Have discovered timetableworld.com and consequently this timetable from an era 17 years before I started using the railways regularly.
Makes interesting reading. I've commented on the "Beeching" lines elsewhere but there are other examples of practice which differ considerably not only from the current era but the BR era of which I am familiar (the 1980s and early 1990s).
For instance, one thing that is very noticeable (though this survived until the early 1990s) is the large increase of peak-time frequency compared to off peak. Out of Paddington there were 2 semi-fast trains to Reading and one all-stations to Slough off-peak. Peak time, the semi-fast trains increased to 4 and the slows also to 4 (though a few terminated at places like Southall or Hayes and Harlington). A look at the London Midland timetable from 1962 on the same site suggests the same sort of pattern for lines out of Manchester - the Buxton line has quite an extraordinary peak increase in frequency, from 1 to 4 an hour IIRC.
However there are points in which the 1960s offered worse services compared to the 80s, early 90s or today. Long distance intercity services seem notable for their infrequency - while arguably a 20-minute interval service from London to Manchester in the middle of the day could be seen as a bit OTT, perhaps, the 1962 frequency was only every 2 or 3 hours - extraordinarily infrequent; certainly a good deal less frequent than the classic pattern of an hourly service in the 80s and 90s. Likewise in 1965 there was only a West Country (via Westbury) service every two hours - by the 1980s it was hourly alternating between Plymouth and Penzance - which I believe is still the pattern now.
Cross-Country seemed just about non-existent in 1965, just two trains a day from Bournemouth to the north, both stopping at Reading West rather than Reading. There seemed to be no other through services from Reading to the north; there was a two-hourly Paddington to Birkenhead but that went via High Wycombe. Cross-Country obviously came in between 1965 and 1983 as by the latter year, there were more-or-less hourly services (with occasional gaps) from Reading northwards, typically 47s and Mk-II stock. Cross-Country in the early 80s seemed much less of a "mass market" thing than now, an "alternative" way to get north that was not well advertised - so the trains were generally comfortable and healthily-loaded without being overcrowded at any point.
Most surprising of all is the poor service from Reading and Oxford. This I find hard to understand as both towns were presumably almost as large as they are now in 1965, and both are close to London so one would think that there would be large commuter traffic. Many West Country expresses omitted Reading, even in the middle of the day, giving an erratic fast service with approximately 30 to 45 minutes between trains from Reading to Paddington. (There were, however, two semi-fasts an hour, presumably class 117 DMUs by this time, discussed above). Oxford seemed to only have trains every two hours - originating from Worcester or Hereford - off peak, with two-hourly fast Reading to Oxford (stopping Didcot only) shuttles also existing - which didn't seem to connect at Reading into anything particular.
Peak is even stranger. The bulk of Reading to Paddington peaks appeared to be "semi-fast" trains generally stopping at some or all of Twyford, Maidenhead, Slough and Ealing Broadway and originating at Reading or Didcot - little evidence of intercity.
Stranger, the first train south out of Oxford was incredibly 0730, meaning it was impossible to arrive in Reading before 0811 and London 0857. That seems absolutely incredible - more like a Sunday service these days.
So the question is: was the 1965 situation (particularly regarding Inter City, XC, Reading and Oxford) typical of the pre-Beeching era or was it just the railway was going through a notably bad patch in the 1960s and anything outside of commuter areas left to go to seed somewhat? One often hears of the post-war years (notably the early 50s) as the golden era of the railways - were things better then?
Makes interesting reading. I've commented on the "Beeching" lines elsewhere but there are other examples of practice which differ considerably not only from the current era but the BR era of which I am familiar (the 1980s and early 1990s).
For instance, one thing that is very noticeable (though this survived until the early 1990s) is the large increase of peak-time frequency compared to off peak. Out of Paddington there were 2 semi-fast trains to Reading and one all-stations to Slough off-peak. Peak time, the semi-fast trains increased to 4 and the slows also to 4 (though a few terminated at places like Southall or Hayes and Harlington). A look at the London Midland timetable from 1962 on the same site suggests the same sort of pattern for lines out of Manchester - the Buxton line has quite an extraordinary peak increase in frequency, from 1 to 4 an hour IIRC.
However there are points in which the 1960s offered worse services compared to the 80s, early 90s or today. Long distance intercity services seem notable for their infrequency - while arguably a 20-minute interval service from London to Manchester in the middle of the day could be seen as a bit OTT, perhaps, the 1962 frequency was only every 2 or 3 hours - extraordinarily infrequent; certainly a good deal less frequent than the classic pattern of an hourly service in the 80s and 90s. Likewise in 1965 there was only a West Country (via Westbury) service every two hours - by the 1980s it was hourly alternating between Plymouth and Penzance - which I believe is still the pattern now.
Cross-Country seemed just about non-existent in 1965, just two trains a day from Bournemouth to the north, both stopping at Reading West rather than Reading. There seemed to be no other through services from Reading to the north; there was a two-hourly Paddington to Birkenhead but that went via High Wycombe. Cross-Country obviously came in between 1965 and 1983 as by the latter year, there were more-or-less hourly services (with occasional gaps) from Reading northwards, typically 47s and Mk-II stock. Cross-Country in the early 80s seemed much less of a "mass market" thing than now, an "alternative" way to get north that was not well advertised - so the trains were generally comfortable and healthily-loaded without being overcrowded at any point.
Most surprising of all is the poor service from Reading and Oxford. This I find hard to understand as both towns were presumably almost as large as they are now in 1965, and both are close to London so one would think that there would be large commuter traffic. Many West Country expresses omitted Reading, even in the middle of the day, giving an erratic fast service with approximately 30 to 45 minutes between trains from Reading to Paddington. (There were, however, two semi-fasts an hour, presumably class 117 DMUs by this time, discussed above). Oxford seemed to only have trains every two hours - originating from Worcester or Hereford - off peak, with two-hourly fast Reading to Oxford (stopping Didcot only) shuttles also existing - which didn't seem to connect at Reading into anything particular.
Peak is even stranger. The bulk of Reading to Paddington peaks appeared to be "semi-fast" trains generally stopping at some or all of Twyford, Maidenhead, Slough and Ealing Broadway and originating at Reading or Didcot - little evidence of intercity.
Stranger, the first train south out of Oxford was incredibly 0730, meaning it was impossible to arrive in Reading before 0811 and London 0857. That seems absolutely incredible - more like a Sunday service these days.
So the question is: was the 1965 situation (particularly regarding Inter City, XC, Reading and Oxford) typical of the pre-Beeching era or was it just the railway was going through a notably bad patch in the 1960s and anything outside of commuter areas left to go to seed somewhat? One often hears of the post-war years (notably the early 50s) as the golden era of the railways - were things better then?
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(London-Birmingham was already half-hourly by 1972).
