British Rail facts for kids

A steam train called 'Calcot Grange' at Bristol Temple Meads station.

British Rail (BR) was the main railway company in Great Britain. It ran all the trains from 1948 to 1997. The government created British Rail by taking over all the smaller railway companies. This was done under a law called the Transport Act 1947. In 1997, the railways were sold back to private companies.

How British Rail Started

Railways in Great Britain

Before British Rail, there were four big railway companies in Britain. They were formed in 1923 after many smaller companies joined together. These four companies were:

• Great Western Railway (GWR)
• London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS)
• London and North Eastern Railway (LNER)
• Southern Railway (SR)

After World War II, the railways were in bad shape. Many trains, buildings, and equipment were damaged. The government decided to take control of public transport, including the railways. This was part of a plan by Clement Attlee's Labour government. The Transport Act 1947 made this happen.

Railways in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) ran the railways from 1948 to 1966. After that, Translink took over, calling them NI Railways. The governments of Northern Ireland and Ireland also ran the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) together for a while. Many lines in the west of Northern Ireland closed in the 1960s.

Modernizing the Railways

The 1955 Modernisation Plan

In 1955, the government approved a huge plan to update the railways. It cost £1.2 billion. During this time, many changes happened:

• Steam trains were slowly removed by 1968.
• Diesel trains and electric trains took their place.
• About a third of the railway network was closed. This was due to a report called the Beeching report in the 1960s.

A big survey in 1961 helped create the Reshaping of British Railways report. It suggested closing a third of all passenger lines and over 4,000 stations.

British Rail also started a brand called InterCity in 1966. This was for their fast, long-distance passenger services. The number of passengers went down until the late 1970s. But it grew a lot after the InterCity 125 high-speed trains were introduced.

Before 1982, British Rail was divided into regions, especially around London. This caused some problems. So, in 1982, British Rail changed how it was organized. All commuter services became one group. InterCity handled express services, and Regional Railways managed regional services.

British Rail built many steam locomotives between 1948 and 1960. But they decided to stop using steam trains completely by 1968. The "Modernisation Plan" aimed to make the railways faster, safer, and more reliable. It also wanted to attract more passengers and freight. Key parts of the plan included:

• Adding electric lines, especially in the east, Kent, Birmingham, and Scotland.
• Replacing steam trains with diesel trains.
• Getting new trains for passengers and freight.
• Improving signals and tracks.
• Closing a few lines, stations, and depots that were not needed.

Some long-distance train services were cut back from 1958 onwards. By 1965, freight services also ended on some lines. A large part of the Great Central Railway closed because of the Beeching axe.

New Diesel Trains

A British Rail Class 47 diesel locomotive.

Some early diesel trains had problems, but many later models worked very well. The British Rail Class 127 diesel trains ran services from Marylebone to places like High Wycombe and Aylesbury.

The British Rail Class 47 diesel-electric locomotives were built in the 1960s. They were very reliable and some are still working today. The British Rail Class 52 diesel-hydraulic locomotives were built between 1961 and 1964. They were nicknamed Westerns. The British Rail Class 207 diesel-electric units were built in 1962 and were very versatile.

New Electric Trains

A British Rail Class 313 electric train at Kings Cross station.

Like the diesels, some early electric trains had issues, but later ones were much better. The British Rail Class 423 electric trains were built from 1967 to 1974. They had doors next to every seat row. They were used for services in South London, Kent, and Sussex.

The British Rail Class 303 electric trains were known as Blue Train units because of their color. They were first used in 1960 in Strathclyde. The British Rail Class 73 locomotives were special because they could run on electric power or use a diesel engine.

The British Rail Class 86 was a standard electric locomotive built in the 1960s. It was designed after testing earlier models. The British Rail Class 312 electric trains were built from 1966 to 1974. They were the last trains built with the British Railways Mark 2 body and slam doors.

The British Rail Class 313 electric trains were built from 1976 to 1977. They were the first "second-generation" electric trains for British Rail. They could use two different types of electric power. They were also the first in Britain to have fully automatic couplers, making it easier for drivers to connect trains.

The Beeching Report

The remains of Rugby Central Station, closed under the Beeching Axe.

In the late 1950s, the railways continued to struggle. The government limited how much British Rail could spend. The government suggested that many services could be run more cheaply by buses. They said that most closed rail services would be replaced by bus routes. Only main lines would stay untouched.

Lord Beeching, a business expert, thought South Wales was a struggling industrial area. So, it lost most of its railway network. However, since 1983, the region has seen a big railway comeback, with new stations opening.

Some stations that closed in the 1960s have reopened years later. For example, Laurencekirk station closed in 1967 but reopened in 2009.

The Beeching report also suggested that British Rail should electrify some main lines and use containers for freight instead of old, expensive wagons. Some of these ideas were used later, like creating the Freightliner service.

Since the Beeching cuts, road traffic has grown a lot, causing congestion. Also, in recent years, more people are using trains than ever before. Because of this, some railway closures have been reversed. Many closed stations have reopened, and passenger services have returned to lines where they were stopped.

A notable reopening was the Robin Hood Line in Nottinghamshire in the early 1990s. Before it reopened, Mansfield was the largest town in Britain without a railway station.

