“Steam’s Last Redoubt”

Presenter: David Fowler

The December meeting was an absolute delight and appropriately set the festive season off to an excellent start.  David Fowler from West of the Pennines was the speaker presenting “Steam’s Last Redoubt” which described the final years of steam in Central Lancashire.

Using photographs taken by himself – all in black and white – the presentation was specifically designed to portray the steam day atmosphere that was generated within those final years.

After initially absorbing the mid/late sixties delights of both Manchester’s Victoria and Exchange stations the focus shifted to then detail happenings in and around Blackburn where much was to be seen of freight traffic heading to and from the Settle and Carlisle and passenger movements in the guise of holiday excursions to venues such as Blackpool.  Typically, LMS motive power in the shape of Black Fives, 8F’s, 9F’s, WD’s, Jubilees and the occasional 4F were naturally well to the fore.

West Coast main line traffic activities were illustrated at Farington Curve Junction where express locomotives such as Duchesses, Scots, Britannias and Clans in their last days were photographed at speed on varying types of duties.  Numerous ubiquitous Black Fives together with several interesting freight movements were also photographed within the mix.

Quality scenes from surrounding sheds such as Bolton, Lostock Hall, Edge Hill, Rose Grove, together with views from both Liverpool stations and Preston just simply broadened the fascination and interest.  Last but not least was an array of photographs taken on Birkenhead shed in the very last days of steam.  This group of photographs which beautifully combined both the shed and its infrastructure, locomotives and working personnel, superbly fulfilled the speaker’s objective of photographically describing the emotive atmosphere appertaining to steam in its final years.