Heritage Traction on the Main Line

In an earlier album titled BR Diesel Locomotives in Preservation Fred Kerr detailed the many classes of BR diesel locomotives that had been preserved and noted that some purchases had been made with the hope of operating them on the national network.

The Railways Bill 1993 provided an opportunity for this to happen and this album shows such locomotives at work during the early part of the 21st century up to December 2016. During this period many new train operators entered the market and their early operations used elderly locomotives withdrawn from service by their original operators until their business(es) were established and new locomotives could be bought. On occasion these new companies were prepared to hire preserved locomotives with main line access to service short-term contracts and these, mainly freight, services provided much of the variety of locomotive operations that offset the increasing sight of multiple unit train services that epitomize the modern railway.

The author has chosen to consider “heritage” traction as any locomotive older than twenty years, which therefore includes electric locomotives but excludes those of that age which are still operated by their owners as at April 1 1994 when British Railways (BR) was privatized. This results in the Class 59 fleet being excluded because its ownership has been constant but the Class 60 fleet being included because of purchases by Colas Railfreight after that date.

Fred Kerr was born in Edinburgh in 1948 where he gained an interest in railway locomotives from both the LMSR and LNER companies whose services permeated the local network. When his parents moved to Corby in 1956 the local steelworks provided further interest from its mix of freight services, including seeing the last of the Beyer Garrets and the replacement Standard Class 9Fs whilst the industrial locomotives of the internal steelworks network offered further insight into the variety of steam locomotives. This was a time of change and during the 1960s the interest in locomotives included the new order of diesel and electric traction without reducing the interest in steam traction. While his interest in Diesel Traction led to his early involvement with the Diesel & Electric Group and its preservation activities during the 1970s, his move to Southport in 1982 restored his opportunities to return to his first love of viewing steam locomotives at work and this album records some of the locations that he chose to visit and the locomotives that he was able to photograph.

Today his interest continues as a life member of the A4 Locomotive Society, Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and Ribble Steam Railway whilst he also support bodies concerned with preserving steam locomotives, diesel locomotives and infrastructure extensions.