People Power…. Steam Power!

Abandoned Train Station on the old 'Cornhill Line'

I saw a TV show today that got me thinking about the role of the public, and the role of nostalgia, in heritage (itself a pretty heavily nostalgia ridden word).

The TV show was looking at the demise of the British Railway system under the so called Beeching Axe, a name that I grew up spitting out with a certain amount of venom… Beeching was after all presumed (perhaps somewhat unfairly) to be the man behind the destruction of not only the railway system, but also the British working class traditions of the railway jaunt to the seaside, as well as the small village stations, that now lay all around me decaying in the countryside – playing on the “old railway” tracks was probably a common pass time for many of my generation.

What I am interested in thinking about more is basically the following things:

1. The protests against the closures, such as the continued protest held by Madge Elliot from Hawick, who delivered a petition against the closure of the ‘Waverly Line’ in 1968. And helped organise a symbolic protest which used the banner “its quicker by hearse” – the use of comedy reminded me of similar actions in the later direct actions of the 60’s, 70’s and 90’s. These aren’t stories you hear much of – failed protests aren’t stories you general do hear about – after all a glorious failure is still a failure! But they are incredibly significant parts of British history.

2. The ‘Heritage Railways’ as nostalgic tourist attractions where people literally transport themselves into an imagined view of their own past – Literally then voyages into nostalgia.

Interestingly, the line mentiond above that was the scene of protests is currently being rebuilt by volunteers to become a heritage railway. These amazing examples of “conservation/restoration” are pretty much ignored by our profession.

3.The potential to see the age of collective power in Britain as declining in the wake of the decline of collective transportation…. and the advent and growth of the atomised transportation system, and the atomised individual. The Car!

* A radio show on BBC 4 about the railway closure can be listened to here.