Britain invented the steam locomotive and taught
the rest of the world how to build them. Then we
discovered the skills all over again!
History records that the last steam locomotive
built for British Railways was Evening Star in 1960.The
last steam locomotive built in Britain for commercial as
opposed to tourist purposes was a small narrow gauge
tank engine in Leeds in 1971. However, that was not
the end of the story. Since volunteers took over the
running of the Talyllyn Railway in 1951, many miracles
have been worked by enthusiasts in the heritage railway
sector - not least of all the building of new steam
locomotives.