Scotland's Lost Branch Lines: Where Beeching Got It Wrong

by David Spaven

Overview

The infamous ‘Beeching Axe’ swept away virtually every Scottish branch line in the 1960s. Conventional wisdom viewed these losses as regrettable yet inevitable in an era of growing affluence and rising car ownership.This ground-breaking study of Dr Beeching’s approach to closures has unearthed – from rarely or never previously referenced archive sources – strong evidence of a ‘stitch-up’, ignoring the scope for sensible economies and improvements which would have allowed a significant number of axed routes to survive and prosper. Acclaimed railway historian David Spaven traces the birth, life and eventual death of Scotland’s branch lines through the unique stories of how a dozen routes lost their trains in the 1960s: the lines to Ballachulish, Ballater, Callander, Crail, Crieff /Comrie, Fraserburgh, Kelso, Kilmacolm, Leven, Peebles, Peterhead and St Andrews.He concludes by exploring a potential renaissance of branch lines, propelled by concerns over road congestion, vehicle pollution and the climate emergency.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781839830532
Publisher:	Birlinn, Limited
Publication date:	08/06/2024
Edition description:	New in Paperback
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.15(w) x 9.20(h) x (d)

About the Author

David Spaven was born and brought up in Edinburgh, and has lived and worked in Inverness, London and Glasgow. He has spent his whole working life in and around the rail industry and is the author of a number of acclaimed railways books, including Mapping the Railways (Harper Collins, 2011) and Britain's Scenic Railways (Harper Collins, 2012).

Editorial Reviews

This extremely well researched book examines the birth, life and death of these routes, with detailed description of the closure process'

West Highland News Plus

Spaven analyses the reasons used for the Beeching closures, and the processes and their participants in great depth, making it a thoughtful and thought-provoking volume'

Far North Express

The author forensically dissects the case presented for closing ten of the routes… expertly exposing the flawed arguments that sealed their fate'

The Scotsman

The politics revealed by David are fascinating... [he] achieves for Scotland what Charles Loft did for England in Last Trains and follows up on Richard Faulkner and Chris Austin's Britain in Holding the Line'

Retired Railway Officers’ Association

Impeccable accuracy and insight into the railways of Scotland... this is an excellent book and is highly recommended'

Railway Magazine

A very detailed analysis which highlights not only the damage caused to local communities, but also the lost potential of these branch lines that could now be an amazing resource for Scotland's tourist industry and for local communities cut off from the network'

RAIL Magazine - Christian Wolmar

Spaven's style is accessible to all. What's more, his conclusions about the potential reinstatement at a time of climate crisis are hugely topical'

Scottish Field

Absolutely fascinating… [railways are] so integral to Scotland's economy, our people, our future, our past… This is obviously something [Spaven] is deeply passionate about'

BBC Scotland Outdoors

David Spaven explores the reasoning and impact behind these branch line losses in this comprehensive overview'

Scots Magazine

Spaven has made a substantial contribution to the history of Scotland's transport services. This highly detailed text is enhanced by the author's lucid writing style… this book is recommended for any railway enthusiast not satisfied with settling for a misty-eyed nostalgic view of Scotland's branch lines'

Backtrack - Sandy Mullay