RAILDATE 2023.02.24

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The Weekly Poser: Where is this?

More from the RCTS Photo Archive, a 1936 photo by J.R.W.Kirkby. Focus on the buildings on the left. Where is it?

Please email your answers to raildate.co.uk@gmail.com

Last week's Where is this?

Where is this satellite view of?

Answer: Edinburgh, looking north-west. Congratulations are due to the following for their correct answers: Richard Maund, Neil Kearns, and Paul Hopper.

Arthur's Seat is the brown-green area in the centre of the image, with the Old and New Towns and Waverley Station just above it. The marshalling yard in the foreground is Millerhill.

The station marked by the double-arrow is Musselburgh, which dates from 1988. It is a little way out of Musselburgh itself, and on the opposite side of the river Esk, but the original town centre branch closed to passengers in 1964.

The Railway Clearing House diagram of 1903 shows the Musselburgh branch. Also St Leonard's station adjacent to Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh's first station but closed to passengers as early as 1846.

TELEVISION

UK television listings with a transport theme for the next eight days

Click me to open/close [Online only, not in the weekly email]

The television service was missing last week, for which I apologise, but is now back.

A Hard Day's Night (1964) -:- The Beatles, harassed by their manager and Paul's grandfather, embark on a train journey to London for a TV show, but find themselves dogged by all manner of problems, including the inevitable overexcited fans. Musical comedy, starring the Fab Four alongside Wilfrid Brambell, Victor Spinetti and Anna Quayle. Songs include Can't Buy Me Love, Don't Bother Me and the title track

Air Crash Investigation -:- Investigators make a shocking discovery that threatens Russia's aviation system when a plane crashes onto the trans-Siberian railway, leaving all 88 people on board dead

Around the World by Train with Tony Robinson -:- The actor enjoys a 10,000km journey along the Trans-Siberian Railway, a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East. In Khabarovsk, Tony is met by the extraordinary sight of the River Amur, frozen solid. He's invited to warm up over dinner with a group of locals who offer him a taste of their home-brewed vodka. Tony then re-joins the rails, learning about how Russia has changed since the days of communism. Further stops on his tour are Yekaterinburg, in the foothills of the Ural Mountains and Red Square in Moscow, before he heads west towards Finland's capital city, Helsinki

Around the World by Train with Tony Robinson -:- The last leg of Tony's round the world adventure begins deep in the Arctic Circle. His first stop is at a Polar Park working with wolves on a fascinating but brave project. Tony then rides the Arctic Circle Train south to the town of Kiruna, on the edge of Swedish Lapland, which is undergoing a very unique transformation as it's being moved building by building to a whole new area. Tony also gets to see behind the scenes at the famous Ice Hotel, a structure which is rebuilt every year from ice taken from the nearby Torne river and ends his journey at Miniature Wonderland - the world's largest model railway

British Rails Are Long and Fast -:- Short promotional film detailing the production, installation and maintenance for long welded track in use on British Railways

Bullet Train (2022) -:- Unlucky US assassin Ladybug is given a simple mission - retrieve a metal briefcase on a high-speed train departing from Tokyo. The pick-up is too easy, and Ladybug, together with other killers, soon discover their missions have something in common. Director David Leitch's comedy thriller, starring Brad Pitt, Joey King and Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Coastal Railways with Julie Walters -:- The actress travels on the famous Great Western Railway to Cornwall. She recalls childhood holidays when she stops at Torquay before heading to a supposedly haunted castle at Kingswear. She also uncovers tales of smuggling and joins members of the RNLI on a practice run before visiting an unusual cake shop in Penzance

Crooks in Cloisters (1964) -:- Six train robbers hide from the law in a deserted monastery off the Cornish coast, where disguising themselves as monks proves the perfect way of lying low while carrying on with various criminal activities. But the crooks have a hard task keeping up the pretence when two real monks visit the island - especially since one of the gang is a woman. Comedy, with Ronald Fraser, Barbara Windsor, Bernard Cribbins, Wilfrid Brambell and Davy Kaye

