The Architecture The Railways Built - Series 4 coming early 2023 on Yesterday

[GoingUnderground]

3 minutes ago, melmerby said:

 

Tesco Express

Sainsbury's Local.

[Phil Parker]

5 minutes ago, GoingUnderground said:

Sainsbury's Local.

 

Surely a Waitrose .

 

Or maybe Aldi or Lidl would be more appropriate...

[AY Mod]

1 hour ago, GoingUnderground said:

or heaven forbid, having to use the public conveniences!

 

The programme showed that such eventualities were catered for (and preserved), the footman can't just say "You should have gone before we left".

 

I have had the experience of sitting on Phil the Greek's WC on a Royal Train and can confirm that it's no more plush than the facilities at RMweb Towers.

[St. Simon]

8 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

I have had the experience of sitting on the Phil the Greek's WC on a Royal Train and can confirm that it's no more plush than the facilities at RMweb Towers.

 

All that proves is that your loo is as posh as Phillips'! 

 

Simon

[timdunn]

It makes an excellent sets of rooms for seating - the bar are is technically in the adjoining structure. The fabric of the building has been carefully restored and maintained - it ensures constant use - and that a wide variety of people get to have hospitality in a once-exclusive building. Former railway buildings often make terrific bars and restaurants - and this one happens to be in a perfect place too. 

[dibber25]

On 03/02/2021 at 13:45, Phil Parker said:

The biggest problem with the show is that I want to visit the places. A trip to Windsor would be on the cards if it were permitted. Still, I'll just have to make do with telly.

Having lived in or near Windsor from 1973-92 I'm afraid that, after a brief spell when it was tastefully restored as the Royalty & Railways (later Royalty & Empire) exhibition by Madame Tussaud's it was subsequently ruined by conversion to a shopping centre in which the Royal station became a coffee shop, most of the original interiors were removed and cheap modern - and obviously phoney bits put up in their place. One coach went to STEAM at Swindon, the replica saloon was (I think) scrapped along with the tender of the locomotive. I believe the LBSCR Atlantic group rescued the tender wheel sets out of the skip. To think that station was the GIFT of the GWR to Queen Victoria. Of the two stations, the LSWR terminus by William Tite is probably in the more original condition. (CJL)

[Mike_Walker]

3 hours ago, timdunn said:

The replica loco is still there - the tender was cut up but the wheels from it made their way to the Bluebell eventually as part of a new-build project based there.

 

 

My apologies, I stand corrected.  Could have sworn it wasn't there last time I passed through although I wasn't looking.

 

Back in the old days before the station was "rationalised" and the King Edward Court shopping centre built (now Windsor Yards), American tourists would arrive by train, jump in a taxi and ask to be taken to the castle. The cabbie would oblige and exit via Goswell Lane, drive round town for a while and drop them off outside the castle opposite Central Station.  The AM Slough and local council were forever getting complaints!

 

[Georgeconna]

3 hours ago, GoingUnderground said:

Anyone who wears a scarf with a London Underground "D" stock moquette pattern, and hails from Metroland itself can't be all bad.

 

And having watched a lot of his programs, and been to some of the places that he's covered, some of which I know moderately well, I think they're first class.  Enthusiastic, yes, knowledgeable, yes, such a change from some of the dumbed down or sensationalist over the top commentaries on so many of the digital TV/media channels.

 

I must add now that I do chuckle away how enthused Tim is on this and would I could say the wonder, Amazement and appreciation of everything and how it was done.

 

For me  People do think I am strange when I start on about a chimney , Roof or arch,  and yes I certainly do enjoy how it is presented now, I have certainly warmed to this program.

 

Some great locations the chap is certainly getting around to as well. Wee bit jealous!

 

[caradoc]

1 hour ago, Mike_Walker said:

Back in the old days before the station was "rationalised" and the King Edward Court shopping centre built (now Windsor Yards), American tourists would arrive by train, jump in a taxi and ask to be taken to the castle.

