In the age of steam it seemed that every little boy had an ambition to be an engine driver – even the notoriously anti-railway Charles Dickens thought there was something alluring about the role. Becoming an engine driver is still an ambition of many, thanks to the steam preservation movement.

In this book, Anthony Dawson explores what it was like to be an engine driver in the age of steam. Drawing from his own footplate experiences, and working alongside crews on heritage railways, from waking up at the crack of dawn, to cleaning, firing and driving and eventually disposal at the end of the day, this lavishly illustrated volume is a fascinating insight into what it is like to be an engine driver.