Sources
Whilst there are number of books available which deal with various aspects and the general history of the Great Eastern Railway, these are not regarded by historians as "primary sources".
Foremost amongst the location of primary sources relating to the Eastern Counties Railway, the GER and its successors are The National Archives, the Society's own Collection and the records held by the National Railway Museum. However there are a number of other places in which similar contemporary information is located, and these can all be useful and of interest to those researching some particular aspect of railway history.
Furthermore, a good deal of research has already been carried out concerning the Great Eastern and whilst documents produced by these efforts are considered "secondary sources", they often have not been published in the railway press, but may be of significant interest. Various research has been carried out by the Universities in the UK, and not all of it within the history faculties. For example:
- The financial aspects of George Hudson's empire have been analysed by students at the University of Essex
- At the London School of Economics the Great Eastern Railway has formed the subject for the examination of the labour market
- The Institute of Railway Studies and Transport History at the University of York has brought together some information concerning the unfortunate exploits of Captain Fryatt.
Whilst some of these details can be found on the Internet, the web's function is, at present, as a means of providing indexes to this material.