When the ''Big 4'' were nationalised...

[ChiefPlanner]

Much of this was, having come under Civil Service government control, the usual suspects were appointed to the top positions who had no practical background, or even a business understanding. Lord Hurcomb, first BTC Chairman, was a lifelong Whitehall mandarin. Sir Brian Robertson, his successor, was a retired career military officer. Both came from backgrounds where they had no experience at all with an organisation which managed revenue coming in at the ticket office or from the freight charges, they just spent what the Treasury gave them. Hurcomb was more interested in ornithology, and became the chairman of the RSPB. I'm sure he applied for the position because the fastest loco at the time was called Mallard.

Their PR guy was a (Major) General Sim (?) , who apart from a very undistinguished war record (apparently) , was so geographically challenged he got lost in 222 Marylebone Road trying to find the comforts of the Senior Officers Mess.So one is led to believe .....

Basically - the senior hands of the "Big 4" more or less went - and those left behind had to argue the case for reasonable wages for what were in those days big man management jobs - in todays money - a senior Operations Manager would have got around £50K - drivers money now with some overtime....(no wonder things stagnated / festered)