Description

Having detailed his search for steam-hauled trains elsewhere in Britain, Keith Widdowson turns his attention to their final habitat, the BR London Midland region. From exploratory journeys into the unknown to the dispiriting days of diesel substitutions, he describes the scenario he came across during those final years leading to the end of steam in 1968. His self-imposed mission of riding behind as many iron horses as possible led to many hours of nocturnal travel, extended periods of inactivity in waiting rooms, missed connections and fatigue. This was compensated by great camaraderie with like-minded individuals doing the same. This illustrated book will appeal to all those who witnessed the scene at the time, or who simply long for a bygone age. AUTHOR: Keith Widdowson is a retired BR employee who made it his mission to capture the last days of steam on the railways around Britain. His mother got him his job at BR because she’d noted his ‘obsession with timetables’. He has previously written The Great Steam Chase: Journeys on the Southern Railway, Riding Yorkshire’s Final Steam Trains and Scottish Steam’s Final Fling for The History Press. He lives in Kent. 250 b/w illustrations