The Architecture The Railways Built - Series 2 Episode 6
You can view the episode online here
Barrow Hill Roundhouse, Derbyshire
A visit to the only working roundhouse in the UK – where in the centre, there’s a huge turntable. To demonstrate, an old locomotive (a BR Class 03 shunter, to be precise) is turned round. Mervyn Allcock – the founder of the present museum – shows the cameras around, and some of the team give a closer look at the working equipment used to keep heritage craft skills alive. The Midland Railway built this shed to maintain its freight-hauling steam locos: not only is it preserved today but the Barrow Hill team has also established a modern engineering base on site to bring in extra revenue too. The nearest station is Chesterfield – and it makes a great day out to visit on open days!
Bath Green Park and Bath Spa stations
A super trip to see two stations amidst the classical buildings of Bath. The team gets to see inside Brunel's Bath Spa station – built for the GWR and still served by GWR trains today – and they also trundle across town to see the old Bath Green Station.
This building – used by the Midland Railway as a terminus on the west of the city – laid derelict for many years. But following Sainsbury’s purchase of the adjacent site, it was restored as part of the deal with the council. Today it’s home to a farmer’s market, shops, a bistro, pizza restaurant and bars – as well as providing space for community and charity groups. A proper destination station; and the bistro at the station (Green Park Brasserie) – must be in most railway enthusiast’s lists of top rail conversion restaurants. There’s also an exploration of the vaults under the platforms – built to store goods back then, and used for storage of wine now – it looks a little spooky at the far end but very definitely a highlight of this piece of railway architecture.
Lodz Station in Poland
An exploration of a very modern railway station in Poland - which in its futuristic design still manages to pay homage to the old station that used to stand there. The old station was demolished – yet this new one is a double-faced replica of the old walls – covered with a vast glass roof. Extraordinary!
You can view The Architecture The Railways Built - Series 2 Episode 6 online here.