Allan Mott, allows you a glimpse into our railway past. It includes information and photographs from Royston, Shepreth, Meldreth, Baldock, Barrington Works and Harston. The caption-style presentation makes it an easy read while the diagrams flesh out the details for the more technically minded railways fan. - Also available in the series are Cambridge To Ely and Branch Lines Around Huntingdon. Published by Middleton Press.