How many lines closed to passengers which were not listed in the Beeching Report?

[geoffk]

Oxford - Cambridge (apart from the Bletchley - Bedford section) was the major closure added to the list after Beeching's departure from the BRB. The direct line to Blackpool Central was another, but there were several more.

 

[zwk500]

What timescale are we talking about? Lewes-Uckfield closed in 1969 despite not being listed in Beeching, Tunbridge Wells-Eridge closed in 1985 due to Grove Jn renewal costs.

Anybody know if Farringdon-Moorgate was originally recommended for closure by Beeching, only to be reopened then finally closed again in 2012(?)

 

[30907]

Swanage was definitely another, and I think Ilfracombe.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

What timescale are we talking about? Lewes-Uckfield closed in 1969 despite not being listed in Beeching, Tunbridge Wells-Eridge closed in 1985 due to Grove Jn renewal costs.

Anybody know if Farringdon-Moorgate was originally recommended for closure by Beeching, only to be reopened then finally closed again in 2012(?)

Farringdon to Moorgate was closed in 2009 wasn’t it

Oxford - Cambridge (apart from the Bletchley - Bedford section) was the major closure added to the list after Beeching's departure from the BRB. The direct line to Blackpool Central was another, but there were several more.

Grantham to Lincoln replaced by a curve at Newark. It was supposed to be kept but was instead closed and the Newark/Nottingham to Lincoln line was saved

 

[D6130]

Swanage was definitely another, and I think Ilfracombe.

Skipton-Colne in January 1970.

 

[zwk500]

Farringdon to Moorgate was closed in 2009 wasn’t it

Much obliged!

 

[Spamcan81]

Oxford - Cambridge (apart from the Bletchley - Bedford section) was the major closure added to the list after Beeching's departure from the BRB. The direct line to Blackpool Central was another, but there were several more.

Beeching considered it a route worth retaining and developing, especially as an orbital freight route, but Barbara Castle thought otherwise.

 

[tbwbear]

Swanage was definitely another, and I think Ilfracombe.

I think Ilfracombe was mentioned - it just took a long time (1970) to close.

I don't think Poulton le Fylde to Fleetwood was mentioned, but that closed (also in 1970).

Woodhead passenger services were not mentioned, but they also closed (again in 1970).

 

[Irascible]

Ilfracombe was a Beeching one - it was just borderline, and I still don't know why didn't end up as a social benefit case given it made it past Castle's closure program too & there was some investigation done as late as 1975 into reopening it. Ilfracombe has definitely suffered deprivation without it ( and that's not just me, someone commissioned a report into it in reasonably recent years ). Staying in the area Okehampton was *not* a Beeching closure though.

Not sure about Cheltenham-Stratford? if I'm reading the Beeching map right there was no intent to remove all passenger services ( wikip suggests it'd already lost stopping ones ).

 

[MarlowDonkey]

I think Bourne End to High Wycombe was outside the original Beeching report, not closed until 1970.

 

[Irascible]

I think Bourne End to High Wycombe was outside the original Beeching report, not closed until 1970.

While I'm looking at the map, I can confirm that.

Paignton-Kingswear is also outside Beeching ( although it's arguable that ever actually lost passenger services - maybe if you count ticketing! ).

 

[SargeNpton]

Penrith-Keswick in 1972
Maiden Newton-Bridport in 1975

 

[Irascible]

Maiden Newton-Bridport in 1975

That one was Beeching.

 

[swt_passenger]

Alnmouth to Alnwick wasn’t a Beeching closure. 1968?

 

[Grecian 1998]

Woodhead was famously intended for development as a trunk route, with the Hope Valley line to be closed instead. That situation reversed rather rapidly. It also appears the Derby - Manchester line via Dove Holes was intended to be kept open as a through route.

The Melksham line between Trowbridge - Chippenham wasn't listed but closed in 1966, although it then reopened in 1985.

Part of the ECML closed between Selby - York after the Selby diversion opened in 1983. Not sure if that counts.

Ilfracombe was a Beeching one - it was just borderline, and I still don't know why didn't end up as a social benefit case given it made it past Castle's closure program too & there was some investigation done as late as 1975 into reopening it. Ilfracombe has definitely suffered deprivation without it ( and that's not just me, someone commissioned a report into it in reasonably recent years ). Staying in the area Okehampton was *not* a Beeching closure though.

I have read somewhere that the majority of services outside the summer season had fewer than 10 passengers on board. A shame it couldn't be retained as a preserved line, but the infrastructure wouldn't have been cheap, given it consisted of a bridge over the Taw, several level crossings and a short tunnel. The 1 in 36 gradient from a standing start out of Ilfracombe also required a lot of double heading, which isn't cheap.

Okehampton has always seemed like a good example of a lack of joined up thinking - the route from Okehampton - Exeter may have paid its way due to the number of other lines which converged there, to / from Torrington, Bude, Padstow and Plymouth. However it was unlikely to do so on its own, given that Okehampton was and still is a fairly small town, and commuter demand 50 years ago would have been minimal. Once all the feeder line closed, it's hardly surprising demand from Okehampton would plummet to the extent that too would close in 1972.

 

[pdeaves]

Taking the thread title (How many lines closed to passengers which were not listed in the Beeching Report?) at face value, do we count the very many that predated Dr Beeching's involvement? (i.e. they weren't listed as they had already closed)

 

[Harvester]

Haltwhistle to Alston was not included in the report. The branch closed in 1976 when improved road access to Alston became available.

 

[Taunton]

Beeching considered it a route worth retaining and developing, especially as an orbital freight route, but Barbara Castle thought otherwise.

