British Railways



British Rail, also known as the Other Railway or British Railways, is the company owned by Britain following the merger of the "Big Four" (the LMS, LNER, SR, and GWR) in 1948. This company lasted from 1948 to 1995 when it was privatized and divided up into different companies. The Island of Sodor was never really affected by the formation of British Rail, or its demise.

Modernization
A report was published in December of 1954 to bring the railway into the 20th century. In 1956 another report stated that modernization would help reduce BR's budget problems. In this plan was the the requirement to remove steam engines and replace them with Diesel and electric locomotives; this led to the demise of British Mainline Steam by 1968. It appears, however, that the North Western Railway was exempted from this rule.

The introduction of "Rail Blue" brought in the introduction of the new logo.

In the Railway Series
British Rail's biggest appearance in the series is in the form of diesel locomotives who come on trial, and usually fail, misbehave, get embarrassed, or are rude.

Though good, helpful engines have arrived, over the years such as: Daisy, BoCo, Bear, Pip and Emma, and the Works Diesel, all of which, due to there pleasant attitudes, are now owned by the North Western Railway (with the exception of the Works Diesel).

The first mention of the railway was in The Eight Famous Engines, when Gordon, Duck, and a foreign engine get into an argument over which station serves London. (Each having never been on the other companies' lines, thought that their's was the only station; when, in fact, there are over 10, thus leading to an argument over which station was in London; King's Cross, Paddington, or Euston.)

The North Western Railway's main line connects with BR's main line just over the bridge to the main land.

BR is made to appear as cruel to steam engines in The Railway Series, as it is explaned that steam engines are being scrapped to make way for diesels as part of the 1955 Modernazation Plan. The policys are even attacked in books such as Enterprising Engines and Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine. In these books, The Fat Controller and his engines admit that what they are doing is "cruel".

Privatization
British Rail was Privatized in 1995, and divided into over 20 different companies, none of these have ever been mentioned in the series (or privatization itself).