British Rail

by Christian Wolmar

The rise and fall of the state-owned British Rail, from "the greatest expert on British trains" Christian Wolmar Her voyage as an apprentice astronaut began when she was in her early thirties: five years of intense training around the world, from Houston to Japan to the legendary Star City in Russia. Countless hours spent in centrifuges, spaceship simulators and under water for spacewalk practice. Then, one day, a rocket was waiting for her on the launch pad. And after eight minutes of wild ascent, she was on orbit, crunched up with her two crewmates in a tiny spaceship that took them to the International Space Station.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Transport, Travel, Railways, British Literature, Politics

400 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2021

About the author

Christian Wolmar is a journalist, focusing on the history and politics of railways.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an insightful look at the history of the state owned company from its nationalisation of the big four train operators in 1948 to privatisation in the early 1990's.

I certainly have vague memories of British Rail and of course the iconic double arrow logo still lives on today.
I started to become aware of news events and politics around John Major's Tory government as the various franchises took over the running of the railway, so it was interesting to read the whole history that led to that decision.

Seeing how British Rail modernised itself especially with the backdrop of more families owning cars was really interesting.
The advertising was definitely one of the success of the company, even the 'Let the train take the strain' slogan is commonly mentioned in conversations too!

The author weaves in a lot of political background whilst recounting the history in which gives a great insight into Britain during the decades covered.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed and informative book about the history of British rail from 1948 until privatisation in 1993 and the aftermath

[Brian Clegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in railways - and it's hard to imagine why you would buy this book if you're not - this is a fascinating exploration of the rise and fall of British Railways/British Rail from nationalisation in 1948 through to privatisation in the mid-1990s.

Along the way, we take in the phasing out of steam (and why, unlike many other countries we mostly converted to diesel), the infamous Beeching cuts of the network in the 1960s, successes such as the 125 mile per hour High Speed Train with the InterCity brand and more. What comes across most strongly is the way that interference from government has time and again messed things up. It's not that the railway management itself was without faults - particularly in the way that the old regions, reflecting the four private companies that were taken over, tried to still do things their own way. And Christian Wolmar is no fan of the many restrictive practices that had to be gradually removed in the face of resistance from staff. Similarly, the London-centric management never properly handled what was dismissively referred to as the 'Provincial' region. But time and again, the government got it wrong.

Whether it was Beeching's total mishandling of the necessary pruning of some of the oddities and low usage branch lines left over from Victorian railway expansion, removing many valuable connections and stations, the inability to properly account for the need to subsidise some lines for the public good, or a lack of recognition of good management practice where it was brought into play, successive governments, both Conservative and Labour, have proved totally incapable of understanding the country's rail needs - while the Treasury has resisted every sensible investment to improve the railways from day one. And, of course, the story ends with the disastrous privatisation, just when BR was getting its act together, that has resulted in far more public subsidy than was previously the case - plus terrible services in some areas. Wolmar holds up some hope for the planned formation of Great British Railways, an oversight body taking in most of Britain's railways - but since the book was written, that too seems to be suffering from government mishandling.

From the point of view of a railway enthusiast dating back to peak diesel, the book's biggest fault is an over-concentration on politics and details of management structures. Of course this is important, but it is given too much detail sometimes, where some of the niceties of the experience of being a rail traveller in the BR period could have had more coverage. The favourites of late 60s/early 70s trainspotters, the Deltics, do get a couple of mentions - but no real details. The beautiful, if flaky, diesel hydraulic Western class aren't even named - they get lumped in with a general criticism of the Western Region's attempt to do it their way. And I would have liked to have seen more detail, for example, of the seating, food provided in the dining cars and suchlike.

However, I can't deny that the politics, management and strategy (or lack of it) that are explored here are central to understanding what happened to British Rail, why it got better - and why it wasn't far better still. A must for UK rail fans.

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does a very good job of here presenting a very well-researched and complete history of British Rail, from creation to privatisation. What could have been a very dry subject was detailed in a manner which kept me interested in the main. I found it hard to come to a conclusion on the author’s stance on the end of British Rail, whether privatisation was itself wrong or just ‘done wrongly’ - it seemed a bit odd after 300 pages detailing the inefficiency of nationalised / public sector rail systems to then criticise a move to force railways to operate on a profitable basis, but I do understand and appreciate the writer is more well informed than I am. Overall though, an interesting read.

