Great Rail Tales

When Rajinder Pryor joined the rail industry 20 years ago, she came through the Women in Rail mentoring programme. Today Rajinder leads that programme, giving back to all the women that have followed her over the past two decades. To mark her 20th anniversary in the rail industry, Rajinder went on a very personal pilgrimage to her ancestral home in the Punjab, taking a Railway 200 teddy with her. Teddy became symbolic of the journey, her life and her relationship with the railway as they travelled around India to some of the nation’s most famous sites and landmarks.  

Jack Rhodes was shortlisted for Railway Apprentice of the Year at the end of his 3 year apprenticeship with Alstom, where he is now just starting his engineering career in the rail industry.  Following that, Jack was chosen to help seal the official Railway 200 time capsule into the Roundhouse at Derby. The time capsule is packed with anniversary artefacts. It marks this year’s bicentenary and heralds a simpler, better and greener railway, driven by the next generation of pioneering talent.  The capsule will remain unopened for 50 years until the railway’s 250th anniversary in 2075. 

Smith of Derby have been making public clocks around the UK and rest of the world since the 1850s. If you have sought the time from an analogue station clock in a major station it is most likely a Smith of Derby clock. In this Great Rail Tale, Professor Joe Smith talks about what makes him tick, the family business, its heritage, why they have one clock that is always wrong and why he believes that an analogue clock will always survive in a digital world. 

As Linda Brinklow steps down from her role as Chair of the Swale Branch of the Kent Community Rail Partnership, she reflects on a huge year of rail for the community of the Isle of Sheppey, its school children and rail users.

Inspired by Railway 200, YouTuber, Storyteller and documentary maker Riku has produced 2 films around key events and moments in the 200 year history of the rail industry. Their research and narrative has been strongly influenced by the late Ian Marchant; author, broadcaster and rail enthusiast. In this Great Rail Tale, Riku describes how Ian inspired them and raised their hopes for the future of the railway.

82-year-old Richard Woods was introduced to railway modelling when he was bought a Hornby OO as a young boy. This sparked a passion that took him to his local model railway club and eventually on to the Cavalcade celebrations at Shildon for 150th anniversary of rail. In this Great Rail Tale, Richard recalls that special day on 27th September 1975.

Rail historian and broadcaster Tim Dunn’s connection to the railways goes back to his grandpa who left Tim his many hundreds of railway books when he died when Tim was just a young boy. Tim read about the world through the lens of railway history and it ignited his life long passion for the railways.  His dad worked for British Rail as a surveyor and used to take Tim around the country looking at railway buildings.  For Tim, being able to tell the story of the railways and the people it connects is a great privilege.  Tim shares his joy for how people have expressed their passion for the railways and interpreted rail’s past, present and future during the Railway 200 year.   

As a young girl Joanne loved spending time with her grandfather in his model workshop. He called her his “firecracker”. He died when Joanne was 13 and her love for the railway went on hold until one day when she was commuting to work and saw a steam engine heading for Preston. That was a sliding doors moment in Joanne’s life, the fire in her for steam engines had just been relit. Joanne went on to be the first women fireman on two heritage rail groups and today as a volunteer at Llangollen Railway she is training the next generation of firemen. Her story caught the eye of BBC Radio 2’s 21st Century folk series and as part of the Railway 200 celebrations was turned into song, written by singer songwriter Findlay Napier. The song, Firecracker, tells Joanne’s love story for steam and her grandfather. Listen to Firecracker on BBC Radio 2’s 21st Century Folk Listen to Findlay Napier’s Great Rail Tale

John Simpson grew up surrounded by and travelling on the New York subway. His passion for trains today is an evolution from his boyhood love of Thomas and Friends that has taken him around the world. In this Great Rail Tale, John describes how it was a visit to the Golden Spike celebrations in 2019 in Utah that made him make a pilgrimage to Shildon, County Durham in this year of national railway celebrations, joining many others from around the world. He recounts the thrill of witnessing Locomotion No.1 travelling on part of the original Stockton & Darlington Railway, the cradle of the railway worldwide.

The original fast food came from compulsory comfort stops on the early rail network where trains would stop for a few minutes and passengers would jump out, eat several courses in a few minutes and jump back aboard before the train pulled away. These refreshment rooms as they became known gave birth to the railway inn and stations pubs as we know them today. In this Great Rail Tale, author, rail fan and pub lover Bob Barton explores the evolution of the railway station bar and the growth of ‘Ale Trails’.

