Oh, I know the truth of the Beeching Axe and know he had no choice when given the stark remit of making the network profitable or else! It was a poison chalice and he and only one course of action open to him... Poor man is vilified to this day but it really wasn't his fault.Gibbo2286 wrote: Ps. Beeching did the only thing that could be done at the time, if Attlee's government hadn't nationalised it all the private companies who built it in the first place would have kept it running.
Still so very short-sighted though, as were many Beeching line closures... Even so, then the Minehead and Ilfracombe lines stayed running until the early 70s because road transport was not good enough... It still isn't arguably...
I watched the last BR train leave Blue Anchor station in 1971 and watched the first steam-hauled WSR train arrive at Blue Anchor in 1976...
I may try to get down there this week with my bike... I love Blue Anchor and it holds a very special place in my life...