The Serpell Report

In the early 1980s, railway profits started to drop. In 1983, Sir David Serpell, a government official, wrote the Serpell Report. He wanted even more railway cuts. There were plans to close Marylebone and send trains to Paddington. But these plans were dropped because they were not practical.

Pacer and Sprinter Trains

Because British Rail had less money, they created cheaper Pacer trains. The British Rail Class 143 diesel trains were introduced between 1985 and 1986. They were made using bus parts on a lorry chassis with train wheels. Early models had problems, but later ones were better.

The British Rail Class 156 "Super-Sprinter" diesel trains were built from 1987 to 1989. They replaced older trains. As funding increased before privatization, the successful British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter trains were built from 1989 to 1992.

The Clapham Junction Crash

On 12 December 1988, three commuter trains crashed near Clapham Junction in London. 35 people died and over 100 were hurt. It was found that British Rail's old Mark 1 carriages were unsafe. Also, broken signalling equipment was a cause. After the crash, the signaling was fixed and improved.

A green historic and a blue and white British Rail Mark 1 carriage in Crewe goods yard in 2000.

Privatization

The British government under John Major decided that selling the railways to private companies would improve passenger services. This happened in 1997.

Since privatization, some lines have reopened. The Scottish Assembly Government reopened lines between Hamilton and Larkhall, and Alloa and Stirling. They are also working on a link from Airdrie to Bathgate. The biggest project is reopening the Waverley Line from Edinburgh to the Borders.

The Welsh Assembly Government reopened the Vale of Glamorgan Line in 2005 and the Ebbw Valley Line in 2008. Some English stations like Corby and Mansfield also reopened after privatization.

Train fares generally cost more than they did under British Rail.

How British Rail Was Split Up

For privatization, British Rail was divided into different parts. Regional Railways was one of these parts. It stopped running in 1996. The InterCity trains were split into several companies.

Since privatization, the number of train companies has changed many times. Here are some of the companies that took over passenger rail services:

A First Great Eastern Class 312 train at Kirby Cross station.

The British Rail Logo

The British Rail "double arrow" logo looks like two arrows pointing in opposite directions. People sometimes called it "the arrow of indecision". Today, this logo is used on street signs in Great Britain to show railway stations. It is also printed on train tickets as part of the National Rail brand.

Worker Relations

Sometimes, British Rail staff went on strike because of disagreements over pay, safety, and working hours. There were several strikes in the late 1970s. After privatization, the number of strikes went down.

Gallery

• 

  A GPO Travelling Post Office carriage at Carlisle station in 2004.

• 

  Haddenham's old station in 2007. It closed in the 1960s.

• 

  Class 127 train, no. 55976, at Bewdley in 2004.

• 

  A blue and white Network South East Mk2 and grey and white Intercity Mk1 carriage in Crewe Goods yard during 2001.

• 

  A Virgin Trains' MK 3 carriage at Crewe station in 2000.

• 

  A Wessex Trains train at Bristol Temple Meads station with Post Office wagons in the background during 2001.

• 

  A Valley Railways train at Cardiff Central station during 2000.

• 

  An old Rail Express Systems General Utility Freight Van at Derby station in 2004.

• 

  A former Strathclyde Public Transport train passing through Greater Manchester's Romiley Junction during 2003.

• 

  Two train units, one in Network South East (N.S.E.) colors, and the other in 'Jaffa Cake' colors.

• 

  A South London electric train in modified N.S.E. colors.

• 

  A scene showing a train in BR Blue colors and signage in Network South East colors at Farnborough North station.

• 

  A Gatwick Express Class 73 train, no. 73201, at Clapham Junction.

• 

  A Freightliner Class 86 train, nos. 86613 and 86610, at Ipswich.

• 

  A British Rail Class 207 DEMU train preserved at the East Lancashire Railway.

• 

  A TransClyde branded British Rail Class 303 train, no. 303 089, at Wemyss Bay station.

Images for kids

• 

  British Rail filmstrip showing how the railways were unified under BR.

• 

  BR steam locomotive 70013 Oliver Cromwell.

• 

  Blue Pullman train at Bristol Bath Road TMD.

• 

  A Scammell Scarab truck in British Railways colors, London, 1962.

• 

  Network SouthEast Class 465 train at Charing Cross station.

• 

  Passenger rail usage in Great Britain, 1830–2021.

• 

  UK rail subsidy 1985–2015 (in 2015 terms), showing the huge increase after the Hatfield crash.

• 

  The Waterloo & City line was part of Network SouthEast.

• 

  Crowds on a railtour at Maesteg Castle Street station, which was later reopened by BR.

• 

  Sealink house flag.

• 

  Sealink MV St David berthed in Larne, Northern Ireland.

• 

  BREL's first logo, around 1969.

• 

  An Advanced Passenger Train departs Euston for Glasgow.

• 

  An InterCity 125 about to depart Manchester Piccadilly in 1986.

• 

  Bring Back British Rail logo.

• 

  The earlier lion crest on BR locomotive No.12589.

• 

  The later lion crest on BR locomotive 92220 Evening Star.

• 

  Liverpool Central station sign using the art deco totem.

See also

In Spanish: British Rail para niños