Episodes

Season 2023 – Talk 10 – The Border Reivers In ‘The Border Reivers’ David Simpson tells us about these bandits who plundered the English / Scottish border counties from the 13th Century to the Union of the Crowns in 1603. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Who? Border raiders from every class in society operating in the north of England and south of Scotland. People for whom loyalty to family is much more important than to country. The rustling of li...

El Paso and a very wet desert – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 23 ‘El Paso and a very wet desert’ describes our time in El Paso and the first part of our journey to Alpine, Texas. The photographs that accompany this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: El Paso: Apparently it is 95oF (35oC) as I step from the train onto the platform. It really is hot and I keep in the shade as I walk down the platform. It really is pleasant to re-board the train with its air-condition...

Season 2023 – Talk 09 – Mao Zedong In Mao Zedong Alan Freeland tells us about the life of Mao and Chinese Communism until his death in 1976. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Childhood: Mao was born on 26 December 1893 and spends his childhood at Shaoshan village in Hunan. His father, once an impoverished peasant, becomes one of the wealthier farmers in the area. He is a stern disciplinarian who beats Mao, who finds that if he meekly accepts the bea...

To the border town of El Paso – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 22 ‘To the border town of El Paso’ covers my journey from our stop at Lordsburg, via Deming, through the inhospitable countryside of New Mexico. The photographs that accompany this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: Lordsburg: As we leave Lordsburg we pass alongside a road with dreary buildings. There are a number of motels and, whilst I see one that is open, a number appear long closed. However, on-lin...

Season 2023 – Talk 07 – The Glorious Revolution In The Glorious Revolution Andrew Cole tells us about the events of 1688 and questions whether it really was a revolution. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. James II and Catholicism: James converts to the Catholic faith in 1669 while his brother, Charles II, is on the throne. When Charles dies on 6th February 1685 he has no legitimate children and so James becomes King even though he is a Catholic. Ja...

From the suburbs of Tucson to Lordsburg – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 21 In ‘From the suburbs of Tucson to Lordsburg‘ I travel through the unhospitable countryside of Arizona and New Mexico. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: Out into the desert: There are lots of cacti along our route as we travel away from the Tucson area whilst the dining car serves the last breakfasts. One of the first sights that we see is the El Paso and S...

Season 2023 – Talk 05 – Wellington In Wellington Derek Sibley tells us about a few things that we might not know about the 1st Duke of Wellington. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Early life: Arthur Wesley (at this time this is the correct spelling) is the sixth of nine children born to Anne Wellesley, Countess of Mornington and Garret Wesley. His father has a short career in politics representing the constituency Trim in the Irish House of Commons...

Overnight from Los Angeles to Tucson – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 20 In ‘Overnight from Los Angeles to Tucson‘ I travel through the night on the first leg of my journey to Chicago. We depart on time from Union Station in LA and arrive in Tucson the next morning, 30 minutes early, whilst I’m having breakfast. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: Departing from Los Angeles: We depart exactly on time. Our GE Genesis locomotives power...

Season 2023 – Talk 04 – Secrets of the Farnham Workhouse In Secrets of the Farnham Workhouse Ian Wallace tells us a story that is not for the faint hearted. He reveals the workings of the Farnham Workhouse in the nineteenth century. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Good Intentions: In the mid-19th Century Farnham is a prosperous town. Historically wealth had come from wool, then the corn market and between 1600 and the 1970s from hops and brewing. ...

Los Angeles – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 19 Los Angeles is an amazing city that I am visiting for the second time. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: New Orleans to Los Angeles: Another day, another Uber! This time I’m travelling to the New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport for my journey to Los Angeles. I am flying with American Airlines. My first flight is to Dallas Fort Worth and then a second to LAX. On arrival ...

Season 2023 – Talk 03 – Pets in History In Pets in History Alan Freeland tells us a story that starts with the ‘hunter gatherers‘ and ends in the 20th Century. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Domestication: Alan considers the effects of domestication on the previously wild animals. Dogs are good when hunting and guarding whilst cats kill the mice that eat the store of grain. As humans move from hunting to farming the different aspects of these an...

Longue Vue Garden in New Orleans – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 18 In Longue Vue Garden in New Orleans I visit the amazing garden created by Edith and Edgar Stern. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: Getting to Longue Vue: I take an Uber from my hotel, the French Market Inn, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The driver has to follow his SatNav to get to the famed Longue Vue Garden in Bamboo Road in the Lakewood neighbourhood of...

