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The Last Ten Years: The End of Steam - in pictures
In The Last Ten Years, author Brian J. Dickson presents stunning colour photographs from the collections of three enthusiasts of the Seafield Railway Club in north London.
Meeting regularly at New Southgate station to record the steam-handled traffic, their focus was initially on all things connected with the former London and North Eastern Railway, but as steam traction became restricted to smaller and smaller areas of operation, regular visits were made further afield, to the north-east of England, Scotland and the former London Midland and Scottish Railway sheds and lines. Here are a selection of photos...
Saturday 31 March 1962. No. 70003 John Bunyan is here seen waiting to depart from Thetford station on the return working to Liverpool Street. The Britannia class was the first of the BR Standard classes to be introduced, with No. 70000 Britannia herself entering service in January 1951. A total of fifty-five examples were constructed between 1951 and 1954, all coming out of Crewe Works. They were allocated to sheds in the Eastern, Western, London Midland and Scottish regions and many examples survived working until the end of steam traction on British Railways in 1968. (Andrew G. Forsyth)
Sunday 26 March 1961. This scene shows Bescot shed 21B, situated south of Walsall on the former L&NWR line. There are at least fourteen locomotives parked, all in steam, awaiting the start of duties on Monday morning. The bulk are ex-LMS Class 4F 0-6-0s with two Class 7F 0-8-0s in the foreground. The shed closed during March 1966 and a new diesel depot was constructed on the site. (Andrew G. Forsyth)
May 1962. The station porter at New Southgate station pauses from mixing platform edge whitening as BR Standard Class 7P6F Britannia 4-6-2 No. 70041 Sir John Moore passes at the head of an ‘up’ express. Constructed at Crewe Works during 1953, she would only give fourteen years of service, being withdrawn in 1967. (Andrew G. Forsyth)
Saturday 25 August 1962. At Ganwick curve, between Potters Bar and Hadley Wood, ex-LNER Class B1 4-6-0 No. 61179 has just emerged from the tunnel at the head of an ’up’ ‘Butlin’s Express’ from Skegness, due to arrive at Kings Cross at 3.23 p.m. Entering service from the Vulcan Foundry in 1947, she would be allocated to Kings Cross during 1958, and here is bearing the correct 34A shed code. She would end her days based at Immingham, being withdrawn in 1965. (Hugh D. Ramsay)
Ex-LNER Class A4 4-6-2 No. 60004 William Whitelaw is seen passing Stirling shed at the head of the ‘down’ ‘St Mungo’. Only recently allocated to Ferryhill shed in Aberdeen, she would be kept in a good, clean condition by the staff there. (Andrew G. Forsyth)
Extracted from The Last Ten Years by Brian J Dickson