Destroyed in Seconds -:- Heavy rains flood Utah and destroy neighbourhoods and an eight storey building collapses in the Filipino capital Manila. Plus, trains crash at a dangerous intersection and a stealth bomber interrupts a picnic

Find It, Fix It, Flog It -:- In Cockermouth, Cumbria, Simon O'Brien and Henry Cole meet blacksmith Jon, who spent many years working on fairgrounds. At the valuation, independent valuer Ronnie Archer-Morgan reckons there's rich pickings to be made from railway memorabilia

Gino's Italian Escape -:- Gino's train journey takes him on a star-studded line-up of Tuscan cities. He begins in Pisa, famous for its leaning tower, and also home of the Vespa scooter, which gives the chef the ideal way to explore the city, before he hops back on the train toward the medieval city of Lucca, the birthplace of composer Puccini. Here, he meets master violin-maker Fabio and rustles up a vegetarian asparagus dish. His final stop is Florence, where he meets Cecilia, one of a network of local cooks keeping traditional recipes alive by opening up her kitchen to guests from all over the world

Gino's Italian Escape -:- The chef leaves Verona on one of Italy's super-fast trains and heads to Lake Garda, the biggest of the Italian lakes. Here he meets a team of rowers training for their annual regatta. After trying his hand at rowing, Gino cooks up a hearty sausage and bean casserole, before jumping on the train and heading to the city of Bolzano. There he creates a deconstructed apple crumble

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Armed with his Edwardian Bradshaw's guide, Michael Portillo conducts important research in an historic tea room, built by an Edwardian immigrant to the city of York. In Leeds he discovers the city's textile heritage, and also investigates Bradford's musical heritage

Great British Railway Journeys -:- In picturesque Snowdonia, Michael Portillo braves the fastest zip line in the world - stretching 1,500 feet across a vast slate quarry as he begins the last leg of his journey to Caernarfon. En route, he also visits the home of British mountaineering, Pen y Gwryd, to hear how an Edwardian journalist and poet created a climbing community, which grew to include men who would conquer Everest in the 1950s

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo begins his journey to the Isle of Man from Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, and examines the cross-border history of the town. Plus, he hears the story of the Pitman Painters of Ashington and learns about the perils of working on the rails in Victorian times

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo continues following the route Queen Victoria took from Windsor Castle to the Isle of Wight, and reveals the oil fields hidden beneath some of England's seaside resorts. During his journey, he also explores the role the Dorset town of Weymouth played in the D-Day landings during the Second World War, and visits the site of Victorian Britain's most famous building rock in Portland

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo discovers micro-mines hidden in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and finds out why the Victorians were so enamoured with Tintern Abbey in the Wye Valley along the border between England and Wales. Plus, he investigates the railway engineering behind the Newport Transporter Bridge

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo discovers the importance of Cardiff's Victorian coal heritage to the city's development. He also finds out why Barry Island has been attached to the mainland since the 19th century, and takes a steam ride through the Brecon Beacons National Park

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo embarks on a journey to Chichester, with the first leg beginning in Norwich. At the city's Norman castle he uncovers the Victorian public's gory fascination with crime and punishment and finds out how campaigners such as Elizabeth Fry worked to improve conditions for prisoners. Heading west to Thetford, he explores how the Victorian appetite for rabbits and their fur led to special train services to London, and ends in the Suffolk town of Brandon, where he tries his hand at flint-knapping

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo embarks on another journey around the nation with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook to discover how the railways have affected people and what remains of Bradshaw's Britain. He begins by travelling from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, to Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, finding out about the remarkable craftsmen behind the Victorian furniture trade, discovering how George Bradshaw helped save Britain's canal heritage and seeing Shakespeare through the eyes of a 19th-century rail tourist