  From the genesis of the idea in early 2022 Emma Roberts has lived and breathed Railway 200 every day since. Early hopes of 100 events across the year quickly exploded into over 5000 celebratory activities across all aspects of rail around the UK. In a personal Great Rail Tale Emma describes how the Whistle-Up bought the reality of the year starkly home for her, how she bought the Inspiration exhibition train to life and the impact the legacy she hopes Railway 200 will leave for future generations.

Mike and Gordon recall the role of the Railway Orphanages. The rail industry hasn’t always been the pioneers of safety they are today. In times gone by, the accident rate in the rail industry was much higher and accidents often very severe. The Railway Orphanages were set up to support and care for the children of railway workers were killed in the process of their days work. Arthur Churchill was one of the railway orphans, like his father before him, Arthur became a career railway man. His son, Gordon recalls his memories of his dad’s career and the stories he told him of time in the orphanage.

Sound recordist Adrian Greenwood discovered his combined love of trains and their sounds as a young boy standing on bridges watching freight trains pass underneath him and his father.   In this special Great Rail Tale, Adrian takes us into his sound archive to hear some of his favourite train sounds, including the sound of a prototype Intercity 125 recorded at the 150th anniversary celebrations cavalcade. He recalls some of his journeys taken by rail and the sounds and emotions they evoke in him and ends with a special recording celebrating the National Railway Museum railfest in 2004.

  When Ashington Station reopened in December 2024, having been closed as part of the Beeching cuts, the impact of the railway on this north east town has been more than ever imagined, it has been described as life changing for the community. The town was home to World Cup winners Jack and Bobby Charlton, along with fellow footballer Jackie Milburn. Cricketers Steve Harmison and Mark Wood are also from the town and are reflected in the station's design. So when it was shortlisted for the Rail Delivery Group’s World Cup of Stations as part of the Railway 200 celebrations, hopes were high. As County Councillor Caroline Ball and Ian Lavery MP describe in this Great Rail Tale, lifting the World Cup of Stations trophy shows how investing in stations like Ashington can transform lives, linking people to opportunity, pride and possibility in the north east of England.

Railway 200 has caused Clare Wildfire to reflect and reconnect with her ancestral legacy of industrialist Edward Pease, one of the leading lights in the launch of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Edward Pease was visionary in being able to project into the future about how the railway will change lives and communities.   Today Clare is involved in shaping the future of the rail network by examining how it can help regenerate and reinvigorate communities while reducing carbon.   For Clare, rail’s bicentenary is about more than people, place and purpose, it’s about connecting herself directly with the past, present and future of rail.

Folk singer songwriter Findlay Napier recalls writing “Firecracker”, a song he wrote about Joanne Ormesher as part of BBC Radio 2’s 21st Century folk project which this year celebrated Railway 200, turning rail stories into songs, written and performed by top musicians like Findlay. Listen to Firecracker and all of the 21st Century Folk songs celebrating Railway 200 here

Driver and Permanent Way operative Steve Williams drives a train like no other in the country. With a top speed of 6.5 mph, a maximum gradient of 20% and with no connection between the engine and passenger carriage, the Snowdon Mountain Railway opened in 1896 and has been carrying tourists and day trippers to summit of Snowdon ever since. After a trip to the top, Steve describes to veteran railwayman and Railway 200 adviser Philip Marsh some of the unique details of driving the highest steam heritage train in the country.  A tale for rail enthusiasts!

The train is a place of reading says Dr Bob Nicholson, Historian of Victorian Culture. Time spent on the train has always been used as a time to read. Today that might be on a smartphone, but before news apps, audio books and digital readers, rail travellers would buy newspapers, books and specifically edited journals and magazines designed for the rail traveller. This platform economy led to the birth of platform bookstalls and newsagents, shops like WHSmith were born of the railway platform. But the rail network didn’t just give people time to read, it helped spread the news and information in a pre-digital era. A newspaper could be printed in London at night and be on a breakfast table in the northeast the next day.

Sherin Aminossehe arrived in the UK as a young 6 year old girl. Her love of the railway was almost immediately piqued on a family holiday to Torquay. Today Sherin is an architect and an artist; it was a drawing project during lockdown that started her thinking about station clocks and the connections that people make as they meet under them. From Terry and Julie in Waterloo, to Del Boy meeting Raquel and Victoria’s Little Ben, in this Great Rail Tale Sherin recalls some of the stories of the clocks and their impact on our lives.

