Great Rail Tales

Neil Forbes – The fastest chocolate souffle in the world

From making souffles at over 70 mph to collecting fresh langoustines from the pier at Mallaig, Chef Neil Forbes launched his career (and found love) in the galley of The Royal Scotsman.
Fine dining on the rails creates a unique set of challenges for any chef, from sourcing their ingredients from producers and fishermen along the line to having an in-depth knowledge of where all the station bins are. Neil’s Great Rail Tale is full of fondness for the food, the passengers and the on-board team, who form a very close knit bond, cramped in the carriages. It’s where he met his wife and where today he still leans toward some of the fondest memories of a 30 year career in kitchens around the world.

David Mochan – 6VT Central Community Rail Partnership

David Mochan, secretary of the 6VT Community Rail Partnership in Edinburgh describes some of the work of the country’s only youth led CRP

Caroline Mansbridge – Your first love is the deepest

Caroline describes the moment she fell in love with steam trains. Her first and lifelong love for the railway began in Swanage. Today she still feels the same joy when she rides on board a steam train as she did as a young woman, a deep connection that goes to the heart of her soul. 

Georgie Read - A love affair sparked by a Tornado!

Georgie’s passion for the railway began in 2017 in Walton on the Naze when she first saw the Tornado 60163 steam train.  It was, quite literally, love at first sight and has led Georgie on adventures she never expected to be taking.  For Georgie her past, present and future feel inextricably wound round the railway network and trains she loves so much.

The Railway Stinkers

The first railway chemical laboratory was opened in 1864 by the London & North Western Railway at Crewe, and the last ones lost their direct link to the rail industry when it was privatised in 1996. Whatever their expertise, every railway chemist or ‘stink’ has been asked the same question: “What do you actually do”?
In this episode, stinkers David Smith, Ian McEwean, John Sheldon and Ian Cotter recount some the invaluable work of Railway Chemists across the network.

Pete Waterman – A track record inspired by the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral

Songwriter, record producer and publisher, Pete Waterman is also an avid train enthusiast, sharing an interest in model railways with Jools Holland and Rod Stewart. Before a career in music Pete worked for BR, but it was watching the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral following the war that sparked his love of model railway building.
Today he holds the world record for the biggest mobile model railway display, 999.90 metres of track that depict the West Coast Main Line between Rugby and Watford Junction. 
Pete is president of the Railway Benefit Fund, one of Railway 200’s charities.

Phil Hibberd and Great Great Grandad Jabez Atkinson

The railway isn’t just in Phil Hibberd’s blood; it’s in his DNA. The son of a railway engineer and a railway wages clerk who met at the local Railway Social Club, his ancestry in the railway industry can be traced back to the mid 19th Century.
It was in retirement that his father, Derek Hibberd, started to trace the family heritage. Finding links to the railway in Bombay and across the UK, one of the most sentimental links was to be found much much closer to home than anyone could have expected.

Chris Leech MBE – Rebuilding Futures Alliance

An accident on the track early in his railway career led Chris Leech to develop the first  community education programme to reduce route crime on the rail network. The Track-Off campaign led to a 54% reduction in youth route crime across the UK.
Today he works with the Rebuilding Futures Alliance supporting people with previous convictions turn their lives around through training and employment in the railway.

Anthony Coulls – From eggs to elephants

Senior curator at the National Railway Museum and Locomotion in Shildon, Anthony Coulls describes how the growth of the railway started to change human society, our diet, the economy, the concept of time, migration, the look of landscape and our national obsession with speed.
Find out more about major moments in the history of the railway on our timeline: https://railway200.co.uk/timeline/

Monisha Rajesh – Travelling the world by train

Travel writer Monisha Rajesh describes her love of literally watching the world go by through the carriage window and how she watches and listens to people as she travels the world by rail on her life-affirming adventures.