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo embarks on the second leg of his journey from Berwick-upon-Tweed to the Isle of Man, beginning in the Northumberland village of Bardon Mill. He follows in the footsteps of Victorian archaeologists at Hadrian's Wall, discovers how the introduction of ticket machines transformed 19th-century train travel and learns about the impact of railways on the west Cumbrian town of Wigton

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo ends his journey through the west of England and south Wales by exploring the connection between the Victorian railway and Port Talbot's steelworks. He then follows the trail of 19th-century waterfall hunters in Neath, and reveals Milford Haven's whaling past

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo has a go at playing Winchester Cathedral's Victorian organ as he continues his tour of Britain's railways. He also goes behind the scenes at a rail works in Eastleigh that began operating in the 19th century, and travels to the Isle of Wight, one of Queen Victoria's favourite holiday destinations

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo heads to Cumbria, where he visits the Sellafield site that reprocesses fuel from nuclear reactors, drinks a Victorian brew made from the waters of Cockermouth and explores a Japanese-inspired garden created in the 19th century

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo is in Brighton as he starts the final leg of his journey from Norwich to Chichester, learning about the history of the Royal Pavilion. At Bramber, he discovers that Victorian tourists flocked to the town in huge numbers to visit a museum of taxidermy, before heading into the South Downs for a taste of life in the fast lane at Goodwood

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo journeys from Brockenhurst to Poole. He heads to the New Forest, where he seeks venomous adders, discovers a library in Wimborne containing rare books and visits 19th-century potteries that are still trading today

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo learns how the railways helped to make Birmingham the pen-making capital of the world, hears the chilling tale of one of 19th-century Britain's most notorious murderers and samples delicacies concocted in a Victorian kitchen at Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo sets off on a journey from Oxford, through the Malvern Hills toward south Wales. He gets a special view of the city of Oxford, and discovers a unique and colourful crop in the Cotswolds

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo starts the next leg of his journey to Chichester in Faversham, Kent, where he visits Shepherd Neame, which is one of the oldest breweries in Britain. He then heads to Dover to explore a sunken fortress known as the Western Heights, before crossing into Surrey where he blow-dries a hen in Dorking

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo's tour takes him to Alton, Hampshire, where he samples Victorian super food, explores Whitchurch Silk Mill, which has remained untouched for more than 150 years, and drives a steam train on the challenging Watercress Line

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels between Liverpool and Wales. Along the way he discovers a childhood favourite - a miniature tank engine with three carriages in dark red - made by Frank Hornby, and learns the story of a Welsh countess who lived in Gwrych Castle. In Snowdonia, he also rides the waves with a Welsh surfing champion

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Dudley in the West Midlands to Bridgnorth, Shropshire. He learns how Victorian blacksmithing was not for the faint-hearted, rides on one of Britain's most modern trains and traverses the Victoria Bridge at Bewdley in Worcestershire

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Ipswich to Chelmsford, starting at an agricultural implements works with its own railway sidings. Continuing his journey south-west into Essex, Michael dredges for oysters off Mersea Island before taking the train to Witham, where he discovers a model farming establishment at Tiptree. His final destination is Chelmsford, home to the world's first purpose-built radio equipment factory, established by Guglielmo Marconi

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Stoke-on-Trent to Winsford, Cheshire, finding out about one of the greatest locomotive factories in railway history along the way. He also discovers the dark side of the Industrial Revolution and learns how Victorian potteries brought their products to the masses

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels from Welshpool, Powys, to Aberystwyth in Ceredigion. He experiences Victorian entertainment in one of Wales's best-loved resorts, hears how the railways took the country's textiles into the most exclusive households and unleashes the power of a 19th-century engineering triumph

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels to the steel city of Sheffield where he discovers an early 20th century steam engine which produced armour plates for a Royal Navy warship. Then, Michael heads south into Nottinghamshire and to the former pit village of Eastwood, before arriving in Nantwich, where he takes a dip in the briny

