Great Western Steam Retreat

In mid-1964, Keith Widdowson got wind that the Western Region was hell-bent on being the first to eliminate the steam locomotive - the target date being December 1965. Upon realising the significance of the situation, he hurriedly homed in on train services still in the hands of GWR steam power, aiming to catch runs with trains prior to their premature annihilation. The extreme external disorder during the final years of steam provided the photographer the opportunity to capture the steam locomotive in a never-before-witnessed condition, with steam/smoke escaping from a multitude of new outlets never intended as such by their designers, such problems being particularly acute throughout the WR. This illustrated book completes the steam chase series, detailing the author's teenage exploits chasing steam throughout Britain - a scenario never again to be repeated.