Blake Paterson was both a career railwayman and a railway enthusiast who worked for the Western Region, based at Paddington and Reading. He was also a passionate and very accomplished photographer. Aware of the great changes to the railway network which were underway, even before the publication of Dr Beeching's notorious report, he resolved to record as much of the changing railway scene, as was possible.

To do this, he set himself demanding schedules and would often travel great distances, sometimes using overnight trains, to reach the more remote corners of the network. During this intense period of photographic activity he took thousands of images, normally only taking a photo when the sun was shining and aiming to capture the trains in picturesque settings. He sought innovative angles and unlike many railway photographers of the era, he made a particular point of including people, particularly railway employees, in his photographs. It is believed that none of the images in this volume have been previously published.