Prior to the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, Britain's
rail network was operated almost exclusively by four private
companies. The 'Big Four' as they were called - the Great Western,
the Southern, the London Midland & Scottish and the London
& North Eastern - were not only nationalised in 1948, but
consolidated into one large concern: British Railways. Each of the
Big Four had built up its own system of working in its own
geographic area with its own rolling stock, staff and livery. Thus,
BR inherited a diverse mix, not only of physical plant, but of
traditions and loyalties developed over generations. Additionally,
management had to grapple with many and varied constraints in its
desire to improve efficiency and create a nationally recognisable
system. Also, cash was in short supply and much of the existing
equipment was old, run down and in urgent need of attention.
Further, all the major railway companies had a large number of
restrictions as to which engines and stock could go where, even on
their own system. Axle loading was often the deciding consideration
and this governed which engine types could run on specific lines
over which bridges and at what speed. For example, LNER Pacifics
were banned entirely from East Anglia. Also, loading gauges
differed on the national infrastructure. All these considerations
impinged on BR's desire to introduce a modern range of steam
engines of its own, so that these would have the widest route
availability. This, by and large, they successfully achieved,
though in later years even the new BR diesels had more restrictions
placed upon them than was originally envisaged. The Unusual and the
Unexpected on British Railways: A Chronology of Unlikely Events
1948-1968 is an assiduous and personal trawl on how BR overcome
such engineering incompatibilities and bureaucratic confusion on a
national scale. This engaging tribute is a historical and rail
engineering document, which despite plans and intentions to unite
the country with a single operating network, shows how daunting
such a restructuring was.
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