THESE were the days when steam ruled supreme on the railways. Oxford was a paradise for rail enthusiasts, with locomotives from four of British Railways’ regions regularly visiting the city.

Engines from the Midland and Eastern Regions would arrive from Cambridge and Bletchley, while others from the Southern Region would come from Bournemouth and the South Coast.

They would mingle with Western Region locomotives hauling passenger and freight trains in and out of Paddington and to and from the north.

These pictures from Memory Lane reader Laurence Waters follow our feature on the closure of the Oxford steam locomotive depot 50 years ago, on January 3, 1966 (Memory Lane, January 4).

He writes: “The old wooden shed was opened in 1854 and extended in 1866. It was never rebuilt during its lifetime.

“I have enclosed a photograph of the depot taken in 1964 and a shot of stored locomotives at Oxford after the closure of the shed to steam.”

As we recalled, the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Alderman Kathleen Lower, had the honour of driving the last steam engine to leave the locomotive shed on active service in January 1966. She was at the controls as 6998 Burton Agnes Hall emerged to take charge of the last steam-hauled passenger train on the Western Region.

The Oxford Mail reported: “No 6998 hissed its way to a near halt on the downside platform at Oxford station and backed on to the train it was to pull to Banbury. Looking out from the driver’s cab was the Lord Mayor, Alderman Kathleen Lower.

“It was the last steam locomotive to come out of Oxford motive power depot to work a train.

“The run to Banbury was the last steam journey to be undertaken on the Western Region.”

After being assisted down from the footplate on to the platform, the Lord Mayor waved the green flag and with a couple of resolute whistles, sent the locomotive on the final steam journey. She was allowed to keep the flag as a memento of the occasion.

The ceremony marked the end of an era in Oxford’s railway history – the first steam train had arrived in the city 121 years earlier, on June 12, 1844.

Burton Agnes Hall, one of 17 Hall or Modified Hall class locomotives to be preserved, can be seen at Didcot Railway Centre.

Oxford shed was one of a series on the Paddington-Oxford line – Old Oak Common (codenamed 81A), Southall (81B), Slough (81C), Reading (81D), Didcot (81E) and Oxford (81F). Each engine carried the code of its home depot on its smokebox. With its range of locomotives, Oxford shed was a popular haunt for trainspotters.

There are many stories of youngsters with their notebooks and pencils creeping into the shed for a sneaky look at the engines, hoping they wouldn’t be caught and evicted by the shedmaster and his staff.

* Any memories of trainspotting in Oxford to share with readers? Write and let me know.