The 1970s was a unique period for Britain's railways. Steam had not long
been replaced by diesel traction, the West Coast Main Line
electrification was well underway with new and more powerful
locomotives, and the colourful 'rail blue' livery projected an image of
a new and altogether cleaner railway - there was plenty to be optimistic
about. It was also a good time for the railway photographer - much of
the railway infrastructure and complex track layouts of the steam era
remained intact, freight traffic was plentiful and invariably passed
through marshalling yards for sorting, and there were plenty of
locomotive classes of various shapes and sizes, often regionally based,
to pique the interest. As well as this, though, the seeds were being
sown for an altogether different railway - one where locomotive
standardisation was being pursued as a means of lowering fleet
maintenance costs, where the freight focus was a migration to block
trains travelling from supplier directly to customer, avoiding the
inevitable delay and expense of the marshalling yards, and one where
track layouts were being simplified and streamlined to increase speed
and reduce permanent way maintenance. The photographs in this book
capture a flavour of the railways during this fascinating transition
period.
