Railways & Recollections – The end of BR Steam 1968

AUTHOR: Peter Townsend & John Stretton

PUBLISHER: Silver Link Books/ Mortons Books

ISBN: 978-1-85794-525-6

PRICE: £8.00

WEB: www.mortonsbooks.co.uk

THIS WORK is a tapestry of images, arranged in a monthly format, portraying the final demise of steam on BR metals in 1968. That said, it is interspersed with diesel and electric photos, too, to widen the appeal, and it also contains passing bits of information about the time period in question. While the majority of images are from the North West of England, steam’s final stronghold, several more appear from across the UK to add variety.

The photo selection is impressive, with some well-worn steam locos that struggled on regardless and also their modern replacements, some of which lasted only a handful of years. There are also some significant images of parts of the network that have long since vanished from the railway map. But one of the most amazing shots is an overview of Barry scrapyard and the hundreds of locos within, the vast majority of which miraculously survived into preservation. The variety and quality of the photos make this book a nice addition to the bookshelf, honouring as it does a significant year in the UK’s railway history. (MN)