Rediscovering British Traction

Having enjoyed trainspotting as teenager, Nick Sanderson’s interest was reignited during the Covid-19 pandemic and armed with a new digital camera has flourished since then. Beginning with local freight in the Leeds area and then branching out further afield to popular freight hotspots such as Barnetby and Acton Bridge, here he offers a vivid pictorial celebration of British traction. The journey continues taking in a wide variety of locations across the network in England and Wales. Captured in many different liveries, a large number of classes of locomotive are illustrated from the reliable 08 shunter, through classic traction such as the Class 37s and 47s to modern locomotives such as the Class 68s and 88s, demonstrating the wide range that can still be found on the rail network today.

This book offers a superb array of images that create a fascinating overview of current operations as well as documenting the author’s journey rediscovering British traction.

Author Biography

Nick Sanderson grew up in Leeds with a passion for trains in his teenage years. The Leeds/Doncaster area had an abundance of varied traction in the mid- to late 1980s, with most classes regularly appearing. As ‘sprinterisation’ took over in 1989, his enthusiasm waned and, with the beginning of his business career, railways fell by the wayside. Fast forward to 2019 and a chance encounter with a Platform 5 pocketbook coupled with the purchase of a new camera, Nick’s interest was rekindled, and he began to capture freight operations around the UK.