Railway footage in feature films and television...

[Coppercap]

Just in case any Freeview users can't find the channel, you can only get it if you have an HD box/TV. The channel itself isn't HD but it's broadcast on an HD mux.

(As is the music channel VintageTV)

Ah, so that might well explain why I can get it on our HD tv, but not the standard digital one.

[Pacific231G]

If you have Sky and can get ch 343 Talking pictures. watch out for  the BFI film Waverley Steps and another one called 'The Last Journey' Genuine 1935 GWR in all its glory, there are some continuity errors, eg the goods train changes engines acouple of times ,but great shots of Ranelagh Bridge Yard

I recorded this from Virgin (who also have Talking Pictures) It wasn't exactly Jean Gabin in la Bete Humaine but not bad albeit with a very improbable plot.

 

I noticed that the BTC film Today and Everyday started and ended with Coronation Scott but used some dramatic incidental music from la Bete Humaine though over rather less dramatic shots than an Etat Pacific screaming down the Seine valley.  Interestingly both Today and Everyday and La Bete Humaine were made soon after nationalisation of their respective railways  so have the same curious mixture of liveries and numbering.

[jamie92208]

I've just watched that film 'The Last Journey' and quite enjoyed it despite the loco changing at regular intervals. I can't see any TOC or Network Rail giving a film company that sort of access today.

 

Jamie

[PatB]

Our national broadcaster has recently been showing repeats of Endeavour (The Young Morse) and I was interested to see that in 1965 Oxford was apparently in Southern territory .

[jetmorgan]

Just browsing through the TV listings for Talking Pictures TV for the week starting 27th Nov and this is listed up in the Scotland Yard TV series

 

Wed 29 Nov 17 11:25 Scotland Yard 1960. The Last Train. Directed by Geoffrey Muller. Starring Russell Napier, Norman Johns and Lisa Daniely. Duggan investigates a murder in the London Underground. (S1, E33)
 

[RJS1977]

Our national broadcaster has recently been showing repeats of Endeavour (The Young Morse) and I was interested to see that in 1965 Oxford was apparently in Southern territory .

 

Some cross-country trains worked to Oxford with southern locos (where they changed to LM locos) rather than changing to GWR locos at Basingstoke for a short distance.

[Welchester]

I've just watched that film 'The Last Journey' and quite enjoyed it despite the loco changing at regular intervals.

 

Here's a taster. I love the way that as soon as the Star backs onto the train she becomes a castle:

 

https://youtu.be/AFWP3KkicQY

[jamie92208]

Here's a taster. I love the way that as soon as the Star backs onto the train she becomes a castle:

 

https://youtu.be/AFWP3KkicQY

 

I think that it changes again as it pulls out past the driver's house.  However I'm not good enough at telling GWR engines apart they all look the same to me.   That may be why the film company chose to base the train on that railway to avoid glaring continuity errors that most of the viewers wouldn't spot.

 

Jamie

[PatB]

Some cross-country trains worked to Oxford with southern locos (where they changed to LM locos) rather than changing to GWR locos at Basingstoke for a short distance.

 

Perhaps, but I doubt if Oxford also boasted a blackboard marked "Trains to Sheffield Park" to go with the Southern green Mk1s .

[Coppercap]

Here's a taster. I love the way that as soon as the Star backs onto the train she becomes a castle:

 

https://youtu.be/AFWP3KkicQY

And that Castle changes it's identity between being at the platform and leaving the station!

[sir douglas]

all the GWR 4-6-0's look the same to me as well

[Coppercap]

I think that it changes again as it pulls out past the driver's house.  However I'm not good enough at telling GWR engines apart they all look the same to me.   That may be why the film company chose to base the train on that railway to avoid glaring continuity errors that most of the viewers wouldn't spot.

 

Jamie

I would think it's more about the publicity element and co-operaton of the railway company rather than anything to do with similar-looking locomotives for continuity (the GWR is acknowledged for its assistance in the opening titles of the actual film). The film was made by Twickenham Studios, and maybe the nearby Southern Railway wasn't so obliging, or having lots of EMUs around wasn't so filmable.

[The Stationmaster]

Ah, so that might well explain why I can get it on our HD tv, but not the standard digital one.

 

And according to something in next week's 'Radio Times' that will change from the afternoon of Thursday 30 November when 'Talking Pictures' on Channel 81 will become availble to all Freeview users.

 

As far as the clips are concerned apart from going from 'Star' to 'Castle' to another 'Castle' in the station at Paddngton it's back to a 'Star' passing Ranelagh Bridge and 'the train' appears going in the opposite direction on the Up Relief west of Pangbourne  - but still headed by a 'Star'.  Some of the changes are inevitable though as the 'Star' backed onto a train in Platform 3 at Paddington, the first 'Castle' also looks to be in No. 3 while the second 'Castle' is leaving from No.1 - which has also mysteriously acquired a ticket barrier.  BTW the ecs was worked into Platform 3 by an 8750 pannier but is seen arriving at the blocks end of No.1 behind a 97XX.

 

The beginning of the film is equally amusing as a 'Star' which arrived at No. 8 starts backing out but turns into a 'King' as it passes under the footbridge and is on the turntable at Ranelagh Bridge.

