FORTY years after Dr Beeching's landmark report on railway reform, the National Railway Museum, in York, is celebrating the British Rail (BR) dynasty with a Cab It event.
This weekend, the museum is offering rare access to the cabs and footplates of 15 former BR locomotives and engines.
The event follows the launch of the museum's latest exhibition, covering 50 years of nationalised railways, including the highly controversial proposals to close railway lines all over Britain announced by Dr Richard Beeching.
Visitors will be invited to step up to the drivers' seats of Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by BR, the newly restored High Speed Train prototype and an EM1 from Britain's first all-electric main line.
Old favourites such as the record-breaking Mallard and BR's most powerful steam locomotive, Duchess of Hamilton, will also have footplate access.
Bob Gwynne, from the museum, said: "The BR era was one of the most important periods in the history of the railways and a natural choice for Cab It. We are offering access to more footplates than ever before."
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