Corgi 1/76 DG214001 Thornycroft Nippy Flatbed Model British Rail

The British railway system is the oldest in the world. It consists of almost 16,536 km (10,274 miles) of standard gauge track, of which 4,928 km (3,062 miles) is electrified. Rail freight services have been in steady decline since the 1950s. Statistics of freight show that 87 million tonnes of freight was lifted in the 2002-3 period, against 138 million tonnes in 1986-7, a decrease of 37%. 18.7 billion nett tonne kilometres of freight movement were recorded in 2002-3, against 16.6 billion in 1986-7, an increase of 13%.