In Victorian Britain, the provision of rural railways was eased by the passage of the 1896 Light Railways Act, which allowed lines to be be promoted, constructed and operated on a less rigourous basis than railways constructed under powers granted by Acts of Parliament were required to. Holman Stephens, a railway engineer by profession, did just that and was responsible for a number of light railways up and down the country. As time went by, he also acquired a number of existing lines. During the First World War, he saw service and was awarded the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Engineers. Thereafter, he was known as 'Colonel Stephens' and his railways collectively as the 'Colonel Stephens lines'.

Colonel Stephens' railways were notable for one thing; their lack of profit. They nearly all served rural areas which would not generate a lot of traffic; and to make ends meet, they were operated on a shoestring with a variety of unusual, quaint or super-annuated locomotives and rolling stock. This made them ideal targets in their later years for enthusiasts seeking out the unusual. But it also meant that they were first to fall victim to harsher economic times. Today, only the Festiniog, Welsh Highland and Kent & East Sussex lines remain, all after periods of closure and resurrection by preservation groups. Part of the East Kent Railway remained open for colliery access until recently, and the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction still carries a passenger service between Bere Alston and Gunnislake.

This book details each line in turn with a selection of photographs.