Railways Remembered: Britain’s Railways in Unseen Colour 1956-1963 Photographs from the Phil Tatt Collection

The latest title in our ‘Railways Remembered’ series draws upon the work of the distinguished photographer, Phil Tatt, who, for decades, together with his wife Eileen, travelled widely across the British Isles recording all forms of transport especially railways. After starting in the late 1940s with black and white film, Phil progressed to colour in the mid-1950s. He was fascinated by both mainline and branch line steam. He also covered miniature and industrial railways as well as early preservation schemes especially in North Wales, a favourite line being the Welshpool & Llanfair, which he covered in its final days of BR operation and early preservation. While an active transport photographer long before the publication of Beeching’s notorious report on the future of the rail network, Phil resolved to record as much of the passing railway scene as possible. He visited locomotive works, loco sheds, goods sidings and remote stations and made detailed photographic studies of many lines listed for closure, recording both their passenger and goods operations. He also had a keen eye for the unusual and for detail, many of the aspects of the railway scene he recorded will be of interest to today’s railway modellers.