When it was originally published, Hugh Longworth's definitive record of every steam locomotive operated by British Railways from nationalisation until the end of steam traction on the network in 1968 was very much welcomed as it provided for the first time in one place a detailed and accurate source of reference on this important subject.
With the book having been out of print for some time, a new and revised edition was overdue. However, the extent of the revisions, which included the book's many photographs being given more space on the page and the use of enlarged and enhanced locomotive drawings, greatly increased the size of the work. Rather than attempt to cut or dilute the content, it was decided that instead of publishing one unwieldy and expensive book, a more realistic approach was to present the work in two volumes of roughly similar size. This is the first of these and focuses on the Great Western and LNER locomotives which became part of BR stock in 1948. The second book, due in 2025, will cover Southern and LMS locos and the Standard classes introduced by BR.
For each class of steam locomotive included in this volume, the following is provided:
- Archive black & white photograph
- Diagram
- Basic information, such as introduction dates, designer, weight, wheel size, boiler pressure and tractive effort
- Concise history of the class
- Map of geographical distribution around Britain (based on depot allocations)
- Number of locomotives in service at the end of each year
- List of individual locomotives, with number, build date, renumbering dates and scrapping dates
British Railways Steam Locomotives 1948-1968 Volume 1: Designs Inherited from the GWR and LNER is the first part of a comprehensive reference work covering all steam locomotives operated by British Railways. Hardback. 392 pages.