Ebook213 pages2 hours
British Railways in the 1960s: Western Region
By Geoff Plumb
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this ebook
An evocative collection of photographs covering the Western Region during a decade of great change.
After the Second World War, Britain’s railways were rundown and worn out, requiring massive investment and modernization. The “Big Four” railway companies were nationalized from 1948, and the newly formed British Railways embarked on a program of building new “Standard” steam locomotives to replace older types. These started to come on stream from 1951. This program was superseded by the 1955 scheme to dieselize and electrify many lines, and so the last loco of the “Standard” types was built in 1960—and the steam locomotives had been swept entirely from the BR network by 1968.
This series of books is a photographic account of those last few years of the steam locomotives, their decline and replacement during the transition years. This volume covers much of the Western Region, as photographed by the author in his youth, often with limited time or disposable income but always with a passion for his project. While not a complete history, it offers a vivid illustration of how things were in the relatively recent past and imparts information through comprehensive captions, which give a sense of occasion—often a “last run” of a locomotive type or over a stretch of line about to be closed down. In simple terms, it’s a look at a period not so long ago but now gone forever.
Praise for the series
“Profusely illustrated . . . impressively informative.” —Midwest Book Review
“An evocative collection of views of the twilight of BR steam.” —Railway Modeller
After the Second World War, Britain’s railways were rundown and worn out, requiring massive investment and modernization. The “Big Four” railway companies were nationalized from 1948, and the newly formed British Railways embarked on a program of building new “Standard” steam locomotives to replace older types. These started to come on stream from 1951. This program was superseded by the 1955 scheme to dieselize and electrify many lines, and so the last loco of the “Standard” types was built in 1960—and the steam locomotives had been swept entirely from the BR network by 1968.
This series of books is a photographic account of those last few years of the steam locomotives, their decline and replacement during the transition years. This volume covers much of the Western Region, as photographed by the author in his youth, often with limited time or disposable income but always with a passion for his project. While not a complete history, it offers a vivid illustration of how things were in the relatively recent past and imparts information through comprehensive captions, which give a sense of occasion—often a “last run” of a locomotive type or over a stretch of line about to be closed down. In simple terms, it’s a look at a period not so long ago but now gone forever.
Praise for the series
“Profusely illustrated . . . impressively informative.” —Midwest Book Review
“An evocative collection of views of the twilight of BR steam.” —Railway Modeller
Read more from Geoff Plumb
British Railways in the 1960s: London Midland Region Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBritish Railways in the 1960s: Southern Region Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBritish Railways in the 1960s: Western Region Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to British Railways in the 1960s
Related ebooks
The Golden Age of Yorkshire Steam and Beyond: Memories of the 50s, 60s & 70s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThere and Back Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Dogfight to Diplomacy: A Spitfire Pilot's Log, 1932–1958 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRailways and Industry in the Sirhowy Valley: Newport to Tredegar & Nantybwch, including Hall's Road Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSquadron Leader Tommy Broom DFC**: The Legendary Pathfinder Mosquito Navigator Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNearly There: The Memoirs of John Frost of Arnhem Bridge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pure Poett: The Autobiography of General Sir Nigel Poett Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFive Uniforms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Sailor on Horseback: Or a Rolling Stone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarold Gasson's Steam Days Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRailways and Industry on the Brecon & Merthyr: Bargoed to Pontsticill Jct., Pant to Dowlais Central Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBarnsley and Beyond Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFly Boy: The Life and Times of a Fighter Pilot Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArrows of Fortune Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Turbomotive: Stanier's Advanced Pacific Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife Wasn't Boring Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsC-Cameron: Donald Cameron's Memoirs of World War II in Bomber Command Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSteam in the Blood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBiography of British Train Travel: A Journey Behind Steam & Modern Traction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrisoner of the Rising Sun Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Soldier At Heart: From Private to General Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Tale of Two Lives - A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Palace Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Stuart Hills's By Tank into Normandy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLettice Curtis Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Prisoner of the Gestapo: A Memoir of Survival and Captivity in Wartime Poland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Long Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Fury to Phantom: An RAF Pilot's Story, 1936–1970 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Soldiers Oath Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPOW on the Sumatra Railway Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreat Western, 0-6-2 Tank Classes: Absorbed & Swindon Designed Classes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
European History For You
Greek Mythology: Captivating Stories of the Ancient Olympians and Titans: Heroes and Gods, Ancient Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England: 400 – 1066 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book: The Script Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mein Kampf: English Translation of Mein Kamphf - Mein Kampt - Mein Kamphf Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mein Kampf: The Original, Accurate, and Complete English Translation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Short History of the World: The Story of Mankind From Prehistory to the Modern Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Celtic Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Sagas and Beliefs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Negro Rulers of Scotland and the British Isles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of English Magic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of the Trapp Family Singers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Victorian Lady's Guide to Fashion and Beauty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Celtic Charted Designs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Psychedelic Gospels: The Secret History of Hallucinogens in Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forgotten Slave Trade: The White European Slaves of Islam Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gulag Archipelago [Volume 1]: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oscar Wilde: The Unrepentant Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Violent Abuse of Women: In 17th and 18th Century Britain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise of the Fourth Reich: The Secret Societies That Threaten to Take Over America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forgotten Highlander: An Incredible WWII Story of Survival in the Pacific Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for British Railways in the 1960s
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
British Railways in the 1960s - Geoff Plumb
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1