Portraits of 'Castles
Between 1923 and 1950 a total of 171 Castles were built, although strictly only 170 were ever in service at one time. Kenneth Leech saw and photo-graphed them all, and it is the sheer number of Castles and their far ranging shed locations which make this col-lection of photographs so very special. Wisely, Kenneth did not chase the Castles all over the country but waited for them to come into his area of Bath, Bristol, Chippenham and Swindon. Towards the end of his quest he admits to receiving official assistance. Just one engine, No 5075 Wellington, was needed to complete his collection, and arrangements were made for him to receive a 'phone call when it was in Swindon Works. Sure enough, a few weeks later the call came and he was on his way ! Thus it is that this book represents a complete photographic record of the entire Castle class. But more than that, it contains Kenneth Leech's own story of what it was like to fire and drive a type of engine which, when it first appeared on 23 August 1923, was described as 'Britain's most powerful express passenger locomotive.'
Hardback with dust jacket, 128 pages, black & white photographs
Condition: Good/Very Good
ISBN: 9780903485890
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Updated: 2 January 2025