Season 2023 – Talk 02.4 – Mail Rail In Mail Rail Tim Davies tells us about a railway that had no passengers until after it closed. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. A railway with no passengers: Deep beneath London’s choked streets there’s a six and a half mile railway. Operating for 19 hours a day from 1927 to 2003 with no drivers, no guards nor any passengers. To many it is one of the most successful railways in the world. The Post Office Undergr...

We reach New Orleans on The Crescent – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 17 In We reach New Orleans on The Crescent this section of my journey comes to an end as we reach New Orleans after midnight. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: South of Meridian: This episode begins after we leave the station at Meridian. We are running over an hour and a half late. We pass a collection of storage silos beside the line. It doesn’t look as though ...

Season 2023 – Talk 02.3 – The Camel In The Camel Richard Thomas tells us about the importance of the ‘Ship of the Desert’ throughout history. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. The Ship of the Desert : The camel has shipped slaves, salt and gold across the Sahara desert and shipped spices from Asia for many centuries. The Silk Roads, which run from Central Asia to places on the eastern edge of Europe, are around 4,000 miles long. These routes joined...

From east of Leeds to Meridian on The Crescent – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 16 From east of Leeds to Meridian on The Crescent continues my journey as we travel, with many unscheduled stops, towards New Orleans on The Crescent. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: Leeds: This is not the Leeds of my University days! Instead this is a relatively small city of just over 12,000 in the Alabama. Leeds is a city of mixed industry and alt...

Season 2023 – Talk 02.2 – The Railways In The Railways Roger Hobbs tells two stories. First he talks about the development of the railways of Britain and then he tells us about the Great Western Railway. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. The birth of the railways : Many take 1825 as the birth date of Britain’s railways because the Stockton and Darlington carried its first passengers in September 1825. This ignores the fact that the first plateways h...

Atlanta to beyond Pell City on The Crescent – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 15 Atlanta to beyond Pell City on The Crescent continues my journey as we slowly travel towards Birmingham on The Crescent enroute to New Orleans. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: Leaving Atlanta: We are 49 minutes late as we pull out of the station. Our route takes us past the a panoramic view of many of the city’s skyscrapers. I am disappointed that Wel...

Season 2023 – Talk 02.1 – The Orient Express In The Orient Express Margaret Denyer tells the story of this luxury train over the last 150 years. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Georges Nagelmackers : Margaret starts by telling us about this Belgian civil engineer and businessman who travels to the United States where he experiences Pullman carriages and believes that there is a market for luxury trains in Europe. He founds a company in 1873 which ...

We reach Atlanta on The Crescent – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 14 We reach Atlanta on The Crescent continues my journey both through the night and into the morning, as we travel towards Atlanta on The Crescent on my journey towards New Orleans. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: Greensboro: We are late and so it is very dark as we cross the Virginia / North Carolina State line. Our next stop is in Greensboro which is the largest...

Season 2023 – Talk 01 – The Portuguese Empire In The Portuguese Empire Richard Thomas tells the story of Europe’s first, longest and also last Empire. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Voyages of Discovery: Henry the Navigator is the key. He finances and sends explorers into the unknown. This is a time when perceived wisdom, or religion, believes that the earth is flat and if you go too far you fall off the end. Some of his captains agreed, others ...

Washington to Danville on The Crescent – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 13 Washington to Danville on The Crescent continues my journey into the evening on The Crescent as we travel towards New Orleans. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: Washington: We change locomotives in Washington and say goodbye to the Amtrak Cities Sprinter (Siemens ACS-64) that has brought us from New York. There is a delay before our our GE Genesis power arri...

Season 2022 – Talk 20 – Robin Hood In Robin Hood David Simpson tries to answer the question as to whether he is fact or fiction. Click a thumbnail below to view the image gallery that accompanies the talk. Who? David tells us of a number of people who could have been the model of the legendary leader who robs the rich to give to the poor. These, either individually or as a group, may be the inspiration for the tales recounted by the Medieval balladeers. Where? This depends on the who becau...

Philadelphia to Washington on The Crescent – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 12 In ‘Philadelphia to Washington on The Crescent’ I continue my journey 0n The Crescent as we travel towards New Orleans. To view the photographs for this podcast: Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery: Philadelphia: The Dining Car staff are making up boxes whilst we wait in Philadelphia for the passengers to board. These boxes will be used for the passengers wanting ‘room service’. They’ll miss out as...