1962/03/31, 1. BR Standard "Britannia" Class 4-6-2 No. 70003 "John Bunyan" stands at Liverpool Street station at the head of an RCTS special, the "Great Eastern Commemorative" tour, billed as the "Last Steam High Speed Run to Norwich", Saturday 31st March 1962. The engine had been turned out in immaculate condition by its home depot at March.

1962/03/31, 2. BR Standard "Britannia" Class 4-6-2 No. 70003 "John Bunyan" stands at Norwich Victoria, the original terminus but by then in use as a Goods Depot, at the head of an RCTS special, the "Great Eastern Commemorative" tour, billed as the "Last Steam High Speed Run to Norwich", Saturday 31st March 1962. The engine had been turned out in immaculate condition by its home depot at March.

1962/03/31, 3. Ex-Great Eastern Railway Class J17 0-6-0 No. 65567 has taken over the RCTS "Great Eastern Commemorative Railtour" at Norwich Thorpe, where my father Derek Plumb has the job of helping the fireman to fit the headboard to the top lamp iron on the smokebox. Saturday 31st March 1962.

1962/04/08. Ex-GCR "Pom-Pom" 0-6-0 LNER/BR Class J11/3 No. 64373 stands out of use at Darnall shed, Sheffield, Sunday 8th April 1962. This was one of the engines rebuilt from 1942 with long travel piston valves and higher pitched boiler.

1962/08/12. LNER O1 Class 2-8-0 No. 63663 simmers at Staveley GC MPD on Sunday 12th August 1962. This engine was one of the ex-GCR rebuilds from LNER Class O4 with a 100A boiler, commencing in 1944.

1962/10/06. BR Type 1 Bo-Bo diesel (later Class 15) No. D8236 has arrived at North Woolwich station with the RCTS "East London No. 3 Railtour" and is about to run-round the train on Saturday 6th October 1962. Voigtländer Perkeo I, Ilford HP3.

1963/03/xx. This was a view I got to know well as a boy growing up in Sheffield! From Bernard Road, overlooking the eastern end of Sheffield Victoria station, such delights as ex-Great Central "Director" 4-4-0's, LNER B17 "Sandringham" and "Footballer" 4-6-0's, D49's and more mundane engines, as well as EM1 and EM2 electrics could be seen. There was also the possibility of "Compounds", "Royal Scots" and "Jubilees" on the former Midland lines from Midland station which ran under the Great Central lines via the bridge in the centre of the picture. Attercliffe Road station can just be seen in the middle right distance as the lines disappear towards Brightside and Wincobank. By the time this picture was taken in March 1963, most of these classes had gone and we had moved south from Sheffield. There were still some fine sights, however, such as V2 2-6-2 No. 60963 (one of the class fitted with a double-chimney) setting off from Victoria with a southbound parcels train. The bridge in the right foreground is over the lines from Midland station to Nunnery Junction on the GC line, quite what ran over the bridge originally I'm not sure. The former LNWR line to City Goods was behind and underneath this location, crossing over the Midland lines to the left of the picture. Quite a spot - nowadays, the new tram tracks and the "Catcliffe Link" road fill much of this view, with just a single track passing through Victoria to Deepcar.

1963/05/18. "Black 5" 4-6-0 No. 45238 pauses at Melton Mowbray Joint station with an RCTS East Midlands Branch special, "The Joint Lines Railtour" which had started from Nottingham London Road goods yard, Saturday 18th May 1963.

1963/09/04. From the Geoff Plumb Collection of original slides. One of the early Class 25 Sulzer diesels, No. D5154, later No. 25004, is working 9T33, presumably a trip working or traditional "pick-up goods", complete with a brake tender behind the loco. It is carrying a 51L shedcode plate (Thornaby MPD) and may be near Leyburn on the Northallerton to Hawes line. Wednesday 4th September 1963. Photographer unknown. If anyone can confirm or identify the location I would be very grateful!

1963/09/14, 1. 61435 was the last surviving ex-NER 4-6-0 of Class B16/2, one of those rebuilt by Gresley from 1937 with outside Walschaerts' valve gear and cunjugate motion for the inside cylinder. Here, it is coming off shed at Goole for its next working, unfortunately, it did not survive for long enough to make it into preservation. Saturday 14th September 1963.

1963/09/14, 2. Seen from a passing Brake Van special, the last surviving NER 4-6-0 No. 61435 of Class B16/2 is coming off shed at Goole for its next duty. Considering it is the last of its class, someone has lavished a bit of care and attention on the engine as it is pretty clean. It does, however, seem to be missing its tail lamp! Saturday 14th September 1963.

