ONE of the great steam railway engines of all time, Sir William Stanier's unromantically designated 8F, was so significant that it still has an enthusiastic locomotive society dedicated to its preservation.

Now, there is a well deserved literary and colourful, pictorial tribute to the locomotives, some of which were built at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton le Willows, that pulled both passenger and goods trains for more than 30 years in Britain and also in many countries around the world.

Working Steam: Stanier 8F has been jointly compiled by Jeff Ryan, David McIntosh and George Moon, all directors of a society that continues to expand its activities even though it is 34 years since the last 8F and steam trains in general stopped running on tracks in this country.

Indeed, the Guardian has a special association with the society - for it was a letter to our Northwich edition in 1968 that led to its formation.

The society has also owned one of those locos for the whole of that time - which is now longer than the 28 of her six previous owners - and it is now one of a handful of locos that have travelled more than 100,000 miles "in retirement." It is a matter of great pride that the locomotive is also an official memorial to the military railwaymen of the Royal Engineers who died during the Second World War.

More than 20 of the 8Fs were themselves victims of the war, going down at sea - and they saw service in Persia, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Italy and Iraq.

Stanier's seventh loco design was built over 11 years by three contractors including Vulcan and also at eight mainline workshops including LMS Crewe. Though credited with immense power for freighting the 8Fs were also reliable in the extreme and easily maintained, accounting for their long production run starting in 1935.

Many of the photographs used in the book were taken on what was essentially the 8F's home patch, the north west - and so the scenery as well as the trains provide great interest.

For all who remain fascinated by the age of steam this book is a treasure trove of nostalgia.

Members of the 8F society regularly receive a club magazine, have access to a massive database of photographs and their own website.

Working Steam: Stanier 8Fs is published by Ian Allan of Riverdene Business Park, Molesey Road, Hersham, Surrey KT12 4RG in hardback at £14.99.