Running from London Kings Cross to Fraserburgh the London & North Eastern Railway had good bits, bad bits and in some cases downright ugly bits, all of which added to the atmosphere that stretched from the banks of the Thames to the northern coast of Scotland. The 6,500 route miles were full of contrast, ranging from bucolic branch lines to the hives of industry, the LNER encompassed them all. Its range of motive power was tremendous, from Pugs pootling around goods yards to streamlined Pacifics streaking through the landscape. Many of the inherited locomotives and rolling stock did well to survive into the Nationalised era – the LNER as a company was never flush with cash. Though not always successful it was however full of new ideas that captured the public’s attention – from steam railcars to electrification. The sheer variety of motive power, rolling stock and goods traffic certainly contributed to the flavour of the times. After 1948 the LNER, along with the other three big British railway companies, was divided up to form the new nationalised ‘British Railways’ with parts of it being incorporated into the Eastern, North Eastern and Scottish regions.
In The Atmospheric Eastern: The Classic Eastern Region Collection Alan C Butcher has accompanied images from the Transport Treasury Archive with extensive captions.
189 black & white photographs. Hardback. 160 pages.