Great British Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo visits the Worcestershire village of Hartlebury, which was once home to a bishop who captured Queen Victoria's attention, on the second leg of his journey from Oxford to the south Wales coast. He also investigates the secrets of Worcestershire sauce and learns why the Malvern Hills were popular with 19th-century health enthusiasts

Great British Railway Journeys -:- On the final leg of his journey from Southampton to the West Midlands, Michael Portillo visits the spa town of Cheltenham, where he gets behind the wheel of a very early locomotive carriage that ran on the road. In Tewkesbury, he joins a group re-enacting a battle from the Wars of the Roses, before he reaches his final destination of Wolverhampton, where he hears how Queen Victoria made an emotional visit that signalled the end of her exile from public life after mourning Prince Albert

Great British Railway Journeys -:- On the next leg of his journey, Michael Portillo heads along the Essex bank of the Thames before crossing the river into Kent. He begins in Barkingside, where Victorian philanthropist Thomas Barnardo made it his mission to transform the lives of destitute children. The former politician then tries his hand at loading a container onto a pocket wagon at Tilbury docks, and ends his trip in Rochester, where he encounters a host of familiar characters and explores a town that was an inspiration for many of Charles Dickens' works

Great British Railway Journeys -:- On the next stage of his journey to Wolverhampton, Michael Portillo visits Lacock Abbey near Chippenham in Wiltshire to find out how the world's first photographic negative was made. He then heads to Bristol Zoo, examines an extraordinary piece of Victorian engineering at Severn Tunnel Junction and ends the leg in Gloucester, where he meets a stonemason at the city's cathedral

Great British Ships -:- Rob Bell explores the extraordinary tea clipper Cutty Sark, a ship that endured drunken captains and murderous crews, inspired a whiskey and survived the coming of the steam age. Rob clambers aboard to experience first-hand the beauty and superior design of the ship. He delves into her tragic past - the vagabond years of 'tramping', mistreatment by her captains and desertion by her crews

Great Continental Railway Journeys -:- Michael Portillo travels through Germany, learning about an Edwardian fitness craze in Dresden before heading to Leipzig on a historic line built by British engineers in 1839. He discovers model-railway making on the grandest of scales in Hamburg and ends his journey in Kiel, where he reveals how British yachtsmen spied on the German navy in the early 20th century

Heartbeat -:- Nick investigates the link between trespassers on the local railway line and thefts from a fur factory, culminating in a dramatic chase on board a moving train. Meanwhile, Greengrass acquires a metal detector and thinks he has struck gold - but someone else gets to it first. Nick Berry and Bill Maynard star

Hornby: A Model World -:- The Hornby team attempt to replicate the legendary 9F steam locomotive, using new design technology

How Trains Changed the World -:- The world's 10 busiest metro systems carry more than 22 billion passengers every year. This programme examines the ways the train commute has shaped cities and changed the world

Japan Railway Journal -:- Discover the secrets of Japan's railways, from the newest technologies and systems in use to travel tips and must-see places.

Japan Railway Journal -:- Railway companies have begun taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Japan to net-zero by 2050 - see the next generation of hybrid trains and the efforts made to create a greener railway.

Killer in My Village -:- When a teenager disappears without trace at a Kent train station, painstaking forensic evidence is used to unmask her killer

Massive Engineering Mistakes -:- Experts and witnesses analyse a series of engineering disasters, including what happened when a Baltimore street collapsed onto a railroad

Massive Engineering Mistakes -:- Once considered the eighth Wonder of the World, the Kinzua Bridge was the longest railway bridge in the world. But, a freak tornado destroyed it - why did it fall?

