This issue of Steam Days sees us enter a new and exciting era, as from now on our magazine will by published by Mortons Media Group Ltd, who already publish three excellent railway magazines - Railway Magazine, Heritage Railways and Rail Express. Railway Magazine has a long history of covering the general railway scene, as it was first published in 1897, Heritage Railways covers current preservation operations, and Rail Express takes a look at the modern day scene, so Steam Days will fill the historical slot covering the steam era from its early days through to 1968, with lots of nostalgia and photographs for those who remember those days, and much for those wanting to know more about such times.
My knowledgeable team of my two sons, Ian and Andrew, Roger Smith and Andrew Wilson will continue to compile and produce each issue of Steam Days and we aim to continue to include the diversity of features as we have regularly done in the past. For those wishing to purchase back issues of Steam Days they should refer to pages 26/27 of this issue.
In past issues in Trains of Thought I have generally made a connection with articles within each issue of the magazine with my own experiences, having been a railway enthusiast since 1942 at the age of eight. Now some 78 years later I have never lost that enthusiasm for the railway scene.
One particular thing that comes to mind is the long-lasting friendships among fellow enthusiasts that we travelled around Great Britain with, visiting locomotive depots, spending time by the lineside, going on rail tours together, and standing with groups of others on station platforms such as the London termini, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Manchester (London Road), Cardiff, Exeter, and the three stations in Birmingham, or in lineside fields with crowds of other enthusiasts, such as at Tamworth where the Midland main line from Derby to Bristol passed over the West Coast main line, with trains seen virtually every three minutes - happy days
Although we are now getting older, I am still regularly in touch with friends from those days, exchanging memories and recalling amusing incidents, including the occasions when we were thrown out of engine sheds as we did not have a permit! Many took the photographs that now give us so much pleasure in each issue of Steam Days, but sadly, with steam on British Railways ending in August 1968, some of those well-known photographers are no longer with us.