BBC Dan Snow series BBC4/iPlayer

Just found that BBC 4 have repeated Dan Snow's "History of Railways", from the start to just after WWII.  Originally from 2013, but now available on iPlayer - but not for long.  Happy viewing if you haven't seen it before.

Michael

I didn't know about that Michael.  The History Channel over here should be airing that instead of all those stupid reality shows. :It's a no no

John

Unfortunately, we can't get iPlayer here in France.  Maybe after Brexit ………………………. :roll: :roll: :roll:

I did in fact, see the series first time around - not spectacular but worth a watch.  :thumbs

Yes, but we do have the magnificent BBC iPlayer Radio and it's scrummy!

Off topic so sorry Michael,

Bill
:cheers
(despite an attack of gout, grrrr)

Ah yes - radio is a different matter Bill but one of Gresley's magnificent A4 "streaks" on radio isn't quite the same as the visual……….. :roll: :roll:

Sorry to hear about the gout - you'll have to lay off the red wine (and tomatoes ?) for a while………….  One of our Rotarians suffers from it badly so, whilst I've never had it myself, I sympathise with you - it can, I understand, be absolute agony ……….

I've got a three day 'cure' from the doctor and I've been off the juice since Monday, so we shall see, 'cos we have aperos (risky) on Friday with some friends, then walking (even more risky) up to a restaurant for a leisurely dinner (maybe pushing it). Life's too short not to do stuff and not always in moderation, ha!

Bill

The fall-back are more drugs, so I have a plan!  

Hi Michael,

Found a snippet of history re early railways while I was researching the history of Tate & Lyle (sugar and syrup) for an article I'm writing. Slavery was abolished in the UK and Dominions in 1833. The government of the time (this was before the 1840 reform), composed of many absentee slave owners (especially in the sugar cane plantations in the Caribbean), decided to compensate themselves for their loss of income. Much of this money then funded the boom in railway expansion in the 1830's-40's. Many of these small railway companies were then taken over by the larger ones.

If you want to see who put their legacy of slavery money into "railwaymannia" (especially in Scotland, where much of the sugar was shipped for refining) check out http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/commercial/

Nigel