Medical Detectives -:- A train crash in 1993 on Alabama's Bayou Canot bridge, which killed 47 people

Mighty Trains -:- Mountain train the Bernina Express battles against the elements in the Swiss Alps, working across heavy snowfall, massive ice build-up and falling rocks

Mighty Trains -:- South Africa's Rovos Rail, one of the most luxurious locomotives in the world. This family operated train manages to deal with extreme weather and problems such as stolen power lines

Mighty Trains -:- Teddy Wilson takes a breath-taking train journey through Norway. He witnesses stunning scenery and deadly landscapes on the Bergen Railway and Nordland Line

Mighty Trains -:- Thailand's 40-year-old trains, which navigate weather-beaten tracks and challenging terrain. How do they travel through complete chaos to reach their destination?

Mighty Trains -:- The Frecciarossa 1000 and Italo Evo, two of the fastest trains in the world. These high-tech Italian locomotives are capable of negotiating treacherous landscapes

Mighty Trains -:- The Indian Pacific is a massive locomotive that journeys across Australia. How does it traverse some of the most scenic and remote areas a train has ever gone?

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries -:- Phryne and her maid Dot travel by train to collect her new Hispano-Suiza car. The charm of the experience evaporates when she is called upon to solve the disappearance of a fellow passenger's mother and a gruesome murder. Essie Davis stars

Monkman & Seagull's Genius Guide to Britain -:- Eric Monkman and Bobby Seagull head to Northern Ireland, where they find out about the invention of the ejector seat, and visit Armagh Observatory, a railway museum located inside a barber shop, and SS Nomadic, known as Titanic's little sister

Monkman & Seagull's Genius Guide to Britain -:- Eric Monkman and Bobby Seagull head to Wales and discover a strong industrial engineering history, sailing across Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the highest navigable aqueduct in the world. The tiny village of Hawarden gives the duo the opportunity to stay overnight in the UK's only residential library, before they make an attempt on the summit of Mount Snowdon itself - via the mountain's iconic rack-and-pinion narrow gauge steam railway train

Mrs Biggs -:- Drama about the lives of Ronnie Biggs and his wife, Charmian, starring Daniel Mays and Sheridan Smith. The couple first meet on a London commuter train and embark on a passionate affair, after which they elope to the south coast with money he made her steal from work. Ronnie goes to prison, and following his release vows to go straight - but everything changes when he asks old friend Bruce Reynolds to lend him the deposit for a house. Reynolds' money is tied up planning what is to become the biggest heist in British history - the Great Train Robbery - and he manages to wear down Ronnie's reluctance about becoming involved in the crime. With Adrian Scarborough, Caroline Goodall and Jay Simpson

Nazi Megastructures -:- How the Nazis' extensive rail network was put to its most dreadful purpose - transporting prisoners to the concentration camps for execution in vast numbers

Nazi Megastructures -:- The rail network of Nazi Germany, examining Hitler's personal train and how the railways were used as a weapon of war across Europe

Oli Wyn -:- The Snowdonia Mountain Railway is one of Wales' biggest attractions. Oli Wyn takes a peek at Amanda the guard and Kevin the driver's work as they drive a diesel train up and down Wales and England's highest mountain

Paddington Station 24/7 -:- A look at how the festive period affects regular operations at the station, with staff calling in the help of some reindeer and a white owl to get passengers in the mood of the season. Up the line, engineers are working on one of the most important projects of this year's Christmas works - laying a whole new track system outside Oxford Station. Although there is no regular train service at Paddington, staff still need to be on duty on Christmas Day, but they take advantage of the lack of customers by having a rare sit-down lunch together

Paddington Station 24/7 -:- A lorry rips the safety barriers off a level crossing near Didcot after ignoring the warning lights, resulting in a time-consuming operation to talk trains past red signals, while overrunning weekend works at Acton tie up the fast line out of Paddington

Paddington Station 24/7 -:- A member of the public puts his life at risk by running along the tracks, and the station grinds to a halt as all trains are on hold to protect the intruder. New overhead cables are being installed in Newbury as part of the multi-million pound electrification of the Great Western route, but the pressure is on for the engineers who work in teams around the clock to install the new wires

