The first episode tracks how the railways grew from coal trucks in the north-east of England to transforming the lives of the Victorians. Trainspotter Francis Bourgeois tells the story of his 19th-century equivalent, schoolboy George Tod, who took stunning black and white photographs of his favourite engines. These and other photographs have been colourised, bringing the old railways back to life. There are also stories from the Empire as well as narratives from closer to home, including the magnificent Forth Bridge.