STORIES about a bygone age of the railways in Somerset, when they passed through Chard feature in a new book out this week.

Historian Roger Evans’ “Tales of Somerset Steam” contains a number of accounts of how the coming of the railway revolutionised life for the people of Somerset.

Amongst the stories, the study discusses the tale of Martha Vicarey, a middle aged farm worker from Ilminster, who having experienced just one journey by rail, swore she’d never ride on one again as “Twas the work of the devil himself!”

The study contains a number of stories about the age of steam in Somerset over the course of a century. Another tale featured is that of a Chard shepherd who was frozen to death when rail lines across the county were blocked by snow in 1881.

Roger Evans, from Bridgwater, is a well known local historian, lecturer and writer. He has also written “Somerset Tales of Mystery and Murder”, “Somerset Stories of the Supernatural”, “Blame it on the Cider!”, “Don’t Tell I, Tell ‘Ee” and “Somerset: A Chilling History of Crime and Punishment.”

The book describes how the county was transformed by the arrival of steam, the lines on which people travelled, the people who built them and the people and trains who travelled on them.

“Tales of Somerset Steam” was released on Thursday, October 21, on Countryside Books, and costs £7.99.