A Pictorial History of BRS

BKS

First published in 1982, this is an
informed and highly illustrated account
of British Road Services.
The organisation was created by
government in 1947 as a response to the
long-cherished ambition to have an
integrated transport system.

Hundreds of transport firms were
nationalised so that when BRS was
created it accounted for virtually all
the country’s transport activities,
apart from rail and canals.

Once the initial problems of absorbing
a vast polyglot fleet were overcome, in
1950 the Road Haulage Executive turned
its attention to streamlining the whole
BRS operation. However, the
denationalisation in 1953-56 meant that
the company now had to survive by its
own efforts. Even then, government
interference was not at an end. BRS was
encouraged to expand its fleet by
selective acquisition of rivals and to
achieve a closer integration with
British Railways.

Nick Baldwin covers this story in
detail, with many evocative photographs
of the fleet at work. He goes on to
deal with other aspects of the company
such as the parcels service and
Pickfords, before concluding his
account in the early 1980s. The
emphasis of the regional companies now
was to move away from general transport
to concentrate on specialist transport
and distribution services to haulage
customers.

Contents:-

Nationalisation 1947-49 – growth and
consolidation 1950-53 –
denationalisation 1953-56 – Phoenix
1957-62 – full speed ahead 1963-68 –
livery and lettering – parcels –
Bristol and other manufacturing
interests –Pickfords – meat and motors
– by road across the sea – contracts
and rental – recent vehicle buying
policy – the NFC revolution 1969-82

Over 250 Photographs – 16 Pages Colour
Published 1982 – Reprinted 2008

• 128 pages
• Over 250 photographs, 16 pages colour
• Hardback book
• 285mm x 212mm