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Railway Journeys

Charlie

Charlie

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Michael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys @ 6.30pm BBC2 tomorrow (Tuesday) travels to Birmingham and talks about it being the pen making capital of the world, as well as talking about a notorious 19th century murder.
The following night (same time) he's in Dudley I think.
Worth a look, hopefully.
 
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Hello Charlie, nice post m8,

Yes Michael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys have been excellent, informative & entertaining viewing and long may he continue in this role including the European journeys series.

Hopefully he will give B,ham a fair range of comments and when continuing onwards to Dudley refrains from the famous
"infamous" flippant remarks of Good ol Queen Vic of shutting curtains to avoid "Black Country", a bane & insult to our proud
neighbours & we all know the reference is to the colour of the land & not the people,,But papperazzi then as now, nowt change !
Will be interesting to watch & Michael a consumate pro will deal wonderfully with it as usual,,
Thanks Charlie,,John
 
Brilliant idea. Surely Bradshaws had plenty to say about Snow Hill? Love the programmes Portillo has made. He's made trains and travelling an incredibly interesting subject - and all with good humour. More please .... Viv.
 
Hi

Really enjoy his Programmes. His recent Continental Railway series with his trusty
Bradshaw was brilliant.
Been off line for a while Solihull Hospital with Mom (96) with Pneumonia.
Today she's off the various drips and talking of her discharge. Over the moon.

Mike Jenks
 
Never liked him when he was in politics but he really presents this programme very well.

Love your reply Jean made me chuckle I'm Mrs Remote.

Mike sorry to hear about your Mom and glad she is on the mend.
 
Recorder set for this too, x-box takes over early evenings, then I watch the recordings later when teenager in bed!!!
Mike, glad to hear your mom is improving, hope she is soon well enough to be home.
Sue
 
I'd glad Great British Railway Journeys is back. The High Wycombe to Stratford-upon-Avon episode was good! Finally going on trains on the lines I use!

Midlands wise - today Michael Portillo went through Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon.





Tomorrow I assume that he will call at Jewellery Quarter (as he is going to the Pen Room)

 
One more photo of the Pen Room



Pen wise - there was this set of posters in the Birmingham History Galleries

 
Good episode today.

Michael got off at Moor Street (not Jewellery Quarter). But they still showed him at the Pen Room.

He also visited the Jewellery Business Centre. Where they still hand make pens!



Portillo then caught a train from New Street to Tamworth.
 
Thanks for letting us know this programme was on Charlie :adoration: Really enjoyed watching it especially the bit with Larry in the Pen Room.
Also enjoyed watching the real silver pens being made - I didn't know they still made them by hand like that!
 
I watched this programme this evening and was very pleased to see Moor Street looking in a much better shape and design to how I recalled it in the early 1950's. It certainly enhances the City.

I was intigued by the Pen Room: oh boy! had that place existed in my younger days (school days) I would have been a very frequent visitor. I have always had a penchant for good writing instruments and still use a fountain pen from time to time. Actually one pen I have I use for model work: I find it is far easier to write on a model with a pen than with a very fine brush; especially when hands and sight 'aint wot they used to be'. :friendly_wink:

There were also two other programmes in this series being screened on alternative channels this evening. One was set in Yorkshire which conflicted slightly in timing with the Midland one and a later one set in my neck of the woods.. All are repeats, of course, as is so much on tv these days. Being a volunteer on the railway and boat company the scenery is very familiar to me.
 
Watched this programme tonight and really enjoyed it, I love Moor Street station anyway and then around Tamworth and Rugeley too, as well as Shugborough, all places I know well.
The Pen Room fascinated me and I would just love one of those silver hand made pens, bet they cost the earth though!
Sue
 
Moor Street was restored in the Edwardian style between 2003 and 2006. With platforms 3 and 4 coming into use at the end of 2010.



Before then, there was the 1987 version of Moor Street, that only used the through platforms 1 and 2 (these were Edwardianised between 2003-6).
 
I thought it was quite a good coverage of the Pen Museum - longer than his usual "whistle stop" visits. Agree that Moor Street station looked good (I use it often) and was amazed by that pen maker in the Business Centre (and didn't the gates look nice?) I didn't know they still made them either. I'd put one on my birthday list, but don't think anyone I know could afford one! Gorgeous.
 
Thanks Pollypops, on my lottery win list too now, I love pens of any sort - my treat on payday was a new pen of some sort lol
Sue
 
Thanks Pollypops, I was right then, no point in putting one on my birthday list!
Tonights programme takes in Dudley and Bridgnorth for the Severn Valley Railway.
 
They ended this weeks journey at the Elan Valley Reservoirs.

You can see a model of it in Cannon Hill Park





There was also a lady who originally came from Birmingham but now lives in Aberystwyth. They mentioned that a lot of Victorian holiday makers from Birmingham got the train to the sea side resort.
 
Mike, hope your mom soon picks up, its difficult looking after elderly parents when they are well, but when they become infirm, it puts a strain on everyone, you look after yourself too!
Going back to the trains, mom and dad used to come down to Borth or Aberystwyth on the train midweek when we stayed at our friends caravan in Ynyslas, they say what a picturesque journey it was - when it wasn't raining!!
Sue
 
Was recently reading about Bradshaws, his first timetable came out in 1839, and the last one number1521 was published in June 1961 .
 
Thanks to the series, the old Bradshaws have been republished. You can find them in Waterstones or WH Smith. Even the canal guide! (and probably on Amazon).
 
Charlie said:
Michael Portillo's Great British Railway Journeys @ 6.30pm BBC2 tomorrow (Tuesday) travels to Birmingham and talks about it being the pen making capital of the world, as well as talking about a notorious 19th century murder.
The following night (same time) he's in Dudley I think.
Worth a look, hopefully.
Click to expand...
He is on at 6-30 pm on BBC2 this evening, Wednesday, with some time being spent in Moseley. He also visits the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
 
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