Talyllyn Railway volunteer Luke Ryan describes the history and heritage of the world’s first preserved heritage railway. Originally built to transport slate down from the North Wales mines it was also designed with passengers in mind. Despite all the changes to the rail industry over the centuries, Talyllyn has remined independent and in 1951 it was taken over to be preserved by the Talylln Railway Preservation society. One of Talyllyn’s most famous volunteers was the Rev. Wilbert Awdry, the author of Thomas The Tank Engine. It’s often said that the Isle of Sodor is loosely inspired by the Talyllyn Railway. Luke describes the links between Thomas and friends and Talyllyn.

Did you know that the railway provides one of nature’s unique corridors, abundant with plants and wildlife? Far from being isolated boundary strips of land, the trackside is alive with flora and fauna. This unique habitat provides an environment for both rare and unique plant life. Dr Neil Strong is the Biodiversity Strategy Manager for Network Rail and in this Great Rail Tale he describes how the rail network not only maintains the natural environment but enhances it.

Alan Ross, Engineering and Asset Manager for Network rail in Scotland takes us a journey over the iconic Forth Bridge.  From his first impressions as a 17 year in awe of the bridge, through to today he was part of the team who made the case for why the bridge should be recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. At just under 2.5km in length, with 6.5 million rivets, standing 110m high and weighing in at over 53,000 tonnes there is only 1 single span cantilever bridge in the world that is bigger. This iconic Scottish monument plays a key role in the transportation of goods and people. But the bridge is more than that to people, as Alan describes, it has an emotional connection to people.

A passion for history and his natural curiosity led Colin Haynes, Director of Environment, Health and Safety at Alstom, to research into the stories of the names on the war memorials at the Crewe works site. What started as a winter project has become much bigger, unearthing stories of Railway factory workers who gave their lives in both World Wars. People like Jeramiah Wilkinson who was one of the first railway worker casualties of the First World War. What started as a project at Crewe, now as part of the Railway 200 celebrations, Colin is expanding to the Derby works sites to uncover more lost stories, and in his own words give these men agency and make them more than just a name on a memorial.

People are fundamental to the railways - none more so than the staff who keep everything moving. But how do we find out about railway workers of 100 or more years ago? What was working life like for them? And how did an innovative safety campaign spread from the railways to influence British society? University of Portsmouth historian Dr Mike Esbester explores these questions, using the Railway Work, Life & Death project to look at the accidents railway workers had before the Second World War, and find out more about the people involved. He shows how one of the key initiatives the rail industry introduced to address staff safety spread far beyond the railways into all walks of life. It's a tale about ordinary railway people's lives, posed photographs and friendly language that allows us to discover railway staff in the past!

What started as a month long celebration soon became a nine month national celebration and the S&DR200 festival continues to grow onwards into 2026. The artistic and festival Director of S&DR200, Niccy Hallifax, reflects back on the some of the highlights of and looks forward at the legacy of the anniversary year in County Durham and Tees Valley.

Iain Quinn, quartermaster on The Waverley, the last sea-going paddle steamer in Great Britain, takes a nostalgic look at the connection between rail and sail.  His earliest memory of travelling on the Waverley goes back to childhood when he used to travel by train then take the paddle steamer via Craigendoran to get home to Dunoon, West of Glasgow. 

Author Samina Siddiqui shares her joy at researching the stories of Muslims working on Britain’s railways.  Through listening to stories from Muslims working on the railways across the 60s, 70s, and 80s Samina uncovered rich themes of duty, service and a real sense of belonging and community.  The research has also inspired her to dig into her own family past, a story which has revealed a strong personal connection to the railways in India stretching back through the generations.

Jools Townsend, Chief Executive of the Community Rail Network explains the important history, evolution and contribution of the Community Rail Network to our relationship with the railways.  Set up around 30 years ago, the Community Rail Network aims to help and encourage communities and community groups to get involved with their railways so they get as much benefit as possible from the railways as well as having a voice in the future development of the railway network. 

In the original Eurostar cars 7, 8, 11 or 12 seat 61 gave Mark Smith the perfect table and window view he wanted. So on special trips he would always book this place on the train. Inevitably when this career railwayman developed a website about international train travel it could have only one name. Inspired by a school trips by train to the then Leningrad and todays Moscow Mark’s passion for rail travel has taken all over the globe. But his favourite line is far more closer to home than you might expect from the International travelling man in Seat 61.

