Nameplates: The Story Behind the Names

Most people, rail enthusiasts or not, have heard of steam locomotive names such as Flying Scotsman & Mallard. There were multitude of loco names that were inspired by the Royal Family and other famous people; famous buildings such as castles, halls and manors; countries of the British Empire and so on. Today the railway is, of course, a very different place. The variety of train operators, both past and present, means there is no universal code of practice as to whether names are carried. It is very much down to the stance taken by the boards of these operating companies. Nevertheless, a glance through a list of today's locos and units reveals a considerable number and variety of names applied. This book takes a look at around 100 of those names and digs a little deeper to come up with the stories behind them. These stories are accompanied by a close-up of the nameplate and a shot of the loco or unit in action.