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The Age of Steam
When our railways were being constructed in the nineteenth century, a period of frantic financial and promotional activity known later as the 'Railway Mania' took place. In the year which is the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Midland and North British Railways and the one hundredth anniversary of the opening of the West Highland line from Glasgow to Mallaig, a second railway mania is upon us, with the preservation, management and running of branch-line railways. These are not for trade, nor for another development of the nation of the kind that was wrought so remarkably in Victorian days. This new railway mania is one of appreciation and protection, brought about by the nation's love of the steam railway.
This emotion, revealed so strongly when the railway system was pruned and the steam locomotive scrapped thirty years ago, is engrained more deeply in the British soul than many would care to admit. The steam railway was a thoroughly British invention, and those who enjoy steam railways, whether as operators, passengers or local traders, are celebrating the achievement of those who built the modern world with railways.
Class 5 4–6–0 No. 44957 and class B1 4–6–0 No. 61342 approaching Bridge of Orchy. One of Britain's most scenic lines is the West Highland, built by the North British Railway to reach the west coast of Scotland at Mallaig. Working in tandem on this Glasgow-bound train are locomotives class 5 4–6–0 No. 44957 and class B1 4–6–0 No. 61342 approaching Bridge of Orchy in July 1961.
Class A1 4–6–2 No. 60149, Amadis, at Kings Cross. Locomotives have attracted an extraordinary variety of names over the years. Class A1 4–6–2 No. 60149, named Amadis after the racehorse that won the 1909 Doncaster Cup, waits for the off at Kings Cross in February 1961. Here, at the end of platform 10, generations of railwaymen, fathers and schoolboys watched departures into the depths of the prosaically named Gasworks Tunnel.
Class 4 2–6–0 No. 43000 at Blyth North shed. A place of Stygian gloom for some, but heaven for others, the steam locomotive shed was an industrial building with a character all its own. This is the turntable within Blyth North shed, on 8 October 1966, with class 4 2–6–0 No. 43000 being turned before further duty.
Class 4 2–6–4T No. 42455 approaching Wigan Central. The local train has as much appeal as the express. In the industrial north-west, birthplace of many early railways and of the industry that they served, the network of suburban services was complex. Class 4 2–6–4T No. 42455 brings an early morning train into Wigan Central from Irlam.
Castle class 4–6–0 No. 7002, Devizes Castle, crossing the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. One of the many achievements of the railway continues to be its huge contribution to architecture and the landscape. Here, in Worcester, a train bound for Paddington behind Castle class 4–6–0 No. 7002, Devizes Castle, crosses the bridge over the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.
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Technical Details
Number of stamps: five
Date of issue: 18 January 1994
Design: Delaney Design Consultants
Photography: Colin T. Gifford
Printer: Harrison & Sons Limited, High Wycombe, UK, HP13 5EZ
Process: photogravure
Stamp designs © Royal Mail, 1994
Format: square
Size: 35 mm × 35 mm
Perforations: 14 × 14
Number per sheet: 100
Paper: unwatermarked, overprinted with two phosphor bars, except for the lowest value which has one phosphor bar
Gum: PVA Dextrin
Cover design: Delaney Design Consultants
Text: Andrew Dow, FRSA, ACIS.
Acknowledgements: Royal Mail gratefully acknowledges the advice and help provided by the National Railway Museum, York, in producing this set of special stamps.
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