Decades of Steam 1920-1969

There is nothing better than the moving image to lodge events in our consciousness. Ian Allan SBS Video’s renowned series ‘Decades of Steam’ drew upon the best from the archive of ciné film shot by railway enthusiasts over the five decades from the 1920s, spanning the period when the steam railway was still – just – the major force in Britains inland transport until that well-remembered day in August 1968 when the fires of British Rail’s last steam locomotives were dropped for the last time.

Now Michael Harris, railway historian, industry analyst, and Editor of lan Allan Publishing’s monthly journal Railway World takes themes from the video series to produce Decades of Steam 1920 – 1969. It is, however, much more than a commentary on the individual volumes.

He looks at some of the aspects of operating the steam age railway and, in the case of the 1950s and 1960s, how BR made the transition to a system that no longer relied on steam traction. The book considers the when, why and how of changes made to the fleets of engines that have so fascinated many people

But the history of railways is not solely the history of steam or any other form of traction. The machinations of the companies before and after the Grouping were on a much broader, grander scale. They were involved in so many different businesses – shipping, road transport, hotels, docks and harbours, canals – just to name the main headings. The effects of some of these, and the Government of the day’s reaction to them, are woven into Decades of Steam 1920 – 1969. The book provides a concise history of our railways from just before World War 1, when the supremacy of the railways was first challenged by powered road transport, until the day that steam died 30 years ago.

Decades of Steam 1920-1969 has made use of as many primary sources as possible, so as to offer fresh perspectives on the subject. The information has been drawn from our national archives where a few surprises are still to be found to provide new angles on the Big Four railway companies of the 1930s, the railways in wartime, the twists and turns in policies connected with the Modernisation Plan of the 1950s, and insights into different aspects of the rundown of the steam age railway during the 1960s. The illustrations chosen similarly reflect the overall approach of the book.