Abandoned Railways from Above
2024 · SBS · 55 min · 1 season
S01E06 · Scotland
Fri, 21 June, 7:35 pm
Follows an abandoned line from Carlise to Edinburgh, which connects communities in this remote area of the country, as well as England with Scotland; explores the site of what used to be the largest factory in the world, north of Gretna.
About
All over Britain there are abandoned railways with fascinating stories waiting to be explored from above.
Lost behind old stone walls, buried in forests and hidden in the landscape, 5000 miles of railway and 2000 station remain forgotten.
In every episode we will explore a different lost railway line with its own unique history. We'll reveal the vibrant industries that were once dotted along its route, we'll examine the ingenious engineering that was needed to build it, and we'll see how it transformed the life of people in the cities, towns, and villages that it once passed through.
Across the series we'll be transported back in time to see Britain in a new and surprising way.
Episodes
- E01
Somerset
Fri, 17 May· 55 minExplores a lost line that was known for its holiday trains and crosses some of Britain's most picturesque countryside in Somerset and Dorset.
- E02
Oxford
Fri, 24 May· 55 minExplores a route that connected two of Britain's most prestigious universities and acted as a secret weapon for the country during WWII.
- E03
Scarborough
Fri, 31 May· 55 minExplores a line that ran between two of Britain's most popular resort towns, Scarborough and Whitby, to see how railways transformed them into tourist destinations.
- E04
Wales
Fri, 7 June· 55 minExplores a route in Wales from Aberystwyth to Carmarthen that helped rural communities thrive and brought with it an industrial boom in the region.
- E05
York
Fri, 14 June· 55 minExplores a line that intertwines with the fortune of the Railway King, George Hudson. The journey starts at York's first permanent railway station, then moves to the 12,000-acre estate in Londesborough and finally to Hull.
- E06
Scotland
Fri, 21 June· 55 minFollows an abandoned line from Carlise to Edinburgh, which connects communities in this remote area of the country, as well as England with Scotland; explores the site of what used to be the largest factory in the world, north of Gretna.
Cast
Rhoda Ofori-Attah
Narrator