Diesels in Scotland

In the pantheon of the great railway photographers, W. J. V. Anderson is undoubtedly one of the most widely respected. His reputation is such that he is one of that handful of railway photographers whose images are almost instantly recognisable from their unsurpassed technical accomplishment and the skill of their composition. Diesels in Scotland will be welcomed by all those with an interest in the railways of Scotland and in the early phases of the diesel era. It will also appeal to everyone who can appreciate great railway photography irrespective of the subject featured.

Following the Modernisation Plan of 1955 the process of replacing British Railways’ steam locomotives with diesel and electric traction rapidly took off. It soon became evident that some classes of locomotives would be allocated to specific regions. Thus, from the late 1950s onwards, the Scottish Region became home to a number of diesel classes not usually seen elsewhere on the BR network. Some of these, such as the future Classes 26 and 27, were successful and long-lived; others, such as the Class 17 Claytons and the North British-built Class 21/29s, proved less successful and were consigned to the scrap yard soon after the steam locomotives they were designed to replace.

Although best-known as a photographer of steam, the late W. J. V. Anderson was also interested in diesel traction. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he continued to record the railway scene after the final demise of steam. In 2005, Ian Allan Publishing produced Scottish Steam, compiled by Anderson’s son Keith and his close friend Brian Stephenson. This book was very successful and was reprinted within months. In Diesels in Scotland, Keith Anderson and Brian Stephenson have returned to W. J. V. Anderson’s superb archive to provide a pictorial record of the early years of diesel traction in Scotland. Including both mono and colour photography, the book represents a unique portrait of diesel traction in Scotland over some two decades.