Welsh Railways, Beating Beeching: Part 1

[@christinechesson840]

Regarding Dr. Beeching and his destruction of large chunks of our railway infrastructure, I think it worth remembering that the Minister for Transport at that time was Ernest Marples whose family firm, Marples Ridgeway, were building motorways. Quite how he got away with I'm not sure.

[@frankarcher512]

Christine Chesson .corruption as it is today,

[@kathyread4812]

Frank Archer Castletonweather

[@bensummers5287]

Marples also had shares in the oil companies. So he made money out of the closure of railways regardless. On paper, everything appeared to be above board because he placed his shares under his wife's name, so there was no obvious conflict of interest.

[@stephenhunter70]

He had someone (A "fall guy") in place who would carry both the axe and the blame

[@peterbuckley265]

@Aussie Pom QUITE, A PERSON WITH LIMITED BRAINS WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT. THE UK IS GOVERNED BY IDIOTIC FAT CAT CLOWNS WHO MAKE THE RICH GET RICHER ON VERY HIGH WAGES FOR LITTLE WORK, WHILST THE POOR WHO DO MOST OF THE ACTUAL REAL WORK. SUFFER LOW AND NOW UNDER HALF LEVEL OF INFLATION LEVEL WAGES AND GET POORER !!!, THE UK IS THE MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY IN WEST EUROPE AND IS THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE WORLD.

[@raymondharrison5312]

Great video especially the views of barmouth junction and barmouth

[@tominnis8353]

What Marples and Breaching did was short sighted beyond belief.

[@Zerodghjj]

Dr Belching sure wrecked a lot of fine times for families.

[@ZalMoxis]

all by design i reckon.

[@LMNOP96345]

A lovely nostalgic journey.I left the Afan Valley when I was about fifteen.I remember the steam trains and Blaengwynfi.I still go back every few years, Great//

[@adrianrosenlund-hudson8789]

Fabulous. Jenny Griffiths reminded me of an aunt of mine who was born and raised in Mold, and who we think was the template for Hyacinth Bucket 🤣 anyway, thanks for sharing. Excellent documentary

[@microbusss]

because of the Beeching Axe LOTS of lines are being rebuilt & reopened NOW yay! keep it up, Preservationists! Open moar lines!!

[@dvidclapperton]

Beeching is now known as a project where someone else was took the blame for tory cuts and the tories suffer no losa of support from the electorste compared to before the cuts. The same thing with the BBC taking all the blame for poor 75 years and older soon no longer be receiving free TV which was the whole intention of the tory government when they handed responsibility of free over 75 tv licences over to the BBC, except the BBC are not removing the free TV licences from all over 75's which has jolted the tories.

[@2112pk]

@@dvidclapperton the bastards will kick the legs out from under you then blame you for hitting the floor.

[@michaelhunt4445]

@@dvidclapperton Of course its the BBC who took the free licences away

[@dvidclapperton]

@@michaelhunt4445 Only those over 75 without pension credit, not all over 75's. But cauaed by the tories forcing responsibility of the free over 75's TV licences over to the BBC where the BBC don't have the finance to permanently cover funding all over 75's for free TV licences forever. The idea waa for the tories to shift the blame for over 75's without pension credit losing their free TV licences to make the BBC cop all of the blame instead of the tories.

[@phildavies6020]

@@dvidclapperton..Perhaps they were doing the over75’s a favour.... there’s bugger all on the BBC worth watching!

[@AndrewGoltz]

Has anyone else noticed that all the objectors spoke with an English, not Welsh, accent?

[@GrrMeister]

*Dr Beeching only made recommendations it was then up to the Government at the time led by Harold Macmillan, it appeared to make perfect sense at the time, however in HINDSIGHT Many routes should not have been closed - EG The Great Central which could have been modified to a true HST Route today !*

[@allanegleston13]

this is the same nonsense that cost our trolleys ( trams to u) in the us . we are now haveing a upsurge of trolley - street car building again :) there was a trial in los angles which proved that the big 3 automakers including standard of ohio and firestone tires were behind it . the rataionale of this was returning solders from ww2 wanted freedom, humbug. all we get is more freeway(motorway) lanes and the darn thing is still a parking lot. gm and the big 3 automakers years later came to our congress for money , and next time , they should be reminded on what they did . i like it where in your country some folk are putting back the standard gauge or narrow gauge or miniature railways . :)

[@ninfilms]

I can get the change from steam to diesel but to get rid of railway lines or stations was a bit silly. As we know now with the traffic jams and congestion zones railway is rely upon. All Beeching and his team had to do was to discipline the railways instead of bluntly shutting them down.

[@peterbuckley265]

YES & NOW MANY PLANNED REOPENINGS, E G GUILDFORD=HORSHAM, HORSHAM=SHOREHAM, LEWES=UCKFIELD, ERIDGE=POLEGATE, BROCKENHURST AND RINGWOOD = BOURNEMOUTH , OKEHAMPTON = EXETER, KEMBLE = CIRENCESTER, SEVERN BEACH= PILNING,CARMARTHEN = ABERYSTWYTH= BURTON AND COALVILLE =LEICESTER, POULTON = FLEETWOOD, COLNE = SKIPTON, PENRITH = WORKINGTON, BLYTH DURHAM LINES, GALASHIELS AND HAWICK = CARLISLE AND MANY OTHERS !!!!.

