ALL the magic and romance of York's railway heritage is coming to our TV screens this Christmas - with a little help from Sir Jimmy Savile.

In a special one-off festive show, legendary TV personality Sir Jimmy will pay tribute to the romantic notion of railway travel, and its inspiration for the arts.

The programme, entitled Romancing The Rails, was shot by a Granada film crew at the National Railway Museum in York.

Contributors include artist David Shepherd, pop guru Pete Waterman, Radio 3 broadcaster Stephen Johnson, journalist Jaci Stephen and Antiques Roadshow regular Paul Atterbury.

ITV spokeswoman Simone Le Livre said: "The trains we loved are still a cause of fascination for many, even the younger generation, who regularly flock to preserved lines or model exhibitions.

"This one-off special celebrates all manner of trains from little branch line boneshakers and clanking freight trains to Hornby tin-plate train sets and the sleek city express."

Su Matthewman, head of marketing at the National Railway Museum, said: "As the world's largest railway museum, we offer a fantastic location for many film crews as we have some of the world's most important and iconic railway vehicles.

"We are delighted to welcome Granada TV to the museum and always try to support the production of any programme that encourages people's understanding of our railway heritage."

The one-hour programme will also feature scenes shot on the Orient Express and preserved lines at Cheddleton and Cheltenham. It is expected to be broadcast on ITV1 this Christmas.

Sir Jimmy - famous for his "Let The Train Take The Strain" advertising campaign for British Rail - said: "I have been riding trains forever. I have a place in London, Leeds, Scarborough and Glencoe, so I am primarily an East Coast man.

"I do the straight bits by train and the short squiggly bits by car. Nowadays nobody would ever drive more than 75 miles on a road, because you are asking for traffic jams and accidents.

"I have done 50 years on TV and now I only do what I fancy, and I fancied this programme. If you have an interest in trains it is good fun and a nice addition to the festive season."

:: The Romance of the railways

THE show will feature works by painters, poets, authors, musicians and film-makers inspired by railways, including:

Glenn Miller's Chattanooga Choo-Choo

Emile Zola's La Bte Humaine

TS Eliot's Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat

William McGonagall's The Tay Bridge Disaster

Classic films

including The Railway

Children and Brief Encounter.

Updated: 09:58 Friday, September 09, 2005