A book all about the bygone age of railways in County Fermanagh will be launched this weekend.

Colourpoint Books will be launching the second edition of its highly successful book 'Fermanagh Railways' this Saturday.

Written by Enniskillen-born Charles Friel and Norman Johnston, the grandson of a Maguiresbridge station master, the revised book will revive memories of a way of life that came to an end all of 51 years ago, on 30th September 1957.

The original book was published in early 1998 and is now long out of print. But demand has persisted and second-hand copies were quickly bought up as soon as they appeared! This, and the number of newly-discovered pictures that are now available, has convinced the publishers that the time had come to revisit County Fermanagh.

Like its predecessor, the new book has personal reminiscences from both authors. Charles was born in Enniskillen and his family used the trains a lot to visit relations in north Sligo and Donegal as well as doing a bit of "carrying" from Blacklion! Norman's parents had many family links in the south of the county and he often travelled here by train.

The book has a potted history of the arrival of railways into the county before bringing its readers on a detailed journey in pictures from Clones through Enniskillen to Bundoran along the route of the Great Northern Railway and over the tracks of the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties from Enniskillen to Belcoo. Included too is picture coverage of the long-closed Clogher Valley Railway's line from Maguiresbridge as far as Fivemiletown.

And the new book is not just about railways. The authors have included 17 pictures of the bus services provided in the county by the GNR and the SLNCR as well as the Enniskillen's own Erne Bus Company, better known as Cassidy's buses.

The new book has no fewer than 21 maps and an amazing 250 pictures packed into its 176 pages. And even better news is that no fewer than 88 of the pictures are being published for the first time! In this new edition, too, the publishers have gone for a larger page size than before and the quality of paper has improved too.

Using information and many pictures that have recently come to light, the new book has separate sections on the run-up to closure, the fateful last day of services and the aftermath of closure. Also included is a more cheerful section on the restorations at Belcoo and Brookeborough as well as the various railway events that have marked the anniversary of closure in recent years.

Many of these have been organised by the tireless Selwyn Johnston of the famous Headhunter's Museum.

Paying tribute to Selwyn, author Norman Johnston said that the new edition would be much the poorer without the input from Selwyn and his brothers.

"Headhunters is on the spot, all year round, and many railway people and their families have brought them several of the "new" pictures that have enriched our new book. Their museum is always a talking and meeting point amongst former railway men and women. Every time I am there, someone or something turns up to make the visit worthwhile. The co-operation of many people has been remarkable and the book is all the better for it. I hope that they are pleased with the finished work."

The new book will be available, for the first time, at the Erne Model Railway Club's annual Model Railway Exhibition in the Cathedral Hall on Saturday 20 September; the exhibition runs from 10am to 5pm. Both authors will be present to sign copies of the book and they are hoping to meeting friends old and new.

"I am really forward to the launch" said Charles. "The Erne Model Railway Club's exhibition is always a great social occasion. The many "new" pictures that keep turning up, even now, have helped keep the memories alive.

And they have solved a couple of puzzles about what happened on that sad day in September 1957 when the big door to the platform was slammed shut, the station bell rang out for the last time, and the whistling engines left Enniskillen for Omagh in a volley of detonators. But, while doing last year's talk in the Ardhowen and then working on this book, I had to keep reminding myself that all of this happened over 50 years ago.

The new edition of the book will retail at £18.00 but, on Saturday, for one day only, Colourpoint is offering the book at the exhibition at a pound off for the early birds.

After the Exhibition, the book will be available in Headhunter's Museum and in Eason's.

'Fermanagh's Railways - Second Edition' by Charles P Friel and Norman Johnston