To some, steam's demise in 1968 was merely a belated step towards progress, but to the steam enthusiast, nurtured on the sulphurous breath of these iron steeds, this last goodbye was a time for reflection and regret. Throughout the mid-sixties, the steam cull was relentless.TheWestern Region carried it out with almost indecent haste,while the Southern Region held on until 1967, along with the North East.The Midland Region was the last to go. It had suffered serious steam casualties as depot after depot closed, yet incredibly a pocket of three Lancashire sheds survived to the last.The trio, Carnforth, Lostock Hall (near Preston) and Rose Grove (near Burnley) achieved almost celebrity status in 1968 as the
only steam motive power depots still operating in the whole country.

Last Days of Steam on the Midland includes the author's remarkable photographs taken during the period when, as he
poignantly puts it, `Time ticked towards an almost surreal extinction of steam, with a countdown as cold as the steel of a
locomotive whose fire had been dropped for the last time.' Over 150 photographs appear in the book including photographs taken at the famous Barry scrapyard where so many locomotives ended their days. Anyone with an interest in railway history will be fascinated by this unique pictorial memoir.