Although not immediately evident, with January 1948 came the inevitable nationalisation of the big four railway companies comprising British Railway operations. For a while at least things carried on much as they had done since the war. Train timetables did not appear to have been interfered with and the promised improvements in all things railway, as far as the public were concerned did not rapidly evolve. Actually the only railway company that was making a profit at the hand over, albeit a modest one, was the Southern. Electrification of their vast and busy suburban network had proved a stroke of genius and a great success. It was obvious that an economical and up to date railway system should follow along the same lines. The days of dirty, labour intensive steam motive power were not in keeping with the vision of politicians promising a wonderful new beginning.Barry Lewis uses his wonderful collection of photographs to show what happened next, taking the reader on a stroll through steam in the Southern region in the days of British Railways.