BBC 2, FULL STEAM AHEAD SYNOPSIS
EPISODE 1: Thursday 21st July, 8pm
In this episode the team explore how steam railways
in the early 19th century changed the way we lived,
from the houses we lived in to the food we ate.
The team stop at Ffestiniog Railway in Snowdonia
and see how slate, used to cover roofs around the
country were moved down the mountains by rail.
Alex experiences the brutal conditions faced by miners in the Llechwedd Quarry and the
crew take an exhilarating ride on the ‘gravity train’.
Ruth gets on the loco’s footplate at Fox fields Railway in Staffordshire helping to drive it up
the steepest standard gauge railway in Britain and explores the importance of coal during
the Victorian period.
EPISODE 2: Thursday 28th July, 8pm
The team visit Beamish in County Durham to explore
how the railway companies soon recognised that there
was money to be made in moving people, rather than
just stone, coal and iron.
Peter and Alex are put through their paces as they
come up against the harsh realities faced by the
Navvies, who built thousands of miles of track right
across Britain.
Ruth finds out what impact the railway had on cottage industries and looks at the role that
horsehair played in making the carriages people-friendly.
The team check out the Bluebell line to see the new job roles that emerged from the railway
and discover the downside of compartment-only carriages.
EPISODE 3: Thursday 4th August, 8pm
This week the team find out how the railways transformed
the British diet, rescuing a nation that was struggling to
feed itself.
Alex and Peter load a flock of sheep onto a train and
discover how the railway transformed the quality and
quantity of meat available to the Victorian.
Following in the footsteps of Britain’s ‘herring girls’, Ruth
reveals how the North Yorkshire Moors Railway revived the
fortunes of Whitby by turning it into a thriving fishing town.
While in Yorkshire, Ruth also finds out how rhubarb production flourished due to the
Railway.
Peter delves into how steam powered engines revolutionised production at Britain’s oldest
brewery. Meanwhile Alex boards a locomotive on the ‘watercress line' in Hampshire,
discovering how the railway brought the nutritional salad to the masses.
EPISODE 4: Thursday 11th August, 8pm
At the National Railway Museum, Alex and Peter help
get the Flying Scotsman, the most famous locomotive in
the world, into steam. The team take a ride of a lifetime
on the original Flying Scotsman’s route from London to
Edinburgh and Alex finds out what it’s like to cater for
250 passengers.
Peter heads to the Great Central Railway to find out how
the railways revolutionised mail while Ruth helps tyre a
wheel at the South Devon Railway workshop.
At Milton Keynes Museum the boys learn about the railway’s involvement in the first ever
instant communication service.
In Bristol, Alex discovers how the railways were responsible for bringing the nation into
sync, while Peter learns how the railways brought Britain current news for the first time.
EPISODE FIVE: Thursday 18th August, 8pm
In this episode the team head to the South Devon
Railway to explore the life of the branch line before the
Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Ruth hand-milks a local
breed of cow, and discovers how they came to the
rescue when a deadly disease wiped out London cattle.
At the South Devon Railway Peter gets on the footplate
and meets Dave Knowling, a steam-engine driver of 63
years’ experience, who shows Peter how it’s done.
With 500 fatalities and 16,000 injuries in one year working on the railways, Ruth finds out
how the workshop at the Great Western Railway was kept busy supplying prosthetic limbs.
Alex and Peter take a trip to Strathspey Railway, and find out about one of Scotland’s most
lucrative exports while at the Gwili Line. Ruth looks at how the railways gave birth to mail
order catalogues.
EPISODE SIX Thursday 25th August, 8pm
In the final episode the team find out how the
combination of increased leisure time and affordable rail
transport brought a new kind of freedom for workingclass Victorians. Ruth travels along the beautiful South
Devon coast where she helps prep a paddle steamer for a journey up the River Dart.
At Swanage, Peter finds out what it was like to work on the excursion trains and the effect
mass tourism had to the area. Alex discovers how railways enabled geologists and amateur
fossil-hunters to explore Britain’s prehistoric past.
In the heart of the capital, Ruth visits the landmark hotel built by the Midland Railway at St
Pancras Station and finds out how the railways made London a tourist destination before
embarking on a Victorian shopping spree.
The steam fair comes to town and Peter helps prepare the gallopers while Alex takes to the
road in a steam car and discovers just how fast they could go.
For more images see: www.bbcpictures.co.uk.