NEVER AGAIN – FINALE

WHEN the first boxed set of Never

Again – The Complete Works was published in 2018, there was much acclaim as to not only the high printquality and binding of the four books, but also for the content – much of it showing the demise of steam on BR through the eyes of the Master Neverers Association, whose members had travelled the length and breadth of the country amassing around 100,000 images since the early 1950s

This was followed up last year by Never Again – Encore, a further three volumes of equally breathtaking quality railway photography.

And now comes the final three volumes, a further 720 pages containing another 1000 images and nostalgia from the 1950s and 60s, making a total across the 10 volumes of 2400 pages – very impressive for a project first conceived in 2011.

Volume eight looks at the ‘Cathedrals Express’ route, Worcester Locomotive Works, the Bromyard branch, Gloucester-Swindon, plus the Big Freeze of 1963 – each section of the books telling its own story.

The magical mystery tour of Britain also visits the Settle & Carlisle line, Wearside, Southampton Docks, that wonderful journey continuing in the final two volumes to Edinburgh, the rural North East, Manchester, the Midland Main Line, Great Central, Montrose, North Wales, and Copy Pit.

It is difficult to convey in a short review how much background work has gone into this series – the scanning, the picture restoration work in Photoshop, the research for captions, the support of their Polish printers, all in the quest for a quality product. There may be the odd ‘iffy’ pic, but film and lens quality 60 or so years ago is not a patch on what we have today.

Turn a page, any page, and there is something rewarding to see in every picture, which is comprehensively captioned. Predominantly black and white, there is a sprinkling of colour, which has reproduced well in most instances. There’s page after page of ‘master’ shots, the everyday shots with children in terraced streets, which were taken for granted in the Sixties – this is a series you will return to reminisce over time and time again.

The final page shows MNA colleagues – many known to the reviewer – immensely proud of their achievement, and as a reader, we should be in awe of their incredible dedication.

It is a limited edition boxed set, and the previous Encore is also still available. Cannot recommend highly enough. CM

Published by Never Again Publishing Email sales@mnabooks.com

Three volume boxed set, 720pages. £105+£15p&p