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Edinburgh to Queensferry

At the former Midlothian mining village of Newtongrange, Michael meets the son of a miner whose name loomed large in the disputes of the 1970s and 1980s, 'Red' Mick McGahey.

At the former Midlothian mining village of Newtongrange, Michael meets the son of a miner whose name loomed large in the disputes of the 1970s and 1980s, 'Red' Mick McGahey. On the outskirts of Edinburgh, at a recording studio in South Gyle, Michael is transported back to the wild world of 1970s pop with Bay City Rollers guitarist Stuart 'Woody' Wood.

Michael leaves Edinburgh and takes the train north to Dalmeny for Queensferry, on the banks of the Firth of Forth. At the Progress Rail foundry, he marvels at the traditional skills still required to produce complex sets of rails for modern tracks in Britain and across the world.

On the south bank of the Firth of Forth, Michael recalls the construction during the 1950s and 1960s of the Forth Road Bridge, which he saw as a child from the train window while crossing the rail bridge.

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29 minutes

Signed Audio described

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Michael Portillo
Director Cassie Farrell
Series Editor Alison Kreps
Executive Producer John Comerford
Production Company Fremantle

Broadcasts

Steam railway programmes on 大象传媒 iPlayer

A collection of programmes from the 大象传媒 archives on the beauty of steam locomotives.