NICK Deacon has assembled an evocative selection of quality monochrome photographs from the Neville Stead Collection that portrays the important railway network around York and the surrounding Vale area – which is bounded by Thirsk in the north, Selby in the south and stretches to Harrogate and Malton in the west and east respectively. Though the main focus is on steam activity in the 1950/60s British Railways period, there is also fascinating material from the pre-Nationalisation LNER and pre-Grouping NER eras.
Much of the infrastructure depicted has long since vanished. ‘Off the beaten track’ highlights include the Easingwold Railway and the Derwent Valley Light Railway.