[Aaron Watling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this as I didn’t have much knowledge of BR beyond a few anecdotes and a surface level understanding. Really easy to read and interesting, however the epilogue is ultimately rather sad. The end of the book covers the author’s anticipation and optimism for the Great British Railways White Paper which, it would seem, has been left in the sidings (awful joke). Definitely worth a read for someone interested in gaining an understanding of British Rail.

[Ipswichblade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christian Wolmar is the perfect person to write a book about British Rail. This book sets out to prove that BR were a very well run railway particularly towards the end just before privatisation and given the current state of the railways it shows that privatisation has been a disaster for many reasons

[Rob M · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to make any criticism at all of this hyper focused, expertly authored book it would be that - sometimes - it is too concentrated a dose of British Rail to swallow up in one sitting. Despite an obvious flair for the social history railway, Wolmar sticks closely to his main subject, the operational structure of the organisation which existed between 1948 and 1994, British Railways.

While this focus means the book occasionally lacks colour (Wolmar's brief discourse on signalmen's tea brewing habits was a welcome interlude!), it means not a line is wasted. The book is packed with important information about how BR was run and, more importantly, how it evolved and improved itself over time.

No doubt this book will be read voraciously by trainspotters and weirdos (salt of the earth, lovely people), but it should also be read and reread by the people around the next Labour government whose stated aim is root and branch reform of the railways. There's nothing they need to know that Wolmar doesn't know already.

[Adam Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pacy and very detailed history of British Rail from its formation in 1948 to its carving up by privatisation in 1997. British Rail was the last big state run company to be privatised and as the author states Mrs Thatcher was reluctant to be responsible as she knew that most people had a strong attachment to it. It was left to John Major to push through the privatisation which was done purely for the purposes of Consverative ideology and dogma and had no benefits for the traveling public whatsoever. By the mid 1990s BR was an efficient and integrated nation wide organisation which cost a lot less to run than its European counterparts. The author covers the early years and the phasing out of steam, the notorious and ill conceived Beeching cuts and the later Serpell report and shows how BR was developed from a disparate and still largely 19th Century organisation with its old fashioned hierarchy and procedures to a highly effective, integrated transport system. Today, 25 years after the privatisation, the Conservative government has quietly conceded that privatisation was a failed and damaging move and the Johnson government proposed what is effectively re-nationalisation for parts of the network. The book is superbly structured and written with passion and lucidity; perfect for a long train journey.

[Cameron Trotter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a comprehensive overview of how the railways used to function and their history before privatisation. I picked up this book to try and understand *why* the railways were privatised, and though the final chapter provides a good summary, I would have liked more depth as per the others. It provides a very compelling argument as to why public ownership is probably best. Took me a while to read as it’s a bit dry (understandably).

[Douwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite it taking me five months to finish this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Wolmar's work is as comprehensive as it is accessible. It taught me tonnes and looking forward to delving deeper in a number of areas.

[Terence S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having enjoyed reading Christian Wolmar's book about the London Underground (The Subterranean Railway), I had pretty high expectations for this book, and overall, I was not disappointed.

Wolmar provides a deep, though still very enjoyable and easy to read, history of British Rail as a corporate entity, discussing not only the trains and people, but also considering the politics and strategies that shaped the network.
As he reveals, BR managed to overcome organisational confusion and political sabotage to become a remarkably forward-looking and efficient network before its breakup in 1997. Ironically, as Wolmar notes in the epilogue, today's British government is in the process of re-nationalising many aspects of the UK's rail network - partially undoing the privatisation of 1997.

Wolmar's passion for the railways, and for BR, is clear to see in this book, and it's well worth reading for those interested in (or simply curious about) how one of the most influential - and most misunderstood - railway networks was run.

[W Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheds light on the myths and misconceptions many people have about our rail system. Also made me physically angry about privatisation.

[Adam Froud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Privatisation is stinky

[Aaron Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Covering half a century of forward and backward change from a genuine fucking colossus of British industry. Also exceedingly sexy cover art.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the read if you have an interest in the railways. Charts the progress of British Rail up to privatisation with the changes bought about by the move from steam and the battles with the governments. There is a short selling up of the events of privatisation showing it reflects badly on the final incarnation of British Rail.

