Dr Beeching's Remedy: A Cure for a Century of the Railway's Ills
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The 10 years from 1955 to 1965 witnessed a greater upheaval in the way BR operated than almost any other period in 200 years of railway history. First came the 1955 Modernisation Plan and then, in 1962, Richard Beeching was appointed as BR chairman with a mandate to make the railways run at a profit. Both Modernisation and Beeching led to massive changes on BR and, with the benefit of hindsight, were possibly more complementary than conflicting. With steam already eliminated from some parts of the country and line closures beginning to prune the number of route miles, the railway scene at the end of 1965 looked very different than it did a decade earlier. Beeching's work is often regarded as negative but yet it was mirrored years later by every railway system across Western Europe and had many supporters within BR top brass. Moreover, Beeching paved the way for the modern railway: fast and efficient intercity services and a concentration upon the bulk freight traffic were both strongly advocated by Beeching and have helped to ensure the industry's survival into the 21st century.
This fascinating new book puts Beeching's Reshaping report within the historical context of a century of railway evolution. The author is renowned for his knowledge of the history of Britain's railways, having written extensively on the subject, and his reinterpretation of the story has been aided by access to official files now open to the public at the National Archives. Spring 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the Beeching report and so this book is a timely re-evaluation of its far reaching importance. 160 pages. Hardback.
"David has done a masterful job of taking a fully contextualised, cool and objective new look at Beeching...it's the most interesting and exciting thing from an accountant I've ever read and it's given me a fresh perspective on the railway's inextricable crucial, volatile and challenging mix of private capital, socal responsibility and public money, each with their very different values, demands - and politics." Nigel Harris, RAIL