[@amazoniaamazonia7225]

Marbles and fellow leaches, powerful Road Haulage association, and as they say, the rest is history.

[@hwntwww]

I recall the booking clerk looking at us small boys without money for a ticket, murder in his eyes. My mum travelled on the last rain on the Pontypool to Neath line. I grew up with the line less than 50m away from our house

[@robnewman6101]

A Really Useful Railway.

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

"Almost everyone in Wales." There were never rail to all the southwest coast around St David's - Broad Haven, Aberporth - New Quay, Laugharne - Pendine, Ogmore, Crickhowell, or down Gower beyond Mumbles.While the Glyncorrwg valley was only ever served for the 12 years 1918-30 !

[@raymondwalker2752]

Pleased to see this but why had the Producer ruined the aspect ratio? Crazy.

[@microbusss]

well I think alot of the lines Beeching cut are mostly back in service as Heritage Lines YAY

[@peterbuckley265]

BUT MOST ARE NOT THOUGH !!!.

[@microbusss]

@@peterbuckley265 yeah some are Rail Trails now or built over by development

[@janewilkin1984]

I am not bothered about heritage lines, they should never be closed in the first place,

[@gandydancerpete]

Anyone know what village that is at 13:20 where the grandmother boards with her grandson?

[@LolLol-zr9jc]

Oh but of course they kept the railways around London

[@beardyface8492]

The disease of background "music".. sorry.. 4 minutes was literally all I could take.

[@tinkermccardle7393]

What is the use of the white lamps/discs on the front/rear of British trains?

[@philaypeephilippotter6532]

*Tinker Mccardle* The white lamps are at the front of the train and their arrangement shows what type of train it is. The red light is at the rear of the train and shows the end of it.

[@idatipping2428]

Lovely thank you

[@simongleaden2864]

The decision to replace steam with diesel was made some years before Beeching joined BR, but its demise was hastened by the Beeching axe. Don't blame Beeching for the end of steam per se.

[@stephenhunter70]

The private companies started that ball rolling prier to WW2. To me it's as if the government boys wanted to stop it at first so the nationalised the private companies.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

Correct. Beeching had nothing to do with replacing steam. That decision had already been made. Had the branch lines been kept open, they would have been operated by diesel railcars or small DMUs. The steam locos would have been scrapped just as quick and just the same.

[@welshpete12]

I worked on the railway here in Britain for nearly 50 years , right through the Beeching era . This is not how it happened. It is a great distortion of what really happened !

[@Wolfgang-Roepnack]

Hello, is there anyone out there who knows the music at 9:30?

[@julesotis13]

thanks this is the good stuff

[@damright]

beaching was to wel attached to road haulage,,,, his best interest

[@marvwatkins7029]

Huzzah!

[@SteamLance]

My dad is the person nearest on 6430

[@bobtudbury8505]

Labour closed all these lines and more on top. Afterwards they gave beeching an award

[@SteamLance]

Also tell me if u have heard of 6880 Betton grange

[@peterbuckley265]

6880 BETTON GRANGE T IS AN UNDERGOING COMPLETELY NEW BUILD GRANGE, ONE NUMBER LATER THAN THE LAST GRANGE LOCO BUILT 6879 OVERTON GRANGE, OF WHICH UNFORTUNATELY NONE WERE SAVED.

[@Blacklab99]

Don’t get me wrong here, I love anything to do with steam but there is a realty here. We simply wouldn’t want the filth created by these railways, in 2020. I remember, living fairly close to a large marshalling yard, and the constant smell of the railway. You got dirty standing in the station and when you got on the train......well. Then there’s the cost of running a railway on steam, the maintenance of these machines was then, very prohibitive and hastened their demise. What would that be now? Beeching probably saves our railway system, by modernising it. I’m sure there was nothing personal, as he is portrayed today. If we had all these branch lines today, who would use them? These locomotives are wonderful, but they belong in the past I’m afraid. The most important thing now, is that what is left, is preserved for future generations. Please don’t hate me for my opinion.

[@CS-1988]

Branch lines are feeders to mainline railways so your opinion is bullshit, just as beechings so called report

[@alanwann9318]

Sacrificed for oil.who owns oil?

[@allgoo1964]

You can hear the whistle blowing from 500 miles.

[@yotamamit9945]

YOTAM AMIT6

[@funguyfarage3615]

Labour closed them not beeching..... In fact labour closed more then beeching recommended

[@jamescrab4110]

wasnt it the conservatives that closed them? labour wasnt in power in 1963, so i dont know you two are on about.

[@wangdangdoodie]

Utter bullshit. Beeching didn't close the railways, nor the governments of the day. The railways were closed by the public, who were deserting it in droves to embrace the motor car. Plus the fact that fare dodging and theft from the railway companies was rife. It was a perfect storm. Use it or lose it.

[@CS-1988]

What utter nonsense, I'm not even going to correct you as you are obviously a dumbass