Inside is a collection of photos, from the 1950s through to the 80s, both colour and b&w, of Austerities hard at work earning a living. The book is divided into regions and most photos have extended captions (think Railway Bylines) containing information not only on the loco in camera but on its fate, the location and history of same. Most photos are of colliery locos, battle scarred and filth covered, often in grim surroundings (the third-from-last pic. is worthy of study), perfect fodder for those modellers who love weathering. Some splashes of colour can be found though, the orange and black striped cab on one example, another has a NCB colour sheme of blue saddle tank and yellow cab. The British Railways owned locos get a couple of pages as well, as do those owned and operated by the military.
Well worth seeking out by industrial railway enthusiasts.
British Austerity Saddle Tanks by Gordon Edgar, Amberley, ISBN 978-1-4456-3342--8
Paul.
Aha! The blog post I have been waiting for! Thanks, Paul, this looks fantastic and right up my street. Railway Byelines...another great magazine and one I usually buy. I guess there's no excuse now but to get that Austerity finished :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I do need to finish mine... I did turn up some sandbox lids for it a while ago, but its had nothing done to it since.
DeleteBylines I tend to buy every month - there's always something of interest in there.