In the overall history of the railways, the life of the unified state-owned entity that became known as British Rail (BR) was relatively short – less than 50 years in total. But the wheel turns full circle and the ensuing decades of privatisation, fragmentation, consolidation and economic crises have brought the core business back into the government’s hands, so the publication of Christian Wolmar’s latest book is timely, offering a chance to review the lessons of the past.
Wolmar is an established and well-respected journalist and author on railway topics, so ‘British Rail – A New History’ (Michael Joseph, £30, ISBN 9780241456200) is based on sound knowledge with the added advantage of being easy to read.
When the newly nationalised industry came into being at the start of 1948 it was in a sorry state, run down after the demands of the war years and in dire need of investment and modernisation. The picture Wolmar paints is of a vast administrative behemoth...