Following on from Class 47s: Inverness to Penzance, 1982-85, this
volume picks up the story and runs to the end of the summer 1986
timetable. It was a period of change, as the first 47s to be withdrawn
started to fall by the wayside in the spring of 1986, since seriously
damaged crash victims were no longer likely to be rebuilt. The first
non-crash-damaged locos were withdrawn - sacrificed to provide a spares
pool for the others. It was also a time of change with regard to how
trains were heated, as steam heat became rare south of Hadrian's Wall.
Christmas 1985 was a watershed as the relief trains were now routinely
electrically heated, with the latest ETH conversions emerging from Crewe
Works from November 1985. In 1986, regular trips to Scotland were
required to sample the delights of steam heat. Further changes came in
summer 1986 as InterCity started to operate some routes in Kent, and
Dover Western Docks was now on the map. With over 200 images, this
volume provides a visual journey of the Class 47s in 1985-86.