The last steam locomotive ran on our British railways 40 years ago today, there is much debate over the exact geographical location of the very last sight of steam on our railways, but enthusiasts up and down the country are celebrating today. Celebration? Surely they should be commiserating this loss, but without it perhaps the many excellent preserved railways may not have given so much pleasure to so many. In fact as one enthusiast pointed out last night on a Radio 5 phone-in, this is a time to indulge in a nostalgia for the past, steam locomotives and a childhood spent spotting! For more on this listen again at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cqhkz and http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/programmes/upallnight_steamnight.shtml
Fascinating. *****
