Geoff Swaine

A Pageant of British Steam is a book honouring the position to which Britain's Heritage Steam Railways has now arrived. Preservation has become the word for the achievements of the thousands of volunteers who have given up a mass of time to advance the saving of this section of Britain's history. Most of these people are the likely descendants of our Industrial Revolution where the skills have never been forgotten. The book shows in fine colour photography the wonderful selection of locomotives and rolling stock running on our preserved lines - all across the country. Text highlights the historical background of railway history from the earliest times right through to the 'end of steam' in the nineteen sixties. Geoff Swaine has emerged to be a leader in this field of photography, be it lineside or heritage working steam. His style is one of his own, where the subject leaps from the page, usually bathed in fine sunlight with blue sky above. Informative captions accompany every picture not only targeting the novice or newcomer to the subject, but the experienced rail enthusiast will also be pleased to learn a thing or two. This book strongly features the historical background as well as catching some of the people who now revel in dressing the part to prove their love of this enthralling and popular subject.

The heritage railways of Britain have taken preserved steam into a new golden age. All over the country enthusiasts flock to lavish love and attention on the preserved railways and relive bygone eras, especially the ever-popular 1940s re-enactments. But the appeal doesn’t only lie in recreating the past; this movement is also forging a new present. The Flying Scotsman ran once again on the main line in 2016 to great acclaim across the country, with crowds lining up to witness the spectacle. In a celebration of the evocative world of Britain’s heritage steam railways, Geoff Swaine reflects on the work involved in keeping the preserved railways going, as well as the history of the ‘Big Four’ and insights into many of the heritage sites, alongside an array of striking photographs that bring the preserved railways vividly to life.

In the 1960s, as steam locomotives were being hurriedly removed from Britain’s railways, a band of enthusiasts formed to save what they could. In the process, they laid the tracks for the thriving network that is the British heritage railway scene today. To showcase this living industrial museum, photographer Geoff Swaine has selected over 200 photographs of Britain’s heritage railways, including the Bluebell Railway to Llangollen, the Severn Valley, North York Moors, Great Western and Great Central railways, and many more. Steam Today is an evocative tribute to the engines and the people that keep our rail history in motion. Geoff Swaine embarked upon a career as a leading heritage photographer and photographic archivist after retiring from his work in architecture. He has written a number of books and articles on railways.

Geoff Swaine’s superb photography captures the very best of Britain’s preserved steam in action at locations throughout the country. Following on from Britain’s Heritage Railways: Preserved Steam Volume 1, Geoff Swaine presents a new collection of images covering some of Britain’s most celebrated heritage lines: The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, the Bluebell Railway, the North York Moors Railway, Didcot Railway Centre, the Mid-Hants Railway (Watercress Line), the West Somerset Railway, the Great Central Railway, the Swanage Railway, the Severn Valley Railway, the North Norfolk Railway, the Kent & East Sussex Railway, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, the langollen Railway, the Midland Railway Centre, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, the South Devon Railway, the Dartmouth Steam Railway, the Nene Valley Railway and the East Anglian Railway. This volume also includes three new railways and interesting written pieces covering both early days of the steam railways and the post-war period.

Geoff Swaine has combined his passions for photography and railways in this new collection of images which covers some of Britain’s most celebrated heritage lines: The West Somerset Railway, the Bluebell Railway in Sussex, the North York Moors Railway, Didcot Railway Centre, the Mid-Hants Railway (Watercress Line), the Llangollen Railway in Wales, the Great Central Railway at Loughborough, the Severn Valley Railway, the North Norfolk Railway, the Kent & East Sussex Railway, the Gloucester & Warwickshire Railway, the Midland Railway Centre, the Battlefield Line, the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, the Spa Valley Railway, and the Dartmouth Steam Railway.