- See also: National Rail and Network Rail
- This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways", which later traded as "British Rail". The History of rail transport in Great Britain is covered in its own article.
British Railways/British Rail
 | | | Fate | Privatised | | | Successor | Principally Railtrack (infrastructure); members of ATOC (passenger); EWS and Freightliner (freight) | | Founded | 1962 (previously a section of the BTC) | | Defunct | 2000 | | Location | Great Britain and adjacent waters | | Industry | Land and sea transport | | Parent | British Transport Commission (until 1962) | British Railways (BR), which later traded as British Rail, ran most of the British railway system from the nationalisation of the 'Big Four' British railway companies in 1948 until privatisation in stages from 1994 to 1997. Image File history File links Information. ...
National Rail uses the BR double-arrow logo A typical National Rail station sign showing the double-arrow logo National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). ...
Network Rail is a British not for dividend company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares. ...
The Midland Railways London terminus at St Pancras. ...
Image File history File links BR-logo. ...
Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or — especially in India — disinvestment) is the process of transferring property, from public ownership to private ownership. ...
The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ...
External links Association of Train Operating Companies website UK Railcards National Rail Enquiries Categories: Rail stubs | Industry trade groups | Rail transport in Great Britain | Business and employer associations of the United Kingdom ...
English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS) is the largest British rail freight company Created as a subsidiary of Wisconsin Central Ltd in 1996, it was acquired by Canadian National Railway when it bought Wisconsin Central in 2001. ...
There are two entries concerning Freightliner For the Freightliner Truck Company, please see Freightliner (truck) For the United Kingdom Rail Company, please see Freightliner_(UK) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlees post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the separate Ulster Transport Authority). ...
Class 180 multiple unit of First Great Western at speed near Yate, Bristol. ...
Nationalization is the act of taking assets into state ownership. ...
Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ...
For the band, see 1997 (band). ...
This period of nationalisation saw massive changes in the railway network: steam traction was eliminated in favour of diesel and electric power, passengers replaced freight as the main source of business, and the network was severely rationalised.
History
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Main article: History of rail transport in Great Britain 1948 - 1994 The rail transport system in Great Britain developed during the 19th century. After the grouping of 1923 under the Railways Act 1921 there were four large railway companies, each dominating its own geographic area: the Great Western Railway (GWR), the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS), the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and the Southern Railway (SR). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (441x673, 43 KB) Summary Summer 1963 British Railways Eastern Region timetable cover. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (441x673, 43 KB) Summary Summer 1963 British Railways Eastern Region timetable cover. ...
British Railways Eastern Region timetable for Summer 1963. ...
A timetable is an organized list or schedule, usually set out in tabular form, providing information about a series of arranged events: in particular, the time at which it is planned these events will take place. ...
This article is part of a series on the History of rail transport in Great Britain The History of rail transport in Great Britain 1948 - 1994 covers the period when the British railway system was nationalised under British Rail (initially known as British Railways). // The Transport Act 1947 nationalised nearly...
Class 180 multiple unit of First Great Western at speed near Yate, Bristol. ...
Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Railways Act of 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the countrys 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of...
The original Bristol Temple Meads station, first terminus of the GWR, is the building to the left of this picture The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company, linking South West England, the West Country and South Wales with London. ...
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS1) was a British railway company. ...
LNER timetable for Autumn 1926 detailing the resumption of services after the General Strike. ...
The Southern Railway in the United Kingdom was the smallest of the four railway systems created in the Grouping ordered by the Railways Act 1921. ...
Railway profitability suffered during the great depression of the 1930s, capital spending was postponed and maintenance cut back. This meant that the state of Britain's railways was already poor on the eve of Second World War. During the war, the railways were taken into state control as a vital part of the wartime economy. They were heavily damaged by enemy action, and a further lack of capital investment and maintenance caused by wartime economic necessity compounded this. In parallel with the rest of Britain's economy, after the war the railways were in a very run-down state. Face The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
1948: Nationalisation The Transport Act 1947 made provision for the nationalisation of the network, as part of a policy of nationalising public services by Clement Attlee's Labour Government. British Railways came into existence as the business name of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission (BTC) on 1 January 1948 when it took over the assets of the Big Four. The Transport Act, 1947 was part of the nationalisation agenda of Clement Attlees Labour government. ...
