Railway Memories the Trials and the Triumph: A B.R. Motive Power Engineer’s Experience of the Steam to Diesel Years

Tom Greaves gives his own account of the chaotic introduction of main line diesel locomotives during the late 1950s which was conducted primarily on the suburban network out of London’s King’s Cross station and with which he was directly involved. There, a multitude of untried and disparate locomotive types were launched into intensive commuter service almost overnight with inevitable consequences but out of which ultimately emerged a modern, cleaner and more cost-effective network. Railway Memories No.26 also outlines the array of measures taken in the 1950s to prolong the life of steam and make it more efficient before the diesels finally took over. The author charts his early years as a premium apprentice at Doncaster Works and takes us through his time as a locomotive shed master in the London area and as traction engineer at Sheffield and Leeds in the 1960s, concluding with a selection of amusing and fascinating anecdotes. A keen and accomplished photographer throughout his career, Tom Greaves also provides a treasure chest of rare steam and early diesel photographs.