Great Rail Restorations with Peter Snow - Season 1

The first episode comes from the stunning Vale of Llangollen in North Wales, where a passionate team of restorers try to bring a dilapidated carriage from 1912 back to life. The carriage was designed by Sir Nigel Gresley - who went on to build The Flying Scotsman.

This holiday-themed episode visits the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, as an enchanting wooden carriage from the very dawn of the railway age - 1864 - is restored. In its heyday, the carriage transported Victorian holidaymakers to the posh seaside resorts on the Isle of Wight, but it was scrapped in 1920 and converted into a holiday chalet. The team prepare to convert it back into a carriage featuring two second class compartments and a first class salon, with rich blue velvet handmade upholstery and carefully crafted period features. Peter Snow goes for his second driving lesson. And Henry Cole explores how the railways were responsible for bringing seaside holidays to the masses.

Luxury and glamour are at the heart of this episode, as the series jumps forward 100 years to 1960. The restoration project this time is a rusting and tired Pullman dining car, one of the very last batch to be made in Britain. The dedicated restoration team at Tyseley Engineering Works in Birmingham must transform both the dining car while getting the wreck of a kitchen back to working order. There's heavy engineering to do, as well as meticulous attention to detail needed. Peter's third driving lesson sees him grappling with reading signals, while still keeping the fire burning and the steam at the correct pressure. Henry Cole delves into the history of catering on the railways.