Synopsis
During the course of the 1950s England lost confidence in its rulers and convinced itself to modernise. The bankrupt steam-powered railway, run by a retired general, symbolised everything that was wrong with the country; the future lay in motorways and high speed electric - or even atomic - express trains. But plans for a gleaming new railway system ended in failure and on the roads traffic ground to a halt. Along came Dr Beeching, forensically analysing the railways' problems and expertly delivering an expert's diagnosis - a third of the nation's railways must go. This was the point at which the reality of modernisation dawned and rural England fell victim to the road and car - at least that is how Dr Beeching is remembered today. Last Trains examines why and how the railway system contracted, exposing the political failures that bankrupted the railways and examining officials' attempts to understand a transport revolution beyond their control. It is a story of the increasing alienation of bureaucrats from the public they thought they were serving, but also of a nation that thinks it lives in the countryside trying to come to terms with modernity.
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About the Author
Charles Loft was born in London at the height of the Beeching era and spent much of his youth exploring abandoned railway lines. He received his PhD from the University of London in 1999. He currently works as a policy adviser and still occasionally gets lost while looking for forgotten railways.
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Last Trains: Dr Beeching and the Death of Rural England
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Last Trains: Dr Beeching and the Death of Rural England
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Hardback. Condition: As New. During the course of the 1950s England lost confidence in its rulers and convinced itself to modernise. The bankrupt steam-powered railway, run by a retired general, symbolised everything that was wrong with the country; the future lay in motorways and high speed electric - or even atomic - express trains. But plans for a gleaming new railway system ended in failure and on the roads traffic ground to a halt. Along came Dr Beeching, forensically analysing the railways' problems and expertly delivering an expert's diagnosis - a third of the nation's railways must go. This was the point at which the reality of modernisation dawned and rural England fell victim to the road and car - at least that is how Dr Beeching is remembered today. Last Trains examines why and how the railway system contracted, exposing the political failures that bankrupted the railways and examining officials' attempts to understand a transport revolution beyond their control. It is a story of the increasing alienation of bureaucrats from the public they thought they were serving, but also of a nation that thinks it lives in the countryside trying to come to terms with modernity. Seller Inventory # 0092394
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Last trains : Dr. Beeching and the death of rural England / Charles Loft
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London : Biteback Publishing, 2013
ISBN 10: 1849545006
ISBN 13: 9781849545006
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First Edition. Fine cloth copy in a near-fine, very slightly edge-nicked and dust-dulled dust-wrapper, now mylar-sleeved. Remains well-preserved overall. Physical description; 330 pages. Notes; Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents; Chapter 1: Introduction: a wound that has not healed; Chapter 2: Colonel Stephens's lost causes: the railway problem 1914-51; Chapter 3: A terrible tangle: the Isle of Wight and the end of integration; Chapter 4: Chromium dreams: the 1955 Modernisation Plan; Chapter 5: The Bluebell and Primrose Line: the 1956 closure plan; Chapter 6: White elephants: the M & GN and the collapse of faith in the railways; Chapter 7: Westerham, Marples and the M25; Chapter 8: The nitty gritty: shaping Reshaping; Chapter 9: Wells-next-the-Sea and the general election. Chapter 10: Unmitigated England: Tom Fraser and the Great CentralChapter 11: A tiger in the tank? Barbara Castle and the stable network; Chapter 12: Aftermath: the management of decline; Chapter 13: Conclusion: ultra-modern horror; Glossary; Acknowledgements; Select bibliography; Notes; Index. Subjects; Beeching, Richard 1913-1985. Beeching, Richard Baron Beeching 1913-1985. 1900-1999. Railroads Great Britain History 20th century. Railroads and state 20th century. Transportation and state Great Britain History 20th century. TRANSPORTATION Railroads Pictorial. Economic policy. Railroads. Railroads and state. Transportation and state. 1 Kg. Item is Shipped from Ireland or US locations. Seller Inventory # 457843
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Last Trains: Dr Beeching and the Death of Rural England
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