Slow train is a nostalgic song, written by the British musical comedy duo Flanders and Swann, who were much-loved figures in the entertainment world of the 1950s and 60s. It was written in response to a 1963 report by the chairman of British Railways, Dr Richard Beeching, who made vast cuts to Britain’s railways. The song laments the closure of thousands of small stations and lines, which were deemed unprofitable in the age of cars, but which had connected rural communities for decades. The song captured a general spirit of national disappointment at the closures. It was arranged for The King’s Singers in their early years by Gordon Langford (1930-2017), who added a charming handwritten note at the end of the score which reads: ‘Effigies of Dr Beeching (complete with box of pins) available upon request’.

from notes by The King's Singers © 2020