In The Fifteen Guinea Special: The End of Steam and the Story of Preservation on the Mainline the author, Ian Hardman takes a look back at the famous steam special, and how the steam preservation movement developed in the years following it.
After the Beeching Report was published British Rail set the deadline for the end of steam running, on the mainline, as midnight of the 12 August 1968. On 11 August 1968, the day before the ban was introduced, a steam special ran, the Fifteen Guinea Special – so called due to the high cost of the tickets. Starting at Liverpool Lime Street, pulled by the LMS Stanier Class 5 45110, it ran to Manchester Victoria where the locomotive was changed to the Britannia Class 70013 Oliver Cromwell, and the special continued on to Carlisle. At Carlisle there was another change of locomotive before it set off back to Manchester Victoria, this time it was run double-headed, pulled by LMS Stanier Class 5 44871 and LMS Stanier Class 5 44781. Finally at Manchester Victoria 45110 was re-attached and pulled the train over the last leg back to Liverpool Lime Street. The following day allowed the locomotives to be moved over the rails before their final retirement, and the end of steam running.
Ian Hardman begins with an in-depth look into the Fifteen Guinea Special with first-hand accounts and explores how the train has developed to become a cornerstone of British history. He then looks at the Barry Scrapyard, Dai Woodham and the world-famous Flying Scotsman, all of which played a huge part in instigating the resurrection of steam and in saving hundreds of locomotives from certain demise. Fifty years on, steam is alive and well, and is still much-loved by rail enthusiasts and the British public in general. This book takes a step-by-step journey into the twenty-first century, following the highs and lows of the business of steam-hauled mainline charters, so following the story to the present-day.
The illustrations are displayed in either two-per-page, or three-per-page, format.
126 colour and 10 photographs. 96 pages.