About The Images

Rail Image Collections comprises the work of Michael Mercer along with other collections bought or gifted to him, varying from just a few pictures to many thousand. In some cases a whole collection has been donated or bought.

While the main base of the collection are Locomotives from the BR BLUE days, earlier locomotives from pre-TOPS also figure and right up to the present day.

Many locomotives were re-numbered into the TOPS format from 1973 onwards and largely completed in 1974, with a few exceptions.

Michael's favourite were the class 37s and these are probably the most numerous in the collection. There is also a good assortment of the class 08 shunting locomotives available often overlooked by many photographers.

Other favourites include the Diesel Hydraulics and the popular Western class 52 locomotives, Deltics and class 40s as well as many photos of other, less well documented locomotives.

The collection has extensive coverage of locomotive name plates, railway buildings, architecture and infrastructure.