BR Standard loco altered for filming?

[t-b-g]

Driving South on the M1 earlier, I overtook a pair of low loaders carrying a loco and tender. At first glance, I took it to be something from abroad, possibly from Peterborough but as I drew alongside, I became pretty sure that it was a BR Standard tender type that had had a "make over" into a faux French livery, including new nameplates mounted low down on what looked like a metal panel attached to the running plate. By the time my brain had processed it, I was ahead of it and about to turn off so I didn't even see for sure what wheel arrangement it was but it may have been a Britannia or at least a 4-6-0.

 

The name was something military, involving a General.

 

I wasn't able to do more than a "What the heck was that all about" before I turned off.

 

Somebody out there must know what it is all about!

[exet1095]

There’s an article about it in this month’s ‘Railway Magazine’. Not to hand I’m afraid, but I haven’t seen anything else, except it’s a full-size model, based on a Britannia, made to look French, and it can move with a Diesel engine hidden in the tender. It has been made for the next ‘Mission Impossible’ film.

 

Paul

[Johann Marsbar]

There are some photos of it on this Hauliers Facebook page (publically viewable)...

https://www.facebook.com/pg/SASmithTheSpecialists/posts/?ref=page_internal

[Gilbert]

[t-b-g]

Thanks people. That is the one!

 

Since March, I haven't seen many magazines. I used to visit a friend who gets them.

 

I wonder if it will end up hauling trains on a preserved line when it is no longer needed by the film people. It might be a good attraction along the lines of "Hogwarts Castle".

[Pete the Elaner]

49 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

 

I wonder if it will end up hauling trains on a preserved line when it is no longer needed by the film people. It might be a good attraction along the lines of "Hogwarts Castle".

 

There was a suggestion of the FB chat that it will get completely destroyed in the film.

If this is true, it would explain why this had been built from scratch instead of modifying an existing loco.

[t-b-g]

22 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

There was a suggestion of the FB chat that it will get completely destroyed in the film.

If this is true, it would explain why this had been built from scratch instead of modifying an existing loco.

 

That sounds about right for "Mission Impossible!".

 

I bet anybody building a replica loco will be looking on and thinking that spending that much money on a new loco just to destroy it seems totally against what they are trying to do.

 

[PenrithBeacon]

Is it made of steel or wood/plastic? As it's basically a film prop I think it's probably the latter.

[t-b-g]

20 minutes ago, PenrithBeacon said:

Is it made of steel or wood/plastic? As it's basically a film prop I think it's probably the latter.

 

Whatever they have used, it looked convincing from a few feet away.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

It will probably be used in a realistic sequence in the Channel Tunnel, as in a previous film!

 

Mike.

[t-b-g]

31 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

It will probably be used in a realistic sequence in the Channel Tunnel, as in a previous film!

 

Mike.

 

Obviously the steam locos that work regularly through the tunnel should have a mix of UK and mainland European features. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

30 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

 

Obviously the steam locos that work regularly through the tunnel should have a mix of UK and mainland European features. 

 

If not helicopter blades!

 

Mike.

[Bon Accord]

Interesting that the builders have chosen to include a BR AWS battery box on the running plate!

[adb968008]

1 hour ago, t-b-g said:

 

Obviously the steam locos that work regularly through the tunnel should have a mix of UK and mainland European features. 

er.. has a steam loco even been close to the channel tunnel ? - even in bits ?

[t-b-g]

19 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

er.. has a steam loco even been close to the channel tunnel ? - even in bits ?

 

We are talking about the Hollywood version of reality here.

[PenrithBeacon]

Think it's a bit tongue in cheek!

[Steamport Southport]

33 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

er.. has a steam loco even been close to the channel tunnel ? - even in bits ?

 

Yes. One was dragged through it in steam to test the smoke deflectors when it was first built.

 

Can't remember what it was but it was a French or Belgian passenger locomotive.

[Clearwater]

1 hour ago, Bon Accord said:

Interesting that the builders have chosen to include a BR AWS battery box on the running plate!

that’s the danger when you take a scan of a preserved loco and incorporate it in the CADs.  All sorts of errors creep in!

 

 

[adb968008]

18 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Yes. One was dragged through it in steam to test the smoke deflectors when it was first built.

 

Can't remember what it was but it was a French or Belgian passenger locomotive.

did they work, did the driver get a clear view

Edited October 18, 2020 by adb968008

[Halvarras]

It's been a while since I viewed them but I seem to recall in the Special Features on the DVD of the movie "Unstoppable" that the two US diesels which were derailed and blown up were replicas on wagon underframes propelled at high speed. It looked totally convincing, but that's the aim isn't it!? It must be a bit galling to see all of that hard work destroyed in seconds, but the movies are littered with such things - keeps people in work I suppose.........well, maybe not so much at the moment........

[rab]

They did the same thing (wood replica)

for the Iron Maiden (showmans engine) film.

I know the real one survived; I worked on it

after the film was made!

Edited October 18, 2020 by rab

[Steamport Southport]

1 hour ago, adb968008 said:

did they work, did the driver get a clear view

 

Must be the auto correct like Bulleid.

 

As I definitely put detectors. 

Edited October 18, 2020 by Steamport Southport
Hmm. Worked that time

[Derekstuart]

What is this latest film?

Mission Impossible: Back to the 1940s?

Your mission, should you choose to get paid $millions for it, is to find a time machine back to 1940 and blow up a train carrying h1tl3r. If you succeed then you will know instantly as the swaztikas fall from London and Washington.

 

It's either that or Mission Impossible: Your job is to blow up the Nene Valley Railway.

[H2O]

3 hours ago, Bon Accord said:

Interesting that the builders have chosen to include a BR AWS battery box on the running plate!

If this has been built to work under its own power (diesel or otherwise) it may need to be mainline certified if they are filming on network rail hence working AWS?

It looks very convincing, the boiler looks just right, perhaps there are some real bits on it that are scrap or life expred. Any info on who built it as I'd guess someone in UK rail preservation (probably sworn to secrecy) has been involved. If anyone knows which direction it came from that may give a clue because if it is a working (even non-steam) replica there can't be many places that could build something like that, probably for a fairly pretty price!

[Derekstuart]

5 hours ago, H2O said:

If this has been built to work under its own power (diesel or otherwise) it may need to be mainline certified if they are filming on network rail hence working AWS?

It looks very convincing, the boiler looks just right, perhaps there are some real bits on it that are scrap or life expred. Any info on who built it as I'd guess someone in UK rail preservation (probably sworn to secrecy) has been involved. If anyone knows which direction it came from that may give a clue because if it is a working (even non-steam) replica there can't be many places that could build something like that, probably for a fairly pretty price!

More likely the producers were asked to make a locomotive and they've just copied one or more designs and to them that box might have been the cupboard for the warp drive or flux capacitor.

 

If Network Rail have decided to allow a locomotive to be blown to bits on their track, I very much doubt they'd be worried about functioning AWS, though I assume the train reporting code would be 666-13.