British Steam in the North of England DVD - Description
The steam railway
has been part of Britain’s
heritage for 200 years. In that time it has evolved from the cutting edge of
technology, through the driving force of industrial expansion, to the accepted
form of transport and, more recently, a much-loved, living, part of our
industrial legacy.
In this programme,
using film shot over the last quarter of a century, we reflect upon the
development of steam and celebrate our great railway heritage.
It all began in
the North of England. The great iron and steel works and the coal mines that
powered them needed transport, and the railways provided it
Industrial steam
keeps the original pioneering spirit alive, and we go to the Tanfield Railway
where the world’s oldest railway bridge still stands. Small engines have big
hearts and their fine liveries extol the beauty of the steam locomotive. In the
magnificent North Yorkshire Moors an historic line built by the great George
Stephenson still carries millions of passengers every year and we see
locomotives working flat out up the fierce gradients.
In the heart of
the country, lines of the LMS and LNER all have industrial roots and we reflect
upon how things have changed here, even though the steam railway remains true
to its origins.
