1950's Steam in Colour:
Colour photos of New Zealand generally from the 1950s are rare; colour photos of its railways even more so. British geologist Derek Cross lived in New Zealand for seven years during that decade and found time to indulge his passion of photographing steam trains in landscape. Many of his black and white photos have since made it into a
variety of publications in the years since, but only a few of his colour slides have been seen by the public.
Now at last his son David, himself a railway book author in England, has made available his father’s collection of slides from his time in New Zealand. Out of some 900 scenes, approximately a third have been chosen for this book. They cover a wide variety of locations, locomotive and train types and nearly all are in sparkling sunshine. Apart from regular trains of the time, Derek made it to some notable sad occasions
including the Christmas 1953 disaster at Tangiwai and the last trips over the Rimutaka Incline and the former Nelson section.
Together the scenes in this book provide a unique insight into the way things were in the decade that was the 1950s for those too young to remember it, and for those who do, they will summon up nostalgic memories.

A4 portrait format, approx 176 pages, hardcover with jacket. RRP $NZ 69.90