The NOSTALGIA Collection

 

The Great Western Railway possessed a magical romance and individuality all of its own and even though it passed into the annuls of history more than half a century ago it is still regarded by many to rise head and shoulders above any railway company that has operated train services in Britain.

Isambard Kingdom Brunnel, the engineer of world wide renown, was instrumental in the creation of the early Great Western Railway network in the first half of the 19th century. Often refered to as “God’s Wonderful Railway”, the GWR blossomed and grew over the years and became the only railway company to maintain its identity following the grouping of railway companies in the 1920s. An air of individuality could still be felt over the Western Region of BR following nationalisation in 1948, which spelt the demise of the once proud Great Western Railway.

The infamous “Beeching Axe” pared away great chunks of former GWR route miles, the more rural branch lines being virtually wiped completely from the railway map. Modernisation and the replacement of steam engines with shiny new diesel engines changed the look of train formations forever, whilst the appearance of stations has also changed drastically since the Great Western last ran trains in the late 1940s.

This programme takes a look at some of the aspects of the Great Western Railway that have been preserved for us all to savor – the distinctive locomotives, with copper capped chimneys and shiny brass work and the closed sections of line that now live again as heritage railways.

The Severn Valley Railway, The South Devon Railway, The Llangollen Railway, The West Somerset Railway and others are visited along with The Gloucestershire, Warwickshire Railway, where the 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway was being celebrated.Running time: Approx. 110 min

Code: 8009
Format: DVD
RRP: £18.95
Narration: Danny Hopkins