The Steam Gallery Presents Restoration Railways

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THE SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY

Running between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth, the 16 miles of reopened track of the Severn Valley Railway is one of the longest Heritage Railways in the country and runs through one of the most picturesque valleys in the West Midlands. This charming documentary from 2005 tells the story of the history of the SVR, from conception through opening in 1862 to its final closure at the hands of Beeching in 1962.

DEAN FOREST RAILWAY

Set in the picturesque and tranquil Royal Forest in Gloucester, the Dean Forest Railway winds its way from the line’s HQ at Norchard through Lydney Town and St Mary’s Halt to Lydney Junction at one end, and Whitecroft and Parkend at the other. With plenty to see, this is one of the UK’s most enchanting restoration railways and this 2005 documentary shows the route at its best.

THE BATTLEFIELD LINE

Opened in 1873 as the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway, the Battlefield Line was renamed by its present owners when the track was re-laid back to Shenton Station, which partly stands on the site of 1845’s Battle of Bosworth. Traffic ceased on the original line as early as 1931, before its final closure in 1970, since when the Shackerston Railway Society has gradually rebuilt part of the line from Shackerston to Shenton, and today a pleasant ride can be enjoyed through the Leicestershire countryside. The line features a host of rolling stock and some impressive buildings, as well as a fine museum. This 2005 programme celebrates the line, its history and its current custodians.

BRECON MOUNTAIN RAILWAY

Telling the story of two railway companies in this documentary from 2005: first, the Brecon Mountain Railway, a heritage track opened in 1980, its narrow-gauge track having been laid over the original track bed of the second, the Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway Company. The BMR line runs from Pant Station to just short of the Summit or Torpantau Tunnel, at 1313 feet, the highest ever built in the UK. Once renowned as the most spectacular in the land, the Brecon and Merthyr northern section delighted passengers with magnificent views of old locomotives struggling at the head of their charges as they attempted to pull them over gradients of up to 1:38, over the mountains and through the valleys, past the reservoirs between Brecon and Merthyr.