John Carson has been a railway enthusiast almost since birth, a hobby inherited from his father, Harold, whose interest in railways began way back in the early decades of the last century. In the 1930's, Harold became an Anglican clergyman and he found that the relaxation and solace he derived from "watching the trains go by" provided an ideal counterbalance to the stresses and strains of looking after a busy London parish. Many of his leisure hours were spent pursuing his hobby and the notes he made provide a fascinating insight into our railways when they were at their zenith and what it was like to be an enthusiast at a time of so much variety and interest. Despite the loss of many records and the vagaries or lack of certain details, John has endeavoured to reproduce the diaries as far as possible in their original form, not only for posterity but also as a tribute to his father who died in 1993.