The UK’s golden age of steam features on a new set of stamps celebrating classic locomotives which operated during the last century, Royal Mail said yesterday.

The Great British Railways stamps also mark the 50th anniversary of the very last steam locomotive built by British Railways, named the Evening Star.

Five of the locomotives featured on the stamps belonged to the “Big Four” railway companies which were created in 1923 through the merger of 120 private railway companies – London, Midland and Scottish, London and North Eastern, Great Western, which celebrates its 175th anniversary this year, and Southern Railways.

The Big Four became British Railways in 1948 after World War II.

Evening Star left the Swindon Works in March 1960, bringing an end to more than 130 years of steam locomotive building for Britain’s mainline railways.

Royal Mail spokesman Philip Parker said: “These latest stamps feature six steam engines which powered their way along the UK’s railways.

“It’s great to get these wonderful locomotives on the move again as they travel on letters to millions of homes across the UK.”