British Railway Passenger Network Map 1977

[EbbwJunction1]

Whilst sorting through a lot of papers recently, I came across a copy of this.

I thought that I would have a brief look at it to see what changes have been made since it was produced. I should say that I've done a small comparison between it and the National Rail Map that's on the National Rail Enquiries web site, and I don't claim that this is a comprehensive list. With one exception, I have not compared the services in London, as I'm not that keen to know!

So, subject to the comments above, these are some of the results, going roughly North to South:

There is no Waverley Route from Edinburgh to Tweedbank.
The Tyne and Wear Metro is shown as Heavy Rail.
There are two stations at Lincoln (Central and St Marks).
There is no line to Manchester Airport.
The Manchester Metro is shown as Heavy Rail.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway is still shown.
The line between Walsall and Rugeley is not shown.
The Maesteg line is not shown.
The Ebbw Vale line is not shown.
The extension from Aylesbury to Aylesbury Vale Parkway is not shown.
Broad Street station is still shown (this is the only London item).

Your comments and questions will be welcome!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Not enough detail on the map. I do have multiple copies of the 1977 and other versions of the map. However, the Windsor link is not on either. Built in 1985 iirc. No Heathrow link either

 

[Cowley]

Is this the map that you used get free with the big BR timetable?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Is this the map that you used get free with the big BR timetable?

I assumed that and so why I have many copies. Blue background, white land and red railway route lines. Black type face.

 

[delt1c]

Alloa line not shown, Stanstead Airport not shown, Airdrie to Edinburgh not shown, Thameslink not shown

 

[Cowley]

I assumed that and so why I have many copies. Blue background, white land and red railway route lines. Black type face.

Ah well it’s interesting that this has come up because I just bought two of the things off eBay for a couple of quid each the other day.
Years ago I used to have one on the wall with all the routes highlighted that I’d been on, and I was going to do the same with these two but have one with the routes I’d travelled on and the other one with the routes I’d travelled on behind locomotives (I’ve probably got a bit more time on my hands at the moment than normal to be honest...).

So this is the 1972 one:




And this is the 1982-83 one:



In the south - southwest area there’s at least five routes (or parts of routes) that have disappeared from the BR network in the period between the two maps.
You get one point each if you can name them.

 

[Helvellyn]

Wimbledon to West Croydon and Eridge to Tunbridge Wells West will be on your 1977 map but have since closed.

The spur to Stansted Airport wouldn't be on your map.

Also missing on your map would be the Selby Diversion of the East Coast Main Line between Doncaster and York.

 

[randyrippley]

Okehampton, Bridport, Kingswear for starters
Weymouth Quay is on the second map but not the first, which seems wrong

Were there still boat trains to Heysham in 1972? The Irish ferries came off around then. Its missing in the second map

 

[Cowley]

Okehampton, Bridport, Kingswear, Weymouth Quay for starters

Were there still boat trains to Heysham in 1972? The Irish ferries came off around then

Heysham is a good one. I noticed that. Weymouth Quay is still on my 1982 map.

 

[Shrewbly]

Weymouth Quay wasn't on the older map but has appeared on the newer map!

 

[randyrippley]

Keswick, Alston

 

[Cowley]

Weymouth Quay wasn't on the older map but has appeared on the newer map!

Yes I think that’s because the older map is actually about a third smaller in size than the newer one so a lot of stations are omitted on too.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Keswick, Alston

Brilliant - yes forgot about those two.

 

[Cowley]

There’s a good one west of Woking...

 

[randyrippley]

Its interesting to compare which are defined as "InterCity" routes on the map
For instance check Basingstoke-Exeter, Settle-Carlisle, and how much of the SE is shown as IC

 

[yorksrob]

Even in 1972, there were so many wonderful routes that we have now lost

 

[Cowley]

Its interesting to compare which are defined as "InterCity" routes on the map
For instance check Basingstoke-Exeter, Settle-Carlisle, and how much of the SE is shown as IC

Yes I was looking at that too.

