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"Slow Train" is a song by the British duo Flanders and Swann, written in July 1963.
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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.
Several of the stations mentioned survived the Beeching Axe: Chester-le-Street, Formby, Ambergate and Arram. Gorton and Openshaw also survives, as Gorton. Chorlton-cum-Hardy closed in January 1967, but re-opened in July 2011 as Chorlton Metrolink station.
Selby and Goole were not threatened by Beeching, though the line from Selby to Goole mentioned in the song was closed to passengers. The other line mentioned, from St Erth to St Ives was reprieved, and both stations remain open.
Michael Flanders' delivery of the lyrics seems to imply that Formby Four Crosses and Armley Moor Arram were station names, but in both cases he combined two consecutive names from an alphabetical list of stations. It has been suggested that he 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.
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", with the final lines changed to reflect the route of the Orient Express.
A version of "The Slow Train" by the King's Singers is on electronica duo Lemon Jelly's track "'76 aka The Slow Train", combined with a cover of the Albert Hammond song "I'm a Train" also performed by the King's Singers. A live version by Stackridge was included in its 2009 DVD 4x4.
Michael Williams' book "On the Slow Train" takes its name from the song. It celebrates 12 of the most beautiful and historic journeys in Britain that were saved from the Beeching axe, including famous routes such as the Settle-Carlisle line and less well-known pleasures, such as the four-hour Preston to Carlisle route along the remote Cumbrian coastline.
English folk singer-songwriter Frank Turner included a version of the song on his 2011 compilation album, The Second Three Years.
List of stations referred to in the lyrics
Where appropriate, the correct name of the station is shown in brackets.