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War of the Worlds - Oh dear...


Harlequin
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In "War of the Worlds" the producers have committed yet another calumny against railway history...

 

The story is set in the late Victorian or Edwardian era. When the hero travels up to London from Horsell Common in Surrey we see a Collett goods with "GWR" on the tender hauling 3 decidedly non-Edwardian coaches.

 

They can conjure up giant alien tripods with death rays but not a correct period train!

 

Edited by Harlequin
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8 minutes ago, melmerby said:

What do you expect?

For 99% of the viewers they wouldn't know the difference and equally wouldn't care. It's a train, end of!

 

That is probably exactly the producer's frame of mind but they have double-standards because they take great efforts to get other period details right-  costumes and props in particular.

 

If they applied the same standards to costume as they do to railways you'd see a character turn up in a nylon anorak. But hey, it's just a coat, end of!

 

P.S. I'm not really that bothered!  It was just something I noticed. The lack of a Richard Burton voiceover was an even bigger disappointment to me! :wink_mini:

 

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I had forgotten how 'political' this story is; arrogant toffs bellowing that Britannia rules etc. Sad that I hadn't realised that Wells was having a good old poke at 'the establishment'. The train was incidental really as melmerby says but it was good to see. Spiffing wheeze so far as far as I'm concerned but straight after that other weird thing is a bit much for my poor old brain.

P

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The whole thing should have been labelled Inspired by HG Wells "War of the Worlds".  So far, apart from things being launched from Mars, landing in "Southern England" and the Tripods, there doesn't seem to be anything that matches the descriptions in the book!

 

Compared to this, a Collett 0-6-0 and some Mk1s is small beer...

 

number6 (below) informs me that the coaches were "a Hawksworth brake and two Colletts". I stand corrected!

 

 

Edited by Hroth
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3 minutes ago, robert17649 said:

also noted was one character asking the other what had been said about it on the wireless

 

I heard that, but put it down to typical actor mumbling and I think what they were trying to say was that there wasn't anything on the wires, or more properly telegraph.  It could be that the actor misunderstood the script.

 

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It was entertaining , got me hooked, which is pretty difficult for a tv program these days . Yes I clocked the Collet Goods on an Edwardian train and though nah theyve not got that right . Was it the Severn Valley?  You would have thought someone in the railway fraternity would point that out as I think it was specially shot and not just some footage they already had .  It didnt really matter though , it is just entertainment

 

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I think certain period things (such as costumes) stand out to the general public in a way that trains don't.

They are either steam trains or they aren't and that's about as far as it goes. Even cars seem to be more noticeable to the general public if they are the incorrect period.

My missus hasn't a clue about trains but would notice a fashion faux pas.

Even language can vary.

Did anyone watch "Ripper Street", it was written using proper Victorian phraseology and suchlike and had a totally different feel to other programmes set in the same period.

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6 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Did anyone watch "Ripper Street", it was written using proper Victorian phraseology and suchlike and had a totally different feel to other programmes set in the same period.

 

Even Ripper Street got its trains in a tangle!

 

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30 minutes ago, Legend said:

It was entertaining , got me hooked, which is pretty difficult for a tv program these days . Yes I clocked the Collet Goods on an Edwardian train and though nah theyve not got that right . Was it the Severn Valley?  You would have thought someone in the railway fraternity would point that out as I think it was specially shot and not just some footage they already had .  It didnt really matter though , it is just entertainment

 

I think it was the South Devon Railway and I also think 3205 has been out of service for a few years. So could be stock footage.

Ripper Street wasn't immune to railway gaffs either as seen here

 

Clever all the same

 

Edited by didcot
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...hate to say it but they weren't Mk1s but a Hawksworth brake and two Colletts :secret:

It cheers me up no end when there is a train faux pas. You realise that every other item we have no specific clue about is also wrong too. My uncle couldn't watch any movie helicopter winching without wincing.

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37 minutes ago, Hroth said:

The whole thing should have been labelled Inspired by HG Wells "War of the Worlds".  So far, apart from things being launched from Mars, landing in "Southern England" and the Tripods, there doesn't seem to be anything that matches the descriptions in the book!

 

Compared to this, a Collett 0-6-0 and some Mk1s is small beer...

 

 

I recall the opening credits including the line 'Based on War of the Worlds by HG Wells' (my bold/italics) which is much the same thing.

 

I wasn't expecting a slavish adaptation, I'd already heard it was looser job, albeit set in the correct era at least.

 

And if you think the Collet Goods gaffe was bad, some of the reenactment forums have been in full froth mode over the soldiers kit and equipment!

 

Edited by CloggyDog
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Ha!  I watched it (and really enjoyed it) and remember thinking "Wow - they've got the train right!" because the locomotive wasn't carrying a BR logo and the coaches were obviously older than Mk1s.  Shows what I know!!

 

Thanks to didcot for the link to the Ripper St fx video - fascinating!

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

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I think the old Marvel Comic Classics version modelled its trains on Welsh NG...

 

I think the Fighting Machines about to zap St. Pancras in The Fall of London, an artwork by Grant Regan aren't bad, as is the train - although I think that may be based on an image with coaches on an adjacent track. ;) Fortunately just the one man getting pushed away rather than the crowds in the book!

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14 minutes ago, 81C said:

Some members have nothing better to do than moan about a Telly program how sad.

 

Its not moaning - it’s called letting the rest of us know whether it’s worth watching.

 

I would have been interested in watching this series had it been accurate to the book - but as it’s not I won’t waste my time.

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I believe they get the costumes, and other things wrong too, but we only see the railway bloopers that we are knowledgeable about.

 

The BBC series "Merlin" had Gaius wearing spectacles, and Merlin being pelted with tomatoes while in the stocks. The legends place the rule of Arthur somewhere in the 5th or 6th century. Spectacles were invented in the 13th century, and tomatoes did not come to Europe until the 16th century.

 

 

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