A collection of memories of a bygone age of the railway system that
operated around the Barnsley area and beyond. It was a time when steam
was still king (the local passenger, expresses and freight traffic were
worked by steam), however the advent of diesel, although not initially
noticeable, was gradually taking place.
Towards the end of the 1950s and throughout the 1960s, rationalization
of the railway system and mass dieselization took place, culminating in
the end of steam on British railways (with the exception of the running
of the Flying Scotsman) in August 1968.
Many of the previously unseen photographs in this book include those of
Royston Shed's steam fleet during the last months of working, before
closing to steam officially on 4 November 1967; Thompson B1s, ex-Great
Central Directors and Royston 8Fs at Stairfoot; an ex-Midland engine
hauling an express over Swaithe viaduct; Barnsley Court House station
prior to closure in 1960 and the famous Flying Scotsman's visit to
Barnsley on 21 June 1969.