Steel Wheels: Railway History, Technology and Safety. Podcast
1) Episode 3: (Safety) Norton Fitzwarren 1940
In our first safety episode, we lift the lid on the terrible crash that took place at Norton Fitzwarren on the GWR in 1940, and learn how it teaches us all too clearly of the dangers of making assumpt...Show More
2) Episode 6: (Technology) The Steam Engine Part 2
Today we examine the next stage in the development of the steam engine from a stationary power plant to a mobile source of traction. The low pressure engines had reached their zenith by 1800, and the ...Show More
3) Episode 5: (History) Trevithick's Triumph
Today we progress the story of the railways through the era of the horse drawn tramway to 1804, when the eccentric Cornishman, Richard Trevithick, unveils a new world changing invention...the steam en...Show More
4) Special Episode, A Ghost Story for Christmas: "The Signalman"
In homage to the traditional Ghost Story for Christmas, in this special episode Steel Wheels presents one of the most famous ghost stories in horror fiction, "The Signalman", by Charles Dickens. --- ...Show More
5) Episode 4: (Safety) Charfield 1928
As compensation for the delay in releasing the new episodes, I have decided to produce and extra long safety episode for all my regular listeners, and release it ahead of schedule. In this episode, we...Show More
6) Episode 2: (Technology) The Steam Engine Part 1
In this, the first of our technology episodes we explore the early development of the cornerstone of the railway, the steam engine. Starting in Egypt, we trace the development of this machine from 1st...Show More
7) Episode 1: (History) The Origins of the Railway
In this very first episode of Steel Wheels, we trace the early history of the railway right back to the first recorded railway in history, built around 600BCE in Ancient Greece. We then trace the deve...Show More