Friends of the Rail Forum

Up in smoke: How Britain's rail network reached the end of the line

Fifty years after 5,000 miles of Britain’s rail network were axed as part of the Beeching cuts, we ask: how has the country moved on?

I well remember Michael Flanders and Donald Swan singing "the Slow Train". It comes from a show they did together called "At the drop of another hat". A most evocative piece of music and writing. I have a copy of the recording that was made and sold on reel to reel tape! Yes, they sold 'LP's' on tape back in steam days.

Here is a Youtube video of the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6OHD2uCpfU

and some more F&S declaring what it is to be English from the same show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vh-wEXvdW8

Other songs I remember were "The gasman cometh" and the return of "The Hippopotamus". I would have loved to have seen the show live.