Great British Railway Journeys Series 7

[backontrack]

Struck me that Michael got well 'out of kilter', as regards his visit to Redditch - should have com directly following his opening visit to Birmingham. But for some extraordinary reason, he "claimed" to require road transport to reach, of all places Ashchurch to catch a train to Cheltenham. Ashchurch being the next station up the line north from Cheltenham. Absolutely nowhere near Redditch. Makes (to me) a complete nonsense of the programmes :roll:

Not true.



Right on the A46 road.

 

[miami84]

I think it's fair to say that the programmes are not aimed at anybody with any sort of knowledge on railway infrastructure and allocations of traction.

 

[ANDYS]

Personally, I love this series and it always gives me lots of ideas about where to visit when I get the chance. I think Michael Portillo has successfully reinvented himself since he had to leave parliament. For those of you to young to remember, just Google 'Portillo Moment'; I for one can remember exactly where I was at the time.

I think that he comes across as a very genuine presenter who always seems very happy whatever train / place / person he happens to be meeting / seeing. I am a few programmes behind but to see him driving on the Romney & Hythe railway was a delight and made me very jealous!! Also I love to yell at the TV when the train he has just arrived on changes class / location / direction in the split second that the editor has swapped video.

I say, keep up the good work and keep these positive messages about railways and train travel going.

Andy S

 

[backontrack]

Agreed, I have always loved his series. The programme isn't centred around him; he seems genuinely interested in what he does and what he finds out about, and Bradshaw is always more of a priority than he is, for him.

I hope he continues doing these programmes after series 7 finishes.

 

[simonw]

Personally, I love this series and it always gives me lots of ideas about where to visit when I get the chance. I think Michael Portillo has successfully reinvented himself since he had to leave parliament. For those of you to young to remember, just Google 'Portillo Moment'; I for one can remember exactly where I was at the time.

I think that he comes across as a very genuine presenter who always seems very happy whatever train / place / person he happens to be meeting / seeing. I am a few programmes behind but to see him driving on the Romney & Hythe railway was a delight and made me very jealous!! Also I love to yell at the TV when the train he has just arrived on changes class / location / direction in the split second that the editor has swapped video.

I say, keep up the good work and keep these positive messages about railways and train travel going.

Andy S

Although 'were you up for Portillo' was one of the phrases of that election, he returned to Parliament in 1999 and stayed until 2005 when he did not stand again.

 

[Mikey C]

Personally, I love this series and it always gives me lots of ideas about where to visit when I get the chance. I think Michael Portillo has successfully reinvented himself since he had to leave parliament. For those of you to young to remember, just Google 'Portillo Moment'; I for one can remember exactly where I was at the time.

I think that he comes across as a very genuine presenter who always seems very happy whatever train / place / person he happens to be meeting / seeing. I am a few programmes behind but to see him driving on the Romney & Hythe railway was a delight and made me very jealous!! Also I love to yell at the TV when the train he has just arrived on changes class / location / direction in the split second that the editor has swapped video.

I say, keep up the good work and keep these positive messages about railways and train travel going.

Andy S

Yes, these shows have provided me all sorts of ideas for excursions within the UK.

The big break through for Portillo Mk2 was when he did a programme in the Great Railway Journeys series in Spain in the late 90s, the first time you saw someone who loved railways and was proud of his Spanish heritage. He then went back into politics and lost to Iain Duncan-Smith as Tory leader!

 

[MisterWhippy]

Just a heads up, my Sky Top Picks has told me on the 1st of Feb 'Great American Railroad Journeys' starts on BBC2 at 6:30.

 

[Hophead]

Just a heads up, my Sky Top Picks has told me on the 1st of Feb 'Great American Railroad Journeys' starts on BBC2 at 6:30.

The BBC2 webpage for the series (well, programme 1 at least):

Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic to ride the railroads of America with a new travelling companion. Armed with Appleton's General Guide to the United States, published in 1879, Michael begins his American odyssey in New York City. continues for 2 more paragraphs...

 

[duncanp]

in last night's programme, Michael said that Ashford International is one of only 5 stations in the UK that have international as well as domestic services.

Apart from Ashford, I can only think of St Pancras and Ebbsfleet, so what are the other two?

 

[Smethwickian]

in last night's programme, Michael said that Ashford International is one of only 5 stations in the UK that have international as well as domestic services.

Apart from Ashford, I can only think of St Pancras and Ebbsfleet, so what are the other two?

I was puzzled by that, too, but after racking my brains the best I can surmise is that the research has let him down because someone has assumed that two other stations named 'International' (Stratford and Birmingham) have services beyond Great Britain. Or perhaps he was meant simply to say that it was one of five stations with 'International' in the name. Anyone got a better theory?

 

[linesider]

After watching last nights programme featuring the high speed Javelins i would love to travel on one.I live in NE England and would appreciate advice on which route to take.I would arrive Kings Cross about 11.00 am,and then cross to St.Pancras but after that i am lost.Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[James Wake]

There are some Javelins that do a circular via Ashford, Dover, Ramsgate, Faversham and Gravesend and vice versa once an hour each way, but at the moment they aren't running due to the landslip between Dover and Folkestone. Journey time is around 3 hours round trip when they start again.

 

[sheff1]

in last night's programme, Michael said that Ashford International is one of only 5 stations in the UK that have international as well as domestic services.

Apart from Ashford, I can only think of St Pancras and Ebbsfleet, so what are the other two?

