Britain’s lost railway stories are being invited into the spotlight as Tracing the Rails® asks the public which forgotten line should be next.
STEYNING, WEST SUSSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, May 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Tracing the Rails Productions Ltd, the not-for-profit team behind the acclaimed documentary series Tracing the Rails®, is launching a national appeal to help decide which lost railway line should become the focus of a future series.
The documentary series began in West Sussex, following the former Steyning Line, also known as the Adur Valley Line, which once connected communities between Shoreham-by-Sea and Horsham. The line served places including Bramber, Steyning, Henfield, Partridge Green, West Grinstead and Southwater before passenger services were withdrawn in the 1960s.
What began as a local heritage project has grown into a wider community documentary series, combining archive material, present-day exploration, local memories, interviews, drone footage and careful historical research. The aim is not simply to tell the story of old trains and abandoned stations, but to uncover the people, places, businesses, schools, farms, families and communities that once depended on these railway lines.
Now, as the first series continues to reach audiences through YouTube, community screenings and television broadcast on Rewind TV, the team is looking beyond Sussex and inviting the public to nominate other lost, closed or abandoned railway lines from across Britain.
Director Chris Kirk said: “We know the Steyning Line is only one of many lost railway stories waiting to be told. Across the country, there are vanished stations, forgotten bridges, old cuttings, former railway communities and memories that deserve to be preserved. We want people to tell us which line they think should be next.”
He added: “We are especially interested in lines that still have visible remains, hidden structures, abandoned stations, old bridges, tunnels, viaducts, surviving artefacts, or strong community memories. The perfect line for Tracing the Rails® is not necessarily the most famous one. It may be a route that has been overlooked, half-forgotten, or quietly absorbed back into the landscape — but still has a powerful story waiting to be told.”
Tracing the Rails® is produced by Tracing the Rails Productions Ltd, a private company limited by guarantee and not-for-profit organisation dedicated to community-based documentary production and public heritage storytelling. Its formal objects include producing and promoting documentary films focused on heritage, culture, education and public history, while reinvesting surplus income into future media and documentary projects rather than operating for profit.
The company works with museums, local historians, railway enthusiasts, residents, volunteers and contributors to bring lost railway history back to life. Previous work on the Steyning Line has involved collaboration with local museums and community groups, as well as contributions from people who have shared photographs, films, documents, memories and artefacts connected to the former railway.
The appeal is open to railway enthusiasts, local historians, former railway workers, walkers, cyclists, community groups, museums, archive holders and anyone with a connection to a lost railway line. The team is particularly keen to hear from people who can help identify routes with a strong mixture of physical remains and human stories, especially if they are less publicised or less in the public domain.
Suggested nominations might include lines closed during the Beeching era, former rural branch lines, industrial lines, coastal routes, lost commuter railways, or lines that helped shape towns, villages and landscapes before disappearing from regular public memory.
The production has also recently gained wider recognition, reaching the semi-finals of the Hollywood Indie Film Festival in two categories: Best Serialised Web Documentary and Best Feature Documentary.
Chris Kirk said: “For us, the railway is the thread, but the real story is the community around it. A lost railway can tell you about work, school, industry, leisure, war, social change, architecture and landscape. These lines helped shape Britain, and many of their stories are still sitting in attics, albums, sheds, memories and local archives. We want to find them before they disappear.”
Tracing the Rails Productions Ltd is inviting nominations from across Britain. The team would like people to explain which lost railway line they believe deserves attention, why it matters, what remains today, and whether there are local people, photographs, documents or stories that could help bring the route to life on screen. They are also hoping to attract further sponsorship for the project now that series one is almost completed.
Support for the project helps cover the practical costs of production, including filming, research, archive material, insurance, travel, editing and distribution. The series is supported through audience contributions, Patreon subscribers, philanthropists and backers, community goodwill and the voluntary efforts of many people who believe railway heritage should be preserved and shared.
To nominate a lost railway line for a future series, support the project, or watch the current series, visit www.tracingtherails.com
or email info@tracingtherails.com
For media enquiries, please contact:
Chris Kirk
Director, Tracing the Rails Productions Ltd
Email: info@tracingtherails.com
Chris Kirk
Tracing the Rails Productions
info@tracingtherails.com
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