Stephen Dowle – författare

The seventy-four Class 52 diesel-hydraulics were built between 1961 and 1964 for British Railways’ Western Region as high-powered locomotives to haul inter-city services. Given two-word names that began with ‘Western’, they inevitably became known as the Westerns. Although the Westerns could be seen on most routes in the Western Region, they were mostly seen on London to South Wales, London to Birmingham and London to Paignton, Plymouth and Penzance services. The charismatic and stylish-looking Westerns were among the first diesel locomotives to enjoy a cult following among railway enthusiasts and as the Westerns were withdrawn from service between 1973 and 1977 enthusiasts would congregate to photograph and travel on services hauled by one. Platform ends throughout the Western Region were thronged and few weekends passed without the running of an organised enthusiasts’ special. The final, region-wide tour ran on 26 February 1977.This collection of photographs by Class 52 enthusiast Stephen Dowle was taken during the Westerns’ last years in service and shows something of their appeal through the eyes of one enthusiast.

Stephen Dowle first started taking photographs using a pre-war Coronet Cub given to him by his father. He spent the 1970s and the early 1980s documenting his home city and the lives of the inhabitants who resided there. The photographs taken are atmospheric and evocative, revealing poignant scenes that have changed significantly over the following years.With over 100 unique images, each accompanied by Stephen's informative, often wry, descriptions, Bristol: A Portrait 1970–82 is a significant work that documents the recent past, capturing the city during a period of great change and bringing it to life again. A nostalgic read for Bristolians and a historical account for others, this book is a must-have for residents of this great city, old and young.

A number of books have chronicled the history and vehicles of the Bristol Omnibus Co. It was one of the largest and greatest of British bus operators and – with a nod in the direction of Midland Red – unique in that, as well as operating buses, it also constructed them and supplied them to the entire industry. This book is a little different.The author spent two decades working for the company as a conductor and driver. A devotee of buses and keen amateur photographer, for several years during the late 1970s he kept a record on film of the company’s vehicles and operations as he experienced them. He visited the extremities of the company’s territory and sometimes even took his camera to work with him to snap his own bus on little-known services at obscure locations. On Saturdays, when maintenance staff only worked a half day and he had the place to himself in the afternoons, he strolled around the yard of the company’s main depot and Central Repair Works at Lawrence Hill, where ‘time-expired’ buses awaiting disposal to dealers and their spanking-new, freshly delivered replacements were to be found. Oddities not normally seen on the roads, or vehicles from the fascinating ancillary fleet, were usually present.This wonderful collection of photos is of particular poignancy in that it records a period on the very eve of this famous company’s demise. Within a few years it had been broken up into ‘operating units’ in readiness for the privatisation apocalypse of 1986 and the deregulation of the industry. These were its Twilight Years.