19世纪末，众多的私营铁路公司在英伦三岛展开了激烈竞争。到了1923年，由于盈利减少和来自汽车，巴士和货车日益激烈的竞争，超过120家私营铁路合并为四大集团公司：
* London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS)
* Great Western Railway (GWR)
* London and North Eastern Railway (LNER)
* Southern Railway (SR)
在第二次世界大战后，四大公司于1948年合并为英国铁路公司（BR）。1960年3月，只有5年工作寿命的Evening Star蒸汽机车，做为英国主要铁路干线使用了130周年的蒸汽机车的终结，保留在Swindon Works做为纪念。作者: chinamc 时间: 2010-9-4 23:42
英国蒸汽机车GWR King Class
设计师：Charles Collett
制造商：GWR Swindon Works
气缸尺寸：16.25 × 28 in (413 × 711 mm)
轮式：4-6-0
驱动轮直径：3 ft 0 in (0.914 m)
牵引力：40,300 lbf (179.3 kN)
2楼绝佳的片! 养眼!作者: ngsunyu 时间: 2010-9-5 00:47
The photograph shows the Great Western Railway’s King Class locomotive – King William IV in 1935. The Kings were the GWR’s star locomotives, equally at home on heavy holiday trains and crack business expresses. Publicised as the UK’s most powerful express steam engine, the sleek lines of King George V wowed crowds when touring the USA in 1927.
作者: ngsunyu 时间: 2010-9-5 00:50
The streamlined Coronation Class locomotive Coronation of the London Midland and Scottish Railway was introduced at the height of the 1930s streamlining craze and named in honour of the accession of King George VI, a Coronation was displayed at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The streamlining was removed in the 1940s to save on maintenance.
作者: ngsunyu 时间: 2010-9-5 00:52
Evening Star, the last of the British Rail Class 9F locomotive is shown here circa 1962. The 9F was designed to pull heavy freight trains. But a few, like Evening Star, were used on passenger services, particularly on the steeply graded Somerset and Dorset line.
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