Steam Train Diaries - Channel Four

Steam Train Diaries – Channel Four

We’ve been working with the North York Moors Railway for several years, creating promotional films that celebrate both the railway and the landscape it runs through. One of our favourites is Lineside — a deliberately slow, immersive short documentary following the NYMR’s lineside conservation team. The film draws viewers into the rhythm of working life in one of the most secluded parts of the North York Moors National Park.

That work caught the attention of Button Down, who saw an opportunity to tell a much bigger story: what does it really take to run the UK’s largest heritage railway, and who are the people keeping these historic engines moving? From that spark, Steam Train Diaries was born.

Button Down produced and directed the series for More4, bringing the Hewitt & Walker team on board for Director of Photography duties (Ollie Bostock), camera operation (Adam Maxwell), drone filming, editing and full series graphics. From rigging cameras on the footplates of working steam engines to heading out with fire crews battling moorland fires, it was an incredible project to be part of — and a rare chance to see our social media videos work grow into a full television series.