Britain's trains and railways: A beginner's guide
Modern railways
During World War II, the railways were taken into state control, and the Transport Act 1947 made provision for the nationalisation of the network. British Railways came into existence on 1 January 1948, and the Big Four companies became regions. British Rail (BR) dates from the mid-1960s, when the 'double-arrow' logo was introduced.
The last steam locomotive to haul a BR passenger train in normal service - Britannia class Pacific No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell - ran on 11 August 1968.
Under John Major's Railway Act 1993, British Rail was split up and privatised into Railtrack and other companies, and by November 1997, British Rail had been divested of all its operational railway functions. In 2002, in the aftermath of the Hatfield disaster, Railtrack was replaced by a state-owned, not-for-profit company called Network Rail.
Network Rail
www.networkrail.co.uk/
Responsible for the rail infrastructure, this took over from
Railtrack.
National Rail
www.nationalrail.co.uk/
For train times and links to UK rail operators.
Die Bahn
www.bahn.de/pv/view/index.shtml
One of the best timetable sites for the UK is German! Click the 'English' button.
Eurostar
www.eurostar.com/dctm/jsp/index.jsp
Linking Britain with Europe via the Channel Tunnel.
The Deltic Preservation Society: FAQs
www.thedps.co.uk/staticpages/index.php?page=faq
The prototype Deltic diesel was introduced in 1955, and along with electrics, similar locomotives rapidly replaced steam.