Nationalization or nationalisation is the act of transferring assets into public ownership. ...
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC (3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1945 to 1951. ...
The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ...
A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the legal name of a business, or the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes. ...
The British Railways Board (BRB) was the governing body of British Railways (later British Rail) from 1962 until privatisation in the 1990s. ...
The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlees post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the separate Ulster Transport Authority). ...
is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A small number of independent light railways and industrial railways, which did not contribute significant mileage to the system, were not included in British Railways; nor were the London Underground and the Glasgow Underground, which were already public concerns, the Liverpool Overhead Railway, and non-railway-owned tramways. The Northern Counties Committee lines owned by the LMS were quickly sold to the Northern Ireland government, becoming part of the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) in 1949. (Redirected from 1896 Light Railways Act) The Light Railways Act 1896 was a British Act of Parliament that facilitated the construction of minor railways. ...
A display of a narrow gauge industrial sand train An industrial railway is a type of private railway used exclusively to serve a particular industry inside a mine or factory compound. ...
The London Underground is a transit system that serves much of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ...
An Inner Circle train arrives at West Street station. ...
The Liverpool Overhead Railway opened the February 4, 1893. ...
This article refers to public transport vehicles running on rails. ...
The Northern Counties Committee (NCC) was a railway that served the north-east of Ireland. ...
Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ...
UTAs logo The Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966. ...
1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...
The second emblem of British Railways, conferred by the College of Heralds, also known colloquially as the "Ferret and Dartboard" The new system was split geographically into six regions along the lines of the Big Four: Download high resolution version (892x860, 178 KB)photo I took earlier today at the Great Central on the side of a maroon mk1 coach. ...
Download high resolution version (892x860, 178 KB)photo I took earlier today at the Great Central on the side of a maroon mk1 coach. ...
These regions formed the basis of the BR business structure until the 1980s. The regional boundaries were re-drawn on several occasions in the 1950s to make them more geographically-based rather than being based on pre-nationalisation ownership. The North Eastern Region was merged with Eastern Region in the 1960s; a new Anglia Region was split off from the Eastern Region in the 1980s. They retained a level of independence, though there was also some centralisation. British Railways Eastern Region timetable for Summer 1963. ...
The North Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. ...
Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is God Save the Queen. See also Proposed English National Anthems. ...
Skipton is a town in North Yorkshire, England that lies along the River Aire and Leeds and Liverpool Canal. ...
Ex-LMS Jubilee Class 45641 Sandwich at Chinley in 1954 The London Midland Region (LMR) was one of the six regions created on British Railways (BR) and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) lines in England and Wales. ...
This article is about the country. ...
Skipton is a town in North Yorkshire, England that lies along the River Aire and Leeds and Liverpool Canal. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
This article is about the country. ...
British Railways Southern Region totem station sign for Hither Green. ...
British Railways Western Region totem station sign for Chippenham. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
1948-55: The early years
 ex-LMS Jubilee Class 45641 Sandwich at Chinley in 1954 The priority in the immediate aftermath of nationalisation was to repair wartime damage and clear the backlog of maintenance work. Some pre-war capital investment schemes that had stopped upon the outbreak of hostilities were restarted (e.g. the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electrification over the Woodhead route and the Great Eastern suburban electrification). The new BR regions to a large extent inherited the organisations, structures and ethos of their predecessor Big Four companies and continued to work with a large degree of autonomy, building new steam locomotives and rolling stock to their respective companies' pre-war designs. There were also significant differences in fixed-stock engineering standards and operating standards between the former companies. The BR network was powered almost exclusively by steam locomotives, often of pre-grouping vintage, with rolling stock of a similar vintage and all in a poor state of repair. Only the Southern Region with its large electrified suburban network in south London operated a significant number of non-steam-powered trains. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 49 KB)From the Mark A. Hoofe collection. ...
