On the Heels of the 12.39 from Wigan

2017 | Transportation

Andrew Mellor's Cheese Butties and the 12.39 to Wigan has become something of a talking point, not least due to the rather unusual title! Perhaps it resonates more quickly for those who remember the glory days of spotting 'steam in the wild'. As related in Cheese Butties and the 12.39 to Wigan, Andrew started spotting loco numbers in 1952. Armed with notebook and pen, whether at stations or by the lineside, he meticulously noted loco numbers in a bid to get that elusive number to complete the underlining of a Class! Whatever the reason for the success of Andrew's Cheese Butties, this follow up, aptly entitled On the heels of the 12.39 to Wigan, provides a real treat contained within a wealth of images in both black & white and colour. The content covers not only the latter years of number spotting (which ceased in 1965), but also the period following, when he concentrated on photographing as much steam activity as he could before BR rid itself of steam power. This pictorial chronology contains circa 200 unpublished images of steam, diesel and electric motive power, whether on the main line hauling passenger and freight workings, or on shed, at various locations on the BR network.

Andrew Mellor (Author)