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British Railways Progress

Document Summary

The second issue of a booklet promoting the achievements of the modernisation plan set in train in 1955. A number of areas of work are covered, including;

Track;

Signalling;

Motive power - diesel traction;

Motive power - electric traction;

Passenger train services;

Passenger stations;

Shipping services;

Catering;

Freight depots and marshalling yards;

Freight train services;

Maintenance depots.

This document was published in May 1962 by British Transport Commission.

It was written by British Transport Commission.

The original document format was Booklet, and comprised 52 pages.

This document was kindly sourced from Archive Collection and is in our Publicity material collection. It was added to the Archive on 17th March 2005.

Copyright Information

This document is © BRB (Residuary) Ltd.

"Last year the first of these booklets reviewed progress made with modernisation. It was recognised that a turning-point had been reached. The results were becoming more and more familiar in everyday life. After the planning years one could see clearly what was being accomplished.

During the past year the process continued, spreading further the already established methods of progress that will help to make the replanned, smaller railway system more efficient, reliable, economic, and speedy.

Electrification, already operating between Manchester and Crewe, was extended to Liverpool. Electric trains started running on East Kent lines 12 months ahead of schedule. New track, new trains, new freight services to meet the needs of industry - this is the growing shape of a revitalised railway service. The programme has its disappointments. British Railways entered 1961 in the shadow of their greatest setback, the withdrawal of the electric "Blue Trains" which had been so warmly welcomed by suburban travellers in and around Glasgow. Now the service is restored, soon to be extended south of the Clyde, and the public has shown appreciation in the best possible way by using it. twice as much as the steam service it replaced.

Such setbacks only underline the advanced nature of many of the techniques being brought into use throughout the country. There is nothing new about high-voltage electric traction, but its introduction on one of the busiest and most intensive systems in the world threw up new problems.

Modernisation aims to produce a railway which the nation will be glad to use; new equipment, new plant, new techniques and new ideas on an unparalleled scale. Every sphere of activity is affected. Changes are taking place in the office, in the signalbox, on the track and in the marshalling yard. It is a formidable task, made even more so by the need to carry on at the same time with the normal railway job of moving 1,000 million passengers and 240 million tons of freight every year.

The full benefits will not be felt until the programme is complete, but more and more railway users are now sampling the advantages of an up-to-date system.

In creating a new railway system to suit an age in which the private car and motorcycle, the goods lorry and aircraft have emerged as formidable competitors, some pruning is inevitable. The process is not simply one of retrenchment. The new railway must be the right size and shape to meet the challenge and to meet the new demands of industry.

This booklet outlines some of the work accomplished since spring 1961. It is not just a recital of facts. Behind it is a record of enterprise and endeavour."