I have read all the comments here. Some of you guys need to learn the difference between objective subjective thinking. Love him or hate him, the only reason we have the wonderful preserved railways like GCR, Bluebell and all the others is because of what him, Marples and the 1947 report concluded. I also agree with the point that keeping all the branch lines that were hemorrhaging money open would have been daft.
Beeching was a hero. He closed down uneconomic and duplicate lines. Some lines he recommended for development like the Oxbridge line were later closed and we are now looking at reopening. He got almost everything right. Unfortunately some railfan foamers think any line should be kept open for their personal titillation regardless of finances.
What is depressing about getting rid of uneconomic lines? It is progress to be celebrated. The Gov and taxpayer cant be expected to subsidize everything just to please a few rail enthusiasts!
Apparently plans for closures were known in 1947, a long time before Beeching was appointed. He just came to implement the plan but took all the 'flack' and continues to be "blamed" for the closures. The early documents are available but I can't remember where I saw them. Perhaps the NRM has the copies in their "search engine" library. Never the less these lovely films showing highlights of the day are tinged with great sadness. But, I often wonder, could the Country support the continuance of coal-fed monsters? The National miners' strike and the closure of pits was within a decade of the 'end of steam'. Clearly "the plan" was to cripple the supply of fuel to all coal eating equipment, most probably to pursue the provision of generated electricity, in which the power stations suffered, yet leading to the power cuts and only "three-day working" for many people. I think the phasing out of steam was just a matter of time as the Country relied more on electricity.
There is no doubt that the railways could not have carried on in the same format, pre, Beeching. Lightly used branch lines were inevitably going to be closed regardless of the power source but the slash and burn policies used were crazy. Any dimwit could have done that. It would have taken greater intellects than Beeching/Marples to do a controlled reduction in the railway system but at the same time keeping options open.One huge advantage of both steam and diesel is that they are self contained units. If the electricity supply to the engines fail then the whole system comes to a grinding halt.Any terrorist could collapse the rail network quite easily by targeting the electricity supplies. If electricity was king on the railways during the war years then I doubt that we would have survived. It would have been a very easy target for saboteurs and bombs. Putting all of your eggs in one basket is absolutely crazy, and when you consider the social cost involved and how it affected working class communities having someone like, Beeching installed to wreck havoc then what can you expect. It did not affect them at all.
Your argument about terrorists collapsing the rail network by targeting electricity supplies is false. Terrorists don't operate in this way. They don't target infrastructure that can be quickly repaired. They go for soft targets, killing as many as possible, causing damage that cannot be undone. Just look at recent terrorist attacks, you will see I am right. Electric and hydrogen power are the way forward. Polluting steam and diesels will be cut for scrap and melted down.
@Captain Dildoface Exactly. And why would I want to punch walls. That would be painful. I'd far rather watch steam locomotives being ripped to pieces with cutting torches!
+david beckett Beeching was a disaster. Railways are a SYSTEM, analogous to a tree. Cut the branches and the trunk will die. Stations that had low numbers of passengers fed into main lines that had high numbers of passengers. His cuts of routes he considered unprofitable without considering their contribution to the railway as a whole meant that the BR was unable to operate profitably for over 30 years, not to mention his deprivation of major tracts of the nation of any railway service at all, mostly such areas as had poor roads and were uneconomic to bus companies. I concede that he did the job he was given to the best of his ability; he was, after all, inexperienced in railway management and had come in from ICI, so I do not agree with Peter Charles that he deserved the fires of hell, but people are entitled to their opinions without being called cretins!
+John Richards My thoughts entirely. It didn't help that his superior in the Ministry of Transport was Ernest Marples, well known as a fan of road transport and his tax evading exploits culminating in him skedaddling to Monaco
+bryan seals Passengers (enthusiasts) travelling in open wagons ??? Health and Safety act wallahs would have had a field day on the Cromford and High Peak
heelfan1234 What a nob you are None of it was Beechings idea. He was the fall guy for the anti union government . If they had used their heads and kept some branches open with steam for tourists that would have made sense. The heroes are the enthusiasts who keep steam alive.
With regard to the murderer Beeching . . . the operation was a success, BUT the patient DIED!!!
Absolutely fascinating historical document. Thanks.
12:44 I'd give anything to see Dwight D. Eisenhower steaming like that again at the National Railroad Museum.
Sadly she’s over here in america
Love it
I have read all the comments here. Some of you guys need to learn the difference between objective subjective thinking. Love him or hate him, the only reason we have the wonderful preserved railways like GCR, Bluebell and all the others is because of what him, Marples and the 1947 report concluded. I also agree with the point that keeping all the branch lines that were hemorrhaging money open would have been daft.
