Britain's trains and railways: A beginner's guide
Today in Britain, mainline railway companies have names like Arriva, Virgin and Silverlink. Once, however, they had evocative, location-specific names, such as the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway or the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, each with its own colourful livery, coat of arms and distinctive rolling stock.
As many of their names suggest, the network fanned out from London, reaching every part of Britain, until Dr Beeching's axe chopped away at the infrastructure in the 1960s. Since then, many lines have been revived as heritage railways, running trains pulled by preserved locomotives and driven at weekends by dedicated volunteers.
In the websites listed on these pages – chosen by cartoonist, writer, web designer and steam-engine devotee Fred Pipes – you can relive the age of steam, experience the transition to electricity and diesel locomotives, and endure (or delight in?) the railway system of today.