Even in 1972, there were so many wonderful routes that we have now lost

I’d really like a 1970 version because it would still have the routes to Ilfracombe, Swanage and Minehead on them.
Not sure when they first started producing the map though?

 

[yorksrob]

Yes I was looking at that too.

I’d really like a 1970 version because it would still have the routes to Ilfracombe, Swanage and Minehead on them.
Not sure when they first started producing the map though?

Yes, I don't know when the famous blue and red ones were first produced.

I've got a picture of a Southern Region carriage map on my phone which includes such routes as Tonbridge - Brighton, Christs Hospital - Shoreham and Eridge - Polegate.

 

[gg1]

Bury - Rawtenstall is another I'm surprised lasted as long as late as 1972.
March - Spalding is still listed on the 1982/83 map which really surprises me, I though that route had lost it's passenger services long before then.

One interesting omission on the older map is no services at all between Leamington and Coventry, at the time all services were routed via Solihull until Birmingham International opened in 1976.

 

[leytongabriel]

Its interesting to compare which are defined as "InterCity" routes on the map
For instance check Basingstoke-Exeter, Settle-Carlisle, and how much of the SE is shown as IC

Yes - the Hartlepool Loop and Cotswold line raised an eyebrow as InterCity. Looks a bit like these lines were included as having a through service from London of some kind at least.

 

[Bedpan]

There’s a good one west of Woking...

Oh yes! No doubt the reference to Alston a couple of posts above your's prompted you to mention it.

 

[Cowley]

Oh yes! No doubt the reference to Alston a couple of posts above your's prompted you to mention it.

Actually it was one that I looked at straight away when I got the map because I used to volunteer on it...

 

[Shimbleshanks]

No Ladybank/Perth line.
Branches to Fishguard, Heysham and Barrow still shown as thick red 'Intercity' lines - presumably on the basis that they had sleeper services. Also interesting to see the former GSWR mailine via Dumfies designated as Intercity.

 

[gg1]

Branches to Fishguard, Heysham and Barrow still shown as thick red 'Intercity' lines - presumably on the basis that they had sleeper services.

Must be more to it than that otherwise Stranraer and Fort William would also be flagged as InterCity. Maybe Heysham, Barrow and Fishguard all still had daytime long distance trains too at that point.

Also interesting to see the former GSWR mailine via Dumfies designated as Intercity.

That'll be for the same reason Settle-Carlisle was an InterCity route on the older map, the St Pancras to Glasgow service which lasted until the mid 70s.

 

[hexagon789]

Whilst sorting through a lot of papers recently, I came across a copy of this.

I thought that I would have a brief look at it to see what changes have been made since it was produced. I should say that I've done a small comparison between it and the National Rail Map that's on the National Rail Enquiries web site, and I don't claim that this is a comprehensive list. With one exception, I have not compared the services in London, as I'm not that keen to know!

So, subject to the comments above, these are some of the results, going roughly North to South:

There is no Waverley Route from Edinburgh to Tweedbank.
The Tyne and Wear Metro is shown as Heavy Rail.
There are two stations at Lincoln (Central and St Marks).
There is no line to Manchester Airport.
The Manchester Metro is shown as Heavy Rail.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway is still shown.
The line between Walsall and Rugeley is not shown.
The Maesteg line is not shown.
The Ebbw Vale line is not shown.
The extension from Aylesbury to Aylesbury Vale Parkway is not shown.
Broad Street station is still shown (this is the only London item).

Your comments and questions will be welcome!

In Scotland, the Kilmacolm branch would still be present, as would the short stub branch from High Street to Bridgeton Central.

Ah well it’s interesting that this has come up because I just bought two of the things off eBay for a couple of quid each the other day.
Years ago I used to have one on the wall with all the routes highlighted that I’d been on, and I was going to do the same with these two but have one with the routes I’d travelled on and the other one with the routes I’d travelled on behind locomotives (I’ve probably got a bit more time on my hands at the moment than normal to be honest...).