Although it praises the changes made over the years, the author points out where they have fallen short.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantastic and very even-handed account of British Rail's history from nationalisation in 1947 through to privatisation in 1993. Wolmar refuses to accept rose tinted accounts and notions of golden eras just as steadfastly as he does away with the usual disparaging narrative. The impression I left with is that nothing was ever perfect, and in all eras of BR some things worked better than others. Also that Richard Beeching was behind the demolition of Euston as well as his eponymous branch line cuts.

[Kriegslok · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It is always tendentious and risky to speak of golden ages, but the last decade of British Rail was undoubtedly its finest period and an example of a successful state enterprise."

While he does not spell it out directly here, Wolmar shows that the problem with the railway in Britain has always been a lack of serious and positive state engagement from the start. The laissez faire way in which the unplanned railway madness of the Victorian era led to a network far from fit for purpose left an eternal legacy for the railway managers who followed. Two devastating world wars placed demand on the system from which it could not recover. Nationalisation came at a time when the system was on its knees, the former owners wanted compensation, and the concept of railways was under serious challenge from the roads lobby.

Wolmar takes up the story from nationalisation and examines how successive governments failed to understand or appreciate the true potential of the railways. The bottom line, or cost, was always foremost, with railway managers under constant pressure to make savings while starved of the investment they required to make the improvements necessary to turn the system around. As he notes "Britain's railways over the years have been constantly targeted by Whitehall" perhaps most significantly by Marples and his advisory committee which led to the infamous Beeching report. Wolmar is fair in his dissection of Beeching noting that along with the poorly thought through hatchet job he instigated against the network there were many key issues including the operation of uneconomic seasonal services, the common carrier albatros, and freight traffic more generally that required attention.

Beeching and the modernisation plan were a double edged sword. On the one hand Beeching can be credited with leaving a railway that had shed much of what hobbled it, on the other the excess of closures hacked off and abandoned many vital limbs. Still it was out of this post-Beeching period that the popular support for the railways grew and closure proposals became a lot more difficult and faced greater challenges. The final effort to destroy the railways being the much derided Serpell Report of the Thatcher era.

One of the strengths of this book is its concentration on those responsible for the day to day management of the railway network and their relationship with the various parts of central government. The hostility railway managers generally experienced from governments of all shades perhaps makes it surprising that the railways survived at all, there were plenty who dedicated their political careers to trying to shut the network down in its entirety. At the same time Wolmar notes that even with nationalisation the privatisation era fiefdoms of individual area managers were allowed to live on which hobbled many attempts at reform.

As Wolmar notes that the railways recovered owes much to the deviousness and scheming of railway managers who were not beyond pulling a fast one while the Treasury was distracted, the story of the West Coast electrification programme (which essentially turned around British Rails fortunes) being a case in point. His careful study of BR Chairs is perhaps one of the most interesting sections of the book. With Peter Parker there came the first in the line of very public and media savvy managers who fought for the railway tooth and nail deploying modern marketing and managerial techniques to win public support and counter government and Treasury intransigence. Wolmar explains clearly how from the 1970s this new breed of manager worked to change the century old methods of operation and management, tackled employment and industrial relations and took on the state. This opened the way for managers like Chris Green who achieved legendary and cult status amongst many rail enthusiasts with his skilful branding and revolutionary approach to revitalising the networks which came under his control.

Ultimately Wolmar demonstrates that just prior to privatisation this new breed of railway managers had beaten the not-fit-for-purpose formerly privately created and operated system into a sleek and pretty much as efficient and as effective as possible state owned business. At that point the madcap ideologically driven Tory agenda demanded it must be torn apart as the one thing they couldn't abide was an efficient state sector enterprise with a strong unionised workforce. The rest is history.
This is a very readable history of a much loved and maligned organisation which was, and to a degree still is, deeply entwined with the lives and culture of Britain.

"The rushed sell-off that ensued dismantled an organisation that had, after half a century of existence, created a workable structure that had delivered a much improved service. The unified integrated structure was split into more than 100 sections, governed by a system which was far more expensive to operate and ultimately proved unworkable."

[Robert Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using the trains in Great Britain is a difficult and often frustrating experience for many; following the privatisation of the railways in the 1990s, passengers are often treated to confusing timetables, frequent delays and ever-increasing fares. How did we get here? Christian Wolmar has many answers in the aptly titled “British Rail”.

