Date: 24/03/2023

On Monday, hundreds of towns and villages across Scotland may rue the day 60 years ago when Dr Richard Beeching unveiled his infamous report, The Reshaping of British Railways. With rail passengers haemorrhaging to private cars, the chairman of British Railways wrote a prescription which has ever since been associated with swingeing cuts in the network. The axe fell hard in Scotland, with some 850 miles of passenger railway closed between 1964 and 1972, the worst cut being delivered in 1969 when the entire 98-mile Waverley Route through the Borders was shut.

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Related images

A Gloucester DMU after arrival at St Andrews in wintry conditions on 28th December 1968. The station closed a week later.
Location: St Andrews [2nd]
Company: St Andrews Junction Line (North British Railway)
28/12/1968 Brian Haslehust

NBL Type 2 D6148 arrives at Ellon with a northbound train in July 1963.
Location: Ellon
Company: Formartine and Buchan Railway
/07/1963 Colin Miller

Looking up river from the Bawbee Bridge with the new Levenmouth platforms under construction. 10 March
Location: Levenmouth
Company: Leven Dock Railway
10/03/2023 Bill Roberton

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Tags: x Richard Beeching x British Railways x David Spaven x Waverley Route