Download high resolution version (1024x768, 49 KB)From the Mark A. Hoofe collection. ...
Image:Buxton - Derfbyshire dot. ...
// Introduction The Manchester-Sheffield-Wath electric railway was an early electrification scheme on British railways. ...
Woodhead (SK091999) is a small and scattered settlement at the head of the Longdendale valley in Derbyshire, England. ...
Great Eastern may refer to: The Great Eastern, a steam ship built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1858. ...
Rather than pursue other forms of motive power on a large scale, in 1951 a new range of BR standard steam locomotives was introduced, along with new standard passenger and freight rolling stock. Production of the various pre-nationalisation types ceased in favour of these. At the same time attempts were made to standardise other engineering standards and operating standards across the organisation wherever possible. Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1955-63: The Modernisation Plan Britain's railways arguably went into the Second World War having fallen technologically behind those of its peers. As the years passed after the war it became apparent that Britain was falling further behind. Countries like Japan, U.S. and France already had made significant investment in new diesels and electrics before the war, and this continued after the war. Britain had not, and the run-down network deteriorated even more because of painfully slow rebuilding. Finally, and late, came the modernisation plan for Britain's railways. It cost the government much more than it should have due to bad timing. Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...
The 1955 Modernisation Plan, detailed in the British Transport Commission's (BTC) Modernisation and Re-equipment of British Railways, argued for spending £1,240 million over a period of 15 years. The aim was to increase speed, reliability, safety and line capacity, through a series of measures which would make services more attractive to passengers and freight operators, thus recovering traffic that was being lost to the roads. The important areas were: Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ...
The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlees post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the separate Ulster Transport Authority). ...
“GBP†redirects here. ...
A government White Paper was produced in 1956, stating that modernisation would help eliminate BR's financial deficit by 1962. British Railways Eastern Region timetable for Summer 1963. ...
The Kent coat of arms For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the country. ...
Dieselisation or Dieselization (see spelling differences) is generally used for the nowadays increasingly common use of diesel fuel in diesel engines in vehicles, as opposed to gasoline in petrol engines in road transport; and as opposed to steam engines in steam locomotives and rail transport. ...
ex-Great Western Railway No. ...
A white paper is an authoritative report. ...
Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
At this time BR's legal liabilities as a common carrier were removed, the most significant of which was the requirement that general goods handling must be offered at every station. This ended the tradition of having a goods handling facility with associated rail infrastructure at practically every station, many of which were becoming under-utilised in the face of competition from road transport. This had associated cost savings in staff, infrastructure and caused a significant reduction in the numbers of slow stopping freight trains, thus increasing network capacity. A common carrier is an organization that transports persons or goods, and offers its services to the general public. ...
Unfortunately the Modernisation Plan failed to take into account this and the other effects that mass road transport would have upon the traditional role of the railways, and as a result much money was wasted by heavy investment in things like marshalling yards that were soon under-utilised and quickly became obsolete. Much money was also wasted by the rapid introduction of new classes of diesel locomotives into fleet service without an adequate period of prototype testing, which resulted in several classes being scrapped within a very few years of their being built. The failure of the Modernisation Plan led to a distrust of BR's financial planning abilities by the Treasury which was to dog BR for the rest of its existence. A classification yard or marshalling yard (including hump yards) is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. ...
Some routes were closed during the 1950s to take account of changing transport patterns and to remove obvious route duplication. For instance, in East Anglia most of the former Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway was closed in 1959; long-distance passenger trains on the former Great Central Railway main line ended in 1960 as a prelude to its later closure. However, the route closures were just a small taste of what was to come. This does not cite any references or sources. ...
Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ...
M&GNJR Badge The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GN) was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway (MR) and the Great Northern Railway (GNR) in eastern England. ...
Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Great Central Railway (GCR) was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 on the completion of its London Extension. ...
Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Transport Act 1962 converted British Railways from being the trade name of a BTC activity to an separate public corporation, as the British Railways Board. The Transport Act, 1962 was passed by Harold Macmillans Conservative government to dissolve the British Transport Commission, which had been established by Clement Attlees Labour government in the 1940s to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport. ...
A trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the legal name of a business, or the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes. ...
Literally a public company is a company owned by the public. ...
The British Railways Board (BRB) was the governing body of British Railways (later British Rail) from 1962 until privatisation in the 1990s. ...
Taken in May 1966 at Barry Scrapyard David Sallery. ...
Taken in May 1966 at Barry Scrapyard David Sallery. ...
80152 at Nine Elms MPD, 1965. ...
1963-68: The Beeching Axe Reshaping and the end of steam -
 This is what the BR network would have looked like if Beeching's plans had been implemented (all lines except those bolded would have been closed by 1984) In 1963, BR chairman Dr Richard Beeching published the Re-Shaping of British Railways calling for major rationalisation of the system. Many rural routes were unprofitable in the face of increasing competition from road hauliers and the private car. The Beeching Axe fell on many branch lines and some main lines - some of these lines have since become heritage railways. In 1965, the Beeching Axe II was planned, but never implemented. If it had, then all but the "major trunk routes" would have closed (see map). Many railway lines were closed as a result of the Beeching Axe The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the British Governments attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running the British railway system. ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Richard Beeching Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 - 23 March 1985), commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer. ...
Many railway lines were closed as a result of the Beeching Axe The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the British Governments attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running the British railway system. ...
This list of British heritage and private railways is intended as a list of railways (railroads) in Britain. ...
Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ...
The late 1950s to the end of the 1960s saw first a reduction, then the final withdrawal of Britain's fleet of steam locomotives. Mass withdrawals of older classes started towards the end of the 1950s, with many of the pre-grouping companies' engines being scrapped. BR built its last steam engine at Swindon in 1960. Withdrawals of newer steam engines started in the early 1960s, some of which had been built to modern post-war designs and were less than ten years old. During this period many new designs of diesel locomotive and multiple unit were introduced to replace steam trains. The greater availability and reliability of these new trains, coupled with the need for fewer locomotives and less rolling stock caused by the Beeching line closures, meant that the BR fleet reduced significantly. Main-line diesel locomotives were arriving in large numbers by 1963, and in early 1966 the Western Region was the first region to have no steam locomotives; other regions quickly followed suit, with the last pocket of steam traction being withdrawn from the North-West of England in August 1968. The short narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway at Aberystwyth in Wales was the only exception: it was still steam-operated on its sale by BR in 1989. Pre-nationalisation rolling stock was withdrawn as BR standard stock became available, the majority had gone by the end of the 1960s. This does not cite any references or sources. ...
The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...
This does not cite any references or sources. ...
, For other places with the same name, see Swindon (disambiguation). ...
Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...
Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ...
Train taking on water, Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway is a narrow-gauge (1 foot 11¾ inches) heritage railway that runs for 11¾ miles between Aberystwyth and Devils Bridge (Pont yr Fynach (Welsh) - Bridge over the Mynach) - in Wales, UK. It was the last steam line...
Aberystwyth (IPA: , South Welsh: ) (in English: Mouth of the Ystwyth) is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. ...
This article is about the country. ...
Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...
The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...
From 1958 to 1974 the West Coast Main Line was electrified in stages on the French system of 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead line electrification, this having been chosen as the standard system for new electrification north of London, despite BR having invested significant amounts in two 1,500 V DC overhead systems a decade earlier. Many commuter lines around London and Glasgow were also electrified, and the Southern Region extended its already extensive pre-war 750 V DC third rail system to the Kent and Dorset coasts. However electrification never reached system-wide level, as on many other European railways. Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...
The WCML running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap in Northamptonshire A Virgin Pendolino and freight train on the WCML The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ...
Josephson junction array chip developed by NIST as a standard volt. ...
MHZ redirects here. ...
City lights viewed in a motion blurred exposure. ...
The overhead lines of a Swiss Federal Railways track. ...
This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...
“Glaswegian†redirects here. ...
