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British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, it became an independent statutory corporation in January 1963, when it was formally renamed the British Railways Board.
1960 – the last British steam engine is made (Evening Star). 1960s–2000s (decade) – Many countries adopt high-speed rail in an attempt to make rail transport competitive with both road transport and air transport. 1963, 27 March – Publication of The Reshaping of Britain's Railways (the Beeching Report).
Louisville & Nashville 152 is a preserved K-2a class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive listed on the National Register of Historic Places, currently homed at the Kentucky Railway Museum at New Haven, Kentucky in southernmost Nelson County, Kentucky. [2] It is the oldest known remaining 4-6-2 "Pacific" type locomotive to exist. [3]
The first steel rails were made in 1857 and standard rail lengths increased over time from 30 to 60 feet (9.1–18.3 m). Rails were typically specified by units of weight per linear length and these also increased. Railway sleepers were traditionally made of Creosote-treated hardwoods and this continued through to modern times. Continuous ...
The history of rail transport in Great Britain 1948–1994 covers the period when the British railway system was nationalised under the name of 'British Railways', latterly known as British Rail until its eventual privatisation in 1994.
The service was popular at a time when long-distance travel by car involved long journey times; by 1972, British Rail was promoting the Motorail service as carrying 70,000 cars per year. [15] Additional services were introduced in 1972 between Stirling and Dover , London Kensington Olympia and Carmarthen , and Birmingham and Inverness.
Total length of the British railways at 1 January 1923 was 19,585 route miles (31,336 km). From the end of the 1920s, when it was obvious that the motor vehicle was in the ascendancy, dozens of little-used branch lines began to close: some to passenger traffic, many completely. Although few railways were constructed, some new works were undertaken.
As part of the 1955 Modernisation Plan of British Railways, plans were made for up to 4,600 diesel railcars. [21] The British Railway workshops at Derby and Swindon did not have the necessary capacity, so private carriage builders such as Metropolitan-Cammell, Gloucester, Birmingham and Cravens received orders. [23]