From 1923 all the way to the 21st Century, the author details the rise and fall of British Rail, showing the major financial struggles, changes in leadership and the attitudes of both government and the population at large. This history lesson is complemented by two picture sections that show the evolution of logos, national marketing, and staff uniforms. The core thread of the book is how the railway system has gone through so much over the last century. Decisions both good and bad have influenced operations, pressure from both political parties and lobbying groups have steered it in odd directions and public perception has constantly shifted.

From the disappointment of rail closures all the way to the peak of operating efficiency it’s a very comprehensive chronicle that explains all the major events, key players and societal shifts across the decades. Every element is woven together on a detailed timeline that covers a broad spectrum. If anything, the book packs in so much detail that it may become overwhelming for casual readers, especially when it comes to the more complex wording. Having some awareness of UK history and politics alongside a hint of business acumen is a major benefit when reading through.

Recommended?

YES: British Rail is quite compact at less than 400 pages (excluding the bibliography and references), but it packs in a ton of detail from a wide array of sources and topics. The descriptions can be wordy and technical at times, but if you’re a regular user of trains for commuting or general travel throughout the UK, the book is a must-read. If you want to know why the railways are the way they are, Wolmar’s release has everything you’re looking for.

[John Oswald · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpectedly brilliant read. Wolmar is a nationally renowned rail commentator and has written authoritative works about the topic. You might think what is effectively a corporate history of British Rail might be ... challenging, but far from it. The central theory is that at the time of privitisation in the 1990s, BR was at the top of its game, having figured out how to exist in a shapeshifting political environment, while pursuing profitable, sensible strategies that enabled the most people to access the best services at the most convenient times. If if feels a little like BR against the establishment a lot of the time, that’s pretty much how it’s always been, it seems. Everyone remembers the significance of the Beecham reforms in the 60s, when many smaller lines were shut down; few remember the fact that a lot of the time government direction was to continuously shrink the network to the extent of having only a few major lines. In many ways it’s a wonder we manage(d) to have a functioning rail network at all. So this book is a major revision of a lot of received wisdom - that BR needed privatising because it was inefficient and set in its ways; that BR was beholden to unions and groupthink. And so on. Instead, Wolmar tells the story of an organisation at the top of its game, which had figured out how to run itself in the most optimal fashion .... and then privatisation. Sure, it’s always more nuanced, but I do remember clearly how problematic privatisation was while it was happening, and for years afterwards... Wolmar is doing good work with this book.

[Ken MacIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

On And Off The Track

In the late 1980s, when my boss made a friendly crack about my subsidised rail season ticket, I replied that Network SouthEast no longer required subsidy (unlike the road network or tax subsidised company cars, but I thought it best not to mention that). Christian Wolmar's entertaining warts and all account of British Rail showed how it came good in the end, reversing decades of decline and the Beeching disaster to be the most efficient state railway in Europe; whence it was all torn up in pursuit of political expediency and dogma. From Hugh Dalton's 1947 description of a 'poor bag of assets' to John Major's odd notion, quoted by Wolmar, that railways are the same as aviation (BR's Inter City ran more trains in a day than British Airways ran flights in a year) the country that invented the railways produces decision makers that have never really understood or valued them, Barbara Castle a possible exception. Today, privatisation is largely a fiction. The Government may like to pretend otherwise but it's the state that still runs the railways albeit with some private contractors, still makes the strategic decisions, with much bigger subsidies, leaving you wondering what the last 30 years was all about.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

British Rail has a very much maligned reputation but as this book concludes this is very unfair. No one would argue that British Rail got everything right but as Christian Wolmar explains, by the time it got to the late 80's/early 90s, it was probably one of the most efficient and cost effective state run railways in Europe, and with more investment it could have become a first class railway. The Author provides a very readable history as to how British Rail got to this position after having struggled through nearly 40+ turbulent years of fighting against cuts to the system. It is somewhat ironic that just when the organisation had got a grip of things that ideology was to take over and privatisation rushed through. The opportunity for the UK to have a high quality integrated service was lost as the railways were broken up. The Epilogue makes very interesting reading. After 25 years of privatisation even the Conservative Government has now recognised in the publication of the White Paper "Great British Railways" that the break up was a huge mistake.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthy scholarly work that sometimes it feels like British Rail telling its story in its own words. I would have appreciated more statistics and graphs (there are no graphs at all in the book) and in general a more skeptical outlook. Repeatedly we hear the good aspects of Britain's railways yet still have a backdrop of losses and reductions to service. I believe Britain's railways have been unfairly maligned over the years with critics failing to distill the key issues from the plethora of difficulties faced. The book covers some of that but rather than try to assemble a coherent systemic picture focuses more on telling the history of British Rail from nationalization to privatization. Come with appropriate expectations.