Beeching was a hero. He closed down uneconomic and duplicate lines. Some lines he recommended for development like the Oxbridge line were later closed and we are now looking at reopening. He got almost everything right.
Unfortunately some railfan foamers think any line should be kept open for their personal titillation regardless of finances.
neyland died when the railway closed , nice memories though.
Found this very depressing. BTW Muir of Ord still has a railway line.
What is depressing about getting rid of uneconomic lines? It is progress to be celebrated. The Gov and taxpayer cant be expected to subsidize everything just to please a few rail enthusiasts!
Apparently plans for closures were known in 1947, a long time before Beeching was appointed. He just came to implement the plan but took all the 'flack' and continues to be "blamed" for the closures. The early documents are available but I can't remember where I saw them. Perhaps the NRM has the copies in their "search engine" library. Never the less these lovely films showing highlights of the day are tinged with great sadness. But, I often wonder, could the Country support the continuance of coal-fed monsters? The National miners' strike and the closure of pits was within a decade of the 'end of steam'. Clearly "the plan" was to cripple the supply of fuel to all coal eating equipment, most probably to pursue the provision of generated electricity, in which the power stations suffered, yet leading to the power cuts and only "three-day working" for many people. I think the phasing out of steam was just a matter of time as the Country relied more on electricity.
Great video; shame about the sound effects.
There is no doubt that the railways could not have carried on in the same format, pre, Beeching. Lightly used branch lines were inevitably going to be closed regardless of the power source but the slash and burn policies used were crazy. Any dimwit could have done that. It would have taken greater intellects than Beeching/Marples to do a controlled reduction in the railway system but at the same time keeping options open.One huge advantage of both steam and diesel is that they are self contained units. If the electricity supply to the engines fail then the whole system comes to a grinding halt.Any terrorist could collapse the rail network quite easily by targeting the electricity supplies. If electricity was king on the railways during the war years then I doubt that we would have survived. It would have been a very easy target for saboteurs and bombs. Putting all of your eggs in one basket is absolutely crazy, and when you consider the social cost involved and how it affected working class communities having someone like, Beeching installed to wreck havoc then what can you expect. It did not affect them at all.
Your argument about terrorists collapsing the rail network by targeting electricity supplies is false.
Terrorists don't operate in this way. They don't target infrastructure that can be quickly repaired. They go for soft targets, killing as many as possible, causing damage that cannot be undone.
Just look at recent terrorist attacks, you will see I am right.
Electric and hydrogen power are the way forward. Polluting steam and diesels will be cut for scrap and melted down.
heelfan1234
OMG it's the no all knob again Can't you say anything positive.
+Mrs Bobby Cut up all steam locomotives for scrap and melt them down.
@Dominick's Trains & Movies Steam locos are for scrap. That's why they have scrapped most of them. I've won this one!
@Captain Dildoface Exactly. And why would I want to punch walls. That would be painful. I'd far rather watch steam locomotives being ripped to pieces with cutting torches!
What's with the weird zooming and distortion, this video looks like it has been passed through stabilization filters.
Seagull!!!!!!
Really enjoyable, but the poor quality seriously let's the film down, pity. Could the quality be enhanced?
Doctor Beeching burned in the fires of hell.
+david beckett Beeching was a disaster. Railways are a SYSTEM, analogous to a tree. Cut the branches and the trunk will die. Stations that had low numbers of passengers fed into main lines that had high numbers of passengers. His cuts of routes he considered unprofitable without considering their contribution to the railway as a whole meant that the BR was unable to operate profitably for over 30 years, not to mention his deprivation of major tracts of the nation of any railway service at all, mostly such areas as had poor roads and were uneconomic to bus companies. I concede that he did the job he was given to the best of his ability; he was, after all, inexperienced in railway management and had come in from ICI, so I do not agree with Peter Charles that he deserved the fires of hell, but people are entitled to their opinions without being called cretins!
+John Richards My thoughts entirely. It didn't help that his superior in the Ministry of Transport was Ernest Marples, well known as a fan of road transport and his tax evading exploits culminating in him skedaddling to Monaco
+bryan seals Passengers (enthusiasts) travelling in open wagons ??? Health and Safety act wallahs would have had a field day on the Cromford and High Peak
Beeching was a God. Close down the uneconomic lines and cut the polluting steam locos for scrap!
heelfan1234
What a nob you are None of it was Beechings idea. He was the fall guy for the anti union government . If they had used their heads and kept some branches open with steam for tourists that would have made sense. The heroes are the enthusiasts who keep steam alive.