God's Wonderful Railway

God's Wonderful Railway was a children's drama TV series made by the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

. There were eight 30-minute episodes, originally screened from 6 February 1980.

Plot

The first half of the series was set in the early 1900s when George Grant, played by child actor Ian Sandy, starts work as a lad porter at Highley

Highley railway station

Highley railway station is a station on the Severn Valley Railway heritage line in Shropshire, near the west bank of the River Severn and just under a mile south-east of the village of Highley. Highley is the only staffed single-platform station on the line...

 on the Great Western Railway. The second half of the series was set during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 when Grant, played by Colin Douglas, had become station master at Arley

Arley railway station

Arley railway station is a station on the Severn Valley Railway heritage line in Worcestershire, situated just over the River Severn from the village of Upper Arley; a footbridge crosses the river to link the station to the village...

.

Production

The series was written by Avril Rowlands with episodes directed by Fiona Cumming and John Prowse.

The location filming was done on and around the Severn Valley Railway

Severn Valley Railway

The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...

.

The opening credits features "Montagues and Capulets" set to marching, heavy steam locomotives.

External links