The railway has been a part of Linda Hilton’s life since she was a young girl. In this Great Rail Tale, Linda tells of her love of listening to some of her dad’s stories from a career spent on the rails with his closest friend Brian Selkeld. John and Brian worked together for decades but lost touch after retirement. A chance meeting bought these two great friends and colleagues back together and now today they entertain friends and families with their stories and laughs from throughout their careers.

Author Susan Major tells the story of the role of women on the railway during World War 2 from her research of the oral history collections at the National Railway Museum.

Journalist, author and railway historian Christian Wolmar reflects on the role that trains, and the railway network had on wars and the ways that war have been fought. Rather than just ferrying troops to or from embarkation ports, Christian explains how the symbiotic relationship between trains and frontlines has shaped modern warfare. He reflects on the railway engineers who had to rebuild the tracks of France after D Day to support the Allied advance and how the Ukrainian railway today has shown that the railway is absolutely vital to the resupply of the front and stalling the Russian invasion of Kiev.

To mark the centenary of the Entente Cordiale between Great Britain and France, Queen Elizabeth II travelled to Paris on the Eurostar. John Chalmers was chosen to drive the train that day and recalls how his career as an apprentice railman took him to the platform of Gard du Nord to be introduced to his Royal passengers.

A shift in career led Penny Allen down an entirely different life track. A passion for the railway was born and soon led to her discovering that the railway was already in her blood. In Penny’s Great Rail Tale she recalls her family background in the railway and how it has shaped her life today.

Eurostar driving instructor, Alan Brooks recalls a lifetime on the rails that he can trace back to a French class at school. But what started at school ended up with Alan driving one of the very first trains to travel through the newly completed Channel Tunnel.

A railwayman through and through, Tim Shoveller found himself using his bardic lamp to help guide an ambulance to a halt when his wife went into early labour. But his railway life started long before parenthood. Tim was first introduced to the railway trainspotting with his mother on the platform at Reading. The railway found its way into his blood. By 15 he was a volunteer at the Watercress Line on Mid Hants Railway this triggered a lifelong career that started as a guard at Guildford. Tim progressed through the passenger service during privatisation before making a switch to the freight service and running the UK’s largest maritime intermodal logistics operator, Freightliner Group. 

Volunteer at the multi award winning Goostrey station, in this Great Rail Tale Christina Burgess recalls work and roles that railway worker, Joseph Harrop had at the station and on the Crewe – Manchester Line over his half a century of service. Telling Joseph’s story is part of a wider storytelling event at Goostrey station where friends of Goostrey Station worked with Goostrey Parish Archive to create eight metal boards which recorded the history of the station in text and images. They will be displayed on the platforms.  The story starts with the early years after the station opened in 1891 through a time of dereliction at the end of the twentieth century to the restoration in 2019 of the remaining wooden station building so that it can be used as an art studio.  As well as station buildings we included trains, signal boxes, sidings, railway cottages and former employees like Christopher Ashmore and Joseph Harrop (who both worked as porters and signalmen on the Crewe-Manchester line) and engineers like George Buck and Willam Baker (who master minded the Birmingham to Manchester railway).

When engineer and rail enthusiast, Alex Alder, got a message in a group chat saying someone had found a scrapped steam engine, little did he know the story and adventure that was waiting for him in a shed at the far end of the grounds of a convent.

The iconic British Rail logo is one of, if not, the most recognisable brand images in the world. But what is behind the logo? What do these iconic double arrows reflect and what imagery does it conjure in our collective mindset? While some people might imagine dirty, late or cancelled trains, Dr Lewis Smith, Marketing Lecturer from Brunel University, London argues that this icon represents a dynamic, ahead-of-its-time organisation that pivoted to meet changes in culture, society and travel making it one of the most advanced marketing organisations of its era.

Research project manager from the University of Derby, Jenny Clementson’s background was in the rail industry. Today she leads on the industry connected academic research into the future of our railway. From hydrogen powered shunting wagons to AI deciding where, when and how to implement infrastructure maintenance this is the edge where design, ideas and research come together.

