Slow Train

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"Slow Train" is a song by the British duo Flanders and Swann, written in 1964.

It laments the loss of British stations and railway lines in that era, due to the Beeching cuts, and also the passing of a way of life, with the advent of motorways etc.

No churns, no porter, no cat on a seat,
At Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Chester-le-Street.

Several of these stations managed to survive the Beeching Axe. These are Chester-le-Street, Formby, Ambergate and Arram. Gorton and Openshaw station also survives, but is now just called Gorton.

Selby and Goole stations were not threatened by Beeching, though the railway line from Selby to Goole mentioned in the song was indeed closed to passengers. The other line specifically mentioned (from St. Erth to St. Ives) was, however, reprieved, and both stations remain open.

Michael Flanders' delivery of the lyrics seems to imply that Formby Four Crosses and Armley Moor Arram were single station names, but there never were stations with those names. It has been suggested that Flanders took the names of the stations from The Guardian, explaining at least some of the discrepancies between the names in the songs and the names of the stations [1].

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[edit] Other versions

In 2004, Canadian classical quartet Quartetto Gelato released a themed album called Quartetto Gelato Travels the Orient Express, celebrating the original journey of Orient Express and featuring music from London to Istanbul. The album begins with a rendition of "Slow Train", though the final lines have been changed to reflect the route of the Orient Express.

A version of "The Slow Train" as performed by the King's Singers is sampled on electronica duo Lemon Jelly's track "'76 aka The Slow Train" in which it is combined with a cover of the Albert Hammond song "I'm a Train" also performed by the King's Singers.

[edit] List of stations referred to in the lyrics

Where appropriate, the correct name of the station is shown in brackets.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Littleton and Badsey Station (Revisited)
  2. ^ While this St Ives is undoubtedly the one to which Flanders is referring, given its proximity to St Erth, it is worth noting that St Ives, Cambridgeshire also had a station just up the line from Long Stanton, on the Great Eastern Railway between Cambridge and Huntingdon.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Pre-grouping Rail Atlas (Published by Ian Allan)
  • Rail Atlas 1890 (Tony Dewick)
  • Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain & Ireland (Alan Jowett)