In my painting I have tried to rekindle a few evocative memories for those of us old enough to remember the last days of British steam in 1968. Our proud steam railway heritage did not go out in a blaze of glory. In the premature rush to progress into the new shiny age of diesel and electric, no-one seemed to care. Almost brand new steam locomotives were going to the scrapyard after just five or six years. I have painted two BR Standard 9F locos, regarded by many to be the ultimate in steam development. Loyal right to the end, like the enginemen who tended them with such loving care, they nevertheless ended their days proud but in filthy external condition, some going to the scrapyard after only five years in service.
In 1967, I spent three frantic weeks trying desperately to get something down on to canvas in the form of working sketches from life; sometimes just a few hours in the sheds at Guildford and Nine Elms. I hoped then that these sketches would be useful some time in the future; this has proved to be so with one picture painted in Guildford Shed between 10.30 in the evening and 4.30 in the morning just days before the end of steam in the south of England. There could be no attempt at accuracy in the portrayal of the locomotives in front of me. It was purely a colour note and in any case, it was so dark that I could hardly see the canvas in the dim light of the shed.

Size: 66cm x 41cm (26" x 16")

Edition Size: 850 Artist-Signed Copies
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© David Shepherd 2003

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