Episode 2
Dan Snow traces the development of Britain's railways, from the beginnings of a true national network in the late 1830s through to the end of the 'railway mania' in 1847.
In the late 1830s, the railways arrived in London and linked the capital to Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. This was the start of a truly national network - and one of the greatest civil engineering projects in history.
The spread of the railways triggered a mania across Britain. Railway tycoons like Samuel Morton Peto and George Hudson made fortunes as the stock markets boomed around these new developments. Yet the bubble burst in 1847 and shares plummeted. Thousands of ordinary shareholders filled the bankruptcy courts. However as Dan Snow reveals, the legacy of the mania was an incredible rail network for 19th-century Britain and a revolution in the way people lived.
Last on
Clip
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The "budget airlines" of the Victorians
Duration: 01:54
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
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00:49Luke Richards
Morning of the Attack
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Dan Snow |
| Producer | Helen Nixon |
| Director | Helen Nixon |
| Executive Producer | Eamon Hardy |
| Series Producer | Melanie Archer |
Broadcasts
Tue 22 Jan 2013 21:00BBC HD & BBC Two- Wed 23 Jan 2013 23:20BBC HD
- Mon 28 Jan 2013 00:25BBC Two Northern Ireland
- Mon 28 Jan 2013 23:20BBC Two except Northern Ireland
- Thu 30 May 2013 19:00BBC Two HD & England only
- Fri 31 May 2013 19:00BBC Two Northern Ireland & Wales only
- Sun 2 Aug 2015 19:00BBC Two except Northern Ireland & Scotland
Tue 5 Apr 2016 20:00- Wed 6 Apr 2016 01:55
- Wed 14 Jun 2017 23:20
- Tue 31 Oct 2017 15:15
- Sun 3 Jun 2018 19:00
- Mon 4 Jun 2018 00:30
- Sun 28 Oct 2018 19:00
- Wed 16 Feb 2022 23:20
- Mon 28 Nov 2022 16:15BBC Two except Scotland
- Thu 22 Dec 2022 01:30BBC Two except Scotland