A LIFE REMEMBERED

Cyril Bleasdale OBE, who died on March 27 at the age of 87 after a short illness, never shied away from major challenges.

He was the popular and highly successful Director of InterCity, taking on one of the most senior jobs in British Rail at a time of high inflation, declining traffic, and largely disinterested Transport Ministers.

Even if his paymasters had grey faces, Cyril was a clear-thinking and charismatic hands-on figure who commanded respect from his workforces as well as his suppliers. He sometimes went a little too far, such as when he took part in a parachute jump that he sponsored, and suffered a broken leg when he landed too heavily.

Cyril joined BR in 1950 as a booking clerk, and he was already a stationmaster by the age of 21. He was appointed Group Manager of British Transport Advertising in 1967, and ascended to London Midland

Region Freight Marketing Manager in 1969 and Divisional Manager, Doncaster in 1975. When he became its MD later the same year, Freightliners Limited was at a low ebb having just slashed many of its long-distance services in an attempt to stay afloat.

Becoming the boss of InterCity’s 2,000-mile network when it was ‘sectorised’ in January 1982 was jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, but Cyril proved the perfect choice.

Set the task of steering the flagship business quickly into profit, he knew that only the West Coast Main Line was electrified, and that its rolling stock was worn out. The others - the East Coast, Great Western, Midland Main Lines and Cross-Country services - has just received their ‘stop gap’ HSTs.

Productivity was everything, and Cyril achieved what was believed impossible by steering InterCity into the black for six successive years.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, however, because he didn’t get all the new Mk 3 coaches he asked for, while the ill-fated launch of the Advanced Passenger Train was also under his watch.

He retired from the British Railways Board in 1996, and leaves a wife Katy and two daughters, Jane and Emma.

HOWARD JOHNSTON