London Midland Steam From Lineside - Brian Morrison Book 1975 (faded Spine)

London Midland Steam From Lineside - Brian Morrison Book 1975.

INTRODUCTION

A small printed card issued to me in the 1950's by the Operating Officer of the London Midland Region . authorising Mr. Brian Morrison to enter upon the property of the Commission for the purpose of taking photographs . ' opened the way to an aspect of railway photography that, at best, was the most exhilarating of any and, at worst, could be the most uncomfortable and frustrating. Until that time, my photography had been restricted to organised visits to engine sheds, to stations and, on occasion, to hours spent on numerous railway overbridges which afforded reasonable viewpoints. The freedom allowed by the permit, however, gave new perspective to a hitherto restricted pursuit and thence-forward it was possible to photograph locomotives in action from all those lineside locations which previously could only be glimpsed from a carriage window.

As a result, many pleasant days were spent thereafter in such situations, with. camera at the ready, awaiting the welcome interruption of a passing train, and most of the pages in this album are from such happy times.

The soakings that came about from unexpected rain showers, the barbed wire, thorn and bramble to be negotiated in a hurry, or the times that the 'perfect picture was marred by the sun vanishing behind a cloud at the moment of exposure, by steam drifting in the wrong place or by the train itself being obscured by another on the near line, were setbacks that were more than offset by the pleasure of capturing that fraction of a second in time when most things were right and the locomotive, the exhaust and the location were all recorded and seen to the best advantage.

The photographs herein embrace most aspects of the London Midland Region in the 1950's, from main line express to unsung branch line, including a wide variety of locomotive types in localities from Carlisle to London.

And if there is a slight preponderance of Stanier

"Black 5s' it is only because there was a preponderance of this class throughout the Region.