On 20 March 1961, I took up a new post in the Western Region's Birmingham divisional trains office, which opened up for me contacts in that semi-secret world of working timetables and weekly Special Traffic Notices. This was an invaluable aid in my quest to ride not only obviously threatened branch lines (the Beeching era only accelerated a process that was already under way) but also to seek out opportunities to cover some of the more obscure routings that still offered themselves for passenger trains.

Encouraged by W Arthur ("Cam") Camwell, at that time editor of the Journal of the Stephenson Locomotive Society [SLS Journal], I sought to list those routings - in particular those which applied on summer Saturdays when the train was a (if not the) major player in the holiday plans of so many families, particularly from the industrialised regions. The early lists were not, therefore, quite so concerned with the esoterica of suburban curves and spurs.

Nor had the "Rules of the Route" (the process by which train planners and engineers agree how the Sunday engineering work shall be arranged) produced today's fashion for pre-planned diversions featuring in the working and public timetables.

The initial effort was compiled with the help of John Edgington (then with the LMR Public Relations & Publicity Office), Roy Hamilton, Joe House, R C Nelson, Roy Patterson and Stuart Sellar (later acknowledgements included Gerald Aston and Rodney Meadows); the late Jim Lloyd took my rough sketches and prepared his usual high standard of artwork for the accompanying maps. Under the title Branch Lines : Passenger Train Services over unusual sections it first appeared in the SLS Journal during the summer of 1963.

The question of what qualified for inclusion started with the winter 1963/4 issue, which was prefaced by a list of lines which had been deleted because "... although still having a service ... they may readily be ascertained from the public time tables...".

From June 1965, the listing appeared under a new title: List of Passenger Train Services over Unusual Lines, as a foolscap typescript stencilled "Supplement to" the SLS Journal. Amendments continued to appear in the SLS Journal itself. The price of extra copies was quoted as 9d. in stamps (that's just under 4p!). From 1967 a list of lines "... used by passenger trains in connection with regular events, but [which] do not appear in the Working time tables" was incorporated. After the tenth edition, in 1970/1, I relinquished the compiler's role.

From the following edition, 1971/2, Roy Hamilton took over and, for that year, the List was shown as published jointly by BLS and SLS. Also from this date, it appeared on A4 paper and the amendments were (usually) titled "Supplements". From the following year, it became solely a BLS publication, with the BLS title and logo appearing at the masthead. It has been issued free to members ever since. From the 1979/80 edition, compilation was by Roy Hamilton and Bryan Rayner (and also, for 1984/5 only, J D Hogie).

From the 1980/1 edition, the title was curtailed to Passenger Train Services over Unusual Lines. Note that, despite acquiring the abbreviation "PSUL", the word "train" has appeared in the title right from the beginning; the "abbreviation" in unkinder circles was "the kinky curve guide". From the same date, the reproduction method changed to litho, and the previous staple in the top left hand corner of A4 sheets gave way to sheets folded into an A5 booklet, with a staple at the spine. A cover price (for sales to non-members) was quoted in 1982/3: £1.50 - somewhat of an increase over 1966!

For the 1988, 1989 and 1990 editions (as they were entitled), Roy Hamilton took a well earned reduction in workload, and the compilation was put together by Trevor Cockram, with contributions (not necessarily to every edition) acknowledged from J N Faulkner, Roy Hamilton, Peter Todd, Don Kennedy, Paul Steane, Richard Huggins, Dave Monger, Andrew Proctor, Geoff Brockett, Peter Pay, D Woodward, Mike Addison, "46229", "321 Fan Club", Chris Wall, D W Bate and myself. The assistance of The Railway Club, in making available the working timetables which they were then receiving, was gratefully acknowledged. These editions have subsequently been completely re-checked and revised for their on-line versions.

For the period from May 1991 until September 1992, elements of a PSUL list made three sporadic appearances, as supplementary inserts with Branch Line News. The Summer 1992 details have subsequently been completely re-checked and revised for the on-line version.

Rather than see the List wither and die, I resumed compiling a comprehensive booklet from winter 1992/3. Until 2005 it appeared in separate winter and summer editions (because of the changes between the two seasons - particularly with pre-planned Sunday engineering diversions) but thereafter an annual edition has appeared, at each December timetable change; the web site is up-dated as necessary throughout each year. Some of the material previously included in the List, of routes which might be used for diversions in the event of engineering work, was extracted to a separate Engineering Diversionary Routes supplement to Branch Line News, which was issued only once, in Spring 1993.

The website was launched in spring 2003, with the winter 2002/3 edition; all earlier (and subsequent) editions have since been added to the site for the benefit of those undertaking historical research. The Branch Line Society has approval to issue the text in printed form and continued to do so until 2020 as shown in the publishing history below. The work of various contributors - over the years - who have preferred to remain anonymous is very gratefully acknowledged. Access to working timetable data became immeasurably easier when Network Rail commenced up-loading their working timetable pages to their website, with the December 2012 edition, and fellow-enthusiasts were able to initiate the Open Train Times and Realtime Train Info websites to give on-line access to even short term variations in schedules.

Having long since travelled over the lines involved, my motivation in undertaking this biannual "labour of love" has been to keep track of the fortunes (and, often, the fates!) of the lines concerned; I shall be delighted if others, perhaps newer-comers to track gricing, also find it of benefit.

The sub-title "listing regular passenger trains over obscure rail routes in the British Isles" was added from the 2006 edition.

Why PSUL, not PTSUL? No-one's been able to explain.... but Branch Line News from 1968 did incorrectly advertise forthcoming issues as "List of Passenger Services over Unusual Lines". The first traced use of the abbreviation "PSUL" is in Branch Line News no. 157 of 1 July 1970 (alas, BLN's then-Editor is no longer with us to ask why).

PSUL has been used by the Strategic Rail Authority and the Department for Transport.

[This is a slightly modified and up-dated version of an article which originally appeared in Branch Line Society : Forty Years ..... 1955-1995, published by the Branch Line Society in 1995]

PSUL publishing history