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The series was divided into three stories, set in different time periods in the history of the railway, through the eyes of a fictional railway family. In each story the main protagonist is a boy in his early to mid teens, who then reappears as an adult in the following story.
The first story (two episodes) is set during the construction of the line, and its main character is Robbie Grant, a boy who has been brought to the valley because his father is working on the railway as a [[Railway Navvies of the SVR|navvy]]. Although the Grant family was fictional, the story included characters such as [[John Fowler | Sir John <noglossary>Fowler</noglossary>]] and [[Henry Orlando Bridgeman]] who were involved in the building of the real Severn Valley Railway, while the plot line in which Robbie is severely injured by a fall of rock is notably similar to an actual [[Railway Navvies of the SVR|accident which took place during constructionm in 1859]].. The Didcot Great Western Society's veteran Wantage Tramway locomotive "Shannon" was used for filming, being either propelled or hauled into shot as it was not in steam at the time.
The second story (three episodes) is set in the Edwardian era, when the now-elderly Robbie is the signalman at [[Highley]], and his grandson George is about to start work as a porter at the station. [[4566]], renumbered as 4506, served as a locomotive of that era.
