WHILE the top thoroughbred Great Western Railway locomotives were undisputedly the mighty Kings and Castles two relatively small classes of 4-6-0s were worthy of admiration in their own right.

These are explored to splendid photographic advantage in Roy Hobbs? Working Steam: Collett Granges and Manors (Ian Allan Publishing £14.99).

Using images from a nucleus of well-known steam photographers of the period we are treated to a delightful range of locations across the former Western Region.

Designed by Collett, eighty Granges were built between 1936 and 1939, and initially, 20 Manors during 1938 and 1939 which were supplemented by a further 10 in 1950.

Withdrawal of both types commenced in the early 1960s with the last examples succumbing in 1965.

The illustrations in this book provide a perfect pictorial tribute to those once popular mixed traffic locomotives.

The camera work of Roy Hobbs and other photographers who covered Western Region steam from the 1950s to the demise in the mid-1960s ably portray the many varied duties undertaken by the classics during that period.

The workings ranged from the Cambrian Coast Express through to more mundane freight turns. We meet the elegantly proportioned Manors hard at work on one of their regular stomping grounds, the Cambrian Coast, with such evocative Welsh locations as Aberdovey, Aberystwyth and Dovey Junction.

The West Country features strongly with locomotives photographed in Cornwall and along the sea wall at Teignmouth and Starcross as well as inland at Exeter, Newton Abbot and Plymouth. In all a very entertaining album featuring these two hard-working GWR classes.

While many mourned the passing of steam, by 1972 a new generation of railway enthusiasts was to mourn the passing of one of its replacement classes.

The Heyday of the Westerns by Derek Huntriss (Ian Allan Publishing £14.99) is an excellent colour album charting the glory days of this hugely popular diesel hydraulic type.

The Westerns always attracted much favourable attention and railway photographers eagerly charted their celebrated career.

The first of the class commenced trials at Swindon in 1962 when they began to replace the King class steam locomotives on Paddington to Birmingham and Wolverhampton expresses.

They were later transferred to the South Wales line and West of England route. It was appropriate enough that the westerns were primarily associated with the West of England, and during their last years on the Western Region they were all stationed at Laira sheds in Plymouth.

As well as its pleasing design this class went through some interesting livery changes ? ranging from resplendent maroon to green, experimental desert sand, and finally the corporate identity colour of Rail Blue.

From their launch to the final enthusiasts? railtours the Westerns commanded much admiration from people who enjoyed modern traction.

This book features this diesel hydraulic class at work and at rest in many varied locations.

Another class of diesel that reached the railway equivalent of celebrity status was the much championed Deltics. The Heyday of the Deltics by Gavin Morrison (Ian Allan Publishing (£14.99) is a must for all East Coast Main Line fans.

Until the introduction of the High Speed Trains in 1977 the Impressive machines ? the prototype started trials in 1955 ? formed the backbone of the East Coast Main Line fleet.

The Deltics disappeared from active service in 1981. However, privatisation of the national network opened up new opportunities for the surviving Deltics, some of which subsequently returned to the mainline.

Britannia Pacifics by Gavin Morrison and Peter Swinger (Ian Allan Publishing £14.99) returns us to the heady world of steam and a picture profile of this British Railways Standard Class Pacific.

The photographs show members of the class ? which due to the demise of steam only served for little more than a decade ? in all jobs. Britannias were as much at home on prestigious expresses as mundane freight duties.

While the book is half in colour each locomotive is depicted in black and white along with its potted history while in service.