The railways were nationalised in 1948, in a state of collapse. They were then built up as an integrated system until the 1960s, when the Beeching reforms attempted to transform them into an intercity service, and a freight service (aided by the questionable and possibly corrupt expansion of the motorways by a motorway construction executive who was also Minister of Transport, Ernest Marples, between 1959 and 1964.) This involved closing lots of small lines and network points. The service did prosper, and invested in advanced passenger trains, but was starved of funds by government during the stagflationary episode of 1973-1983. It was then privatised in 1992. A nationalised or integrated railway has positive externalities in terms of geographical mobility, though these have only recently become apparent. In the 1980s, consumers were still discovering the car, which became a more flexible and personal substitute, especially as the expansion of finance allowed more people to own t