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Some of the most negative aspects of the Beeching era were the closure mentality it encouraged amongst BR management, the mad panic and irreversibility of closure together with the dishonesty about passenger numbers and the so-called losses incurred by branch lines. Even a child would have been able to point out to Beeching how much main line revenue was generated from the branch lines so, when you close the branch lines - surprise, surprise - greater losses on the main lines.
I was too young to get involved in any opposition to the closure in 1966 of the "Steyning Line" between Shoreham and Horsham and I don't know how vigorous a campaign was launched to try and save it. Do any other Forum members know? All I know is that BR, in their usual dishonest way at the time, later tried to claim they "regretted" closing the line - whilst they continued the closure programme elsewhere.
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