British Rail in the 1980s

The 1980s was a time of great change and uncertainty on Britain’s railways.

There was a pivotal and highly controversial move from British Rail’s large corporate structure based on geographical regions to one organised around ‘business sectors’. 

The new sectors were Intercity, which operated principal express services; Network SouthEast, which handled commuter services in the London area; and Provincial (later named Regional Railways), which was responsible for all other passenger services.

This led to a veritable explosion of colour schemes on locomotives, stock and even station signage, as each sector created their own identity and the previous blue/grey colour schemes steadily disappeared.

But while colour schemes were on the rise, government funding for public subsidies was severely cut, leading to rising ticket prices and a public discontent still present today.

This book covers the transition period of liveries, the phasing out and replacement of stock, electrification as well as public reaction to these changes.

Captured on film by the author across the decade, the images used in this work are sure to stir up a feeling of nostalgia as they present the evolution of British Rail across this infamous period of railways history.

ISBN: 978 1 80282 640 1

ISBN: 9781802826401

Author: Paul Nash

Number of Pages: 277

Format: Hardcover

Expected Delivery: 28th March 2026