Small Railway Journeys

Jonathan Glancey takes a trip on the Isle of Wight's commuter service, which makes use of disused trains from the London Underground and carries passengers to the ferry terminus. He also travels on board the island's steam railway.

Jonathan Glancey travels along the Great Central, Britain's last major line, and considers the work of railway pioneer Edward Watkin, who proposed the idea of a Channel tunnel a century before it became a reality.

Jonathan Glancey recalls the steam railway set up between Londonderry and the fishing village of Burtonport in 1903. The line was intended to tie small rural communities together, but proved financially unviable and was closed in 1940, to be replaced by a bus service.