Top Shed memories

[streamliner]

Hello Everyone!
Thanks to Sandwich re the Beeching report. You were absolutely right about the date. I did leave in 1956 but I was thinking of the 1955 Railway Modernization Plan in my last post. It pretty well outlined what the Tories had in mind about eliminating steam locomotives and implementing route closures. It took Beeching to become the Tories hatchet man. I think my recollection about 1955 driver's pay was close. It's gratifying to know that the drivers nowadays are paid more in line with the responsibility the job entails.
Best wishes to all members

[Solario]

It took Beeching to become the Tories hatchet man

Don't forget that most of the closures took place under the Labour Government(s)!

[sandwhich]

Yes when I started at Top Shed Dr Beeching had just taken over and his report was eagerly awaited,even then there were some Drivers that said the East Coast Route would close down, morale was indeed very low, and when in the report the good Doctor said that the East Coast Route should be a secondary one it went even lower, thankfully commonsense prevailed. Lets all face facts two thirds of all rail closures were justified (the earliest one that I can trace was in 1902), closures wound down by the mid 70s and by the late 80s there was not only some redoubling that has continued but we have seen some reopenings including in London as well. I remember a senior driver in the 1970s telling people that one day they will do this, he was laughed at but he lived long enough to see some of this happening. The early 1970s were indeed troubling times for the railways with a high ranking officail of the then TGWU saying publicly that money should be moved from railway investment to the roads, when asked why he said that he replied that as far as he was concerned they should really shut it all down and put everything on the roads, backed up by the Rail Conversion League who were eventually laughed off a Panorama programme for their efforts. Now in the 21st century whether for or against privatisation Britains railway system is at last being taken much more seriously. Yes i know it has been a very bumpy ride but we are getting there.

[Solario]

I don't know how true this is but it was said that the Labour governments of the 60s & 70s were given a lot of encouragement (if not pressure) for rail closure from Unions representing car & lorry manufacturing workers. It certainly has a ring of truth about it.

It is also true that many of the closures were justified, quite a number had already taken place pre-Beeching. A great shame that they went too far.

[sandwhich]

I have no doubt that other trade unions with their own vested interests and along with the fact that they were the biggest paymasters to the Labour Party put pressure on for rail closures in the 60s & 70s. Its also strange how things turn around, during that period there were Drivers & firemen/Drivers assistants who left the railways for jobs as Lorry/Bus and van drivers and went to work in the vehicle building industry "no future here" they were saying. Then during the 90s and into the new century when there was a shortage of Train Drivers and the pay was getting better some of the people attracted were, wait for it, bus/lorry and van drivers and some came from the vehicle builders as there was contraction in that particular industry. Its not funny when people lose their jobs but it did occasionally raise a smile. Funny old world.

[cambois]

Beeching had some good concepts - but they were limited by the lack of data - However he went too far - See Rail News this month for a real bombshell - the secret drafts behind the Trunk Route plans

Labour did the big damage - Barbara Castle in particular because a lot of the early closure were justified, it was the later Labour ones that were not

To follow a real case studty try "Waverley Route The Life, Death and Rebirth of the Borders Railway" by David Spaven on Argyll Publishing which does not cast Harold Wilson in a very good light.

Where were the railway unions when they were really needed?

[sandwhich]

I think that we would have to admit that many of the closures during the 60s/70s were justified, but where it could be proved that certain lines should have remained open with some pruning they did not seem to want to know, probably it did not fit into Harold Wilsons vision of white hot technology. Beeching part two was talked about around 1965 but even Labour ended up backing away from it. It was tried again under Ted Heaths government in 1972 but they backed away, then as I previously mentioned in 1975 (Harold Wilson again) the TGWU and the Rail Conversion League were having a go, but by 1976 with the coming of the HSTs and closures almost coming to a halt things were changing. The Thatcher governrment tried it on around 1984, remember Marylebone and the Settle-Carlisle, they did not get far. Even under privatisation it was feared that Beeching Part 2 would rear its head again, with one organisation coming up with ideas to close a number of lines in the South East, the reputed reply was "not in Surrey,Sussex,Berkshire,Hampshire and Wiltshire you won,t"
Could you imagine where the East Coast route would be now if Beeching had got his way,it would have cost billions to put right and more of the existing rail network would have suffered as a result. It does not bear thinking about.