1963/09/14, 3. Seen from the leading brakevan of an RCTS special from Goole, Hunslet Class 05 204hp 0-6-0DM No. D2611 takes the branch from Marshland Junction onto the Isle of Axholme Light Railway (Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway & North Eastern Railway Joint Line) and heads for Reedness Junction. Note the NER milepost 9 (measured from Staddlethorpe Junction, now known as Gilberdyke) at the base of the signal post. Saturday 14th September 1963.

1963/09/14, 4. Hunslet 204hp 0-6-0DM No. D2611 (BR Class 05) stands at Reedness Junction on the Isle of Axholme Light Railway (Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway and North Eastern Railway Joint line) with an RCTS Brake Van special which started from Goole. It is now about to run to Fockerby at the end of the branch, before returning and taking the other line south towards Haxey. Saturday 14th September 1963. D2611 was a member of the class built between 1955-61 and was withdrawn in December 1967, being sold to the NCB for further use at Yorkshire Main Colliery, finally being scrapped in December 1976.

1963/09/14, 5. Seen from the cab of Hunslet Class 05 0-6-0DM No. D2611, participants in the RCTS brakevan special from Goole reboard the train at Reedness Junction, before heading down the branch to Fockerby. This was on the Isle of Axholme Light Railway, a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway & North Eastern Railway Joint Line. The wagons in the sidings appear to be loaded, but don't look as though they have moved for a long time! Saturday 14th September 1963.

1963/09/14, 6. BR Hunslet Class 05 204hp 0-6-0DM No. D2611 stands at Reedness Junction on The Isle of Axholme Light Railway (Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway & North Eastern Railway Joint line) on the branch south to Epworth and Haxey during an RCTS Brake Van Special which ran from Goole, Saturday 14th September 1963. Note the North Eastern Railway slotted-post signal on the left of the picture.

1963/09/14, 7. An RCTS brakevan special reaches the end of track at Epworth on the Isle of Axholme Light Railway, a Lancashire & Yorkshire & North Eastern Railway Joint Line. This ran from Marshland Junction near Goole and originally continued beyond this point to Haxey Junction, that section long closed by this time in February 1956. This is the remains of the passenger station, long disused (passenger services ceased in July 1933), the remaining goods trains using the yard just visible on the right. The five brakevans are hauled by Hunslet 0-6-0DM No. D2611 of Class 05. Saturday 14th September 1963. The remaining lines were closed in April 1965.

1964/02/17, 1. EM2 Class Co-Co 1500v DC electric No. 27001 "Ariadne" waits at a very wet Sheffield Victoria station with the 10:45 departure for Manchester on Monday 17th February 1964. It is newly repainted in "Electric Blue" livery but has no yellow warning panel. The engine was later sold to the Netherlands Railways and eventually preserved. The Victoria Hotel still backs onto the site of the station which is now a weed grown wilderness with just one single track through to Deepcar.

1964/02/17, 2. LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 No. 61212 has just hauled the three coach connection with the "West Riding Limited" from Retford to Sheffield Victoria, and is now pottering about prior to returning to Darnall MPD for servicing. Monday 17th February 1964.

1964/02/17, 3. EM1 Class Bo-Bo 1500v DC electric (later Class 76) No. 26038 is still in BR green livery as it works an empty coal train through a very wet Sheffield Victoria station en route from Lancashire via Woodhead. Monday 17th February 1964.

1964/04/25, 1. The RCTS "North Yorkshireman" Railtour was hauled for part of its journey by the unusual pairing of a Gresley V3 2-6-2T No. 67646 and a Stanier 2-6-4T No. 42639, coupled bunker to bunker. The train has stopped at Barnard Castle station, where the engines came off the train to take water, before traversing the branch line to Middleton-in-Teesdale. The main line from here over Stainmore summit was already closed and the line to Middleton succumbed before the end of the year. Saturday 25th April 1964.

1964/04/25, 2. The RCTS "North Yorkshireman" Railtour was hauled for part of its journey by the unusual pairing of a Gresley V3 2-6-2T No. 67646 and a Stanier 2-6-4T No. 42639, coupled bunker to bunker. The train has stopped at Barnard Castle station, where the engines came off the train to take water, before traversing the branch line to Middleton-in-Teesdale. The main line from here over Stainmore summit was already closed and the line to Middleton succumbed before the end of the year. Saturday 25th April 1964.

1964/04/25, 3. The RCTS "North Yorkshireman" Railtour, double-headed by V3 2-6-2T No. 67646 & 2-6-4T No. 42639, at Middleton-in-Teesdale station, end of the branch from Barnard Castle. Saturday 25th April 1964.

