Synopsis
Ian McMillan enjoys the language of the iconic 'Night Mail' poem by W.H. Auden, invites us into signal boxes, imagines train station bars, and evokes the empty platforms that inspire songs - as he celebrates 200 years of railway inspired poetry with his guests Don Paterson, Carmen Marcus, Bella Hardy and Patrick McGuinness.
Further Information
Other Archive resources
Alan Johnson: The Post Office and Me | WH Auden's "Night Mail"
Alan Johnson MP (and former postman) takes a ride on a Travelling Post Office - one of the mail-sorting trains that used to criss-cross the nation through the night and that were immortalised in the film Night Mail.
Thinking Allowed | Work identity on the railway
Tim Strangleman discusses his study into work identity and 'loss': how older railway workers have reacted to change in their industry.