Little Book of Steam Classics: A Compilation of the Top 100 Grand Prix Drivers: Little Books

Presented in chronological order the last locomotive class featured in this volume of 60 classic engines is the British Railways standard 2-10-0 9F freight class which included Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by British Railways.

Evening Star, completed in 1960, represented the culmination of steam locomotive evolution and design dating back a century and a half. As soon as it was built Evening Star was ear-marked for preservation as part of the National Collection and was appropriately finished in lined Brunswick green with a copper capped chimney and brass fittings, quite resplendent when compared to the utilitarian unlined black of its nameless class mates.

Withdrawn in 1965, Evening Star had a very short working life in common with most of the other standard classes included in the 15,000 engines scrapped by British Railways in the decade up to 1968.

The wholesale scrapping of steam was only part of the radical transformation that took place on Britain’s railways in the 10 years up to 1970 and it was probably the suddenness of that change and nostalgia for the cosy familiarity of railways largely unchanged over the preceding 50 years that provided the impetus for Britain’s thriving railway heritage industry.

As a tribute to the success of that preservation industry, representatives of virtually all the 60 engines included in this book, can still be seen, whether working on heritage railways, as static exhibits in museums or even running on mainline specials.

A chronological record the engines featured in this book are important for either technological innovation or else simple workmanlike efficiency such as the ubiquitous 0-6-0 freight engines built in their thousands and confirming their durability by remaining in service for 50, 60 or even, in some cases, 70 years.