As he said "UK", he has undercounted - Belfast Central, Lisburn, Portadown and Newry have daily international services. Lurgan has one on Sunday only. In Great Britain, I agree there are only 3.

 

[duncanp]

If you want to travel on the Javelins, then Rochester, Chatham or Faversham might be worth considering.

Rochester has some interesting pubs, with associations with Charles Dickens, as well as a castle and a cathedral.

Chatham has the historic dockyard, based in the former Naval Dockyard which closed in the 1980s.

Faversham has a Magna Carta exhibition, as well as the Shepherd Neame Brewery tour.

 

[yorksrob]

If you want to travel on the Javelins, then Rochester, Chatham or Faversham might be worth considering.

Rochester has some interesting pubs, with associations with Charles Dickens, as well as a castle and a cathedral.

Chatham has the historic dockyard, based in the former Naval Dockyard which closed in the 1980s.

Faversham has a Magna Carta exhibition, as well as the Shepherd Neame Brewery tour.

The Norman keep at Rochester is also well worth a look around.

 

[backontrack]

Rochester's new station (now open!) is just across the road from the castle & cathedral.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Why is tonight's episode not being shown? Currently a rerun of Eggheads on BBC2

 

[ilkestonian]

Why is tonight's episode not being shown? Currently a rerun of Eggheads on BBC2

No reason given - really poor IMHO.

They usually reschedule because they think something in a program will upset delicate folk because of something newsworthy which has just happened, but I can't find reference to anything in the news which might relate to a railway journey!

 

[backontrack]

On their website, it doesn't look they're going to show it.

 

[glenbogle]

Replaced by a bus !

 

[tivoli]

My guess is that his visit to Britain's first purpose built crematorium wouldn't be appropriate to the following programme on Holocaust Memorial Day

 

[backontrack]

Oh, I didn't know about that.

Bad planning, though?

 

[gavin]

No broadcast tonight no reason given other that it returns tomorrow

 

[ilkestonian]

No broadcast tonight no reason given other that it returns tomorrow

But which do we get, I wonder; todays cancelled programme or will they skip it?

 

[Darandio]

Discussed here Gav, looks like something to do with a crematorium and the holocaust.

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=126150

 

[gavin]

@GBRJ_Official

Due to programming changes tonight's show has been moved. We should be able to provide an update on rescheduling soon #GBRJ

 

[backontrack]

3 out of the 4 routes this series have covered the south his trip through part of London keeps up the run where he's visited the capital every series

You can't accuse Portillo of being London-centric as he has visited many northern and Scottish locations from the early days of the series. London has more lines to ride on, therefore more Bradshaw-reference places to visit.

Why not try to create our own journeys, then?

Hebden Bridge to North Berwick

Episode 1: Hebden Bridge to Whalley

Michael begins his journey in Hebden Bridge. Travelling east, he traverses the Todmorden Curve, before detouring to Ramsbottom to witness a famous festival. Heading north, the leg ends at the famous abbey at Whalley.

Episode 2: Clitheroe to Kendal

Starting in Lancashire, Michael travels between the Yorkshire Dales and the Forest of Bowland, passing Settle and Bentham and the small town of Ingleton. He detours northwards to the book town of Sedbergh and finishes his leg at Sizergh Castle.

Episode 3: Cartmel to Whitehaven

In the southern Lakeland Fells, Michael finds out about a famous pudding. He finds out about the industry of Barrow before heading into Wasdale. He also goes to the St Bees coast, and explores the smuggling history of Whitehaven.

Episode 4: Maryport to Uddingston

Michael founds out about Maryport's roman history before skirting the Solway Firth. After making a brief stop in Annan, he heads to Beattock, where he looks around Moffat and discovers the literary side of the railway network. The leg finishes at the Tunnocks factory at Uddingston, where teacakes are made.

Episode 5: Biggar to North Berwick

Michael travels through the Scottish Borders, starting at Biggar in Lanarkshire. After passing through Peebles, he travels on the newly reopened Borders Railway, stopping off at the Mining Museum at Newtongrange. The leg ends at North Berwick, and Michael travels onwards via boat to Bass Rock.

 

[gavin]

Last nights ep is still not on the iplayer and nothing to say it will be on either as yet an explanation from the beeb would be nice as to why they axed it

 

[northwichcat]

Indeed, and Ashley has that traditional look of the rural leafy commuter station. I'd also wondered too how he'd traversed the Stockport Viaduct after just getting off an ex-Chester train to catch the Macclesfield train.

I'm behind with watching them so only watched the Ashley-Alton one last night. To me it looked like Portillo alighted a 4 car 150 at Stockport platform 2 which showed 'Chester' on the front, he was also shown boarding a 4 car 150 at Ashley towards Manchester, so I wonder if he went in to Manchester, then got the next Chester train back to Stockport?

He supposedly made 3 legs on the Mid-Cheshire line and was shown on a 142 from Chester to Knutsford (apparently the first train of the day on a Saturday morning), a 156 between Knutsford and Ashley and a 150 between Ashley and Stockport, so he managed to travel on all the traction types used on the line by making just 3 journeys - pretty impressive! Although they kept showing aerial shots of 3 car 185s for some reason.

I'm guessing he spent the night in Chester after travelling in from Liverpool (despite the filming making it look like he went straight from a Merseyrail train to a 142), then filmed in Knutsford, Ashley and Macclesfield the next day before going to the Congleton to spend the following night.

 

[Blinder]

Discussed here Gav, looks like something to do with a crematorium and the holocaust.

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=126150

And I was cursing my recorder.. Especially as it failed with Pointless as well.