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Last Trains
- Dr Beeching and the Death of Rural England
- Narrated by: Michael Fenton Stevens
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
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Last Trains
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Summary
During the course of the 1950s, England lost confidence in its rulers and convinced itself to modernise. The bankrupt steam-powered railway, run by a retired general, symbolised everything that was wrong with the country; the future lay in motorways and high speed electric - or even atomic - express trains.
But plans for a gleaming new railway system ended in failure, and on the roads traffic ground to a halt. Along came Dr Beeching, forensically analysing the railways’ problems and delivering an expert’s diagnosis that a third of the nation’s railways must go. This was the point at which the reality of modernisation dawned and rural England fell victim to the road and car - at least that is how Dr Beeching is remembered today.
Last Trains examines why and how the railway system contracted, exposing the political failures that bankrupted the railways and examining officials’ attempts to understand a transport revolution beyond their control. It is a story of the increasing alienation of bureaucrats from the public they thought they were serving, but also of a nation that thinks it lives in the countryside trying to come to terms with modernity.
Critic reviews
"This book tells the full story behind the Beeching cuts." (Your Family Tree)
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What listeners say about Last Trains
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hardy Wilson
- 30-09-14
Last Trains - An in Depth Analysis of Change
What did you like most about Last Trains?
This is a scholarly and detailed analysis of changes to the railways in Britain. The writer has researched his subject well and presented his case clearly, objectively and at considerable length.
What other book might you compare Last Trains to, and why?
Christian Wolmar's writing about rail is the closest although not a true parallel.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
No applicable
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Hardly although to me it was an engrossing subject but it is a book one could return to.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Markie
- 30-07-23
fresh look
overall I enjoyed this but will need to listen again to some parts particularly buts on duplicate routes that he claimed anyone will a map could see were not needed. Hmmm! Some were only so at start and end but severed different communities on route
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 06-01-24
A study of events little remembered
I must be one of the relatively small number of people left who can remember the whole period referred to. This was quite enlightening about some aspects of the policy I had never really understood before. Interesting to see that politicans of both sides sixty years age were just as bad at formulating policy as they are now!
Just one thought about steam trains for those who get nostalgic. Every time I went on a long journey (say 100 miles plus) the fisrt thing I had to do on reaching my destination was to have a bath. One got covered in smuts. Train journeys never have that effect!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rowan Leigh
- 14-01-23
A really good book.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this, despite not being all that interested in trains. It was well-researched, and I found the political history interesting.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julian Williams
- 06-01-24
Totally nerdy and engrossing
With a passing interest in railways I gave this a go. My passing interest being why the rail link from Bewdley through Stourport ceased to exist. Whilst the book doesn’t mention this line specifically, it is a compelling, fascinating account of how exactly the railway network shrank. Excellent!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gavyn Upham
- 17-07-23
Great stuff
Highly recommended look into an era of British history which impacts us today. Great
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Keith Parsler
- 22-02-24
Misleading Title
This book isn’t really about trains at all, but it is about the political process and financial conditions that brought about the line closures at the time. So if you want a book about the last trains, don’t buy this one.
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