Superb NEW DVD (released December 2012) covering the branch lines
of Gloucestershire. 90 mins. Produced by FIRST
TAKE.
The Beeching cuts prompted a massive reshaping of Britain’s
railway network in the 1960s, when almost a third of the
country’s track was closed. Most of the victims were minor
routes which linked rural locations; they were axed as they were
simply deemed uneconomic. But they remain fondly remembered today
and this film is intended as the first in a series which will
celebrate the branch lines of England, in association with railway
author and historian Colin Maggs MBE.
You will see a wide range of routes, from those initially worked by
horses to one which boasted the longest railway bridge in England.
These lines provided vital services for the industrial heartland of
Bristol, and key places such as Gloucester Docks and Lydney
harbour. They also reached out to towns and villages in the
Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and many other parts of the
county.
The story is illustrated by extensive use of rare archive
photographs, and is enhanced by informed commentary from Colin
Maggs, who has seen so many changes in the county’s railway
network during a lifelong interest in the subject. You will also
enjoy stunning modern film, excerpts of archive footage and visits
to two of the county’s preserved lines - the Dean Heritage
Railway and Avon Valley Railway – and the GWR Museum at
Coleford. There are also fascinating interviews with former
railwaymen and those who recall how important such branch lines
were to rural areas.
Numerous locations are visited, including Avonside Wharf, Severn
Beach, Mangotsfield, Westerleigh, Yate, Thornbury, Berkeley Road,
Coaley, Dursley, Stroud, Gloucester, Cheltenham,
Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tewkesbury, Cirencester,
Kemble, Tetbury, Lydney, Cinderford and Chepstow.