The Great Western Steam Retreat

Product information

€24.64

Stock: In Stock Online

Our USPs

free delivery icon
Free Delivery
Extended Range: Delivery 3-4 working days
dubray rewards icon
Dubray Rewards
Earn 99 Reward Points on this title

The Great Western Steam Retreat

Product information

Author: Keith Widdowson

Type: Paperback

ISBN: 9780750998079

Date: 6th January, 2022

Publisher: The History Press

  1. Categories

  2. Travel Writing
  3. Memoirs
  4. Biography: General

Description

In mid-1964, Keith Widdowson got wind that the Western Region was hell-bent on being the first to eliminate the steam locomotive on its tracks by December 1965. The 17-year-old hurriedly homed in on train services still in the hands of GWR steam power, aiming to catch runs with the last examples before their premature annihilation. The Great Western Steam Retreat recalls Widdowson's teenage exploits, soundtracked by hits from the Beatles, the Kinks and the Rolling Stones, throughout the Western Region and former Great Western Railway lines. He documents the extreme disorder that resulted from that decision, paying tribute to the train crews who managed to meet demanding timings in the face of declining cleanliness, the poor quality of coal and the major problem of recruiting both footplate and shed staff. This book completes the author's Steam Chase series and provides a snapshot into the comradery that characterised the final years of steam alongside the long-gone journeys that can never be recreated.

Additional details