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British Rail in Colour by L A Nixon Hard Cover 1982 96 Pages
British Rail in Colour by L A Nixon Hard Cover 1982 96 Pages
Almost 20 years have elapsed since diesel and electric traction ousted steam locomotives from the majority of British trains. Since those seemingly distant days many 'first generation' diesel locomotives have disappeared from the scene. Indeed few young enthusiasts today can recall the 'Baby Deltics', the `Warships' or the 'Claytons'. More recent casualties, the 'Westerns' and the much lamented `Deltics' became subjects of fanatical cult worship in the months leading up to their retirement. The unique qualities of these two types singled them out for special attention from their admirers, but future prospects for various examples of BR's ageing diesel locomotive fleet remain a hotly discussed topic when enthusiasts gather. Some types, like the English Electric class 40, appear doomed while the 'Peaks', or at least the eth-fitted 45/1 series, seem set to survive into the 1990s. The pace of change within BR's motive power fleet will no doubt be governed to some extent by the speed with which electrification plans are realised but progress continues relentlessly to reshape the character of the locomotives and trains which remain the focal point of enthusiast interest.
However, the discernible nature of the railway is not formed by motive power alone. Many other factors contribute to give the network an absorbing richness and these too undergo this process of constant change. The early and mid 1960s witnessed the closure of routes such as the Somerset and Dorset, which never succumbed to modern traction, while others like the former NER trans-Pennine Stainmore line were only conquered by the ubiquitous dmu. Happily the pace of closures slowed in the 1970s but the threat remains, as testified by the end of the electrified Woodhead route in 1981. Electrification, especially of the 25kV overhead variety, will without doubt continue to make its enormous visible impact, providing environmentalists with an enigma and railway photographers with an unwelcome set of problems. Changes in signalling and telecommunications have gathered momentum. In some cases this was a prerequisite of electrification but semaphore signalling has now disappeared from most BR trunk routes.
Trains too have changed. Steam heated, vacuum braked compartment stock and prestigious Pullmans have all but given way to air conditioning, eth and air brakes. Pre-nationalisation passenger vehicles left the scene long ago and parcels vehicles built to the designs of the Big Four were a threatened breed in the early 1980s. BR's freight traffic has undergone an enormous transformation and the process continues. The Freightliner has come to stay while the pick-up duty formed of loose-coupled four-wheeled wagons has virtually disappeared. Today's typical freight train conveys one commodity in vehicles specially designed for the purpose, often running at speeds unmatched by many passenger trains during the steam era.
One inevitable consequence of the process of adaptation by BR to constantly evolving commercial and national needs is increased uniformity and standardisation. HSTs appear at Aberdeen and at Penzance. Emu stock seen at Kings Cross looks very similar to contemporary vehicles in Glasgow. Resignalling schemes lead to the disappearance of signal boxes which once identified a line's earlier parentage. But this does not mean that today's railway lacks variety and interest for the informed observer. A means of transport which equally effectively can feed the blast furnaces at Llanwern or take the children to school on the Cambrian coast, can deliver grain to the Scottish distilleries or whisk the Tyneside businessman to the capital and back comfortably in a day still deserves attention and offers a wealth of fascination for anyone patient enough to seek it out. That the daily ritual of railway business is carried out unobtrusively in all seasons against a backdrop of Britain's magnificently varied scenery simply adds to the visual delights available to the enthusiast.
In this volume we can only begin to present a few aspects of this activity. A number of older pictures serve to remind the reader that it was not so long ago that green diesels pulled maroon carriages (and, on the former LSWR, maroon ones pulled green ones!), or that the hydraulics reigned supreme on the WR. But many of the more recent studies which form the greater part of the selection also bear evidence of the subtle and constant change in our railway system, a reminder that what we see today may be tomorrow's history.
The pictures represent a distillation of the work of several photographers to whom the publishers and I offer grateful thanks. Inevitably both film and format of the original transparencies are varied, ranging from rather faded 20-year old Agfa 35mm to present day Ektachrome 6 x 7cm slides. This accounts for slight variations in colour balance, grain structure and definition. The photographic styles embrace the traditional, the unusual and the avant garde in a mix which I hope is both appealing and stimulating. Except where indicated otherwise the photographs are the work of the compiler.
The illustrations are grouped around identifiable themes such as class of locomotive, geographical area, lineside feature or photographic theme but no claim of comprehensiveness is made: a clear reason, perhaps, for a companion complementary volume in the future.
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