On Tour For Steam: A Pictorial Railway Journey Across Britain in the 1960s

In the 1960s, a group of young enthusiasts in Carlisle traveled to other parts of the country to photograph steam locomotives before they were extinct. They would use day return tickets or all-lines rail rover tickets to visit places like Scotland, the North East of England, and Lancashire, or they would join railway societies or clubs to arrange group shed permits. This book depicts their visits to many locations as time ran out for steam traction.

Format: Hardback
Length: 112 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2023
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

By the 1960s, steam traction on Britain's railways was in its final decade, and for a group of young enthusiasts living in Carlisle, there was an insatiable urge to travel to other parts of the country to photograph steam locomotives. In most cases, these locomotives would never have appeared in their locality. Visits to certain parts of Scotland, the North East of England, and parts of Lancashire could be achieved in a day, using a day return ticket. More distant parts of Britain would require more planning, usually using an all-lines rail rover ticket. These visits and trips could be done on an individual basis, with a group of like-minded friends, or even with a railway club or society. The benefits of visits with railway society's or clubs were that such organizations could arrange group shed permits, whereas individuals had to arrange such things by themselves. As the 1960s progressed, time started to run out for the photographer to capture the last embers of steam across the country, and things became increasingly urgent, with the end in sight. This book depicts visits to many locations undertaken during this period when time was running out for steam traction. We traveled from Aberdeen to Weymouth to record the dying days of a form of traction that served the railways of Britain, from the 1820s through to the late 1960s.

Weight: 822g
Dimension: 223 x 288 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399083928