Paddington Station 24/7 -:- A vital piece of track-insulating equipment has failed, throwing train services into chaos, while a nasty surprise awaits engineers as they discover rotten wooden sleepers that disintegrate under foot. Plus, veteran staff are shocked by the reason the 15:00 to Bristol has come to a halt - a driver has tried to start the train from the wrong end, leading it to automatically shut down

Paddington Station 24/7 -:- British Transport Police mount a special operation to stop criminals who are running drugs out of London, while at Bristol an officer must talk down a potentially suicidal woman. A crack that could have fatal consequences is discovered on a rail joint at Acton East and a passenger has fallen between the train and the platform at Paddington

Paddington Station 24/7 -:- The bank holiday works schedule is disrupted when reports come in of a trespasser on the relief lines outside London, forcing the cancellation of all trains leaving Paddington station. However, the total shutdown allows the engineers onto the track to renew large sections of the ageing rail infrastructure. Meanwhile, transport police hunt for a bike thief at Bristol's Temple Meads station

Paddington Station 24/7 -:- There are huge delays after a man is hit by a train at Southall, and more chaos ensues when the power to the track is accidentally switched off. Meanwhile, hundreds of train enthusiasts descend on Paddington to get a glimpse of the world-famous Flying Scotsman

Robbery (1967) -:- A criminal hatches a plot to rob the overnight mail train from Glasgow, assembling a gang of thieves and breaking a currency expert out of jail. Although the gang gets away with millions, a simple mistake while dividing up the loot puts the police on their trail. Drama, inspired by the Great Train Robbery, starring Stanley Baker, Frank Finlay and James Booth

Salvage Hunters -:- In Monmouthshire at the UK's largest stockist of antique railwayana, modern day treasure hunter Drew Pritchard spots some amazing wagon signage. In Gloucestershire he finds a stunning Victorian card table

Send in the Dogs -:- The work of British Transport Police's canine units, which help monitor the safety of commuters on thousands of miles of railway and underground track. The programme follows a spaniel trained to search for drugs, as well as police dogs that help their human handlers control the crowds at football matches. Ken Stott narrates

The Architecture the Railways Built -:- Tim Dunn visits the architecture of the Stockton & Darlington railway, the first passenger steam line in the world and learns how Essex's enormous Chappel Viaduct was built

The Architecture the Railways Built -:- Tim heads north of the border to scale a Scottish railway icon - the Forth Bridge, without doubt one of the engineering wonders of the world

The Great Train Robbery -:- First of a two-part drama by Broadchurch writer Chris Chibnall telling the story of the most infamous heist in British history, beginning with the planning and execution of the crime from the perspective of the perpetrators themselves. After a robbery at Heathrow Airport in 1962, Bruce Reynolds sets his sights on another target - the plan being to rob the overnight mail train from Glasgow to Euston. A team is assembled, schemes are laid out and rehearsals begin. But despite their meticulous planning, the operation is compromised by an attack on the train driver and a botched getaway. Before long, the gang have become the most wanted men in Britain. Luke Evans, Paul Anderson, Martin Compston, Jack Roth and Neil Maskell star

The Great Train Robbery -:- The police wake to the news of a robbery, but the full extent of the crime and its haul - £2.6million - only becomes evident over the following days. It's clear the local CID is ill-equipped to solve a case of such magnitude, so Scotland Yard is called in, with a six-strong team of detectives headed by the Flying Squad's enigmatic chief Tommy Butler. In a race against time, they set out to identify every criminal involved and bring them to justice before they flee the country - but even if they can, will they find the money? Jim Broadbent stars in the concluding part of the drama about the most infamous heist in British history, with George Costigan, Robert Glenister, Tim Pigott-Smith, Nick Moran and John Salthouse. Written by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall

Train Cruise -:- Train rides provide panoramas of landscapes and lifestyles, with opportunities to hop off and meet the people. The tracks run to well-known and less-explored parts of Japan.