 

Did the tourists not wonder what the big grey stony thing opposite the station was ?!!

 

 

[melmerby]

50 minutes ago, caradoc said:

 

Did the tourists not wonder what the big grey stony thing opposite the station was ?!!

 

 

Disneyland?

[PaulRhB]

Another good episode with the Leipzig and Lynton cliff railway and the L&B. It is nice to get the drone shots from the model railway perspective  

[Graham_Muz]

9 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

Another good episode with the Leipzig and Lynton cliff railway and the L&B. It is nice to get the drone shots from the model railway perspective  

Totally agree an excellent episode the hour passed in the blink of an enthusiastic Tim Dunn! 

[ardbealach]

Thoroughly enjoyed Lynton LnB and Leipzig.  Loved the birds eye drone pics of the LnB. Alisdair

[melmerby]

Bit of Déjà vu with the L&B Viaduct and Catesby Tunnel

Didn't Rob Bell cover those in his Walking Lost Railways series?

I can remember him cycling along the now finished tunnel with it's billiard table flat tarmac.

 

Liepzig - what a station. Reminded me a bit of how St Pancras has been developed with a shopping centre in the undercroft and the SchnellBahn in a tunnel under that, just like Thameslink at St P.

 

I wonder whether when built the two rival states had an equal number of platforms in the two halves?

[Edwin_m]

10 hours ago, melmerby said:

Liepzig - what a station. Reminded me a bit of how St Pancras has been developed with a shopping centre in the undercroft and the SchnellBahn in a tunnel under that, just like Thameslink at St P.

It reminded me of Paris St Lazare.  

[Legend]

Another thoroughly enjoyable program .  I am familiar with some of the subjects covered , like Wemyss Bay ,  The Connell Bridge, The Lynton and Barnstaple  etc , but there's always something new revealed that I didn't know , or the overall charm of the subject is revealed . The L&B part of the program was such a case . How charming ! At one stage I was thinking Heljan and Peco  make some models of that , I wonder....................

 

But its the subjects that I've never come across that make the program even more interesting, the Polish roundhouse from a few weeks ago and  Leipzig station from last night . Imagine a model of that !

Edited February 17, 2021 by Legend

[Ramblin Rich]

10 hours ago, melmerby said:

Bit of Déjà vu with the L&B Viaduct and Catesby Tunnel

Didn't Rob Bell cover those in his Walking Lost Railways series?

I can remember him cycling along the now finished tunnel with it's billiard table flat tarmac.

 

 

Certainly remember Rob going onto Chelfham ('granted rare access' again) and him or someone else doing the L&B and cliff railway recently. 

I sometimes wonder if the various programs have to negotiate about who's going where to avoid clashes!

I do enjoy Tim's shows very much, just the right combination of knowledge and enthusiasm, plus getting to see some real gems I've not heard if before. I loved the underground station in Leipzig with the thousands of light bricks!

 

[GoingUnderground]

One of the great things for me about Tim's programme is that he doesn't just look at disused or unchanged buildings and structures. It includes modern ones, like Rotterdam Centraal, reinvigorated ones like Leipzig, small ones like Woody Bay, hidden ones like the Catesby tunnel, ones with no public access like the Severn Bridge Junction signal box, and buildings that only exist because of the railways like the houses in Metroland or the covered way adjoining Malvern station.

 

Also he never forgets the reason for their construction, the locomotives and rolling stock, unlike some other ex-cabinet minister's series which are more focussed on the destinations that the means of getting there.

 

And he's there on site, not just a paid-for voice-over, with no offence to Bill Nighy nor his commentary on the "Scenic Railways" series, (another good programme that doesn't forget the locos and rolling stock though sometimes the continuity leaves a bit to be desired in the "Scenic" series - a one coach train morphs into a 2 coach formation and then back to a single coach).

 

Finally, he includes buildings and structures outside the UK.

 

It can't be that cheap to make with the location filming. I do hope that there will be further series.

