28-Jan-22 WD 0-6-0 No. 68067 at Quorn and Woodhouse

I've had several comments regarding my railways shots saying how nice it is to see them in running condition. I guess I forget that in the UK and Ireland we are lucky to have so many heritage lines (103 with two or more stations, another 38 with just a short run of track for demos). The Great Central where this current batch of photos is from is one of two lines locally that run steam. The reason we have so many lines "preserved" is that in the late 1950's and early 1960's large parts of the networked were closed to traffic as part of the modernization plan under Dr. Richard Beeching. Some of these lines are now being considered for reopening in attempt to reduce the number of cars on the road, the very thing which killed a lot of the branch lines in the first place. Some people say that Beeching was short sighted in doing what he did, but the railways were effectively bankrupt after WWII and in need of replacement infrastructure and stock. Also there was a move to electric and diesel motive power to try to clean up the air pollution and provide faster / cleaner services. The Great Central line is unusual in that it was actually a mainline that was closed not a branch, and since preservation has been restored to double track working. Most other heritage lines are single track with passing loops. So again I guess in UK we are lucky to have 100's of working locos and several 100 more in museums.

Thank you to everyone who has taken time to view and comment on my work. Your critique and feedback is always welcomed.

heritagerailwaysteam68067WD060QuornWoodhouseGreat Central