|
Post by snoggle on Feb 15, 2015 17:57:49 GMT
Just seen via Twitter. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b053pxdrto be broadcast on BBC4 on 24 Feb 2015 at 2100 - part of the usually excellent Timeshift series. "Timeshift revisits Britain's railways during the era of nationalisation. For all its bad reputation today, the old British Rail boldly transformed a decayed, war-torn Victorian transport network into a system fit for the 20th century. With an eye firmly on the future, steam made way for diesel and electric, new modern stations like Euston were built, and Britain's first high-speed trains introduced. Made with unique access to the British Transport Films archive, this is a warm corrective to the myth of the bad old days of rail, but even it can't hide from the horror that was a BR sandwich."
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Feb 24, 2015 17:52:19 GMT
|
|
|
Post by routew15 on Feb 25, 2015 17:03:33 GMT
Watched the show last night, Thank You for the reminder ( I saw this reminder just two minutes before it started, then quickly dashed over to BBC4 ) Throughly enjoyed the show. Shows like that do make re-nationalisation seem more attractive, but the variety that is available with privatisation wins it for me. I have seen some of the footage they used last night in other shows about British Rail and a lot of it featured the now disgraced Jimmy Savile, so good ommision for the BBC there.
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Feb 25, 2015 19:22:49 GMT
Watched the show last night, Thank You for the reminder ( I saw this reminder just two minutes before it started, then quickly dashed over to BBC4 ) Throughly enjoyed the show. Shows like that do make re-nationalisation seem more attractive, but the variety that is available with privatisation wins it for me. I have seen some of the footage they used last night in other shows about British Rail and a lot of it featured the now disgraced Jimmy Savile, so good ommision for the BBC there. I also enjoyed the programme. For me it was good to see that BR, for all the criticism, was genuinely innovative and efficient. Even the myths about the sandwiches were dispelled. I was left thinking that there is not much that the current fragmented industry does that garners the same sort of long lived legacy that the HST, for example, has given us. Even something like the common design style for typeface, signage and uniforms is missing. I don't see the current hotchpotch with everyone "doing their own thing" as sensible or efficient. Network Rail's signage at the stations it manages directly is appalling and nowhere near as good as the old BR signage. Heck Network Rail have managed to destroy the simple elegance of Euston by filling it full of shops and now creating an upper tier of retail units despite the huge numbers of people travelling through the place.
|
|