OUR photograph of Locomotive 48272, the Class 8F 2-8-0, took Tim Cross back to his childhood.

For Tim, from Tarporley, was just 12 years old when he saved up for two months to buy the plate number- which cost him £2.

He said: "I used to go to school in Chester and when the trains passed by I used to collect plate numbers.

"At the time when steam engines were being shut down, I wanted to have a plate.

"My school friend's dad bought it off British Railways for £2 and it took me two months to save up the money.

Tim thinks the photograph was taken when the locomotive was waiting to go to the scrap yard and that it was the third last steam engine in Northwich.