The ‘Slow and Dirty'

THE STORY OF THE SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY

A one or two-hour talk

Britain lost many thousands of branch railway lines in the 1950s and 60s but perhaps none was mourned as much as the Somerset and Dorset. Running between Green Park Station in Bath and Bournemouth, with a branch line to Burnham-on-Sea, the S&D crossed some of the country’s most atmospheric and cherished landscapes. 

To mark the half centenary of that closure, I told the story of the ‘Slow and Dirty’ in a 30’ minute programme for the BBC. I was very fortunate in being able to convey the atmosphere of the railway by using lovely colour film shot by enthusiasts in its last days, in itself a mark of just how much some were going to miss it, and to persuade ‘Mr Railways’, Michael Portillo to present the programme.

In this session I will talk about the railway and how I made the film, show the film and take questions from the audience.