Steam in the North West

Fred Kerr

Apr 2018 · Pen and Sword

About this ebook

When BR ran its 15 guinea Special in August 1968 many believed that steam locomotives would quickly become a thing of the past and that future workings would be restricted to the heritage lines which had begun to appear. Initially that seemed to be the case with the only exception being the famed A3 Class Pacific 4-6-2 Flying Scotsman whose owner had signed a contract with BR that allowed the locomotive to operate beyond that date.Change came in 1971 when BR trialled the operation of King Class 4-6-0 6000 King George V, then based at Bulmers Hereford site, on a tour of the UK which confirmed the value of steam operation as a valuable aspect of publicity which the railways of the day desperately needed. Many locomotives operating on preserved lines had been bought with the hope of being able to operate on the main line at some future date and their owners began to use this success as a lever to further ease the restriction on steam locomotive usage on the national network.Over time BR identified routes where steam traction could be operated and the centres where steam locomotives could be based as part of the new ethos. It was fitting that, as the last bastion of steam operation in 1968, the North West of England still retained its affection for steam locomotives with Carnforth locomotive depot still available as a maintenance centre. The status of steam operation was fully realised in the 1993 Railway Bill which not only privatised the network but also enshrined the right of steam locomotives to operate on the main line subject to meeting the normal operating standards that were applied to all locomotive operations.The North West of England quickly proved to be the area which offered the best of operations with the stiff gradients of Shap on the West Coast Main Line and the Long Drag of Ais Gill on the Settle and Carlisle route providing a challenge to the footplate crews, an experience for the passengers and a sight to see from the lineside.The lineside view has been captured by the author who lives within the area at Southport hence has been well placed to record many of these workings within the area and the wide variety of locomotive types whose owners have finally achieved the ambition of their locomotives joining the unique club of Steam Locomotives Working in the North West.

About the author

Fred Kerr was born in Edinburgh in 1948 where he gained an interest in railway locomotives from both the LMSR and LNER companies whose services permeated the local network. When his parents moved to Corby in 1956 the local steelworks provided further interest from its mix of freight services, including seeing the last of the Beyer Garrets and the replacement Standard Class 9Fs whilst the industrial locomotives of the internal steelworks network offered further insight into the variety of steam locomotives. This was a time of change and during the 1960s the interest in locomotives included the new order of diesel and electric traction without reducing the interest in steam traction. Whilst his interest in Diesel Traction led to his early involvement with the Diesel & Electric Group and its preservation activities during the 1970s, his move to Southport in 1982 restored his opportunities to return to his first love of viewing steam locomotives at work and this album records some of the locations that he chose to visit and the locomotives that he was able to photograph.

Today his interest continues as a life member of the A4 Locomotive Society, Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and Ribble Steam Railway whilst he also support bodies concerned with preserving steam locomotives, diesel locomotives and infrastructure extensions.