A Railwayman’s View Volume Two London Midland Region

A Railwayman’s View Volume 2 London Midland Region by Peter Collins and Ian Simpson.

Step into the transitional years of British Rail with the second volume of A Railwayman’s View, featuring the evocative photography of Peter Collins. This volume captures the drama, change, and sheer variety of the 1970s rail scene, from Crewe to the Midlands, North Wales, Scotland, and beyond.

At the heart of this collection is the electrification of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) between Crewe and Glasgow, a project that reshaped the LMR following the earlier London-Manchester-Liverpool upgrade. Peter’s photographs offer a rare and authentic glimpse into this pivotal moment, with scenes rich in detail and character: from the original AL1–AL6 electric locomotives and early Class 87s to English Electric Class 50s in their pre-refurbished state.

Highlights include the varied locomotive scene at Crewe during daily locomotive changes — Class 40s, 47s, and 50s giving way to electric traction, rare views of Toton depot in the early ’70s, including Christmas Day access unthinkable today, Sulzer Type 2s dominating Scottish lines, with glimpses of Class 50s far from home, Peak-hauled Midland services, evocative railtour scenes, and spotters’ favourites captured before the arrival of sectorisation and uniformity and gritty, atmospheric images of Manchester Victoria and the East Midlands, vividly recalling a time when the soot and steel of BR was still omnipresent.

This collection doesn’t just document locomotives — it captures an era. The book’s photographs portray the LMR as a region caught between the past and the future, where progress in the form of electrification stood side-by-side with fading diesels and the residue of steam-age infrastructure. The mood is often sombre, the skies grey, but the energy and movement are unmistakable.