A key part of the Great Western Railway's network was the main line to the North through Birmingham.

From London, this route including the Princes Risborough cut-off joined Didcot, Oxford, Banbury and Birmingham, and then Wolverhampton, Chester and Shrewsbury, opening up destinations in the North and North West.

The GWR also ran services on its joint lines with the London & North Western Railway and the Great Central Railway, to reach Birkenhead and York.

In this book author, modeller and railway historian Robert Hendry draws on his extensive collection of historical images to present a photographic portrait of this significant part of the Great Western Railway through the years.