A skilled team of craftsmen and engineers from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway will be starring in a new Channel 4 television series, ‘Great Rail Restorations with Peter Snow’, which will be broadcast from 20:00 tomorrow night (Wednesday 6th June 2018).
In each episode, Peter Snow challenges a heritage railway to undertake the complete restoration of a carriage in just 6 months, a job that would normally take 4 to 5 years.
In 2016, the production company contacted the Railway to explain the format.
Peter Vail, General Manager commented:
“At first we thought it was just impossible. But after some consideration we felt that the being able to restore a genuine Island carriage, of historical importance and be part of a national television series was just too good an opportunity to for us to miss.”
The Railway selected a carriage that was originally designed to run on the Isle of Wight and built by the Railway Carriage Company Limited of Oldbury near Birmingham. ‘Oldbury Number 10’ as it is called was built in 1864, making it the oldest of the projects undertaken for the programme. It’s one of a collection of six Oldbury carriages that have been rescued in various states of decay over the years and preserved awaiting restoration as a long-term ambition of the Railway.
The 5 episode programme commences on Channel 4 at 20:00 tomorrow and will feature the Isle of Wight Railway and 3 other restorations all covering different eras. It will be presented by Peter Snow together with Henry Cole, who both became regular visitors to the Island over the 6 months of filming.
Peter Vail adds:
“We are thrilled with the outcome. At one stage this carriage was being used as a derelict outhouse and would have been totally lost. The hard work and dedication of our team, which mostly comprises volunteers, never ceases to amaze me.”
