I can't agree with you there, it was only the unions which kept firemen
and guards on trains in the sixties for safety reasons when the B.R.B.
Wanted single manning for economy, bugger the safety.
--
Clive.

Yes, and had that double-manning (which was insisted on by unions not for
safety reasons but to keep jobs for their members) been discontinued, it is
arguable that the Beeching axe would have fallen less heavily since the sheer
uneconomic nature of the over-manned railways led to the closure of many lines
that might otherwise have remained open. If those lines had remained open, the
railways and passengers would have benefited ultimately, but this isn't
something about which the union leaders at the time could then (as now) give a
fig.

Marc.