Southern Region may be: Southern Region, Malawi Southern Region of British Railways This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Direct current (DC or continuous current) is the continuous flow of electricity through a conductor such as a wire from high to low potential. ...
Third rail at the West Falls Church Metro stop in Washington, D.C., electrified to 750 volts. ...
The Kent coat of arms For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation). ...
Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ...
World map showing the location of Europe. ...
In the early 1960s yellow warning panels, now characteristic of British railways, were added to the fronts of diesel and electric locomotives and multiple units in order to increase the safety of track workers.
1969-81: British Rail
Class 47 47241 in "corporate blue" livery in 1980 As the last steam locomotives were being withdrawn, the corporation was re-branded British Rail (see British Rail brand names for a full history). This re-branding introduced the double-arrow logo, still used by National Rail under licence to represent the industry as a whole; the standardised typeface (known as "Rail Alphabet") used for all communications and signs; and the "rail blue" livery, which was applied to nearly all locomotives and rolling stock. from http://www. ...
from http://www. ...
thank god for class 57s that took the bodies of 47s - NO MORE 47 FREAKS!!! POGO, LIVES IN YORK REAL NAME - PAUL ILLINGSWORTH GED THE TRAMP, BIRMINGHAM REAL NAME - GERALD IZAAC HAPPLE ADDRESS - 378 GILLIOTT ROAD, EDGBASTON, BIRMINGHAM PHONE NO - 0121 454 4679 (PLEASE CONTACT ABOVE FOR GEN...
British Rail created many brand names for its products, designed to catch the eye and imagination of current and potential travellers and freight users. ...
National Rail uses the BR double-arrow logo A typical National Rail station sign showing the double-arrow logo National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). ...
For the origin and evolution of fonts, see History of western typography. ...
Rail Alphabet is a font designed by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert for British Railways. ...
In 1973, TOPS (a computer system managing the whole of the railway's operations) was introduced, requiring locomotives and multiple units to be renumbered - individual carriages and wagons continued to carry numbers in a separate series but were classified according to type. For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ...
The Total Operations Processing System, better known by its initials TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock (railroad cars) owned by a rail system. ...
The major engineering works were split off into a separate company, British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL), in 1970. for the singer see Jacques Brel BREL stands for British Rail Engineering Limited, which was the engineering division of British Rail Categories: Stub | British Rail(ways) ...
Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1982-94: Sectorisation
 The projected future - an APT departs Euston for Glasgow
 Sectorisation produced a more colourful railway — this is the Network SouthEast livery on a Mk 1 electric multiple unit. In the 1980s, the regions of BR were abolished and the production side of the business was divided into five sectors.[1] The passenger sectors were: Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x632, 179 KB) related image Author: Max Batten http://www. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x632, 179 KB) related image Author: Max Batten http://www. ...
The Advanced Passenger Train (APT) was an unsuccesful prototype tilting train developed by British Rail during the 1970s and early 1980s. ...
Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 716 KB)BR Class 411, no. ...
Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 716 KB)BR Class 411, no. ...
A train in NSE livery Network SouthEast (NSE) was a sector of British Rail that principally operated commuter trains in the London area, and was formed in 1986 when BR was sectorised. ...
Download high resolution version (980x652, 169 KB)This is a photo by Phil Wright from http://37427mylordz. ...
Download high resolution version (980x652, 169 KB)This is a photo by Phil Wright from http://37427mylordz. ...
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ...
A High Speed Train power car in Intercity livery InterCity was the sector of British Rail responsible for long-distance express trains. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The freight sectors were: A High Speed Train power car in Intercity livery InterCity was the sector of British Rail responsible for long-distance express trains. ...
A train in NSE livery Network SouthEast (NSE) was a sector of British Rail that principally operated commuter trains in the London area, and was formed in 1986 when BR was sectorised. ...
Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1981 that existed until 1996 a year before Privatisation. ...
The maintenance and remaining engineering works were split off into a new company, British Rail Maintenance Limited (BRML). The new sectors were further subdivided into divisions. This ended the "BR blue" period, as new liveries were adopted gradually. Infrastructure remained the responsibility of the Regions until the "Organisation for Quality" initiative in 1991, when this too was transferred to the sectors. Rail Express Systems livery as carried by Propelling Control Vehicle no. ...
