This book illustrates Virgin Trains services across its East and West Coast Main Lines and CrossCountry franchises, its various classes of locomotives, and the liveries they carried.

Published in June 2022 by Pen & Sword Books and written by Fred Kerr, this hardback book measures around 216 mm x 279 mm, has 128 pages and 250 colour and black-and-white photographs, and a published price of £25, but at the time of writing, it is available from Amazon for £13.29.

A useful introduction describes the background to privatisation and the establishment of the Virgin Trains franchise.

Three sections follow with descriptions of their operation on Cross Country, West Coast, and East Coast services, with each section having an introduction describing the background to the company’s services on that route.

Sub-sections describe the different classes of locomotives inherited for those services and their allocations.

Two final brief sections cover changes after Virgin Trains lost its franchise with images of the last trains to run under the Virgin Trains banner.

When Virgin Trains applied its startling livery to the traction fleets it inherited and the new ones it introduced, it presented a striking appearance in contrast to the blue of British Rail.

Class 43 HSTs were well-suited to the new livery, with horizontal banding on the carriages making for a more aesthetic finish.

The images below highlight the wide range of services operated under the Virgin Trains banner, from Blackpool at the top left to Beckfoot near the Scottish border at the top right, and Reading at the bottom right.

A change of livery, as seen below, still resulted in pleasing images. Deep in former Great Western Railway territory alongside the seawall at Dawlish in Devon is the Voyager at the top left, on one of the country’s longest services, from Penzance in Cornwall to Dundee in Scotland.

In 2002, Virgin Trains acquired 16 Class 57 diesel locomotives to haul its Pendolino sets over non-electrified lines, and as seen below, their new livery suited them well, blending seamlessly with the Pendolinos.

East Coast Main Line services used a subtly different livery to Virgin’s West Coast trains, but as seen in the images below, they continued the theme of a locomotive and carriages providing a homogeneous image.

The book evokes memories of how Britain’s newly privatised railway brought a significant contrast to the blue that had been omnipresent for many years.

Its images show Virgin Trains bringing colour to lines across the country, including the West Coast, Cross Country, and the ill-fated East Coast franchises.

Representatives of all the company’s locomotive classes are included, with Class 43 HSTs, Class 47s and 57s, and various AC electrics, as well as Pendolinos and Voyagers, and Class 158s on Manchester Airport services.

This volume is more than just a collection of images of Virgin trains, as it includes details of the locomotives and trains the company inherited from British Rail, and where they were allocated.

For each class, there is a description of the multiple transfers of locomotives between different operators, and the background to the issuing and renewal of franchises and Virgin’s unsuccessful and winning bids.

Throughout the book, its photographs show how Virgin Trains brought a pleasing addition to the railway scene, from Southwest England to Scotland.

All images are reproduced to a high standard and a credit to the photographer and publisher. This book will be a useful addition to the library of anyone interested in Britain’s privatised railways, the franchise model of working, or where Virgin Trains locomotives and services operated.

It is highly recommended and has been awarded a rating of 5/5.

The book is available to purchase from Amazon and Pen & Sword Books.

We would like to thank Pen & Sword Books for providing RailAdvent with a copy of the book for review.