Diesel Trains : Improved Services : Cardiff Valleys : leaflet : British Railways : Western Region : 1958 - 59 : front
A visually lively leaflet, with an area diagram on the reverse, issued by the Western Region of British Railways for the new diesel multiple units that were being introduced on Cardiff and Valley area services with the promise of improved services. The introduction of the DMUs was part of the vast British Transport Commission's Modernisation Programme that sadly, in some ways and areas, was to prove a somewhat misguided affair and, in some ways, loaded the organisation with debt that added to the call for the later reorganisation that included the 'Beeching Axe' in an effort to stem the railways losses.
In many ways the new DMU services were a vast improvement - in terms of passenger comfort - and attempts were made to re-organise services, timetables and fares. In some areas this was successful but in others the impact was still seen as being insufficient to save stations and lines in later culls. The South Wales and Valley services seen here saw much retrenchment in the 1960s closures - much was lost and many stations closed. However, from the 1980s onwards much work has been undertaken to re-open various branch lines and stations to passenger service and, currently, many of the lines are seeing a real renaissance as Transport for Wales are investing heavily to bring new standards of service to the area as part of their Metro system.
The front of the leaflet has quite a variety of typefaces to 'catch' the eye and uses decal based on a scraperboard or Windsor Board illustration of a speeding DMU; this is possibly by A.N. Wolstenholme who did much such work for BR.
Diesel Trains : Improved Services : Cardiff Valleys : leaflet : British Railways : Western Region : 1958 - 59 : front
A visually lively leaflet, with an area diagram on the reverse, issued by the Western Region of British Railways for the new diesel multiple units that were being introduced on Cardiff and Valley area services with the promise of improved services. The introduction of the DMUs was part of the vast British Transport Commission's Modernisation Programme that sadly, in some ways and areas, was to prove a somewhat misguided affair and, in some ways, loaded the organisation with debt that added to the call for the later reorganisation that included the 'Beeching Axe' in an effort to stem the railways losses.
In many ways the new DMU services were a vast improvement - in terms of passenger comfort - and attempts were made to re-organise services, timetables and fares. In some areas this was successful but in others the impact was still seen as being insufficient to save stations and lines in later culls. The South Wales and Valley services seen here saw much retrenchment in the 1960s closures - much was lost and many stations closed. However, from the 1980s onwards much work has been undertaken to re-open various branch lines and stations to passenger service and, currently, many of the lines are seeing a real renaissance as Transport for Wales are investing heavily to bring new standards of service to the area as part of their Metro system.
The front of the leaflet has quite a variety of typefaces to 'catch' the eye and uses decal based on a scraperboard or Windsor Board illustration of a speeding DMU; this is possibly by A.N. Wolstenholme who did much such work for BR.