Welwyn North Tunnel, 1959

A3 class 4-6-2 locomotive number 60103 Flying Scotsman with a passenger train emerging from Welwyn North Tunnel, Hertfordshire, 20 July 1959. The tunnel has been defaced by graffiti protesting against the introduction of diesel locomotives. It reads No diesels, Sod diesels and Balls to the Deltic!  Many people were sad to see the demise of steam locomotives, including some workers, for whom working on steam engines had been a way of life. However, diesel and electric engines introduced under British Railways modernisation plan were faster, cleaner and caused less pollution.