''Steam Days'' is a 1986
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
television documentary series written and presented by
Miles Kington
Miles Beresford Kington (13 May 1941 – 30 January 2008) was a British journalist, musician (a double bass player for Instant Sunshine and other groups) and broadcaster. He is also credited with the invention of Franglais, a fictional language, ...
. Each episode is themed around the history of British
steam locomotives
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
and
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
s, particularly highlighting preserved locomotives operating at the time of its filming. The series consists of six half-hour episodes. It aired on
Public Television
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
stations in the United States under the title ''Great Steam Trains''. Two episodes, "Going Great Western" and "The Fishing Line" are available to watch on the
BBC Archives
BBC Archives are collections documenting the BBC's broadcasting history, including copies of television and radio broadcasts, internal documents, photographs, online content, sheet music, commercially available music, BBC products (including ...
website. The whole series subsequently became available to watch on the
BBC iPlayer.
Episodes
BBC Programmes but until 8 December 2017 and is currently not available.
Episode list
VHS releases
DVD releases
See also
*''The Train Now Departing
''The Train Now Departing: Twenty Years After the End of Steam'' is a 1988 BBC Two documentary series about railways that was broadcast 20 years after the end of steam on British Railways. It was written and narrated by Anthony Smith. A book to ac ...
''
References
External links
*
*
*
Steam Days
' at the British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
{{Authority control
1986 British television series debuts
1986 British television series endings
1980s British documentary television series
BBC television documentaries
British travel television series
English-language television shows