[melmerby]

55 minutes ago, GoingUnderground said:

 

And he's there on site, not just a paid-for voice-over, with no offence to Bill Nighy nor his commentary on the "Scenic Railways" series, (another good programme that doesn't forget the locos and rolling stock though sometimes the continuity leaves a bit to be desired in the "Scenic" series - a one coach train morphs into a 2 coach formation and then back to a single coach).

 

A bit off topic but that is a series that could be excellent if only someone would sort out the dreadful continuity and get a better voice-over, it often contains incorrect/inaccurate  information.

It also frequently mixes up what is a locomotive & what is a train.

[Edwin_m]

3 hours ago, GoingUnderground said:

And he's there on site, not just a paid-for voice-over, with no offence to Bill Nighy nor his commentary on the "Scenic Railways" series, (another good programme that doesn't forget the locos and rolling stock though sometimes the continuity leaves a bit to be desired in the "Scenic" series - a one coach train morphs into a 2 coach formation and then back to a single coach).

 

Finally, he includes buildings and structures outside the UK.

 

It can't be that cheap to make with the location filming. I do hope that there will be further series.

He actually isn't there is most (any?) of the overseas slots.  Some local expert provides the personal input and Tim Dunn reverts to being a voiceover!  With costs and more recently Covid issues this is perhaps unsurprising, but is done very well and not really noticeable until someone points it out (on another forum in my case).  

[Ramblin Rich]

3 hours ago, Edwin_m said:

He actually isn't there is most (any?) of the overseas slots.  Some local expert provides the personal input and Tim Dunn reverts to being a voiceover!  With costs and more recently Covid issues this is perhaps unsurprising, but is done very well and not really noticeable until someone points it out (on another forum in my case).  

Yes, but at least the local experts do know what they are talking about, and usually do very well considering they're using a second language. I'd much rather that than some paid for voice actor who is at best interested but not necessarily knowledgeable.

[Harlequin]

Lo and behold, who do we find visiting Lynton and Barnstaple tonight?

 

None other than the éminence grise of railway documentaries, Mr Portillo.

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Harlequin

[timdunn]

Yup - others have been to Lynton & Lynmouth - (I quite enjoyed the segue between Mr Portillo finishing at the Valley of the Rocks at 19:58pm last night and us starting at Lynmouth at 20:01pm... clever bit of scheduling there  )  but obv diff production companies and channels don't know what the other is doing esp when we're all doing it at the same time. And perhaps we all offer a slightly different narrative.

 

On the continental bits - indeed, I'm not actually there (blame covid and the fact that I also have a day job so can't get everywhere in a 12 week period to film ~35 buildings) - but I do see all the research and input to the scripts. I'm not a v/o shoe-in here! Thanks for the feedback above. I can't remember if I've said it before but it was viewer feedback that led the team to change the sequence of stories in this series from series 1 so that each one stands alone (apart from the "biggest" locations), so whilst I have no input on the production style, the producers do monitor social channels etc because we all want to make something enjoyable.

 

(BTW the continuity of stock etc is harder than you might think. But the team tries its best and there are several enthusiasts across it so we do start from a good place)

[melmerby]

Hi Tim

I think the obvious difference in narrative between your series and Michael Portillo, is that yours is about the railway itself (obviously concentrating on architecture) and MP's is about where the railway can take you. As such both series (and also Rob Bell's Walking old railways) are each putting over a different perspective for the viewer.

 

I watch all railway series on TV and wish they were all as well put together as your series, even the missus watches it, so it must appeal to the non railway enthusiastic viewer, (although she did used to work in an architects.)

[PaulRhB]

29 minutes ago, timdunn said:

And perhaps we all offer a slightly different narrative.

Oh yes it’s worth it as there’s a different focus to each show and with the high quality of photography I’m not going to complain. I’m enjoying the ones I know just as much as the ones new to me. 
Thanks for all the work Tim and pass it on to the team, it’s been well worth it.