Beeching report

[strang steel]

.... hence the placing of electric locos in store in the early 60s.

I don't recollect any storage of electric locos in the early 60's. They were all in service, though with only Crewe - Manchester/Liverpool to run on, they weren't highly utilised;

Thanks 1H, maybe I have seen photos of lines of underused electrics at Crewe in the early 60s and assumed they were stored.

[strang steel]

For those who want a (possibly) somewhat biased read about the way the railways were treated by politicians and civil servants, a revised version of "The Great Railway Conspiracy" was published last year by David Henshaw.

Available here http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesw ... y/9714993/

And at many other bookshops (online or otherwise).

[Mickey]

Deleted

[PinzaC55]

For those who want a (possibly) somewhat biased read about the way the railways were treated by politicians and civil servants, a revised version of "The Great Railway Conspiracy" was published last year by David Henshaw.

I saw a recently published book (probably in 2013) in the Ian Allan shop in Waterloo written by a woman who makes good claims that for all it's public criticism and faults British Railways (later on British Rail) compared to what followed with privatisation first under Railtrack and then under Network Rail was infact a very good and well run public company from the ordinary railwayman or railwaywoman at the sharp end all the way up to top management.

Sorry i have forgotten the name of this book.

The British media have an inbuilt Conservative bias and they colluded with the Thatcher and Major governments to denigrate British Rail at every possible opportunity. The British people, like sheep, swallowed this whole. Whenever I hear anybody whingeing about the current "McDonalds Railways" I ask them if they voted Tory and if they did I tell them they got what they deserved.

[Mickey]

Deleted

[earlswood nob]

Good morning all
The Beeching report suggested the closure of the local line (Redhill to Guildford and Reading) to passengers, west of Reigate. The service in those days was one train an hour.
Now we have two trains per hour, one stopping and one semi-fast (well not so slow).
Two fingers to Beeching.
The line from Redhiil to Tonbridge was also due to be colsed, but that has been electrified and now runs through trains to London, though still only one per hour.
Two more fingers.

Earlswood nob

[Boris]

Of Course we need to live in the past or why do we still have guys and gals studying history at our universities

[PinzaC55]

I am sure you are making an excellent point Boris but can you explain what it is?

[manna]

G'Day Gents

If you study the past, you won't make the same mistakes in the future.

manna

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Manna, you have put your finger on the nub of the problem. No one ever studies history these days. Or, indeed, admits mistakes have been made.

We do not learn from the past. Hence the vast number of wars we get involved in......

[PinzaC55]

Ay up!

Manna, you have put your finger on the nub of the problem. No one ever studies history these days. Or, indeed, admits mistakes have been made.

We do not learn from the past. Hence the vast number of wars we get involved in......

True. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, (Nearly) Syria, probably the Ukraine next.

[mr B]

ay' once more fighting over religion , same in 1854 , and did'nt the Lion Heart go (pass throu') that way as well ?

mr B

[sandwhich]

As I said in a previous input the railways were always a political football and I fear they always will be, Beeching was only part of it, the unbiased press of course no very little about railways so they assume that many of their readers also know very little too.
I am looking forward to the re-privatisation of the East Coast Main Line so that we can see if the new owners will be paying back to us the taxpayers the premiums the present East Coast company does. Oh sorry I forgot must look after the shareholders first!