John Marshall

Who was John Marshall?

John Marshall was an English railway historian. He is best known for his three-volume history of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway 'which he greatly disliked being described as "definitive"' and for compiling The Guinness Railway Book 'which, in its six editions, is arguably the best selling railway book of all time.'

Born in Nottingham, John Marshall was conscripted into the Royal Air Force, serving as a wireless mechanic in India. After World War II he trained as a teacher at Loughborough, where he met his wife, Ann, going on to teach woodwork in Bolton. He retired to Bewdley where he worked as a volunteer on the Severn Valley Railway. His sons, Simon and Andrew, inherited his enthusiasm for railways.

He wrote many articles and books on railway history, his history of the L&YR being published by David & Charles in 1969–72, also travelling very widely in pursuit of his interest, as witnessed by his work on the metre gauge railways of Switzerland and his compendia of international railway facts for Guinness Publishing.