Class 31 on Eastenders

[Voyager 2093]

I'm sure many of you who watched eastenders would have noted a Class 31 train approaching Ganine's car, I just wanted to know where that scene was shot and if the train was really coming at the pace, that looked pretty dangerous to me.

 

[ainsworth74]

If anyone want to watch it, link is here.

Looks to me like they may have sped up the footage of the 31, and also that they went in post production and superimposed the footage of the car making its narrow escape with the footage of the 31 rolling over the crossing. Which would probably mean the two were never even close to each other.

 

[YorkshireBear]

its quite obvious the two bits were sperate then put over top of each other, its not even a good attempt at it.

train doesnt look speeded up if you look at the effects it has on the tree's either side the exhaust fumes and the driver moving in cab none of them look speeded up

 

[bengley]

It obviously was coming at that pace but it's safe to say there wasn't actually a car parked on the crossing.

 

[ainsworth74]

train doesnt look speeded up if you look at the effects it has on the tree's either side the exhaust fumes and the driver moving in cab none of them look speeded up

Yeah your right, just went back had another look.

 

[MCR247]

It was filmed at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway using 31108

 

[YorkshireBear]

personally the best bit was seeing how calm the driver actually was during the whole thing to say there was a car on the line, and why did he not brake? :/

 

[bengley]

personally the best bit was seeing how calm the driver actually was during the whole thing to say there was a car on the line, and why did he not brake? :/

Don't wanna be giving that nice train flats do we now?

 

[Mike Redding]

The people who play Janine and Ryan on Eastenders were on This Morning, er, this morning, and they said it was green screened.

 

[Simon Poole]

I noticed the last two times that soaps and trains have collided, that they using trains from different eras to the modern era, in Emmadale they used an Class 47 in BR Livery and in Eastenders they used an Railfright Class 31?

At least they could loan an modern diesel, DMU OR EMU to keep with the times!

 

[Fred26]

I noticed the last two times that soaps and trains have collided, that they using trains from different eras to the modern era, in Emmadale they used an Class 47 in BR Livery and in Eastenders they used an Railfright Class 31?

At least they could loan an modern diesel, DMU OR EMU to keep with the times!

As if the general public would actually notice, much less care...

As long as it's not a steam train, most people probably couldn't tell the difference.

 

[Simon Poole]

As if the general public would actually notice, much less care...

As long as it's not a steam train, most people probably couldn't tell the difference.

True...they would care what would happen next? i was looking foward to an smash! but kind of dissapointed that the car moved but taking an guess, the scene was used to promote Level Crossing safety?

also would it be cheaper to create that kind of scene from an perversed Railway than the National network?

 

[ailsa]

At least they could loan an modern diesel, DMU OR EMU to keep with the times!

My thought on things was that at least they used a class that still runs on the network, in a livery suited to the train it was hauling.

Railway scenes on telly are usually diabolical and I thought this one was a bit better to be honest.

 

[route:oxford]

At least they could loan an modern diesel, DMU OR EMU to keep with the times!

And be accused of advertising a franchise with close ups of the side of the train.

 

[tbtc]

And be accused of advertising a franchise with close ups of the side of the train.

Lets face it, no franchise is going to want their trains to be filmed in any negative way - even a "positive" story warning of level crossings might give them cold feet

 

[rail-britain]

Are these programs sponsored by Network Rail, to raise awareness of accidents on level crossings
Surely they should be promoting what to actually do CORRECTLY, rather than be a muppet, stop on the crossing, stay inside the vehicle

No doubt there will be a program along shortly to show this, with a vehicle that ends up on a crossing, the occupants get out, and the vehicle ends up squashed to hee-ho

 

[sprinterguy]

Network Rail have already worked with Top Gear to show the dangers of a car being struck by a train on a level crossing, by propelling a 31 at a fair rate of knots into a people carrier on NR metals, somewhere in Lincolnshire I believe. It was done a bit tongue in cheek in typical recent Top Gear style, but nonetheless hopefully helped to give the issue of drivers jumping the lights at crossings a bit more weight.

