Film > Documentary

While rail travel has always inspired romance and adventure, much remains undiscovered about the diminutive, narrow-gauge railways which, since the early 1800s, have traversed impossible terrain to link remote settlements with main cities. These tiny trains were an integral part of the steam age, and this documentary encapsulates the spirit and allure associated with the great little trains of the world.

A prime tourist attraction in the Cumbria Lakes district, north-west England, the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway was originally built in 1875 to transport iron ore from mines above the Eskdale village, and to carry visitors to the picturesque valley when the mine closed. This fantastic program shows how, after the line closed in 1913, the classic steam train route has since been restored to its original glory, and today transports passengers from coastal Ravenglass up steep gradients to the foot of England’s highest mountain, making it one of the most beautiful railway journeys in England.