Last Years of Steam London Midland Region by David Williams:
Although the final steam locomotive delivered for use on Britain’s main lines was not built until 1960, by the time of its construction, the death knell had already been sounded for steam on British Railways. The Modernisation Plan of 1955 envisaged the wholesale replacement of steam with, predominantly, diesel traction and with an increased use of electric traction on main lines such as the West Coast route. Although it was initially anticipated that the Standard class steam locomotives constructed from 1951 onwards would have a useful life, in the event the rapid decline in the demand for traction on the railways following the Beeching Report resulted in the end of main line steam coming much earlier than originally scheduled. It was in August 1968 that the final main line services operated and, thereafter, steam was consigned to preservation sites, to industry and, eventually, to a limited role on the main line hauling special trains. During the last years of steam traction, many enthusiasts travelled the length and breadth of the country recording the diminishing numbers of steam locomotives which were still at work. Some of these individuals were not content simply to record the sights that they saw. A number of photographers and other enthusiasts got involved in cleaning the locomotives involved in these workings to ensure that the locomotives due in service were in as presentable a condition as possible.
One of theses photographers was David Williams. During the decade leading up to the demise of steam in August 1968, he took countless thousands of photographs covering steam on the main line. From this collection of photographs, the bulk of which is previously unpublished, Ian Allan Publishing is producing a new series of pictorial books featuring each of the BR regions. The first title in the ‘Last Years of Steam’ series features steam workings in the author’s native London Midland Region. Drawing upon his own collection, supplemented where necessary with the work of other photographers, the author has selected some 200 images to provide a record of the final years of LMR steam ranging in scope from the great Stanier Pacifics on the West Coast main line to the humble shunters.
With nostalgia for the 1960s and the transition from steam to diesel growing ever stronger, this new series from Ian Allan Publishing is ideally timed to capitalise on the burgeoning interest in the period. It will appeal to those who were alive at the time as well as those too young to recall LMR steam in its prime but who are involved, either in preservation or railway modelling, in recreating the era.
Author: David C Williams
Format: PB 96 pages
Publisher: Ian Allan Ltd
Pub date: July 2007
ISBN: 9780711031791
List Price: £14.99
