Michael Portillo on the West Somerset Railway

[jules]

I've just remembered the name of the programme - it was 'The Train Now Departing' and it was 1988. But I don't think it was the one with John Peel narrating. There are a number of YouTube clips from the series.

Thanks - I shall watch some of that later. Just watched 5 mins of one programme and it's similar, but not the one I was thinking of. The one I remember was definitely John Peel. I'll have to try a bit of YouTube searching myself later ...

[buxton4472]

After suggesting the YouTube clips I came across a rather nice archive of BBC programmes from both TV (1960s - 1980s) and radio (back to the 1930s) which I must admit never realised existed. There are about twenty in all starting with

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/steamtrains/7304.shtml

Apologies if this is all common knowledge to you all.

There seemed to be a crop of rail-orientated programmes in the 80's. Besides 'The Train Now Departing', Miles Kington (et al ?) fronted a very amiable series called 'Steam Days', and then there were the first few series of Great Railway Journeys, the climax of which for me was Cape Town to the Zambezi, with Michael Wood. (Even my wife tolerates me re-watching that episode for her chance to swoon at the sight of Mr Wood in an open shirt and tight jeans!). Bacause the CT-Zambezi episode was filmed during the last days of Rhodesia with the bush war very much still in progress, the historical significance of those days is very tangible in the programme. And the sight and sound of the SAR 25s and 25NCs in full cry across the Karoo was incredibly exhilarating. Why the BBC never released that first series on DVD I shall never know.

[buxton4472]

The one I remember was definitely John Peel. I'll have to try a bit of YouTube searching myself later ...

You are absolutely correct! Classic Trains - Found it here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAj0mOamChk

[jules]

The one I remember was definitely John Peel. I'll have to try a bit of YouTube searching myself later ...

You are absolutely correct! Classic Trains - Found it here :

That's the one! Now to find the bit with the freight train and the song

An excellent series - I know what I'll be doing tonight!

Thanks very much for your help in finding it ...

[Ian L Jamieson]

Oh dear
You clearly don't like the man. But there is no need to lower yourself to name calling though.

Oh I don't mind him as a person. It's just his noxious politics and beliefs I don't like and I won't make any secret about it, anywhere!

His breaking out into TV has always made me think he is probably ashamed of his own past!

Well, yes. I don't care for his politics either, and I don't really care if he is a good presenter, or otherwise, but despite starting this thread, I have enjoyed his meanderings - notwithstanding the apparent lack of continuity.

Now, the one who really gets my goat is Guy Martin, who did a series on our industrial past several weeks ago. Apart from the fact that he seems quite unable to string more than two syllables together, he was standing by an ex-GWR tank engine which he constantly referred to as a train! I gave up after six minutes - it was too painful. Surely, if a presenter is going to give a discourse on a subject, the very least they could do is get the terminology correct.

This betrays a complete lack of thought because a moderately intelligent person should be able to work out that a train is a string of whatever, in this case carriages or wagons, not the locomotive itself.

Ooh! I feel so much better now. Incidentally, in the Scottish Highlands we had our first 'real' snow of winter last night. It has all disappearecd today, though.

[Robin Summerhill]

I've just remembered the name of the programme - it was 'The Train Now Departing' and it was 1988. But I don't think it was the one with John Peel narrating. There are a number of YouTube clips from the series.

Thanks - I shall watch some of that later. Just watched 5 mins of one programme and it's similar, but not the one I was thinking of. The one I remember was definitely John Peel. I'll have to try a bit of YouTube searching myself later ...

"The Train Now Departing" was indeed produced in 1988, marking 20 years after the end of steam. There were 6 episodes and I've got them all on video.

Johm Peel did a "classic" series - IIRC, Classic Trains, Classic Buses and Classic Trucks. I archived most of them as well, and watched one of the "trains" ones the other night after the subject had been brought up. I have to say that personally I preferred the "buses" and "trucks" ones. In the latter, there was an old truck driver interviewed who talked about going up Shap on the old A6 in first gear, with a brick on the accelerator. He then had a chance to read the paper

Whilst we're talking about this subject, what do others think about the "Locomotion" series currently running on BBC?

[buxton4472]

Whilst we're talking about this subject, what do others think about the "Locomotion" series currently running on BBC?

For me the first instalment was disappointing - the title 'Locomotion' suggested that it would be more about the nuts and bolts of the railways but there was precious little of such. I suppose 'Locomotion' sounds a lot less dry than 'An Abridged Social History of Britain's Railways'!

[buxton4472]

Brilliant - the best bit of misplaced rail clip yet! Portillo was in Ireland in tonight's offering, so inserted in a particularly boring treatise on Irish butter-making was a shot of a 9F on a fitted freight. Running on the sleepers I assume!

