The year 1963 will always be remembered as the one when the Sixties
really started to swing. The Beatles and Rolling Stones were
topping the charts while the mini-skirt and the Mini car had become
the latest fashion accessories. For those with an interest in
railways however, 1963 was memorable for the publication by Her
Majesty's Stationery Office of Part 1 of the report 'The Reshaping
of British Railways' by Dr Richard Beeching, then chairman of the
British Railways Board. The term 'reshaping' was somewhat of a
euphemism as the report envisaged a radical reduction in the
national rail network. Hundreds of stations were to be closed to
both freight and passenger traffic, along with thousands of miles
of track, while several thousand staff would be made redundant.
This series is intended as a record of how the proposals affecting
passenger services throughout England, Scotland and Wales were
ruthlessly implemented over a ten-year period. Since then, despite
the introduction of modern high-speed rolling stock and much track
rationalisation, the extent of our rail network has remained
basically the same. Train services today are therefore still very
much Dr Beeching's legacy. In addition he bequeathed to the nation
a linear network of derelict land which could be put to other
purposes, including that of heritage railway. The passenger rail
network in each regional volume before and after Beeching is shown
using maps, text and illustrations. Featuring the lines listed for
closure including: Swansea Victoria - Craven Arms - Shrewsbury
Gloucester Central - Hereford Carmarthen - Aberystwyth Cardiff
Clarence Road - Cardiff General Abercynon - Aberdare Low Level
Porth - Maerdy Caerphilly - Senghenydd Barry - Bridgend Bridgend -
Treherbert Cardiff - Coryton
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