UK Railways and Information Centre
This page is a collection of information and links for people who have a keen interest in Brixham and UK Railway history and its affect on our society. There’s also a section about turning disused railway lines into cycling & walking trails.
Cycling & Walking Trail Guidance
Sustrans: Walking and cycling infrastructure design guidance
Sustrans have pulled together a collection of high-quality UK design guidance for walking and cycling infrastructure.
Heritage Railways
British Railways Art
Online Jigsaw of the Brixham Branch Platform at Churston
If you like doing jigsaw puzzles, have a go at this lovely online jigsaw of the Brixham Branch platform at Churston Station, back in the glorious days of steam.
Courtesy of tylerjohnjigsaw Steam Days in Britain collection on Jigsaw Planet.
UK Railways in General
The Historical Railways Estate
The Historical Railways Estate is a collection of over 3,200 structures and assets which were once part of Britain’s rail network.
Since 2013 National Highways have been responsible for looking after it on behalf of the Department for Transport. Many of the structures were built more than 100 years ago.
This is an animation that tells the story of the railway network and its structures from Victorian times to the present day.
Courtesy of National Highways – nationalhighways.co.uk
New Adlestrop Railway Atlas
The New Adlestrop Railway Atlas is a small-scale historical atlas of Britain’s railways, currently in progress. It shows lines and stations currently open, together with those that have closed.
It’s an amazing piece of work that shows you how much of the rail network we could have had if it had all remained open!
Courtesy of Richard Fairhurst
It’s up to you! Save your railways (leaflet), 1963
In 1963, the National Union of Railwaymen issued a leaflet to let people know of their rights if they wanted to fight the closure of their local branch lines.
Courtesy of Warwick University, Modern Records Centre.
“The Beeching Report” (The Reshaping of British Railways – Part 1)
The infamous ‘Beeching Report’ is one of the most notorious UK government reports of the 20th century. The failure of the railway modernisation plan to stem British Rail’s losses led the author, Dr Beeching, to propose wholesale route closures in an attempt to concentrate resources on the core routes and main lines.
Many closures went ahead; some sensible, others far less so. The report often adopted an overly-simplistic analysis of the economics of the routes, failing to recognise how the branches contributed traffic to the core network. The Beeching closures failed in their attempt to eliminate British Rail’s losses, and led to the belated recognition that the railways serve a social role which should be financially acknowledged.
Courtesy of The Railways Archive.
The Mis-Shaping of British Railways – Part 1: Retort
A typically blunt response, written and published by the NUR (National Union of Railwaymen) to the Beeching Report of 1963 (above).
This document was also published in 1963.
Courtesy of The Railways Archive
Why British train enthusiasts hate this man – Dr. Beeching’s Railway Axe
A video that looks at how Dr Richard Beeching ripped up a third of Britain’s railways with nothing but a pen and paper.