British Steam Locomotives Before Preservation, covers the history in pictorial form of steam locomotives that are now preserved as part of the national collection. Those which can be found in private collections and the ones which adorn the various heritage railways which operate throughout Britain. The book looks at each subject both in its working life and during its subsequent preservation. The pictorial content covers a wide swathe of Britain during the years before the heritage locomotives, were earmarked for preservation.

A pictorial history of the British locomotives now part of the national collection, detailing their working lives and their preservation. British Steam Locomotives Before Preservation covers the history in pictorial form of steam locomotives that are now preserved as part of the national collection. Those which can be found in private collections and the ones which adorn the various heritage railways which operate throughout Britain. The book looks at each subject both in its working life and during its subsequent preservation. The pictorial content covers a wide swathe of Britain during the years before the heritage locomotives were earmarked for preservation. Praise for British Steam Locomotives Before Preservation “The book does exactly what it says on the cover and is recommended for anyone with an interest in UK standard-gauge steam. The photographs include not only locomotives, but also trains in some very interesting settings, which adds to the enjoyment of a well-researched offering. Recommended—Next one please!” —Ffestiniog Railway Magazine

The vast majority of Britain’s railways were built between 1830 and 1900 which happened to coincide with the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). By the turn of the Nineteenth/Twentieth Century, over one hundred different railway companies were operating in Britain on more than 22,000 miles of railway track. Although these new railways brought prosperity to the nation and enabled goods and passengers to be speedily transported the length and breadth of the country for the first time, this remarkable feat of engineering brought with it some unwelcome side-effects, one of which was crime. Wherever crowds of people gather, or unattended goods are being transported, a few unscrupulous individuals and career criminals will usually emerge to ply their trade. Some railway staff members are also unable to resist the temptation of stealing money or goods passing through their hands. This book gives an insight into the nature and types of crime committed on the railways during the Victorian era, incorporating such offenses as theft, assaults and murder, fraud, obstructing the railways and various other infringements of the law. Over seventy different cases mentioned in the book are true accounts of events which took place on the railway during the Victorian era, the details of which were obtained as a result of hours of researching British Newspaper Archives of that period. The author hopes that readers will get as much pleasure from analyzing the various cases cited in the book, as he himself derived from researching and writing about them.

This book traces the history of the British Transport Police, the National Police Force responsible for policing the railways of England, Scotland and Wales. The roots of the Force go back almost 200 years, starting with the development of the railways during the Nineteenth Century. Hundreds of railway companies were founded and although mergers and amalgamations took place, by the end of the century, well over 100 railway companies were operating, most of which employed railway policemen. The first railway policemen were recruited to work on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1826. Other railway companies quickly followed and by the 1850s, railway policemen with their smart uniforms and top hats were a common sight on Britain’s railways. During the Twentieth Century, railway companies continued to merge before being nationalized in 1948. The following year, the British Transport Commission (BTC) was created to oversee not only the newly nationalized railway network, but also the nation’s docks, shipping, inland waterways, road transport, road haulage and other companies. Also in 1949, the British Transport Commission Police (BTC Police) was created to take over the policing of these newly nationalized institutions. All the former railway, dock and canal police forces were then absorbed into the new BTC Police Force. The BTC was abolished in 1962, having incurred serious financial losses. The BTC Police was renamed the British Transport Police in 1963 and has continued to operate ever since. It no longer polices the docks, harbors and canals for reasons outlined in this book.

After WWII the existing railway companies were all put into the control of the newly formed British Transport Commission and that government organization spawned British Railways, which came into being on 1st January 1948. The railway infrastructure had suffered badly during the war years and most of the steam locomotives were 'tired' and badly maintained and or life expired. Although the management of British Railways was already planning to replace steam power with diesel and electric engines/units they still took a decision to build more steam locomotives (as a stop gap). Some 999 (yes just 1 short) Standard locomotives were built in 12 classes ranging from super powerful express and freight engine to suburban tank locomotives. The locomotives were mainly in good order when the order came in 1968 to end steam, some only 8 years old.There still exists a fleet of 46 preserved Standards of which 75% are in working order in and around the UKs preserved railways, furthermore 3 new build standard locomotives are proposed. Steam fans who were around in the 1960s all remember the 'Standards'.

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The author, Fred Kerr, was introduced to the world of industrial railways in 1956 when his parents moved from Edinburgh to Corby in Northamptonshire, where the local steelworks offered a mix of locomotives from several manufacturers. When steam traction finished on BR in August 1968, Fred's interest in railways continued with diesel and electric traction, whilst retaining a passing interest in industrial locomotives through his visits to the heritage lines which were initiated in the post-Beeching era.When the author converted to digital photography in 2001, he visited many heritage lines as he sought to gain experience in the digital world. When he looked back after a decade of digital photography, he noted that industrial locomotives were still at work on many heritage lines throughout the UK. He also noted that during the 1960s the effort to preserve mainline steam traction had overlooked the availability of industrial locomotives, leading to the scrapping of many locomotives with both a story to tell and an incomplete working life.The result is a book that pays tribute to industrial locomotives which are still at work by detailing the manufacturers of these workhorses and the locomotives which they built; identifying their working lives where possible; showing their entry into preservation and paying tribute to those heritage lines which appreciated the value of these unsung heroes of the Industrial Revolution by buying the 'scrap' locomotives then restoring them to working order.