abc British Rail Locomotives and Other Motive Power

A popular feature of our publishing programme for a number of years has been our fascimile reprints of selected titles from the famous Ian Allan Publishing abc series that first appeared in the 1940s. These modestly priced reprints are welcomed by both the enthusiasts who may have used them when they first came out and also by those not around at the time they were first published. They provide wonderful, nostalgic snapshots of a railway scene which has long since disappeared.

The latest reissue in the series - abc British Rail Locomotives and Other Motive Power Combined Volume 1967. Two years before in 1965, there had been 3,000 steam locos on BR's books. But such was the remorseless march of diesel and electric traction, by the end of 1967, this had shrunk to a mere 361; 307 of LMS origin, 2 ex LNER locos and only 52 out of the 999 BR Standard locos built. This is also the first of our abc reprints which uses the term 'British Rail' in its title, that having been introduced in 1965.

The focus of the 1967 abc Combined is therefore firmly on diesel and electric motive power with new locos being added all the time and almost all of the early Modernisation Plan types still in service. For generations of enthusiasts, these were the locos they grew up with and spotted so this volume will be one many can relate to more strongly than the rapidly fading age of steam.