Slow Train
"Slow Train" is a song by the British duo Flanders and Swann, written in 1963.
It laments the loss of British stations and railway lines in that era, due to the Beeching cuts, and also the passing of a way of life, with the advent of motorways etc.
No churns, no porter, no cat on a seat,
At Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Chester-le-Street.
Several of these stations managed to survive the Beeching Axe. These are Chester-le-Street, Formby, Ambergate and Arram. Gorton and Openshaw station also survives, but is now just called Gorton. Chorlton-cum-Hardy station closed in January 1967, but re-opened in July 2011 as Chorlton Metrolink station.
Selby and Goole stations were not threatened by Beeching, though the railway line from Selby to Goole mentioned in the song was indeed closed to passengers. The other line specifically mentioned (from St. Erth to St. Ives[note 1]) was, however, reprieved, and both stations remain open.
Michael Flanders' delivery of the lyrics seems to imply that Formby Four Crosses and Armley Moor Arram were single station names, but there never were stations with those names - in both cases Flanders combined two consecutive names from an alphabetical list of stations. It has been suggested that he took the names of the stations from The Guardian, explaining at least some of the discrepancies between the names in the songs and the names of the stations.[1]
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[edit] Other versions
In 2004, Canadian classical quartet Quartetto Gelato released a themed album called Quartetto Gelato Travels the Orient Express, celebrating the original journey of Orient Express and featuring music from London to Istanbul. The album begins with a rendition of "Slow Train", though the final lines have been changed to reflect the route of the Orient Express.
A version of "The Slow Train" as performed by the King's Singers is sampled on electronica duo Lemon Jelly's track "'76 aka The Slow Train" in which it is combined with a cover of the Albert Hammond song "I'm a Train" also performed by the King's Singers. A live version by Stackridge was also included on their 2009 DVD entitled 4x4.
Michael Williams' book "On the slow train" takes its name from the Flanders and Swann song. It celebrates 12 of the most beautiful and historic journeys in Britain which were saved from the Beeching axe. It includes famous routes such as the Settle-Carlisle line, as well as less well-known pleasures, such as the four-hour Preston to Carlisle route along remote Cumbrian coastline.[2]
English folk singer-songwriter Frank Turner included a version of the song on his 2011 compilation album, The Second Three Years.
[edit] List of stations referred to in the lyrics
Where appropriate, the correct name of the station is shown in brackets.
- 10 of the 31 stations were open in 2012, with five others on lines still open.
- 'Trouble House Halt' only opened in 1959, shortly before Beeching became BR chairman.
- Re-opening of the line through 'Cheslyn Hay' in 1989 included the opening of a new station called 'Landywood', serving the same area but located half a mile to the south.
- 'Kirby Muxloe' is regularly proposed for re-opening on the freight-only 'Ivanhoe Line' between Leicester and Burton (most recently by ATOC in 2009).
- 'Littleton Badsey', 'Chittening Platform' and 'Armley Moor' are located on open passenger lines. Chittening and Armley are in urban areas (Bristol and Leeds), and are proposed for re-opening.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b While this St Ives was the one to which Flanders is referring, given its proximity to St Erth, it is worth noting that St Ives, Cambridgeshire also had a station just up the line from Long Stanton, on the Great Eastern Railway between Cambridge and Huntingdon and it was that one that was actually closed by Beeching.
- ^ Chorlton-Cum-Hardy re-opened in July 2011, re-named Chorlton, as part of the Manchester Metrolink.
- ^ a b Both Selby and Goole remain open, but the line between them, referred to in the song, was closed in 1964.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ "Littleton and Badsey Station (Revisited)". 21 January 2003. http://www.badsey.net/will/station_rev.htm. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
- ^ "The Independent, April 3, 2010.". London. 3 April 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/michael-williams-so-much-pain-in-our-love-of-the-train-1934744.html. Retrieved 14 Feb 2011.
- ^ Pre-Grouping Atlas, page 15
- ^ Pre-Grouping Atlas, page 16
- ^ a b Nick Catford (20 April 2010). "Disused Stations site record: Long Stanton". http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/l/long_stanton/. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ Suggitt, Gordon. "Chapter 11: Around Selby". Lost Railways of North & East Yorkshire. Countryside Books. pp. 124-126.
[edit] Bibliography
- British Railways Pre-grouping Atlas and Gazetteer. Ian Allan. 1988. ISBN 0711003203.
- Dewick, Tony. Rail Atlas 1890.
- Jowett, Alan (1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain & Ireland. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1852600861.
[edit] External links
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