Great Western Locomotives On The Main Line: Scenes from an Edwardian Railway

With the final elimination of the broad gauge in the early 1890s, the Great Western Railway for the first time possessed a fleet of locomotives that was exclusively standard gauge. Under the auspices of George Armstrong, William Dean and George Jackson Churchward, a number of classic locomotive designs emerged from both Wolverhampton and Swindon works during the final decades of the 19th century. These included the 'Dean Goods' 0-6-0s, the 'Star' class 4-6-0s, the 'City' class 4-4-0s and the 'County' class 4-4-0s. Peter Darke draws upon the collection of a photographer who was active during the years from 1907 until the early 1960s; he travelled widely over the GWR network during the last years of the company prior to the Grouping in 1923 recording primarily the locomotives and trains that were then in service. The volume includes a historical overview of the GWR during the Edwardian period coupled with a variety of photographs and detailed captions. He also outlines a number of other pre-Grouping companies - such as the Midland & South Western Joint - that were to become part of the GWR in 1923and goes on to discuss the locomotives that the GWR inherited from these companies at the Grouping.