English Electric Class 40 50 55 Diesel Locomotives

In this superb collection of colour photographs Martin Hart records the iconic 1960s diesels built by English Electric. This is the first volume in the Amberley Railway Archive series.

Stunning previously unpublished photographs of English Electric locomotives. Shows them in service all over the BR system from 1966 to 2019 working a wide variety of trains.

In their book ‘Gresley’s Silver Link’ the authors analyzed the evolution of the A4s Gresley’s and their service up to Gresley’s death in 1941. This book takes this compelling story from the early years of the war up to their demise in the 1960s After four years of service pulling the LNER’s most prestigious trains the A4s took on a more utilitarian role and for six years worked hard to support Britain’s war effort. From this they emerged bowed, but unbeaten, although in an extremely jaded condition. Once restored they took up where they had left off in 1939 and did exceptional service for the rest of their days. With the help of previously unpublished material the authors analyze the second phase of the A4s careers, first as LNER engines, then, from 1948, under British Railways management. Without a diesel or electric fleet of engines to replace them they entered a second golden age of fast running in the ‘50s. Then in the ‘Swinging Sixties’ they faced, as some thought, a premature end as part of a much delayed modernisation programme. Until withdrawn from service they continued to astound their footplate crew and performed exceptionally well, even when maintenance standards had slipped and their condition had deteriorated. They were thoroughbreds and have become a fitting memorial to the master engineers who produced and sustained them for 30 years or more.

After the Second World War, the drive for the modernisation of Britain's railways ushered in a new breed of locomotive: the Diesel. Diesel-powered trains had been around for some time, but faced with a coal crisis and the Clean Air Act in the 1950s, it was seen as a part of the solution for British Rail. This beautifully illustrated book, written by an expert on rail history, charts the rise and decline of Britain's diesel-powered locomotives. It covers a period of great change and experimentation, where the iconic steam engines that had dominated for a century were replaced by a series of modern diesels including the ill-fated 'Westerns' and the more successful 'Deltics'.

Solutions for a moving world.