1964/04/25, 4. The RCTS "North Yorkshireman" Railtour, double-headed by V3 2-6-2T No. 67646 & 2-6-4T No. 42639, at Middleton-in-Teesdale station, end of the branch from Barnard Castle. Saturday 25th April 1964. The engines had to propel the stock out of the platform in order to run-round.

1964/06/27, 1. LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 No. 61360 was a Doncaster (36A) engine at the time and is seen here at Sheffield Victoria station at the head of the RCTS special "The High Peak Railtour" on Saturday 27th June 1964. Beyond it on the centre road is an unidentified Brush Type 2 (later Class 31) diesel in original livery.

1964/06/27, 2. LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 No. 61360 is the train engine at the head of the RCTS "High Peak Railtour" which had started at Sheffield Victoria. At Wombwell Main Junction it has now been joined by the prototype EM1 Class Bo-Bo 1500v DC electric, No. 26000 "Tommy", as pilot engine for the run up to and through the "new" Woodhead tunnel, through which steam engines were not allowed to work on their own. Saturday 27th June 1964.

1964/06/27, 3. LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 No. 61360 is the train engine at the head of the RCTS "High Peak Railtour" which had started at Sheffield Victoria. At Wombwell Main Junction it has now been joined by the prototype EM1 Class Bo-Bo 1500v DC electric, No. 26000 "Tommy", as pilot engine for the run up to and through the "new" Woodhead tunnel, through which steam engines were not allowed to work on their own. Saturday 27th June 1964.

1964/08/26, 1. View of Thetford Bridge station on the former Great Eastern Railway line from Thetford to Bury St. Edmunds. The station closed to passengers in 1953 and goods facilities closed in the early 1960s. Some track remains in this view looking towards Thetford, a fair bit of the goods yard still in situ on Wednesday 26th August 1964. The station buildings still exist as does the bridge from which this shot was taken, much of the rest of this view is now a large roundabout where the A1088 and A1066 roads meet to the east of the town.

1964/08/26, 2. Mildenhall station in Suffolk was the terminus of the Great Eastern branch line from Cambridge via Fordham on the Newmarket to Ely line and had a fairly imposing station building, seen from across the remains of the turntable, just a single track remaining in the platform. The line had closed to passengers from 18th June 1962 and to goods from 13th July 1964, only a few weeks before this picture was taken on Wednesday 26th August 1964.

1965/04/10, 1. Seen from among a crowd of passengers, LNER Gresley K4 Class 2-6-0 No. 3442 "The Great Marquess", in LNER livery as first preserved, is running round its train, the RCTS "North Eastern No. 2" Railtour at St John's Chapel on the Weardale branch from Bishop Auckland. The final stretch of the line to Wearhead had already been abandoned, this was as far as the train could go. Saturday 10th April 1965. The engine is carrying the bell that was presented by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the USA, which also had a class designated "K4", though these were large Pacifics!

1965/04/10, 2. LNER Gresley K4 Class 2-6-0 No. 3442 "The Great Marquess" running in LNER livery as first preserved. It is running round its train, the RCTS "North Eastern No. 2" Railtour at St John's Chapel on the Weardale branch from Bishop Auckland. The final stretch of the line to Wearhead had already been abandoned, this was as far as the train could go. Saturday 10th April 1965.

1965/04/10, 3. LNER Gresley K4 Class 2-6-0 No. 3442 "The Great Marquess" was initially preserved in original livery. Here it is at Bishop Auckland, having returned from St John's Chapel on the Weardale branch with the RCTS "North Eastern No. 2" Railtour. It had come off the train and turned on the triangle at the station, now it is backing down to collect the train again before departing for Newcastle. Saturday 10th April 1965. A couple of DMUs can be seen by the main platform in the background.

1965/04/10, 4. LNER Gresley K4 Class 2-6-0 No. 3442 "The Great Marquess" was initially preserved in original livery. Here it is at Bishop Auckland, having returned from St John's Chapel on the Weardale branch with the RCTS "North Eastern No. 2" Railtour. It had come off the train and turned on the triangle at the station, now it is backing down to collect the train again before departing for Newcastle. Saturday 10th April 1965.

1965/08/03, 1. LNER Q6 Class (ex-NER T2) 0-8-0 No. 63377 is hardly taxed with its load of one wagon as it does some shunting at Tyne Dock, with a nice array of semaphore signals on several gantries. Tuesday 3rd August 1965.

