Can anyone explain to me why it was in Britain, after the Beeching slaughter of the railways in the 1960's?

Do you mean the heritage groups who struggle to make ends meet, rely on volunteer groups and have fund raising events to keep their lines open?

Is everything rosey through those spectacles?

Beeching saved the railways, they needed drastic reform, not nostalgia.

It is important to appreciate that Dr. Beeching was brought in as Chairman of the BR Board to examine the profitability of the railway system, which was losing money at an alarming rate. Although some of the ways in which the statistics were compiled are questionable, all Beeching did was to compile a report. In the final analysis, it was the government that had the yeah or nay as to whether any particular line closed, after public enquiries in each case. Beeching or not, most of the lines would have closed anyway.

The problems with the British Railway network are historic - even when the railway system was run by the private sector, it was the government that set the charges that they could make for freight traffic, forcing the railways to be 'common carriers', in that they had to accept any traffic that they were offered (with a few exceptions such as certain inflammable, explosive or poisonous materials). This was all very well in the period before the First World War, but afterwards the government sold off a huge number of war surplus trucks at knock-down prices, and hundreds of road hauliers sprang up that had no limitations on what they carried, or what they charged. Despite constant lobbying by the railway companies (the 'Fair Deal' campaigns), it was not until the mid-1960s that the railways - by then nationalised - were finally relieved of their obligations. By this time it was far too late.

As regards the lines that were closed, we should have adopted the French system whereby, if a railway closed, the track and fixed infrastructure could not be removed for ten years. A further enquiry was then held, and permission was given to dispose of the assets if there was still no prospect of a revival of traffic. The result of the British government's short-sightedness is that a number of towns have since expanded, but no longer have a rail link. A good example is one in the area where I live: the Bishops Stortford-Dunmow-Braintree-Marks Tey line. The Bishops Stortford-Braintree section was closed in the early 1960s. The track bed through Dunmow became a new by-pass road that has since had to be by-passed itself, whilst the new Stansted airport was built over the western end of the line. With the opening of the airport Dunmow has increased in size out of all proportion, and is crying out for a railway line.

As others here have pointed out, re-opening of closed lines by heritage lines is a no-brainer. True, they make a profit now, but only because they were started with volunteer labour, and still rely on scores of volunteers on a daily basis. Much of the locomotives and rolling stock is owned, restored and maintained by volunteer groups and hired to the railways. Standard-gauge railway preservation only began in 1960, with the opening of the first short section of what is now the Bluebell Line in Sussex. By the end of the decade there were still less than half-a-dozen 'heritage' lines of any length. Such lines are also operated under Light Railway Orders, restricting their maximum speed to 25 mph. Up-grading the infrastructure etc. to full public railway status would cost millions.

Track costs a fortune to maintain and replace.

Every bridge has to be maintained.

Most heritage groups struggle to maintain their track and have a 25MPH limit on the trains.

At the time people did not want to use trains. The costs of replacing old and worn out rolling stock and locomotives was vast. Many station buildings to maintain and staff to pay.

Something had to happen. The government could not afford to carry on running the railways at a vast loss.

While some are now cycleways many more have just closed and vanished. Bridges have been replaced with embankments.

Where they are cycleways many bridges over the railway have been strengthened for heavier road traffic and this strengthening would prevent a train passing under the bridge. If the trains still ran then the bridge would have to be rebuilt at vast cost.

Cycleways do provide a god way to get to work rather then cycle on the roads.

Perhaps you should try cycling as well as travelling by train?

Since there is a low speed limit on 'heritage railways' run by private groups, to be commerciallly effective

they need to be re-opened as part of the national rail system. Some have, such as the Valleys branch lines in South Wales, the Nottingham to Mansfield Line, the line through Corby in Northamptonshire and now shortly the Borders Line in Scotland and the Oxford to Bletchley Line. All those reopened line have been enormously successful commercially and exceeded their passenger number targets. There was certainly a good case for shutting some lines, but the Beeching Plan was far too radical and closures were often based on inaccurate passenger figures as has recently been demonstrated. Successive governments since te 1930s have given the railways a raw deal despite massively increased passengers over the past 15 years and the media is almost entirely anti rail. We still have one of the densest most frequent and punctual rail networks in Europe

Track which had been lying derelict for 50 years would be useless and would have needed replacing even if still there.

The real problem was of not keeping the routes clear (of building on them, etc) rather then of leaving track lying there. (in any case track left there would probably have been stolen for scrap). There are a number of lines which might usefully be relaid now if the trackbed was still clear (e.g. March - Spalding as part of a Felixtowe - Yorkshire freight route).

Plenty of cyclists using old railway paths don't wear helmets. Many are making local utility journeys rather than riding for exercise.

Hi the answer is simple insurance the tracks would have to be maintained although not in use.

yes that is why several old radio stations have also gone world service at Rampisham in dorset has it's masts removed. the insurance issue is why so many old factories and old coal mine pit head winding heads have been removed.

this all comes back to people who sue people over hurting themselves by being in places they are warned about not going near. like when you where once a right little tearaway getting into building sites and scrumping apples from orchards which belong to some one else and falling down an cutting a knee when the farmer chased you off as all boys did who where boys being boys.

not like to days tarts who would not say boo to a goose.

When they were closed they could not be run for a profit by anyone

They would not have been Heritage lines then - just lines that did not close

Yes it was a colosal mistake - with hindsight we can all, even you no doubt, remember making some of those!

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It was assumed that many of those railway lines would never be used again and space was at a premium.

Well, I was on a train the other day, sitting on the roof of the Frying Scotsman cooking breakfast.