Transport Age : Volume 1 : Number 7 : October 1958 : cutting out the bottlenecks
The seventh issue of the Transport Age magazine, issued by the British Transport Commission and so covering all aspects of the BTC's remit that, at the time, included rail, bus and coach, road services, docks, harbour and canal services.
On British Railways there was in the mid-1950s onwards a period of heavy investment in 'modernising' the war-tired and utility starved post-war railway, newly nationalised in 1948. The impact of many elements of the 'Modernisation Plan' continue to be debated to this day but on the infrastructure side, as well as the ongoing closure programme, the BTC did authorise some large scale schemes of increasing capacity at pinch points on the railway such as on the East Coast Main LIne north of London and here, between Shortlands and Swanley on the Southern Region. The image shows the excavations for track widening being undertaken by contractors G Wimpey whilst a Southern Region (ex-Southern Railway) EMU travels past. An excavator digs back the shallow cutting, loading spoil into a lorry.
I suppose one startling element, to our 'modern eyes', is the relative lack of protection between the operational railway and the work!
Transport Age : Volume 1 : Number 7 : October 1958 : cutting out the bottlenecks
The seventh issue of the Transport Age magazine, issued by the British Transport Commission and so covering all aspects of the BTC's remit that, at the time, included rail, bus and coach, road services, docks, harbour and canal services.
On British Railways there was in the mid-1950s onwards a period of heavy investment in 'modernising' the war-tired and utility starved post-war railway, newly nationalised in 1948. The impact of many elements of the 'Modernisation Plan' continue to be debated to this day but on the infrastructure side, as well as the ongoing closure programme, the BTC did authorise some large scale schemes of increasing capacity at pinch points on the railway such as on the East Coast Main LIne north of London and here, between Shortlands and Swanley on the Southern Region. The image shows the excavations for track widening being undertaken by contractors G Wimpey whilst a Southern Region (ex-Southern Railway) EMU travels past. An excavator digs back the shallow cutting, loading spoil into a lorry.
I suppose one startling element, to our 'modern eyes', is the relative lack of protection between the operational railway and the work!