Making Tracks

Season 1, Episode 1: “From the Great Central Railway, Leicestershire (15/10/93, BBC1)”

The first MT feature was a look at steam around the famous Wolsztyn depot in Poland, a rare hive of steam activity in Europe which still remains a mecca for rail enthusiasts. This was followed by the first of what would become a regular look at British main line excursions, which included 777 Sir Lamiel and 4771 Green Arrow on the Settle and Carlisle line, 60009 Union of South Africa on the Marches line, 6998 Burton Agnes Hall on Didcot-Oxford shuttles, and 4472 Flying Scotsman on shuttles between Cambridge and King’s Lynn. The main feature on the Great Central Railway was filmed during a significant gala, with ten locomotives filmed: 5231, 5593 Kolhapur, 7029 Clun Castle, 7760, 30926 Repton, 34105 Swanage, 35005 Canadian Pacific, 68009, 68088, and the replica of Planet. The episode was completed by a look at the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad in the USA, including spectacular footage of the railroad’s steam-powered rotary snowplough.