British Steam Locomotives Before Preservation
ALTHOUGH THERE are plenty of books out there covering preserved steam locos, this one puts a different slant on the subject by illustrating many of them while they were still in service before withdrawal and entry into preservation. The layout is a simple one, covering the locos by ‘big four’ railway order (GWR, SR, LMS and LNER), followed by British Railways-built examples. The locos featured have a text entry and usually more than one accompanying image, with those covered representing a wide cross section of steam designs. Obviously, there is not room to include a shot of every single loco, but a comprehensive listing at the back of the book does list them all.
The quality of the photos is very high and includes some absolute belters of locos now familiar on main line steam tours and at heritage lines. The accompanying text is comprehensive, but not entirely up to date, unfortunately. For instance, GWR 6000 King George V is listed as being at the NRM (its owner) in York when it is actually at Steam in Swindon. That apart, the book presents the UK’s preserved steam locos in quite a different light and I found it a fascinating read; easily recommended. (MN)