Countryfile – Wensleydale Railway: A steam whistle echoes through the rolling green hills. It is a sound that carries memories across the decades. In a special series of four programmes, Countryfile invites you on a remarkable journey.
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Bettany Hughes – Exploring India’s Treasures – The South – Bettany could hardly contain her excitement as the train slowly chugged its way up the lush green hills of Tamil Nadu, bound for the picturesque hill station of Udhagamandalam, more affectionately known as Ooty. She had been looking forward to this trip for months and now it was finally happening. As she gazed out the window, marveling at the stunning valleys and rolling tea estates that flashed by, she thought back to how it all began. Bettany Hughes had stumbled upon some enchanting photos of the famous Nilgiri Mountain Railway
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Locomotion: Dan Snow’s History of Railways episode 3 – Dan Snow traces the development of Britain’s railways from the late 19th century to the outbreak of World War II. During this time the railways changed the economy profoundly. Over just 50 years, Britain’s railways grew from a handful of small lines carrying coal to the biggest industry in the strongest nation on the planet. A nation had built the railways and now those railways would build a nation, influencing working conditions for its employees, proving a valuable export across the globe and even changing warfare. Yet the
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Locomotion: Dan Snow’s History of Railways episode 2 – Dan Snow traces the development of Britain’s railways, from the beginnings of a true national network in the late 1830s through to the end of the ‘railway mania’ in 1847. In the late 1830s, the railways arrived in London and linked the capital to Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. This was the start of a truly national network – and one of the greatest civil engineering projects in history. The spread of the railways triggered a mania across Britain. Railway tycoons like Samuel Morton Peto and George Hudson made
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Locomotion: Dan Snow’s History of Railways episode 1 – Dan Snow looks at how, from their beginnings as track-ways for coal carts in the early 18th century, railways developed into the pivotal technology for modern Britain. From their beginnings as a primitive system of track-ways for coal carts in the early 18th century, railways quickly developed into the driving force behind the industrial revolution and the pivotal technology for modern Britain, and a connected world. Rapid industrial growth during the early 19th century, coupled with the prospect of vast profits, drove inventors and entrepreneurs to develop steam
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India’s Frontier Railways – The Last Train in Nepal: In 1927 a British civil servant drew a line on a map to define the border between their Indian empire and the kingdom of Nepal. Today, that border line is only marked by a chain of boundary stones and pillars – it’s a border that is almost invisible. This is the story of an international railway line. It runs for 20 miles from the little-known town of Janakpur in Nepal and crosses over the border to Jaynagar junction in India. But now the last train in Nepal is
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India’s Frontier Railways – Maitree Express: Filmed during the holy month of Ramadan, this is a journey from India into Bangladesh on a train that reunites the region of Bengal. Partitioned in 1947, Bengal was divided in half, creating East Pakistan – a satellite state ruled by Pakistan. It was an unwelcome occupation. In 1971, they fought a war of independence and East Pakistan became the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. 37 years later, the first train ran between India and Bangladesh – the Maitree Express. Maitree means friendship. It takes 12 hours to make the 392km journey
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Great Scenic Rail Journeys – 150 Years on the Track: Hosted by Grammy-winning musician David Holt, this travel program explores many historic and scenic tourist railroads in North America. More than just a tour, the program shows how these railroads defined the spirit of an era, creating a new industry and re-writing the history of transportation. Featured railways include Verde Canyon Railroad and Branson Scenic Railway, among others. Host David Holt presents the stories of historic and scenic tourist railroads from across the U.S. Great Scenic Rail Journeys – 150 Years on the Track Verde Canyon
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Chris sets out to reach the northernmost railway station on Earth in an epic 2000-mile adventure from Moscow into Arctic Siberia.
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Chris continues his exploration of the world’s most extreme railway lines. From the tiny coastal town of Tocopilla, Chris rides one of the steepest railways in the world as he scales the first 1,000 metres of the Andes.
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