London Rail

Category: British Railways

  • Men in the railways

    This weekend’s March 8th 2026 is International Womens Day. Despite the advent of a number of equality measures the status of women is still affected by numerous obstacles in many areas of society – and that includes the railway. That because railways have always been designed by men. That has changed somewhat in the last…

  • Barnstaple to Ilfracombe #3

    The former railway from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe opened on 20th July 1874 – 150 years ago. It never reached its 100th anniversary, closing on 5th October 1970. By the time the anniversary year came about four years later, the line had been disused for that time and not long after, despite deliberations on whether to…

  • Barnstaple to Ilfracombe #2

    This is the second part of the online guide to the Ilfracombe railway and features the stretch from Braunton to Willingcott. That is near near the summit of the line just south of Mortehoe. Although around half of the route through Barnstaple, Braunton and Ilfracombe now constitutes the Tarka Trail, much of the following section…

  • Barnstaple to Ilfracombe #1

    The Barnstaple and Ilfracombe railway opened in July 1874 thus 2024 is the 150th anniversary of the line’s opening. Despite opposition the line closed in October 1970 after British Railways had totally rationalised the line in an attempt to keep the costs of running it to a minimum. Ultimately the Government of the day was…

  • The first official Great British Railways Logo!

    Great British Railways is on the way! Its basically a re-nationalisation of the railways (to some sort of extent based on the TfL model where individual companies manage the various transport systems TfL requires as part of the day to day operations keeping London on the move.) I’m not going to write very much about…

  • BR & LT decimalisation

    This weekend fifty years ago both British Railways and London Transport began a major task in their ticket offices and ticket machines to embrace the pending national conversion from pounds, shillings, pennies, to the new decimal coinage of pounds and pence. The change was effected on 14 February with the rest of the country following…

  • Rails to Ilfracombe #2

    This week is the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Barnstaple to Ilfracombe Railway. This opened on 20 July 1874 and shut for good from 5th October 1970 – the last train was actually two days earlier on the 3rd October – an eight car DMU forming the 19.55pm from Ilfracombe to Exeter carrying…

  • Rails to Ilfracombe #1

    Trains do indeed still cross the River Taw in many places, eleven times this happens in fact. However a twelfth crossing was the biggest of all – and the one trains just do not use anymore. Yes you guessed – its the Ilfracombe line’s stupendous cast iron viaduct at Barnstaple. That was a rarity in…

  • Tinpot Railways: Terminal decline #3

    We continue with our investigations into what could be said to be the ‘public sphere’ or perhaps the British consciousness in terms of its railways. The grand modernisation schemes and rationalisations of the sixties and seventies were really nothing more than contrived schemes to give the motorist a better deal. And its how we ended…

  • Tinpot Railways: Terminal decline #2

    This looks at further examples of British railway’s 4xD policy. That is Demote, Deconstruct, Dereliction and Destruction. I made that up but what it means is first a station was usually demoted. Services downgraded to the most basic. Then the track layout would be deconstructed, usually to a single platform at the far end of…

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