[Oxford-Cambridge] Not sure about the orbital freight bit. Gerry Fiennes wrote that one of his successes during Beeching's time was putting a stop to a marshalling yard scheme at Swanbourne, west of Bletchley, which he rightly identified as nonsensical.

 

[RT4038]

[Oxford-Cambridge] Not sure about the orbital freight bit. Gerry Fiennes wrote that one of his successes during Beeching's time was putting a stop to a marshalling yard scheme at Swanbourne, west of Bletchley, which he rightly identified as nonsensical.

British Railways had first attempted to close the whole line to passenger trains in 1959. Why it wasn't in the Beeching report I have no idea. No doubt an interesting story there.

 

[steamybrian]

Totton- Fawley ( closed in 1966)
Bournemouth West branch (closed 1966)
Kings Lynn- Dereham- Norwich (closed 1969)
Kings Lynn-Hunstanton

 

[Gloster]

Barnstaple-Ilfracombe and Penrith-Keswick-Workington were in the report, while Haltwhistle-Alston was already under consideration. Oxford-Cambridge, Kings Lynn-Norwich and the Melksham line would have modified services: Melksham station would close.

Stratford-Honeybourne would close, as would Cheltenham Spa Malvern Road, but I can find no reference to Honeybourne-Cheltenham, [although the maps show it closing.- WRONG]

EDIT: Honeybourne-Cheltenham was shown on the map as staying open and Stratford-Honeybourne was to be a modified service. I presume that the whole line was intended to be available for through services, but not for any form of local traffic: I think that this is what did happen.

 

[jonhewes]

Lincoln-Grantham was supposed to be retained.

 

[Gloster]

Lincoln-Grantham was supposed to be retained.

It is shown as one of the lines on where closure had already been under consideration during the formulation of the report. In fact I think this referred just to local services, although that is not noted. All intermediate stations except Leadenham had already closed and are so listed.

 

[Irascible]

Stratford-Honeybourne would close, as would Cheltenham Spa Malvern Road, but I can find no reference to Honeybourne-Cheltenham, [although the maps show it closing.- WRONG]

EDIT: Honeybourne-Cheltenham was shown on the map as staying open and Stratford-Honeybourne was to be a modified service. I presume that the whole line was intended to be available for through services, but not for any form of local traffic: I think that this is what did happen.

Local services had already stopped before the report was even begun, iirc.

I have read somewhere that the majority of services outside the summer season had fewer than 10 passengers on board. A shame it couldn't be retained as a preserved line, but the infrastructure wouldn't have been cheap, given it consisted of a bridge over the Taw, several level crossings and a short tunnel. The 1 in 36 gradient from a standing start out of Ilfracombe also required a lot of double heading, which isn't cheap.

The problem with Ilfracombe is the alternatives - the roads are awful, it's a national park so they're not going to get better, they funnel through Braunton or you take the wackiest A-road the country has ( single track at times & goes via Porlock hill ). Ilfracombe does rather rely on the holiday trade too. The problem with the line I think was that there were too many level crossings & no desire to do anything about them ( albeit one of them was right across the main road to the coastal section west of Ilfracombe, and that is insanely busy in the summer ). That closure is one I think that fell through every possible gap, hence it's protracted demise. Nowadays it'd be a similar sort of dormitary town for Exeter as Barnstaple is.

 

[A0wen]

Broad Street - Dalston Junction, though that's partly come back some years later as part of the ELL extension.

And there are a few branches at ports which have gone - the likes of Dover Western Docks, Folkestone Harbour, Weymouth Quay.

Birmingham Snow Hill - Wolverhampton Low Level - I don't think that was listed in Beeching's report, but BR closed it.

Anybody know if Farringdon-Moorgate was originally recommended for closure by Beeching, only to be reopened then finally closed again in 2012(?)

The stations aren't listed and the map isn't very clear - in that Moorgate doesn't even feature !

But Farringdon - Moorgate never closed until 2009. Until 1976 it handled services from both the Midland and Great Northern. AIUI post 1976 it was Midland only until some point in the late 70s when it closed temporarily to allow for electrification as part of the Bed-pan scheme.

 

[geoffk]

Thanks for replies. More than I thought then!

 

[SargeNpton]

But Farringdon - Moorgate never closed until 2009. Until 1976 it handled services from both the Midland and Great Northern. AIUI post 1976 it was Midland only until some point in the late 70s when it closed temporarily to allow for electrification as part of the Bed-pan scheme.

And then only due to the extension of the Farringdon platforms eastwards across the junction.

 

[zwk500]

The stations aren't listed and the map isn't very clear - in that Moorgate doesn't even feature !

But Farringdon - Moorgate never closed until 2009. Until 1976 it handled services from both the Midland and Great Northern. AIUI post 1976 it was Midland only until some point in the late 70s when it closed temporarily to allow for electrification as part of the Bed-pan scheme.

Ah, my mistake. Thanks for clearing it up!

 

[A0wen]

And then only due to the extension of the Farringdon platforms eastwards across the junction.

Slightly OT, but.....

That was part of it - but even if the platform extension hadn't done that it would have been an operational nightmare as it would have reduced capacity through the core for trains heading to / from Moorgate.

Ever since Thameslink re-opened in the latter half of the 80s, the Moorgate service from the Midland had been much reduced and by the time it was closed, it was down to a couple of peak hour trains a day. Add in those that did run could only stop at Barbican (the one intermediate stop) when heading east wards as the westbound platform was out of use - I think platform lengths were the problem ?

 

[mike57]

What about the Spalding - March line, this closed early 80s I think, I can remember being on a ECML diversion over it in around 1979.