Passengers and Pioneers is an album of stories from 1825 to today that celebrate what it means to be a passenger and travelling on a railway line. A writer in residence session with the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership gave singer songwriter and heritage enthusiast, Sam Slatcher, a deep insight and connection to the route and people of the north east’s railway. Gathering stories that connected from the past to the present, through generations and across families he was inspired to write a collection of songs which reflect the deep rooted culture and community of the Bishop Line CRP.

Shahiesta describes her job as the best job in the world. She is the education development officer for Community Rail Lancashire. Her passion is supporting south Asian Muslim women living in Lancashire feel a sense of belonging and connection with the local rail network. By supporting and encouraging women to travel by train she gets huge satisfaction from seeing the impact that the freedom of independent rail travel has on these women’s lives. Stations of Welcome, the support group she set up, is now growing both in numbers and value as the women take ownership and pride of their railway station which has become a central hub for both the women and the community.

Our platforms and rail networks are alive with wildlife. Hanging baskets, wildflower planters and station gardens are all helping bees pollinate the flora around the stations and tracks. This, in turn, encourages an increased biodiversity of fauna, even in the most urban areas. Emma Pritchard and the Trust’s founder, Luke Dixon describe how by working with community groups, station staff and travellers they have developed a network of rich wildlife corridors and how you can help them with every journey you make – from weeding and dead heading to emptying your left over water into a planter, we can all help pollinate the platforms.

David started his railway career as a station supervisor at Kingston, where he watched and learned how a station worked and was run. A transfer to become a train dispatcher at Waterloo and soon a guard started to become his greatest dreams coming true. Soon a move to Chester to raise his family enabled David to become a driver and then a driver instructor. His greatest moment, packed full of pride, was the day he saw several of his trainee drivers handing on their trains to each other.

The Railway Clearing House revolutionised the allocation of revenues collected for travelling passengers and the carriage of freight on the early rail network. Described as the original human supercomputer, a work force of hundreds would account for and distribute funds collected owed to railway owning companies. Dr Roy Edwards is Lecturer within Southampton Business School at the University of Southampton who recent research focuses on the Railway Clearing House. In this Great Rail Tale Roy describes how the simple beauty of the accounting system had a huge socio-economic impact on the country.

Artist, railway history enthusiast, and YouTuber Jonathan Whitmore explores the world of railway scenes through virtual railway simulators. Having recreated some himself, he reflects on the imagination and dedication that go into building digital versions of the great routes from around the world. These simulators can replicate railways in astonishing detail—digital dioramas crafted through extensive research and passion. More than just a game, some are even used to train new drivers for route knowledge. For Jonathan, however, they are something deeper still: a way to step from the computer screen onto the footplate of his favourite steam engines. Above all, it is about keeping railway history alive while also looking towards the future.

The railway has been a part of Lord Hendy’s life since he was a young lad, listening to the passing roars and whistles of the passing steam trains on the Great Western Line. But it was family holidays, travelling by train down to Cornwall that gave him a huge sense of adventure by rail. His passion for heritage railways is deeply rooted in their individual uniqueness and how they draw communities together, but he stresses that we can still learn about the future of rail by understanding the past and how it has already shaped our world. In his previous role as Chairman of Network Rail, he – with others - came up with the idea of marking the bicentenary through Railway 200, celebrating the past, present and future of our railways. 

Retired railwayman Andy Uttley reflects back on a couple of humorous stories from his 40 years working on the railways. One of the more serious hazards on the railway can be large animals like cattle or deer and it’s important to locate any animals which may have strayed onto the line through a damaged fence and safely remove them as soon as possible. Early in Andy’s career the proximity of the railway line to an animal rescue centre provided an irresistible opportunity for the perfect hoax to play on new trainee mobile operations managers. In another story Andy remembers the fears of working the night shift in the old Victorian signal boxes.

Phd researcher Laura Littlefair at Northumbria University takes us on a journey through the history of Shildon, the Railway Town.  From its agricultural origins through the huge changes that the railways brought in the early 1800s to the present day where railway and industrial heritage is central to the town people’s lives.  Education, industrial engineering and people came with the railways, in particular the wagon works, founded in 1833 and open until 1984, providing not just huge local employment but a connection between Shildon and the rest of the world through its wagon production and railway engineering.   Laura’s research looks in particular at the impact of de-industrialisation on the people of Shildon and how the railway and its legacy remains such an important part of people’s lives and identity in this resilient and fascinating northeast town.