Films that feature the railways

[Crisso]

An old 1957 Film showed last Saturday on TPTV called ‘The Secret Place’, featured much on-location footage in the East End of London. Numerous views showed the Great Eastern Main Line between, I guess, Bethnal Green and Stratford on the continuous viaduct, complete with original DC Overhead infrastructure. In one scene, behind the actors could clearly be seen passing, a 9 car 306 formation, complete with its diamond pantograph, on each leading motor coach of the 3 DC units as built! Incidentally, in other on-street footage could be seen much Trolleybuses overhead wiring plus, an occasional brief glimpse of Trolleybus vehicles themselves.

 

[Harvester]

BBC2 is showing ‘Get Carter’ this evening at 11:05 pm, so if anyone who has not seen this, and is interested in footage of the ECML in the Deltic era tune in. All the railway scenes are in the first 5 to 10 minutes of the movie.

 

[scarby]

Tread Softly Stranger (1958), filmed mostly in Rotherham, features short scenes early on at Parkgate and Rawmarsh station. Later there are quite a few short shots of a working loco at Parkgate Iron and Steel Company.

The film is very evocative of the time and features Diana Dors at her stunning best.

 

[Taunton]

Caught on a Train is currently here. However the DVD is worth seeking out, as it also has separately a full length commentary over it by writer Stephen Poliakoff and the director about how they filmed it.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I'm not sure whether it's already been mentioned (and my apologies if it has) but the Highland Railway "Jones Goods " 4-6-0 No. 103 appeared in the 1965 film Those Magnificent men in their Flying Machines. It played the part of a French locomotive, complete with NORD lettering on the tender, and hauled the train on which Terry-Thomas crashed his plane.

 

[Gloster]

I'm not sure whether it's already been mentioned (and my apologies if it has) but the Highland Railway "Jones Goods " 4-6-0 No. 103 appeared in the 1965 film Those Magnificent men in their Flying Machines. It played the part of a French locomotive, complete with NORD lettering on the tender, and hauled the train on which Terry-Thomas crashed his plane.

See #190 and #197. The choice of 103 might have been because the French C.F.de.l’Etat acquired fifty locos almost identical to the Highland’s Castle Class in 1911. If they did so for this reason it would be an unusually determined attempt by film crew to be as accurate as possible, even though the Etat was in another part of the country. Ah hae ma doots.

 

[Taunton]

Tread Softly Stranger (1958), filmed mostly in Rotherham, features short scenes early on at Parkgate and Rawmarsh station. Later there are quite a few short shots of a working loco at Parkgate Iron and Steel Company.

Bit lacking in continuity - opening shot hauled by a WR King, has ticket inspected in a main line compartment, but then arrives behind an LMS 4-4-0 and steps out of a BR non-corridor coach.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

See #190 and #197. The choice of 103 might have been because the French C.F.de.l’Etat acquired fifty locos almost identical to the Highland’s Castle Class in 1911. If they did so for this reason it would be an unusually determined attempt by film crew to be as accurate as possible, even though the Etat was in another part of the country. Ah hae ma doots.

Ah, thanks; I would have been surprised if it hadn't been mentioned before.

 

[75A]

The 1964 film Crooks in Cloisters was on Talking Pictures this morning.
The opening scenes show a Mail Train being stopped, coach separated and moved on (driven by Barbara Windsor)
The Loco is D140 - later 46003.

 

[Gloster]

The 1964 film Crooks in Cloisters was on Talking Pictures this morning.
The opening scenes show a Mail Train being stopped, coach separated and moved on (driven by Barbara Windsor)
The Loco is D140 - later 46003.

According to British Railway Movie Database the shots in the credits were taken near Elstree, but have been reversed. The rest were probably done in Brent Yard or possibly Scratchwood Sidings.

 

[Mag_seven]

The immediate opening scene (immediately following the opening credits) of S1E3 of "Juliet Bravo" has some footage of Preston station:

 

[side effect]

Can't remember if someone has posted this earlier on but just watching High hopes with Phil Davis and it looks like they are on the top of a tower block overlooking King's Cross Station.

 

[Rover]

I've just rewatched "Whistle Down the Wind" after 50 odd years made in 1961, it very briefly shows the frontage of Clitheroe station, it starred a 15 year old Hayley Mills, she was lovely, I had a crush on her. I was 12!

 

[Falcon1200]

Watching (again) 'Back to the Future 3' recently, right at the end of the movie the DeLorean, which is on a railroad track, is smashed to smithereens by a freight train - Which does not slow down, never mind stop! Which, even in the USA, seems almost as unlikely as a time-travelling car.....

 

[Gloster]

I've just rewatched "Whistle Down the Wind" after 50 odd years made in 1961, it very briefly shows the frontage of Clitheroe station, it starred a 15 year old Hayley Mills, she was lovely, I had a crush on her. I was 12!

According to British Railway Movie Database there are scenes shot around Newline (or Britannia) Tunnel and Bacup Engine Shed Signal Box. The Bacup-Rochdale line was temporarily closed to passengers in June 1947 and permanent in December 1949; the line from Bacup Junction to Facit closed completely in October 1954 along with the engine shed.

 

[Rover]

According to British Railway Movie Database there are scenes shot around Newline (or Britannia) Tunnel and Bacup Engine Shed Signal Box. The Bacup-Rochdale line was temporarily closed to passengers in June 1947 and permanent in December 1949; the line from Bacup Junction to Facit closed completely in October 1954 along with the engine shed.

That's very interesting thanks.

 

[John Webb]

According to British Railway Movie Database the shots in the credits were taken near Elstree, but have been reversed. The rest were probably done in Brent Yard or possibly Scratchwood Sidings.

"Horton's Guide to British Railways in Feature Films" (Silver Link Publishing, 2007) says it was Brent Sidings at Cricklewood.