The Times’ book by Julian Holland, British Railways, is subtitled An illustrated history: 1948-1994 and, as one might expect, discusses British Railways (British Rail from 1965) from its birth when the Big Four private railway companies (and several smaller ones) were nationalised until its end in the 1990s when it was broken up into many companies and privatised.

Although the book is described as an illustrated history, I was relieved to see that it is not a book consisting mostly of pictures with captions. However, it is not a “proper” reference book either, as various pieces of information are given without any references or bibliography. The author must be fond of rolling stock, as about a third of the 230 pages and most (all?) of the pictures are devoted to detail about locos and carriages, such as the paragraph headed “North British Locomotive Company A1A-A1A Type 4 ‘Warship’ BR Class ‘41’ Nos D600-D604”, followed by “BR Swindon Works B-B A1A Type 4 ‘Warship’ BR Class ‘42’ Nos D800-D832, D866-D870”.

The lack of references matters. The author states that the “Branch Lines Committee axed several thousand miles of unprofitable lines…” That smacks of hyperbole. As the author states a few pages later, the BLC met during the period 1948-53, their work then being delegated to BR regions. During that time, 1,179 route miles were authorised for closure (source: Terry Gourvish’s official history of British Railways 1943-73). A further 2,350 route miles were closed before Dr Beeching’s cuts, but the BLC had gone by then.

I was hoping for more material about the organisation but the book is light on detail. For example, it states that the Railway Executive was abolished in 1952 but doesn’t explain why. It mentions the “autocratic management within the various BR regions” but doesn’t suggest how this autocracy survived for so long post-nationalisation and the merger into one company. Privatisation is described as an “unmitigated disaster” – I’m not disputing that here, but I’d like to have seen some justification for such a dogmatic statement. Similarly, the author repeats – without citing a reference - the folklore that Marples was “motorway-biased.” Marples had sold all his shares in Marples Ridgeway to Warburgs by 1st March 1960, long before Beeching was appointed; and thus never benefitted from subsequent railway closures. I note that the route mileage closed is quoted as 4,500; then 4,065; then 4,000 miles. While the author may be referring to slightly different periods, I missed that nuance – again, precise references would offer the clarity.

It is disappointing that the discussion of BR’s rebranding and the Rail Alphabet doesn’t give credit to Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir.

This book will be a great present for someone who loves discussing which locos were built by whom; which sheds housed them; and their performance. It will also suit someone who wants a general high-level history of BR that ranges from locos to catering to ferries. However, it may be disappointing for anyone interested in the detail of how the organisation was managed; why the 1950s Modernisation Plan failed badly; and why BR finally became a highly efficient organisation just before privatisation dismantled most that had been achieved.

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