The exhibition celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers and was held in the goods yard at Marylebone Station, London, 11-14 May 1961. The opening scene shows British Railways Class 9F 2-10-0 No.92220 Evening Star (1960) to the left. The recently restored (1959) ex-Midland Railway 'Compound' 4-4-0 No.1000 (1902 rebuilt 1914) is to the right, and behind which is ex-LNER Class A4 4-6-2, BR No.60022 Mallard (1938). The Mallard is featured showing a rh...

The exhibition celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the Institution of Locomotive Engineers and was held in the goods yard at Marylebone Station, London, 11-14 May 1961. The opening scene shows British Railways Class 9F 2-10-0 No.92220 Evening Star (1960) to the left. The recently restored (1959) ex-Midland Railway 'Compound' 4-4-0 No.1000 (1902 rebuilt 1914) is to the right, and behind which is ex-LNER Class A4 4-6-2, BR No.60022 Mallard (1938). The Mallard is featured showing a rh nameplate and plaque commemorating the world rail speed record (for steam traction) of 126 mph on 3 July, 1938. An engineman wearing the traditional grease cap sits in the cab window and is believed to be Tom Bray, who was fireman on the record run 23 years earlier. Additionally seen is the Caprotti valve gear on BR 4-6-2 No.71000 Duke of Gloucester (1954), of which the cab and rh nameplate subsequently appear, but not the entire locomotive. Representatives of the new motive power order then follow (although not all those known to have been present are shown). Western Region 'Warship' B-B diesel hydraulic D867 Zenith; two men are seen mounting steps to cab and details of controls are shown. There are two instructional cars as well as the newly created Western Region dynamometer car, the last to be built in Britain. Following this car is the 25kV Bo-Bo electric locomotive E3059, behind which is a new Southern Region 3rd rail Bo-Bo electric locomotive, E500? There is then a close up of brand new (then nameless) English Electric 'Deltic' D9003, showing the cabside and worksplate. Also present and seen in close up is the was EE Co. 4-6-0 gas turbine locomotive GT3 which was first conceived in 1946 and completed for stationary testing in 1957. During 1961 it ran road trials on BR but was not proceeded with further. The film closes with the smokebox of 92220 surmounted by 7 union flags. The exhibition occurred at a pivotal moment in British railway traction history. The final steam locomotive (92220) had entered service on BR a year earlier, and the delivery of diesel locomotives in accordance with the 1955 BR Modernisation Plan was at its peak. In 1961 it was thought steam would last on BR until 1972, but in fact it was eliminated in early August 1968. No.92220 was retired as early as 1965 and along with Mallard (retired 1963) and MR 1000 now features in the National Collection. The Institution of Locomotive Engineers merged with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1969.