1965/08/03, 2. BR Standard 9F 2-10-0 No. 92097 (one of several fitted with air pumps to work the doors on the iron ore hopper wagons) sets off under the signal gantry at Tyne Dock with just a couple of brake vans in tow and heads towards Consett. Tuesday 3rd August 1965.

1965/08/04. Ex-NER P3 Class 0-6-0 (LNER & BR Class J27) No. 65805 has steam to spare as it passes the level-crossing and enters the disused station at Hartley on the Blyth & Tyne line as it works a loaded coal train from Seghill to Blyth. A local bus on route 11a is held at the crossing for the train to pass. Wednesday 4th August 1965.

1965/08/65. J27 Class 0-6-0 No. 65804 brings a heavy coal train out of the sidings at Seghill Colliery and onto the Blyth & Tyne line across the level crossing, before heading towards Percy Main. Wednesday 4th August 1965.

1966/xx/xx, 1. LMS Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 48113 is working light engine tenderfirst passing Mirfield MPD, where a fellow 8F (unidentified) is on shed, WD 2-8-0 No. 90397 is pottering about in the yard and another unidentified engine is under the combined water and coaling stage. Some examples of the "speed-signalling" system here can be seen, the signal by the water tank showing all three aspects! Summer 1966.

1966/xx/xx, 2. WD "Austerity" 2-8-0 No. 90397 in typically filthy condition for the class on the headshunt of the shed yard at Mirfield MPD (56D). Beyond is an unidentified 8F 2-8-0 and a rather nice old departmental carriage. Summer 1966.

1966/xx/xx. View of Sheffield Victoria station and the adjacent Royal Victoria Hotel, seen from the approach road with a splendid collection of contemporary cars! The hotel and approach road are still there, the station itself long gone, though there is still a railway presence with just one track through the site to the steel works at Deepcar. Photo by Frank Hopkins, courtesy Nick Burch. Perhaps taken during winter 1966?

1967/01/11. Seen from an arriving express from King's Cross, LMS Fairburn 4MT 2-6-4T No. 42235 is blasting out of Leeds Central station on Wednesday 11th January 1967. The Low Moor (56F) allocated engine is carrying rather ambiguous headcode lamps that could be "Class A" express passenger, or "Class C" so was perhaps working a passenger train to Bradford, or perhaps a parcels, fish or perishable goods! A DMU waits its next turn in the sidings.

1967/05/06, 1. The clock under the overall roof at Wakefield Kirkgate station stands at 09:40 as LMS 2-6-4T No. 42073 lets off steam having arrived in the centre road with a three coach train from Bradford. This reversed here, a "Black 5" taking it round the curve to Wakefield Westgate, where the three coaches were attached to a Leeds to London King's Cross train. Saturday 6th May 1967.

1967/05/06, 2. On an utterly foul morning at Wakefield Kirkgate station, "Black 5" 4-6-0 No. 44946 approaches what was the rear of the three coach train from Bradford which arrived behind 2-6-4T No. 42073. Once coupled up by the shunter already on the track (note the only orange part of his uniform is the BR North Eastern Region cap badge!), the train reversed around the curve to Wakefield Westgate to be coupled to an express from Leeds to King's Cross. Note the coach on the left is in BR blue livery and has a North Eastern Region number, NE21217. Saturday 6th May 1967.

1967/07/02. LMS "Black 5" 4-6-0 No. 44912 sits simmering on shed at Leeds Holbeck (55A), waiting its next turn of duty on Sunday 2nd July 1967.

1967/07/16, 1. "Black 5" 4-6-0 No. 44711 has arrived light engine from Wakefield and is stopping at the signalbox at Locke's Sidings, St. John's Colliery on the left of the picture. The engine has clear signals, but it looks as though the fireman has something to deliver to the signalman - lunch perhaps? The lines on the right were the Midland lines from Derby to Leeds and joined with the L&YR lines at Goose Hill Junction, just visible in the distance. The Midland lines are now closed, as are the colliery and sidings, just two tracks here now between Wakefield and Normanton. Sunday 16th July 1967.

1967/07/16, 2. BR Standard Class 3MT 2-6-0 No. 77002 sits with other stored locos at Wakefield MPD as the weeds begin to grow around them. On the left is B1 Class 4-6-0 No. 61012 "Puku". Sunday 16th July 1967.

1967/07/16, 3. BR Standard Class 3MT 2-6-0 No. 77002 sits with other stored locos at Wakefield MPD as the weeds begin to grow around them. Sunday 16th July 1967.