[Christopher Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting book that goes through British Railways (and eventually British Rail) history without getting bogged down in too much detail.

It’s fast-paced, and does an excellent job of explaining how the railways were truly up against it through it’s period of nationalisation, with much of the book covering Westminster’s over-reaching into the industry.

The book also covers the most popular rolling stock that was in use at the time over InterCity and Regional routes, and gives a brief history into how the HST came to be.

I highly recommend this book if you have any interest in the railways at all, as it does a great job of covering many years of history in a fairly small amount of pages.

[MR GEOFFREY W FABRON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the usual sort of book I read but this I found engrossing and fascinating. It come over as very balanced and objective covering the problems and shortcomings of BR as well as it's many (often unsung) successes.
It also made me a but angry at the short sighted incompetence of every British government since WW2 in respect of the railways. I grew up with BR as the butt of many jokes and being portrayed as inefficient, expensive and simply bad compared to continental railways whereas in fact it was often better than them and cost a lot less to the public purse.
It is also a very good book on how British management knowledge and application changed in the second half of the twentieth century.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

[James Isbill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides an great introductory overview to the history of British Rail. It goes a long way to dispel the popular image of British Rail in politics and the media as a bloated state run agency, providing poor service and value for money. As Christian explorers, British Rail deserves credit for bringing the railways into the twenty-first century, as they faced an enormous challenge from the rise of motorised transport and changing travel patterns.

If you are already well familiar with the history of British rail, this book will do little to enhance or challenge your understanding. This book is fairly short and does not delve into the weeds.

[Andy Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent account of the history of British Rail and ultimately the making and breaking of a national institution. Christian Wolmar is generally regarded as the expert’s expert when it comes to the railways and his book is clearly written with great affection as well as knowledge and insight. The book is a trenchant defence of the concept of keeping large-scale transport service organisations in the hands of the state and also a defence of the many much-maligned dedicated BR staff who kept the organisation. Running over many years. My benchmark for a good non fiction book is the number of other books I end up buying as a result of reading it and I’ve already ordered two that Wolmar recommends in this book. They are former BR chairman Peter Parker’s memoirs and also David Lawrence’s book on British Rail design. I’ll also be getting my hands on Wolmar’s own account of the botched privatisation of BR too. What a great read Christian Wolmar’s British Rail is! I can’t recommend it too highly.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent look at the evolution of British Railways from the post war years to what became known as British Rail, and how it changed so that its best years were those in which it also faced privatisation.

Along the way, we see how BR dealt with unions, outdated rolling stock and outdated organisational structures left over from the 'Big Four', trying to sell rail to a population increasingly driving cars, and a government that was supposed to support it.

While the book does concentrate a lot on the politics and management of BR between BR and the Government(s) of the time, I feel that this provides a genuine insight into how things happened the way they did.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I come from a railway family with my dad having worked on the railways most of his adult life. I've always liked trains and can remember the older days from the 70's and 80's having travelled a lot on them. This book gives a great insight to the history of the old British Rail, from its inception in 1948 right through to privatisation. The cover of the book is very striking and I can remember so well the British Rail trains and logo. It's a very detailed read, with lots of information, some of which I wasn't necessarily interested in but some of which I found fascinating. It's definitely a niche read, but if you are interested in the railways then I would definitely recommend it.

[Alexander Titcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Perhaps the greatest testimony to BR's success was that it was able to destroy itself so efficiently when asked to do so"

Well paced and full of fantastic detail, possibly more than I could take in as I read this in the bleary early days with a newborn.

Wolmar writes entertainingly and with some (but not rose-tinted nostalgia) e.g. I was surprised by how fair his account of the Beeching period was.

Underlying the whole tale is a sense that political meddling (including union intransigence) has the ability to ruin anything.

[Nick Granger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good overview of the railways in Britain over the last 70 years or so. As a regular rail traveller over that period I found it fascinating. The book mostly focusses on the political, organisational and commercial aspects of the railways and explains many of the (to me) ridiculous changes in the last 30 years. There is also some interesting background on operations, track, signalling and rolling stock. Overall, interesting and informative and also a good read.