'BEATING BEECHING'- BBC WALES 6th and 13th DEC 2011
 

Dear All,

I just wanted to let you all know of a new documentary that will be airing on Tuesday 6th December, 7.30 and Tuesday the 13th December, 7.30 on BBC WALES, called 'Beating Beeching'.

50 years ago almost everyone in Wales lived in sight and sound of steam trains. They were part of the fabric of everyday life. Then in the early 1960s, chairman of British Railways Dr Richard Beeching, took an axe to the rail system of Wales. Within a few years his plans for modernisation and efficiency closed hundreds of branch lines, stations and tunnels. And steam power was scrapped in favour of diesel. But Beeching had not reckoned on the passion for steam trains amongst the people of Wales.
In 1975, just 8 years after the last steam engine ran on British Rail, a group of enthusiasts started the Llangollen Railway. Other enthusiasts, like amateur cameraman Jim Clemens, kept the spirit of steam alive by filming branch lines before they closed. Much of this rare footage has never been seen on television before. By weaving it together with images from heritage railways and memories of the last heyday of steam in Wales, this is the story of a world almost lost forever to Dr Beeching.

The first episode, ‘A Passion For Steam’ (BBC WALES Tuesday 6th December 2011, 7.30pm) is a celebration of the heyday of steam in Wales, in which we use some rare colour footage, not previously seen on TV before combined with the memories of passengers and railwaymen from the golden age of steam.

Programme two, ‘Steam’s Glorious Past’ (BBC WALES Tuesday 13th December 2011, 7.30pm) features interviews with the last generation of Welsh steam railwaymen and visits the heritage railways that keep their glorious past alive.

I hope you can all watch it, it will be fantastic treat for all those who love steam railways and yearn for a return to the days when almost every town and village was served by it's own branch line.

Best wishes

will love to watch it but cannnot get bbc wales on tv will have to try it on laptop

Beating beeching bbc 2 wales (sky 991)
 

Just to let you all know it will going out on BBC 2 WALES (Sky 991)
Sorry for forgetting that vital information in the last post.

With best wishes

Or if you're a cheapskate like me and don't wish to add to Mr Murdoch's millions, BBC2 Wales can be found on channel 971 on Freesat.

I shall warm up the valves on the HDR thingumyjig.

That'll teach me to put my trust in Richard Branson!

I bet they are not as big as the ones in my hi-fi amplifier.:D



http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...833ainhand.jpg

Thanks for that info Testimonyfilms, I will be sure not miss it.
regards
Phil

Help required......................I'm a Virgin Media customer, anyone know which channel number BBC2 Wales is on with Virgin.

Watched this programme on BBC iplayer.Excellent.

How's that ?

Go to BBC iplayer, select Factual and scroll down to Welsh Railways. Off you go.

Sorry this is duff info.I've watched the wrong one!!!

All I can find is "full steam ahead pt 2" about the Welsh Highland railway.

I watched and enjoyed that.:D

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode..._Ahead_Part_2/

And there I was thinking a KT88 was a big deal. Reminds me of Crocadile Dundee "Nah, that's not a valve....THIS is a valve"

Who needs central heating when you have Hifi.

To be honest those amps (two mono amps) don't get used every day.

The filament alone is 10 volts at 10 amps, so that is 100 watts.;)

To get back on topic, you will be able to watch these BBC Wales programmes on BBC i player.

Here is part 2 of the series.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode..._Ahead_Part_2/

Beating Beeching
 

Hello,

Just to let you all know, you can't watch our programmes on BBC IPLAYER until they go out which is again,
prog one - A Passion for Steam 7.30 BBC 2 WALES 6th December
prog two- Steams Glorious Past 7.30 BBC 2 WALES 13th December

These programmes are a part of the Welsh Railways series on BBC 2 WALES but haven't yet been shown.

hope you all get to watch them all.

Emily

Sorry Pre65, my info was duff. It's my age!!!!

You don't need to tell me.:D

You're only as old as the woman you feel.(so they say).;)

I read your original post, and this sounds like a fantastic programme.
I must enquire as to why you indicate that steam finished on British rail in 67. It didnt, it was in the summer of 68. I dont want to nit pick, but I feel that considering that this could potentially be seen by a large audience, mistakes like this could effectively wipe out an important year in the UKs railway history.

Still looking forward the it. :)

apologies to all nit pickers
 

Thank you for bringing that to my attention, luckily we didn't put 1967! It's not that we have the wrong date, it's that my maths is obviously severely wanting! Sorry about that; I'll correct it for other press appeals- hope no one is offended by this mistake.

All set up to record the programmes.

Many thanks,

John H-T.

No not offended. Simple mistake to make. :)

Thanks for that info, just set Sky up to record both episodes so I can see them later after visiting my wife in hospital, a bit of steam will give me a much needed boost

Just read the thread, have set it for next Tuesday, shame i missed the other programmes, hopefully be repeated as some stage...

I'm just going to watch the first one shown last night.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...eching_Part_1/

EDIT

Most enjoyable programme, well worth watching.

One very minor gripe is a shot showing an ex LNER pacific.

Dont forget to click "Series Record" in case you forget next week.:D:D

Well Gresley Was Right:D. We on the eastern side just had to show you how its done:p.
I know it's a Peppercorn but PWR doesn't look right.
Alan

Well as I don't get BBC2 Wales I have just watched it on the Wii (BBC iPlayer) lots of bits at one stage I saw a nice large Prairie and the first coach was a Gresley ??? but generally nicely editted so the old film easily transposed into modern stuff

Pity the Llangolen (sp) insists on using majority of GWR engines when a lot (but not all) of the old film showed either Standards or LMS stock

But then again it was a Swindon man who finally sorted out the inside cylinder big ends on the A4's in BR days! Not forgetting that it was a Churchward Protege, H Holcoft who helped Gresley design his conjugated valve gear. Then of course lessons learnt from the visit of 4079 Pendennis Castle to the LNER in 1925 helped him transform a good design, A1, into an outstanding one: A3!

So Gresley got it right in the end with some help from his "Friends" at Swindon!

Best wishes,

John H-T.