Trainload Freight was the sector of British Rail responsible for trainload freight services. ...
Railfreight Distribution was a sector of British Rail responsible for non-trainload freight operations. ...
Class 47, no. ...
An intermodal train carrying both shipping containers and highway semi-trailers in piggyback service, on flatcars, passes through the Cajon Pass in February, 1995. ...
56 036 at the launch of Large Logo livery at Toton works on 9th June 1979 Rail Blue was one of British Rails corporate colours. ...
Running concurrently with the Sectorisation process came the last of BR's major infrastrucuture projects; the East Coast Main Line was electrified in stages between 1987 and 1990; Thameslink, a crossrail connecting the northern and southern halves of London's suburban network opened in 1988; the Chiltern Main Line was extensively modernised so as to open up an additional link between London and Birmingham. A follow on from the Chiltern project was to be the nationwide roll-out of the Automatic Train Protection system, which helped prevent accidents caused by SPADs. However, privatisation intervened and this plan was largely abandoned. Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...
Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...
Thameslink is a fifty-station line in the British railway system running 225 km (140 miles) north to south across London from Bedford to Brighton through the Snow Hill tunnel. ...
Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...
The Chiltern Main Line is a name for the railway line between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill stations. ...
Automatic train protection is speed and distance supervision, usually intervening (usually deploying emergency brake, as a last measure) when the driver of a train omits to react on optical signals given from the wayside system. ...
Two-aspect signal at danger In railway terminology, a Signal Passed At Danger or SPAD describes an event where a train has run beyond its allocated signal block without authority, as indicated by a lineside signal showing danger. ...
1994-97: Privatisation -
On the advice of the Adam Smith Institute, under John Major's Conservative government's Railways Act 1993, British Rail was split up and privatised. This was a continuation of the policy of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government of privatisation of publicly owned services. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The Adam Smith Institute is a think tank based in the United Kingdom, named after the father of modern economics, Adam Smith. ...
For other persons named John Major, see John Major (disambiguation). ...
The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ...
The Railways Act 1993 is the legislation introduced by John Majors Conservative government and passed in circumstances of high drama on 5 November 1993. ...
Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or — especially in India — disinvestment) is the process of transferring property, from public ownership to private ownership. ...
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC (born October 13, 1925), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in office from 1979 to 1990. ...
Several models of privatisation were mooted: the one that was chosen resembled that chosen for the electricity and gas industries. The ownership of track, trains and infrastructure was separated into different companies based upon the existing BR business structure, with regulation remaining after privatisation where sufficient competition was deemed not to exist. Passenger services in each sector were franchised out to private companies, often bus operators. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) was created to organise ticketing and market the rail services using the National Rail brand. Freight operations were mostly bought by one company, later EWS. Railtrack plc was created as a regulated monopoly controlling the infrastructure and its shares floated on the London Stock Exchange. The Shadow Strategic Rail Authority was created to oversee and advise the government. The British Railways Board remained with some residual functions. Franchising (from the French for honesty or freedom[1]) is a method of doing business wherein a franchisor licenses trademarks and tried and proven methods of doing business to a franchisee in exchange for a recurring payment, and usually a percentage piece of gross sales or gross profits as well...
External links Association of Train Operating Companies website UK Railcards National Rail Enquiries Categories: Rail stubs | Industry trade groups | Rail transport in Great Britain | Business and employer associations of the United Kingdom ...
National Rail uses the BR double-arrow logo A typical National Rail station sign showing the double-arrow logo National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). ...
English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS) is the largest British rail freight company Created as a subsidiary of Wisconsin Central Ltd in 1996, it was acquired by Canadian National Railway when it bought Wisconsin Central in 2001. ...
The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ...
The Source by Greyworld, in the new LSE building Paternoster Square. ...
1998-2000: The leftovers The Transport Act 2000 abolished the British Railways Board and dispersed its remaining responsibilities. The Transport Act 2000 is a current United Kingdom Act of Parliament External Links Transport Act 2002 Category: ...
