Description

Book Synopsis
During the course of the 1950s England lost confidence in its rulers and convinced itself it must modernise. The failing steam-powered local railways, run by Colonel Blimp, symbolised everything that was wrong with the country - surely the future lay in motorways and high-speed express trains? Along came Dr Beeching with his diagnosis, and suddenly branch-line Britain was gone for ever. The debate about the Beeching cuts has raged ever since. In this superbly researched examination, Charles Loft exposes the political failures that bankrupted the railways and lays bare the increasing alienation of bureaucrats from the public they were trying to serve. The result is a fascinating study of a nation grappling to come to terms with modernity.

Last Trains: Dr Beeching and the Death of Rural

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A Paperback / softback by Charles Loft

15 in stock


    View other formats and editions of Last Trains: Dr Beeching and the Death of Rural by Charles Loft

    Publisher: Biteback Publishing
    Publication Date: 21/03/2023
    ISBN13: 9781785908064, 978-1785908064
    ISBN10: 1785908065
    Also in:
    Transport industries European history Travel & Transport Trains and railways: general interest

    Description

    Book Synopsis
    During the course of the 1950s England lost confidence in its rulers and convinced itself it must modernise. The failing steam-powered local railways, run by Colonel Blimp, symbolised everything that was wrong with the country - surely the future lay in motorways and high-speed express trains? Along came Dr Beeching with his diagnosis, and suddenly branch-line Britain was gone for ever. The debate about the Beeching cuts has raged ever since. In this superbly researched examination, Charles Loft exposes the political failures that bankrupted the railways and lays bare the increasing alienation of bureaucrats from the public they were trying to serve. The result is a fascinating study of a nation grappling to come to terms with modernity.

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