Richard Beeching facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Beeching
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| Born |
Richard Beeching
21 April 1913 Sheerness, Kent, England
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| Died | 23 March 1985 (aged 71) East Grinstead, West Sussex, England
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| Nationality | British |
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| Known for | Beeching Report on railway closures |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Title | Baron Beeching |
| Spouse(s) |
Ella Margaret Tiley
(m. 1938–1985) |
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (born April 21, 1913 – died March 23, 1985) was a British physicist and engineer. He is best known as Dr Beeching. For a short but important time, he was the chairman of British Railways.
In the early 1960s, he became famous in Britain for his report called The Reshaping of British Railways. This report is often called The Beeching Report. It led to huge changes in the railway network, which people often called the Beeching Axe.
Because of his report, over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) of railway lines were closed. This was done to save money and make the railways more efficient. By 1966, Britain had 13,721 miles (22,082 km) of railway lines left. Another 2,000 miles (3,200 km) were closed by the end of the 1960s. Some lines were only used for carrying goods, not passengers.
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Richard Beeching's Early Life
Richard Beeching was born in Sheerness, Kent, on April 21, 1913. He was the second of four brothers. His father, Hubert Josiah Beeching, was a reporter for a newspaper. His mother was a schoolteacher.
Soon after Richard was born, his family moved to Maidstone. All four Beeching boys went to Maidstone All Saints primary school. They all won scholarships to Maidstone Grammar School. Richard was a prefect there, which is like a student leader.
Richard and his older brother, Geoffrey, studied physics at Imperial College London. They both earned top degrees.
Starting His Career
After college, Richard Beeching continued his research. He worked at the Fuel Research Station in 1936. The next year, he joined Mond Nickel Laboratories in London. There, he became a senior physicist. He researched physics, metallurgy (the study of metals), and mechanical engineering.
In 1938, he married Ella Margaret Tiley. They had known each other since school. They lived in Solihull and stayed married for his whole life. They did not have any children.
During World War II, Beeching worked for the Ministry of Supply. He helped design weapons. He worked on things like shells and anti-aircraft weapons. He held ranks similar to an army captain and later a brigadier.
After the war, in 1948, he joined Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). He worked to make production lines more efficient and reduce costs. He worked on products like zip fasteners and paints. He later became part of the ICI Fibres Division. In 1953, he moved to Canada to work for ICI there. He returned to the UK in 1955 and joined the board of ICI in 1957.
Leading British Railways
In 1961, the British government was worried about the financial state of the railways. They were losing a lot of money. The government wanted someone from outside the railway industry to help.
Becoming Chairman
On March 15, 1961, Ernest Marples, the Minister of Transport, announced that Richard Beeching would become the first chairman of the British Railways Board. This new board would replace the old British Transport Commission.
Beeching's salary was £24,000 a year. This was a lot of money at the time, much more than other leaders of national industries. He took five years off from his job at ICI to do this work.
The railways were losing more and more money, from £15.6 million in 1956 to £42 million in 1960. More people were using cars, so fewer were using trains. Beeching's main job was to make the railways profitable again.
The First Beeching Report
On March 27, 1963, Beeching published his famous report, The Reshaping of British Railways. This report suggested big changes. He proposed closing one-third of the country's 7,000 railway stations. He also wanted to stop passenger services on about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of railway lines.
Beeching believed these changes would save about £18 million per year. The plan also meant about 70,000 railway jobs would be lost. He thought his changes would improve British Railways' finances by £115 million to £147 million.
These plans were very unpopular. Trade unions, the Labour opposition, and many people who used the railways were against them. Beeching argued that too many lines were losing money. He said his job was to make the railway profitable, so cuts were necessary. He once said, "I suppose I'll always be looked upon as the axe man, but it was surgery, not mad chopping."
Even with the cuts, Beeching also helped modernize the railway network. He focused on using block trains more, which are trains that carry only one type of cargo from one place to another without stopping to unload. This saved time and money.
After the Labour Party won the election in October 1964, Beeching's time at British Railways came to an end. He returned to ICI in June 1965.
The Second Beeching Report
In early 1965, Beeching introduced the new brand for the railways: British Rail. He also unveiled its 'double arrow' symbol, which is still used today for National Rail.
On February 16, 1965, Beeching released his second report. In this report, he suggested that out of 7,500 miles (12,100 km) of main railway lines, only 3,000 miles (4,800 km) should be developed further. This plan would mean that traffic across Britain would use only nine main lines. For example, traffic to places like Manchester and Scotland would go through the West Coast Main Line.
Beeching believed there were too many duplicate railway lines. For instance, on 3,700 miles (6,000 km) of main routes, there were two choices of routes. On some parts, there were even three or four choices.
However, the government rejected these new proposals. Beeching's time leading the railways ended, and he went back to ICI.
Later Years and Legacy
After returning to ICI, Beeching became a deputy chairman from 1966 to 1968. In 1965, he was made a life peer, which means he became a member of the House of Lords for life. He was given the title Baron Beeching. He also became a director of Lloyds Bank.
In 1966, he led a Royal Commission that looked at the court system. He suggested a major reorganization, which led to the Courts Act 1971. He also served as chairman for several other companies.
Richard Beeching died in March 1985 in East Grinstead.
Beeching's Impact
The Beeching Report is still a topic of debate today. Some people criticize Beeching for not thinking enough about how the closures would affect communities. They say he encouraged car use and ignored ways to save lines. Some even believe he was part of a plan against the railways.
Others argue that it was the government ministers, not Beeching, who were responsible for considering the social impact. They also say that efforts to save money on the railways had already failed. They point out that the government wanted to modernize the railways and make them more efficient.
Many experts agree that Beeching had a positive effect on how railways were managed, even if his plans weren't perfect. Ian Hislop, a famous commentator, said in 2008 that history has been unfair to Beeching. He noted that Beeching also suggested better bus services, which ministers never provided. Hislop described Beeching as a "technocrat" who focused on profit and loss, rather than the emotional connection people had to trains.
Several places have been named after Beeching:
- A pub in Aberystwyth was called Lord Beechings.
- The Beechings Way industrial estate in Alford, Lincolnshire, is named after him because the local railway station closed.
- Beeching Drive in Lowestoft, Suffolk, is on the site of a former railway station.
- Beeching Close in Upton, Oxfordshire, is also named after him.
- In Countesthorpe, Leicestershire, there is a road called Beeching's Close.
- In East Grinstead, where Beeching lived, a road called Beeching Way was built in a deep railway cutting that was part of a closed line.
Images for kids
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The lines chosen in the 'Beeching II' report "for future development". The fate of other lines was not discussed.
See also
In Spanish: Richard Beeching para niños
