Peter Johnson (railway historian)

Peter Johnson is a British railway historian^[1] and author who specialises in books and articles on narrow-gauge railways. He is particularly associated with the Ffestiniog Railway.

Johnson is a retired local government officer^[2] who lives in Leicester.^[3]

Johnson is known for his "meticulous research into all aspects of the [Ffestiniog] railway’s operation".^[3] He was a director of the Ffestiniog Railway Society from 1991 to 2003 and editor (originally jointly with Norman Gurley and Dan Wilson) of the Festiniog Railway Society Magazine from 1974 to 2003.^[4] In 2003 he was appointed the Festiniog Railway Company's official photographer.^[2]

From June 1995 until Match 2019, Johnson contributed a monthly column of narrow gauge railway news for Steam Railway magazine; as of September 2017 he was the magazine's longest serving continuous contributor.^[5] Since 2006 he has written obituaries of prominent railway people for The Guardian newspaper.

• Johnson, Peter (1984). Rails in Wales – The Cambrian Lines. Ian Allan.
• —— (1985). The British Travelling Post Office. Ian Allan.
• —— (1985). Vintage Roadscene Special British Trams & Tramways in the 1980s. Ian Allan.
• —— (1985). Railway World Special The Welsh Narrow Gauge Railways. Ian Allan.
• —— (1986). Trams in Blackpool. AB Publishing.
• —— (1986). Trams in Blackpool (enlarged ed.). AB Publishing.
• —— (1986). Festiniog Railway Gravity Trains. Festiniog Railway Heritage Group.
• —— (1986). Festiniog 150 The History of the Festiniog Railway. Ian Allan.
• —— (1987). Festiniog 150th Anniversary A Celebration. AB Publishing.
• —— (1987). Railway World Annual 1988 (Editor). Ian Allan.
• —— (1988). Festiniog Railway Locomotives. AB Publishing.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• —— (1991). Railway World Special The Welsh Harrow Gauge Railways 2nd edition. Ian Allan.
• —— (1992). Portrait of the Festiniog. Ian Allan.
• —— (1993). The Welsh Narrow Gauge in Colour. Ian Allan.
• —— (1995). Festiniog in Colour. Ian Allan.
• —— (1995). Mail by Rail The History of the TPO & Post Office Railway. Ian Allan.
• —— (1995). Celebration of Steam North Wales. Ian Allan.
• —— (1997). Festiniog railway – A View from the Past. Ian Allan.
• —— (1997). The Heyday of the Welsh Narrow Gauge. Ian Allan.
• —— (1998). Isle of Man Steam Railway in Colour. Ian Allan.
• —— (1999). Welsh Narrow Gauge A View From the Past. Ian Allan.
• —— (1999). Portrait of the Welsh Highland Railway. Ian Allan.
• —— (2000). Welsh Narrow Gauge A Colour Portfolio. Ian Allan.
• —— (2002). An Illustrated History of the Welsh Highland Railway. Oxford Publishing Co.
• —— (2004). Immortal Rails (Vol 1) The Story of the Closure and Revival of the FR 1939–1983. Chester, England, CH4 9ZH: RailRomances. ISBN 1-900622-08-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
• —— (2004). The Travelling Post Office 1838-2004. Royal Mail.
• —— (2005). Immortal Rails (Vol 2) The Story of the Closure and Revival of the FR 1939-1983. Chester, England, CH4 9ZH: RailRomances. ISBN 1-900622-09-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
• —— (2007). An Illustrated History of the Festiniog Railway. Hersham: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-860936-03-9.
• —— (2008). An Illustrated History of the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway. Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0860936190.
• —— (2009). An Illustrated History of the Travelling Post Office. Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0860936206.
• —— (2009). An Illustrated History of the Welsh Highland Railway 2nd edition. Oxford Publishing Co.
• —— (2010). An Illustrated History of the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Oxford Publishing Co.
• —— (2011). An Illustrated History of the Great Western Narrow Gauge. Oxford Publishing Co.
• —— (2013). The Cambrian Railways: A new history. Oxford Publishing Co.
• —— (2013). Narrow Gauge Railways. Oxford, UK: Shire Publications, Ltd. ISBN 978-0747812975.
• —— (2015). Narrow Gauge Lines of the British Isles. Ian Allan Publishing Ltd.
• —— (2017). Festiniog Railway: The Spooner Era and After 1830–1920. Pen & Sword Transport.
• —— (30 October 2017). Festiniog Railway. Volume 2: From Slate Railway to Heritage Operation 1921 – 2014. Pen and Sword.
• —— (August 2018). Rebuilding the Welsh Highland Railway. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1473827271.
• —— (8 February 2019). The Corris Railway: The Story of a Mid-Wales Slate Railway. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1526717535.
• —— (6 April 2020). The Vale of Rheidol Railway: The Story of a Narrow Gauge Survivor. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1526718051.
• —— (6 August 2020). The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway The Story of a Welsh Rural Byway. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1526744777.
• —— (8 February 2022). The Snowdon Mountain Railway. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1526776099.
• —— (30 November 2022). Mail by Rail - The Story of the Post Office and the Railways. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1526776143.
• —— (22 February 2024). The Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway The Rise and Fall of a Rural Byway. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1526776174.
• —— (18 July 2024). The Tanat Valley Light Railway. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1399039673.
• —— (10 March 2025). Cliff Railways An Historic Survey. Pen & Sword Transport. ISBN 978-1399048309.

• Johnson's professional site