Train Truckers -:- Documentary following the exploits of a family-run crew of heavy-haulage specialists as they transport the heaviest, longest and most precious locomotives around the world. Terry and Jason have been called in to move legendary steam locomotive Britannia. The 68-year-old vehicle has undergone a major restoration in Crewe and is scheduled to start running at the Severn Valley Railway

Train Truckers -:- Expert hauliers Eric Harrison and Chris Case move an iconic Deltic diesel, better known as The Royal Highland Fusilier, halfway across the country to the Telford Steam Fair

Witness -:- Documentary. As Ukraine's railways come under attack by Russian bombs, Ira leads her crew on a rescue mission to the frontline.

World's Busiest Train Stations -:- A look behind the scenes at some of the most famous railway stations in cities around the world, catching up with staff, maintenance crews, passengers and transport police. The first episode focuses on Grand Central and Penn stations in New York, and features a terminal manager coping with a series of crises and a police officer and her dog on the hunt for explosive devices

World's Busiest Train Stations -:- Behind the scenes at Flinders Street station in Melbourne, which is not just the busiest and oldest in Australia, but in the whole of the southern hemisphere. The start of the Australian Open tennis tournament means that many more passengers than usual are expected, while the control room braces itself for even more trouble after trespassers are spotted walking on a busy line

World's Busiest Train Stations -:- Behind the scenes at Howrah Terminal in Calcutta, which is the busiest station in India and serves one of the fastest growing cities on Earth. Monday morning rush hour sees ticket inspector Pranab braving a tide of morning commuters pouring out from the platforms as he seeks out fare dodgers, while a signal failure halts the progress of the most prestigious service on the entire Indian network in the form of the Rajdhani Express, the luxury overnight train from Calcutta to Delhi

World's Busiest Train Stations -:- Behind the scenes at Zurich Hauptbahnhof, which is the busiest railway hub in Europe and also one of the most punctual, with 90 per cent of its 3,000 trains a day running on time. In the control room, Mario has to react when a cargo of sausages spills onto the mainline, blocking commuter services and Germany-bound trains. Transport police officer Virginia heads out to respond to a late-night emergency when a brawl breaks out at a nearby station after an outdoor party is cancelled at the last moment

World's Greatest Train Journeys from Above -:- Aerial footage of railway journeys, exploring spectacular scenery and engineering, and meeting the people who live and work alongside them. In the opening episode, the Glacier Express is filmed from above, winding along alpine peaks to connect St Moritz and Zermatt. Engineers battle deep snow drifts, harness the latest tech to protect the line from landslides, and set explosives to guard against deadly avalanches

World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys -:- Celebrating the wonders of Queensland, Australia, cameras travel over 1,000 miles from Brisbane to Cairns onboard one of the most advanced trains in the world. There's a look at a rum distillery in Bundaberg and trip on the historic Mary Valley line. Narrated by Bill Nighy

World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys -:- Looping around Andalucia, the luxury Al Andalus train takes in some of the most beautiful cities in Spain. Travelling south from Seville, cameras focus on Jerez, where the horses of the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art are trained. There is also a look at the clifftop town of Ronda, before rolling on to the ancient cities of Granada and Córdoba. Narrated by Bill Nighy

World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys -:- The 200-mile Ligne de Cévennes, which travels northwards through the Massif Central to France's volcanic heart - Clermont Ferrand and the spectacular Puy De Dome. The route takes travellers across three incredible historic viaducts, plunges deep underground to explore the area's hidden wildlife and traverses through several impressive valleys. The route winds through one of the world's most spectacular national parks, before reaching its final destination, a collection of 80 dormant volcanoes. Narrated by Bill Nighy

World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys -:- The Train des Pignes explores France. Leaving chic 21st century Nice behind, the Train des Pignes, or the 'Pine Cone Train', takes viewers back to the Provence of the past. Cameras explore the village of Villars-sur-Var, where olive oil is made using the same stone-wheel technique the Templar Knights used 1,000 years ago. Narrated by Bill Nighy

SMALL PRINT

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