Rail By Request is an enthusiast’s personal story and tells how the author visited, photographed, and spent time at every request stop on mainland Britain. It also explains where his love of railways is rooted, why he began this odyssey and how it became a very different and important experience to him. Journeying across the whole railway map to capture these often ignored stops — not just for posterity, but for the journey.
The lure of request stops and the practicalities of completing the journey to discover them, is the core of the story. Researching every request stop in Britain and planning how to get there and overcoming any difficulties, became a source of great satisfaction.
Every stop is described and has at least one illustration. Some historical context to the stops is included, with current statistics.
The story also shows how, he ticked off each stop, but unexpectedly found himself passing the time engaged in a form of railwayana mindfulness — allowing the world to rush past whilst being alive in the moment. It shows a calmer slower world does exist.