[jules]

Well I found the song, just as I remembered it, great song

It is in Classic Trains - Loaded (Part 2) 5 mins 20 seconds in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbU50kIikhA

Perhaps you could learn it Robin and give us a rendition at The Barley Mow on the 18th?

[jules]

I am so glad Classic Trains has been re-discovered via efforts here

Just enjoyed "Suburban Dreams". I know Roy will love all the slam door stock at the start of it Enough to make an H+S man keel over ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdfrwip2u7Y

Also, the ex LU driver on Sarah Siddons is funny. I particularly liked the sound of the series/parallel tap changers working on that loco. Nice!

Going back to the original subject, I think railway TV programmes were far better made 15 years ago (youtube says it was 1999, but I am guessing earlier ... )

[the green mile]

Absolutely priceless material! Poetry in motion. I have come to the conclusion that slam door stock arriving at a London terminus was the inspiration for the Mexican Wave.

[Ian L Jamieson]

Whilst we're talking about this subject, what do others think about the "Locomotion" series currently running on BBC?

Well, I've seen all the episodes, and I was quite impressed. I think that Dan Snow is a good presenter for this kind of thing and appears to have researched his subject well. I enjoyed it.

[Ian L Jamieson]

Brilliant - the best bit of misplaced rail clip yet! Portillo was in Ireland in tonight's offering, so inserted in a particularly boring treatise on Irish butter-making was a shot of a 9F on a fitted freight. Running on the sleepers I assume!

Yes! It was exactly this sort of calamity that made me start this thread in the first place. But so what! Let's insert a picture of a train - any train - doesn't matter that it's not an Irish one!

[Robin Summerhill]

Do you see where I'm coming from? I suppose my argument can be summarised as "if you're going to take on a job, do it properly"

Fully understand. However, I'm sure cost is the issue. it's probably the best attempt at a niche interest by a researcher who is not probably paid enough or doesn't have access to suitable archives due to budget restrictions.

Current affairs stuff you mention is a bit of a red herring, as that's far more public interest than a hobbyist's programme, it affects more people, therefore would attract more budget. I'm just happy that they're giving trains the nod, in a rather pleasant and enthusiastic way, rather than dishing out another smug knockdown of "anoraks".

I started off by more or less agreeing with you regarding the "red herring" remark, but then the more I thought about it I decided I didn't, hence the 3-day delay before replying

I don't believe that the Portillo series is a "hobbyists programme" in the full sense of the word. Other programmes we have discussed on this thread and others (Steam Days, Classic Trains, Railway Roundup etc) were aimed at the railway enthusiast market. Portillo is using trains as a vehicle (in two senses of the word) to link together snippets of local interest that often if not usually have little to do with railways. You could argue that it is more of a travelogue style programme than a railway programme.

The very fact that it is not aimed solely at the railway enthuisiasts market is, I suggest, one of the reasons why these non-sequiturs are appearing in the prgrammes, and I come back to my original assertion that the production team can't be bothered to do the job properly because they think its not relevant. The thinking might be "Portillo is going from a puncutre-mending festival in Hereford to a bell-polishing club in Worcester so who the hell cares if we throw in a shot of an AL6 with a rake of Mk 1s half way up Shap to link the two together?"

Personally I think it matters for three reasons. Firstly, it is inaccurate from a geographic point of view. Secondly, it is inaccurate from a railway point of view. Thirdly (to pick up on my tongue-in-cheek example), any non-railway enthusiast who decides to follow in Portillo's footsteps and go to the same bunfights in Hereford and Worcester, might think they're on the wrong train because they can't see the overhead catenary or the mountains between Ledbury and Colwall...

[buxton4472]

.... The thinking might be "Portillo is going from a puncutre-mending festival in Hereford to a bell-polishing club in Worcester ... )

Oh, for a spoof episode!!!!....

(scene 22 : Foregate street, Worcester - enter stage left Mr. Portillo sporting lime-green jacket and turquoise trousers fresh from best-apponted hotel in Hereford and a Dunlop puncture patch stuck jauntily across forehead, enter stage right octegenarian bell-polisher Mr. Bong brandishing an empty polish can held in verdigris-stained wizened hand)
Mr Portillo : So what effect did the coming of the railway have on the bell-polishing industry in Worcester?
Mr. Bong : Oh, it was incredibly important - it meant that supplies of Brasso took one-tenth the time it used to take .....blah blah blah zzzzzzz
(exit stage left Mr. Portillo, to best-appointed hotel in Worcester, exit stage right Mr. Bong to ironmonger's store) (cut to Babbacombe cliff railway)