Covering industrial steam throughout the British Isles

Over several decades, the terrific photographs featured here, captured by David Letcher, document a period of our industrial development that is now long gone. Steam-powered workhorses helped turn Britain into an industrial powerhouse, and these wonderful photographs show these locomotives in a variety of settings – a long way from the steam heritage railways of today.

Curated selection and nostalgic tribute

Published for the first time here in a selection curated by transport author Stephen Heginbotham, the photographs offer a richly rewarding and nostalgic tribute to the final years of steam on our industrial railways.