Fire and Steam (68 page)

Widespread fears that the Germans would use gas in the Second World War led to the wearing of gas masks by breakdown crews. The task for this gang on the Southern Railway in September 1943 was to re-rail a carriage while remaining in their protective clothing.

Kent miners in the 1950s waiting for a train to take them to work.

Holidaymakers queuing outside Waterloo station in July 1946 to take trains to the seaside.

British Railways' coat of arms from the 1950s. Various versions were used in subsequent years.

The railways were slow to adapt to diesel technology, which would have saved considerable sums and made the economics of many branch lines more viable.

Privatisation in the mid-1990s led to a proliferation of liveries and logos and the most radical shake up of the industry in its history. This included the separation of the operating companies from Railtrack (later Network Rail) which was responsible for the infrastructure.

The development of the InterCity brand and its popular services was one of the great successes of British Railways, reviving the market for long distance train travel in the face of competition from the motorways.

A sensitive approach to maintaining the heritage while modernising the railway pays dividends, as illustrated by this refurbishment of Norwich station.

A test run of a Eurostar train into St Pancras, the train shed of which was totally refurbished for the 2007 completion of Britain's first High Speed Line linking the station with the Channel Tunnel.