This fifth volume in the regional series of books looking at the industrial railways of England, Wales and Scotland specifically covers the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire, a region widely associated with the rapid growth of industry during the Industrial Revolution. The widespread coal mining activities, which particularly influenced the economy of Lancashire during the twentieth century, were all served by an extensive network of railways and canals. The Manchester Ship Canal railways serving Trafford Park and Ellesmere Port were no exception, but there are also other ports and docks, such as around Liverpool and Preston, which all had fascinating fleets of locomotives. Many of these are also covered with the colliery railways, as well as the numerous power stations that are strategically located around Greater Manchester, some being fed directly from adjacent coal mines and rail-served for that purpose.Peat workings on Chat Moss, chemicals works and oil refineries around the Mersey Estuary, glass manufacturers in St Helens, salt mining in Cheshire and paper manufacture will all be covered. The area has a rich industrial heritage and the industrial railways of all gauges which served the region were equally rich in variety and origin of the locomotive and rolling stock manufacturers. Primarily utilising unpublished colour photography, Gordon Edgar offers a fascinating view of industrial locomotives and railways in the area in the post-war era.