Not all of BR's activities were confined purely to the running of trains and two areas have so far escaped privatisation:-
British Transport Police The British Transport Police (BTP) remains as the principal provider of police services on National Rail and the London Underground. The BTP is in the joint ultimate charge of the Department for Transport (DfT), the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly, who, along with passenger and industry representatives make up the membership of the British Transport Police Authority. The British Transport Police (BTP) is a non-Home Office national police service responsible for policing the railway system throughout Great Britain. ...
BRB (Residuary) Ltd. The successor to the BR Property Board, it deals with the remaining land, buildings and various liabilities that were surplus to operational needs but were omitted from the privatisation process. It is in the ultimate charge of the Department for Transport DFT can have at least four meanings: Discrete Fourier transform Density Functional Theory Design For Test The UKs Department for Transport This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
The Current Inheritance Privatisation has had mixed results. Passenger growth has been stimulated, but this has been at extra cost to passengers, who have seen steady fare increases since 1997; and to the public purse which, by 2006, was paying a subsidy more than three times as large as British Rail had received. Freight has also increased. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 3072 pixel, file size: 2. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 3072 pixel, file size: 2. ...
Rowlands Castle railway station is a railway station serving the village of Rowlands Castle, Hampshire, England. ...
However, there is debate as to whether these increases in passengers and freight have been due to privatisation, or simply to increasing congestion on the roads and an improved economy, which usually results in more travel. Some analysts have pointed out that a similar rise in passenger numbers occurred in the late 1980s when the economy was buoyant, only to fall in the recession of the early 1990s; however, recent passenger-journey numbers have climbed back to the level last seen in the 1950s. Indeed, passenger levels have risen to such a level (2007) that on the most popular commuter routes, there are frequent, above-inflation rises in fares to discourage passengers from travelling.
Network The BR network, with the trunk routes of the West Coast Main Line, East Coast Main Line, Great Western Main Line and Midland Main Line, remains mostly unchanged since privatisation, with several branch line re-openings particularly in Wales and Scotland, where the control of the railway network is devolved from central government. The WCML running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap in Northamptonshire A Virgin Pendolino and freight train on the WCML The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ...
The East Coast Main Line viaduct at Durham. ...
Maidenhead Railway Bridge The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in England that runs westwards from London Paddington station to Temple Meads station in Bristol. ...
The Midland Main Line is a main railway line in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ...
This article is about the country. ...
This article is about the country. ...
See also Image File history File links Portal. ...
A number of different numbering and classification schemes have been used for carriages and wagons on Britains railways, and this page explains the principal systems that have been used. ...
A number of different numbering and classification schemes has been used for locomotives and multiple units on Britains railways, and this page explains the principal systems that have been used. ...
British Rail created many brand names for its products, designed to catch the eye and imagination of current and potential travellers and freight users. ...
A diagram of the craft, taken from the patent application. ...
The British Transport Police (BTP) is a non-Home Office national police service responsible for policing the railway system throughout Great Britain. ...
Gerry Fiennes (full name: Gerard Francis Gisborne Twistleton-Wykeham-Fiennes OBE, MA) (7 June 1906 – 25 May 1985) was a famous British railway manager who rose through the ranks of the London and North Eastern Railway and later British Rail following graduation from Oxford University. ...
The Midland Railways London terminus at St Pancras. ...
A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ...
Due to historical differences the railway network of the United Kingdom is split into two independent systems: one on the island of Great Britain and one in Northern Ireland, which is closely linked to the railway system of the Republic of Ireland. ...
The London Underground is a transit system that serves much of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ...
An Inner Circle train arrives at West Street station. ...
The Liverpool Overhead Railway opened the February 4, 1893. ...
ex-Great Western Railway No. ...
The wrong kind of snow is a phrase coined by the British media in 1991 after severe weather caused disruption to many of British Rails services. ...
References - ^ Thomas, David St John; Whitehouse, Patrick (1990). BR in the Eighties. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-9854-7.
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