STEAM ENGINE PILGRIMAGE

The Firefly replica at Didcot, the immense chimney of the former Kew Pumping Station, Daniel Gooch's Iron Duke replica in its new home at the National Railway Museum, York, the paddle steamer Kingswear Castle on the River Dart, Anthony Burton has travelled from the Highlands of Scotland to the southwest of England in pursuit of his passion for the steam engine in all its different forms. He has travelled on narrow gauge railways in Wales and enjoyed the splendour of mainline journeys behind some of the grandest locomotives ever built. He has shovelled coal into the boiler of an old Clyde Puffer and luxuriated in the elegance of a Windermere steam launch. He has marvelled at the magnificence of the great Victorian pumping engines and their elaborately decorated engine houses and spends time every year helping to oil and polish an old mill engine to get it ready to receive visitors. He has revelled in the fun of the steam fair and shared a ride in a replica of Richard Trevithick's extraordinary steam carriage with a direct descendent of the great engineer. His lively narrative covers these experiences of the places he visits which he puts within its historical context. It is also a tribute to the anonymous volunteers whose hard work keeps the great steam tradition alive. 150 big glossy pages, colour photos and maps.
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