The Nations Railway: The Golden Age of British Rail (HD)

We revisit 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 British Rail sandwich.

[johnlevesconte]

i did 42 years on the railway, ,,,if i could relive my life? i would do it all again, and i am no train spotter, fantastic people who dedicate their lives to give a good service...made me a better person, happy days

[lucass.]

33:53 Dude has some serious guts reading a playboy magazine so openly and while being recorded

[srfurley]

When the BBC started regular colour television transmissions an exhibition was held in a temporary building in front of Euston Station. It was one of the first times I had been up to London on my own. I can still remember how impressed I was with the station; it was like no station I had ever seen before. I don't think it was even completely finished at the time.

[Loopy]

Being both a railway enthusiast and a Half-Life fan myself, I thought my brain was playing tricks on me at first when I noticed your channel name and picture. Trains and Half-Life always have gone together after all.

[granskare]

I rode to London. It has have been a steam loco so I shut something. I think diesel was better for the crew. But in Japan, the first 'bullet' train began. In France & Germany very fast trains are in service. In America, only the coasts have decent trains but we in the midwest have much less. The problem was trains were privately owned with the airports & highways receiving subsidies, etc.

[squirrelkinns]

'Privatization' just a word used to describe 'put the cost on the public and keep the profits private.'

[ericjamieson]

4:25 We found him! The one person that likes Euston Station!

[ryank]

Every British documentary mentioned about union with old mindset that brought down British industries, from cars to train to factories.

[zulkiflijamil]

This doco is defo a ripper. Thank ya mate.

[Trainskitsetc]

"There's nothing wrong with you that a blow on the coast won't fix"

His doctor came from a time before phrasing was discovered

[alejandrayalanbowman]

The employees of British Rail mostly did the best they could given the consistent underinvestment by government ministers who had their eyes on their own interests and those of their industrial paymasters rather than those of the general public.


What I find interesting is the lack of any mention about "Maglev" the system developed by BR, politically discarded and now used to great success in other countries while we still use the rails that we have used for almost two hundred years.

[BlakeInternational]

shame about the APT which was a really impressive piece of kit

[johnlevesconte]

people who knock the railways, really do not understand, they really work hard at keeping things running

[wdobni]

the steam locomotive and its age are apples and the diesel locomotive and its era are oranges. If you like extreme cleanliness and computerized systems then you are happy. If you like steam locomotives then the modern age is rapid, clean, stylish and dead as a doornail. Comparing a steam locomotive to a diesel locomotive is like comparing a dog to a good quality clean stylish picture of a dog.

[mikewatt]

i love a good train journey and i always carry some beer and whiskey and if there are a few chatty passenger's i will get the beer flowing. i have met some good people on trains over the years. on a recent trip from london to Yorkshire our train was stopped for one hiur due to a problem further up the line and myself and 5 others got chatting and we all ended up later that nite pissed up in a leeds bar. i think it was the first time in years that some if them actually had a good time.

[robertgraffham]

A Pint of Ale please. "Witbread"? Yes please! Two slices thankyou!

[source]

4:10 Looks more like a Bond villain than a Vicar...

[edwardcannon]

I thought Black Mesa was based in the USA,



I love all nation's railways

[nikerailfanningttm]

6:55 holy shit, they made sunglasses that were basically double sided mirrors LMFAO
I hope the APT-E will be brought back to operating condition for its anniversary

[calebc.]

I’d say it would be a more success if the branchlines weren’t closed down