For context British Railway's 1955 Modernisation Plan had not started to reduce annual losses, worse, they were increasing enormously. The railway seemed to be locked in a doom loop for both passengers and freight. Richard Beeching was appointed Chair in June 1961 and his team produced the report "The Reshaping of British Railways" with Part 1 published on 27th March 1963.
It was comprehensive and clearly had to be based on the declining situation existing at that time, a period when most statistics were looking dire. It could take little heed of unknown changes in Britain over the next 60 years. The future looked to be road based! If you haven't read it I suggest you do, see;
https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BRB_Beech001a.pdf
Looking back he got a lot right. There wasn't much time for detailed considerations. Lines were already closing before the report. Rail's core freight generator, coal, was in truly terminal decline - although not fully realised at that time.
Of course there were bound to be errors, especially looking back with the benefits of hindsight. The Ashington area I remember very well from that time - lots of coal. Most freight lines had to remain open. The passenger services at that time were very infrequent and didn't feed into Newcastle Central - no platform space. Manors had 9 platforms but isn't in the heart of the city. It was right to cease passenger services running as they were back then. At that time any suggestions of expansion would have been laughed out. The world changed over the next 50 years. Today's services run half hourly into the Central on upgraded extant freight tracks. They serve a totally different market, a new passenger railway overlaying parts of that old freight base. They couldn't have happened back then with all the slow coal trainds still operating.
Ripon? See below for an extract from the summer 1958 timetable (apologies for reproduction, it's getting frail). That's about the period Beeching's research team would have been considering for costs and benefits.
If anyone thinks timetables in 2026 are complicated try working round ones like this. My father loved to do that and bought them every 6 months. See all the Monday - Fridays, Saturdays only, Fridays only, change at Northallerton type foot notes. Most folk went to their local booking office and had their journeys planned for them*.
South East Northumberland has changed immensely since 1958. There are many more potential customers and they are using the trains. It still cost, and will continue to cost the various arms of government enormous amounts of subsidies to keep it going.
Rebuilding to Ripon wouldn't be to replicate the services of 1958. That era has gone. Where would the numbers come from in the 2030s and for what level of services? Change Harrogate services to York to hourly and make it hourly from Leeds to Ripon? That might draw custom but wouldn't go down well for anywhere but Ripon.
*In 1966 I recall the booking clerk at West Jemond arranging a return from there to Haslemere, my first encounter with the Southern Region.
View attachment 210737
