In 1995, British Railways became privatised. One of the many side effects of this change was the rapid recruitment of Quantity Surveyors and Project Managers within the engineering side. The new staff, without the background knowledge of older hands, inevitably asked many questions.

What was needed was a handy reference of railway engineering terms, and so the Encyclopaedia was born.

But then someone said, "All very well, but how does it all work then?" and I had to start another book!

Beginners is written as an owner's manual for railway engineering, explaining the what, why and how of all the disciplines. Cross-referenced within itself and to the Encyclopaedia, this companion work will remove yet more confusion.