British Railways Steam in Retrospect: The Post-War Era

In 1948, the "big four" railway companies were nationalized to form British Railways. This collection of photographs captures the last two decades of steam power as steam gave way to diesel electrification, including many vintage locomotives of pre-Grouping origin that survived the war, plus the final steam locomotive to be built on British Railways (the BR 9F 2-10-0 No. 922220 or Evening Star). In particular, Eric Oldham looks at Crewe and Doncaster stations/works, MPDs in general, along with steam on the Woodhead route, pre/post electrification The photographs include behind-the-scenes views of locomotive sheds, depots, freight, and passenger traffic plus some dramatic station portraits.