BRITISH RAILWAYS SOUVENIR SECTION

6 Introduction to BR The editor sets the scene on the British Railways era.

ts that made the Whole

9 The Parts that made the Whole The ‘Big Four’ railways came together to form BR. Here we summarise them.

12 The Birth of British Railways David Stewart-David outlines the achievements of Sir Cyril Hurcomb, the fi rst chairman of the British Transport Commission.

18 A New Golden Age Under Sir Brian Robertson, modernisation of BR was carried out the military way, as Keith Farr explains.

28 Axeman or Surgeon? The name of Dr Richard Beeching will long be remembered for line closures, but did he actually save the railways from a worse fate, asks Keith Farr.

34 The Transition Years BR chairman Sir Stanley Raymond continued the momentum set in motion by Beeching, but in a fair manner, as told by David Stewart-David.

38 End of an Era To round off the fi rst half of the BR story, Ian Day tells the story of Sir Henry Johnson, an exrailwayman who had no compassion for steam. 43 What REALLY Happened to Steam For more than 20 years, books and magazines have unwittingly perpetuated errors concerning the withdrawal and scrapping of BR steam. In an RM

exclusive, Roger Butcher tells of the background to a new project that aims to put the record straight.

50 Top Link, Top Shed The line between York and Darlington is one of BR’s famous racing stretches. In a special BR-related episode of Practice & Performance this month,

John Heaton analyses fast runs with top-link crews.

58 BR Network Map A map of the BR network at its greatest extent in 1948/49. Many of the lines shown had disappeared by the time Beeching arrived on the scene.

THE BR STORY

Ifi

THE BEECHING ERA 1961-1965

Doctor Beeching: A xeman or surgeon?He was the man thousands loved to hate, but, says the operation he performed on a seriously ill BR helped save its life. He was even accused of being ‘pro-rail’!

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BR TIMELINE

1962 1962

28 U The Railway Magazine U November 2009

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November 2009 UÊThe Railway Magazine UÊ29

AXEMAN? The Beeching story – p28

November 2009 • The Railway Magazine • 5 November 2009 • The Railway Magazine • 5