So this is the 1972 one:

View attachment 77650


And this is the 1982-83 one:

View attachment 77651

In the south - southwest area there’s at least five routes (or parts of routes) that have disappeared from the BR network in the period between the two maps.
You get one point each if you can name them.

I don't know about the GB routes, but I love how in a British map, BR have managed to show one of the major changes to the Irish Rail network between those two maps. In 1972 the Mullingar-Athlone is shown with a heavy line, in the 1982/3 it's a light line.

I just found it quite funny that BR bothered making such a small detail change like that!

Also interesting to see the former GSWR mailine via Dumfies designated as Intercity.

There was a daily though Euston-Glasgow each way over the line specifically provided to provide connections between London and South West Scotland. It was certainly present at electrification in 1974, and I think it lasted until at least the early 1990s.

 

[Helvellyn]

Its interesting to compare which are defined as "InterCity" routes on the map
For instance check Basingstoke-Exeter, Settle-Carlisle, and how much of the SE is shown as IC

The InterCity sector didn't come into existence until 1983 - before that Inter-City was a brand name for express passenger services, usually providing catering plus First and Second Class accommodation. So a much bigger group of routes were Inter-City in that sense.

It's interesting that the 1972 map defines Southampton-Salisbury-Bath-Bristol as Inter-City, but not Basingstoke-Salisbury-Exeter. By 1982-83 this has reversed!

 

[Springs Branch]

Assuming the OP's map related to May 1977, it probably just about captured the brand new Merseyrail Link & Loop lines in Liverpool, but with no line open south of Liverpool Central to Garston/Hunts Cross.
There would also have been dead-ends at Rock Ferry with interchange between EMUs and DMUs to Chester & Helsby.

The previous issue (1976) would have shown Liverpool Exchange as the Northern Line terminus, probably all Wirral Line trains terminating at James Street, no dead-end EMU/DMU interface at Kirkby and a connection between Lime St and Bootle for the handful of Southport DMUs connecting with Euston trains.

[edit] Near Manchester, mid-Cheshire line trains went to Oxford Rd via Sale. There were no passenger trains on the line to Stockport via Northenden.
And no connection between Hazel Grove and Chinley for Sheffield expresses.

IIRC the reverse side of BR's map had expanded line diagram maps of major metropolitan areas - you wouldn't see the above detail on the national map, of course.

 

[PG]

In the south - southwest area there’s at least five routes (or parts of routes) that have disappeared from the BR network in the period between the two maps.
You get one point each if you can name them.

I don't think anyone's mentioned Trowbridge - Chippenham is missing from the 1982 map.
Do I get an extra point for the junction names? Bradford junction - Thingly junction

 

[Springs Branch]

I’d really like a 1970 version because it would still have the routes to Ilfracombe, Swanage and Minehead on them.

Not sure when they first started producing the map though?

The BR corporate image upgrade seemed to swing into action in 1965 (including double arrow logo and name truncation to British Rail).

From 1965 the format of the passenger timetables (both the books themselves and the layout of individual timetables) seemed to change from the fairly archaic styles before then to a cleaner, more modern and definitely easier-to-read look.
I'd suspect the design of the national Passenger Network maps we're discussing came about as part of that Design Panel upgrade.

Up until the first BR All Lines Timetable published in May 1974, each region issued its own individual timetable book, and presumably each had its own tailored version of the network map.

On the LMR, between 1967 and 1973, the map had the whole country on side (similar to examples in Post #6).
On the reverse side was a map focusing on just the London Midland Region lines, plus enlargements of the London, Birmingham and Liverpool/Manchester areas.
Later years (e.g. 1973) were printed in familiar blue, red and black. Earlier years were printed with just black text and one other colour (e.g. red in 1967 & 1968, blue in 1970)

I wonder if the Southern Region ever bothered printing a map for their punters which showed the railway network "north of the river"?

Here's an extract from the 1970 Passenger Network map:

 

[Snow1964]

In South / South West that 1972 map still has Alton-Winchester, Bridport line, Okehampton, Kingswear, and Trowbridge-Chippenham Line (last one has been added again)