Steamy Nights

The plethora of railway closures in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly those that followed Dr Beeching's 'Reshaping of British Railways' report in 1963, stirred railway enthusiasts into action the length and breadth of the country. Nationwide, small groups of like-minded individuals emerged to work tirelessly to take over loss-making lines with a view to continuing to run them as tourist attractions. Now, 60 years later, there are more than 200 railway preservation centres in Britain, including more than 100 working railways where volunteers have professionally restored or rebuilt a railway infrastructure on which they run steam-hauled trains that continue to provide that powerful and enduring image. In this book, Heath has compiled a collection of stunning night-time steam railway photographs to reflect steam railway preservation in its glory.