Railways for Ever!

Sir John Betjeman reminisces about the phasing out of the mainline steam operation.

11 August 1968 is a highly significant date in British railway history, marking the official end of regular mainline steam operation. As we see the last steam train crossing the Pennines and hear the Edwardian music-hall song ‘Watching The Trains Go Out’, Sir John Betjeman begins to reminisce. His nostalgic verse and prose recall the great trains of old and look forward to railways for ever as he moves through a photographic exhibition in Kingsway.