It seems train collisions and accidents are in vogue at the moment with the various major soaps. I don’t watch any of the shows myself, but I’m hearing a lot of reports of their activities through this forum: A BR Blue 47 on Emmerdale, a tram crash on Coronation Street and now a class 31 near miss on Eastenders.

Watching the sequence from Eastenders gets me all nostalgic, as they have managed to create a fairly prototypical engineers’ train formation from the very early nineties! As has been said above, although the train isn’t contemporary with the present day, at least it’s contemporary within itself!

 

[ainsworth74]

Network Rail have already worked with Top Gear to show the dangers of a car being struck by a train on a level crossing, by propelling a 31 at a fair rate of knots into a people carrier on NR metals, somewhere in Lincolnshire I believe. It was done a bit tongue in cheek in typical recent Top Gear style, but nonetheless hopefully helped to give the issue of drivers jumping the lights at crossings a bit more weight.

I remember that, the damage it did to the people carrier was pretty spectacular as I recall. I think I'm going to try and track it down, I'm sure it's cropped up on youtube before now.

Here it is. I wouldn't fancy being in the Espace during or after that crash.

 

[sprinterguy]

Yup, the bufferbeam basically tore right through the car. I think the chances of surviving such an incident are nil.

 

[YorkshireBear]

im gonna ask this now, ive seent he top gear thing loads of times but i alway swondered why another 31 was following behind? :/

 

[matt]

im gonna ask this now, ive seent he top gear thing loads of times but i alway swondered why another 31 was following behind? :/

The 31 used by top gear was not a working loco so was pushed by the other 31

 

[Stigy]

NWR might wanna have that Level Crossing looked at, as one of the barriers didn't lower

Also, the car was a manual, why not just crank it over in first gear until it was clear of the crossing?

 

[route:oxford]

Also, the car was a manual, why not just crank it over in first gear until it was clear of the crossing?

Unfortunately not everyone's dad is mechanically minded enough to teach them to do that when learning to drive... (Mine did). It's why I'd never want a car with a "start" button - give me a key and the ability to crank any day.

 

[Stigy]

Unfortunately not everyone's dad is mechanically minded enough to teach them to do that when learning to drive... (Mine did). It's why I'd never want a car with a "start" button - give me a key and the ability to crank any day.

I just thought it was common sense, but then I've done several years in the motor trade....I guess things can be different when panick sets in, that coupled with TV's tendency to be somewhat unrealistic.

 

[mumrar]

The cost of using a modern train would be excessive, transporting it to the line to be filmed (preserved lines don't have much day to day running). Plus, I can just imagine the reaction to this announcement "We'd like to apologiose for the cancellation of the xxxxx, this is due to a unit shortage because one unit is being used to film Eastenders"

 

[YorkshireBear]

use it on one with a mainline connection, and do it on a sunday

 

[Surreytraveller]

im gonna ask this now, ive seent he top gear thing loads of times but i alway swondered why another 31 was following behind? :/

Because the 31 following had a driver in it and was propelling the other one. There wasn't a driver in the one that hit the car, as it might have been a bit dangerous! The following 31 would have braked before the level crossing, therefore allowing the front one to coast and hit the car.

 

[schwa]

use it on one with a mainline connection, and do it on a sunday

But why? It's not necessary.

 

[DarloRich]

NWR might wanna have that Level Crossing looked at, as one of the barriers didn't lower

Also, the car was a manual, why not just crank it over in first gear until it was clear of the crossing?

I think the barriers were added for the filming - is it not an open crossing or one with a different form of barrier/gate?

On the Top gear filiming the 31 was used to propel the crash test dummy 31 up to speed - impressive footage if ruined by the "TM" Clarkson patter

 

[spark001uk]

I think the barriers were added for the filming - is it not an open crossing or one with a different form of barrier/gate?

On the Top gear filiming the 31 was used to propel the crash test dummy 31 up to speed - impressive footage if ruined by the "TM" Clarkson patter

You're spot on, Wansford crossing is actually manual gates, if you watch the footage it appears the AHB's were stood against the posts that the gates had been temporarily removed from.