1967/12/28. The last of the LNER B1 Class 4-6-0's to remain in capital stock (a few others were transferred to departmental stock) was No. 61306, which lasted long enough to make it into preservation, one of only two survivors. It has just been taken into store at Normanton MPD, its wheels and motion beginning to rust, along with some dumped wagons and an unidentified 9F 2-10-0. Thursday 28th December 1967.

1968/02/17, 1. Almost three years after closure and before the North Yorkshire Moors Railway gained access, this is the view of Pickering station looking north towards Whitby, seen from Bridge Street level-crossing. Most of the infrastructure is still there, even though the NYMR did not expect to be able to run trains to here, due to the high cost of buying the line. The line south from here to Rillington Junction was later lifted and this is more or less the point where the existing bufferstops were erected. Saturday 17th February 1968.

1968/02/17, 2. The North Eastern Railway signalbox at Bridge Street level-crossing in Pickering is still intact almost three years after closure and prior to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway getting access into Pickering. The box was later demolished and the track lifted from here to Rillington Junction as the NYMR stopped short of the level-crossing, which was also removed. Saturday 17th February 1968.

1968/02/17, 3. Despite the sunshine there is still some snow around in this scene looking down on the railway from the road between the village of Levisham and the station. It would have been a long walk! The station itself is hidden amongst the trees to the left of the picture, just by the end of the wall, the railway curving away northwards into Newton Dale and Goathland. Saturday 17th February 1968.

1968/02/17, 4. The line between Grosmont and Rillington Junction had been closed for almost three years by this time and part of it had yet to become the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. This is the view looking north at Levisham station towards Goathland and Grosmont, the track being double from here northwards. It had been singled south from here to Pickering during the First World War as part of the scrap drive. These days the track is double through the station but single northwards from here, the NYMR not being able to purchase both tracks! Saturday 17th February 1968.

1968/02/17, 5. The line between Grosmont and Rillington Junction had been closed for almost three years by this time and part of it had yet to become the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. This is the view looking north at Levisham station signalbox towards Goathland and Grosmont, the track being double from here northwards. It had been singled south from here to Pickering during the First World War as part of the scrap drive. These days the track is double through the station but single northwards from here, the NYMR not being able to purchase both tracks! Saturday 17th February 1968. At that time the crossing over the railway was just a foot-crossing, this was later developed into a road and became part of the "Forest Drive", with a proper level-crossing installed.

1968/04/xx, 1. Taken from the cab of "Black 5" 4-6-0 No. 44912 (possibly!), WD 2-8-0 No. 90642 is seen dumped at Wakefield MPD, one of several locos here awaiting scrapping after the shed had closed. April 1968.

1968/04/xx, 2. By this time Wakefield MPD (56A) had closed as a locomotive depot, just operating as a wagon repair facility. It did still house a few forlorn steam locos awaiting onward movement for scrap. This is the view of the depot from the tender of "Black 5" 4-6-0 No. 44912, part of a line-up. A few other locos were dotted about the yard. April 1968.

1968/04/xx, 3. Seen from the cab of dumped WD 2-8-0 No. 90642, a line-up of stored "Black 5" 4-6-0's includes No. 44912 at Wakefield MPD, all the engines awaiting their fate. April 1968.

1968/04/xx, 4. WD 2-8-0 No. 90642 was one of many engines dumped out of use by this time at Wakefield MPD (56A) and sadly, none of this class survived into preservation. April 1968.

1968/04/xx, 5. Grease and grime! The rear axlebox on the tender of WD 2-8-0 No. 90642, dumped at Wakefield MPD after the closure of the depot. April 1968.

1968/04/xx, 6. At Wakefield MPD, a dumped WD 2-8-0 is seen through the water tower from right alongside the tender of WD 2-8-0 No. 90642, while on the adjacent main line the signals are "off" for a train to pass. April 1968. There is also a "3D" version of this picture in the "Three Dimensional!" collection.

1968/04/xx, 7. LMS Stanier 2-6-4T No. 42574 is dumped in the yard at Wakefield MPD (56A) overlooked by the cooling towers of Wakefield Power Station at Easter 1968. This has all gone, power station, engine shed and locomotive no longer exist...

1969/09/xx, 1. The semi-derelict Prospect Hill signalbox, Whitby. This is the view looking towards Whitby Town station and Scarborough. The line from Whitby Town station via Bog Hall, which passed under Larpool viaduct, and the 'box was on stilts above this track. The two tracks on the left are at a higher level, not visible beyond the retaining wall. The line from Scarborough had closed in 1965, together with the track to Bog Hall, but was left in situ for a while as there was the possibility of using the line to a projected potash mine near Hawsker. In the event, this was built at Boulby and all this was demolished. September 1969.