Adrian Vaughan started work as a railway porter at Challow, then became a signalman in 1962, moving to Uffington.

Signalman’s Twilight (Amberley, £16.99). the second book of his trilogy about life on the railways, describes the unsuccessful battle to save Challow station. Its demise was a familiar story of highly-paid directors who knew very little about how their business actually worked.

Now aged 71 and living in Norfolk, Mr Vaughan produced his first book on the history of the railways in 1971 and has since produced more than 30 books.