 

But whose complaining - a lovely medley of GWR engines at Paddington and the GWR getting some free publicity plus various views of its almost new track layout and signalling plus that smashing view of the line west of Pangbourne.

 

 

 

Edit to correct typo and calm the good burghers of Pangbourne

Edited November 23, 2017 by The Stationmaster

[dibber25]

Haven't been all through to see if anyone has listed it, but 'Take a Girl Like You' (1969) has Hayley Mills arriving at the fictitious Henge station (Slough) variously behind a blue Class 47 or a Hymek and alighting from a blue/grey MK1 in the Slough bay (most unusual - so staged) but then on the up fast platform and getting a taxi outside the station. The rest of Henge town is actually Staines and later in the film Oliver Reed gets stuck at Pooley Green level crossing as a rail blue BIL/HAL combination goes by (a 28 Reading/Guildford, no doubt). (CJL)

[Coppercap]

 

The beginning of the film is equally amusing as a 'Star' which arrived at No. 8 starts backing out but turns into a 'King' as it passes under the footbridge and is on the turntable at Ranelagh Bridge.

 

But whose complaining - a lovely medley of GWR engines at Paddington and the GWR getting some free publicity plus various views of its almost new track layout and signalling plus that smashing view of the line west of Pangbourne.

After the Pannier takes away the ECS, the loco that backs away is a Saint, not a Star (then it becomes a King... )

 

I'd only find model steam loco sounds convincing if they were able to reproduce the fantastic bark of that Pannier, with the superb reverberation under the roof!

[Coppercap]

Haven't been all through to see if anyone has listed it, but 'Take a Girl Like You' (1969) has Hayley Mills arriving at the fictitious Henge station (Slough) variously behind a blue Class 47 or a Hymek and alighting from a blue/grey MK1 in the Slough bay (most unusual - so staged) but then on the up fast platform and getting a taxi outside the station. The rest of Henge town is actually Staines and later in the film Oliver Reed gets stuck at Pooley Green level crossing as a rail blue BIL/HAL combination goes by (a 28 Reading/Guildford, no doubt). (CJL)

Have you seen "The Wrong arm of the law"? Some of it filmed around Uxbridge, and a short bit on Uxbridge (Vine Street) station, with a 61xx departing.

[Porcy Mane]

Have you seen "The Wrong arm of the law"? Some of it filmed around Uxbridge, and a short bit on Uxbridge (Vine Street) station, with a 61xx departing.

 

And the films climax. The long gone LSWR crossing box (and gas holders) at South Teddington.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/UbCXdNLyJF32

 

P

[dibber25]

Some cross-country trains worked to Oxford with southern locos (where they changed to LM locos) rather than changing to GWR locos at Basingstoke for a short distance.

 

But in 'Endeavour' the station had lots of green Southern signs and looked remarkably like Horsted Keynes! (CJL)

[dibber25]

Have you seen "The Wrong arm of the law"? Some of it filmed around Uxbridge, and a short bit on Uxbridge (Vine Street) station, with a 61xx departing.

Yes, but a very long time ago. Seem to remember not recognising the station and thinking it might be Windsor & Eton Central. (CJL)

[RJS1977]

But in 'Endeavour' the station had lots of green Southern signs and looked remarkably like Horsted Keynes! (CJL)

 

I know in at least one episode they used the Rewley Road building at Quainton.

[Coppercap]

Yes, but a very long time ago. Seem to remember not recognising the station and thinking it might be Windsor & Eton Central. (CJL)

Yes, you are right, it was. (I've been watching too many of these old films lately... ) Uxbridge Vine Street was actually in "The smallest show on earth", appearing as "Sloughborough" (how original!).

Edited November 23, 2017 by Coppercap

[dibber25]

Yes, you are right, it was. (I've been watching too many of these old films lately... ) Uxbridge Vine Street was actually in "The smallest show on earth", appearing as "Sloughborough" (how original!).

 

Windsor & Eton Central must have been quite useful to film companies as it had several platforms that were seldom used, looked like a 'big' London terminus with a concourse etc, and was just up the road from the Hammer Horror studios at Bray. I seem to remember glimpses of Windsor town and the SR station in Carry on Cabby and No Sex Please We're British. (CJL)

[Coppercap]

Windsor & Eton Central must have been quite useful to film companies as it had several platforms that were seldom used, looked like a 'big' London terminus with a concourse etc, and was just up the road from the Hammer Horror studios at Bray. I seem to remember glimpses of Windsor town and the SR station in Carry on Cabby and No Sex Please We're British. (CJL)

Pinewood (Carry on films) was near too (Iver), and they used lots of local locations and many others in west London too.

[Pacific231G]

 

 

I noticed that the BTC film Today and Everyday started and ended with Coronation Scott but used some dramatic incidental music from la Bete Humaine though over rather less dramatic shots than an Etat Pacific screaming down the Seine valley.  Interestingly both Today and Everyday and La Bete Humaine were made soon after nationalisation of their respective railways  so have the same curious mixture of liveries and numbering.

I've just been watching the BTC short Today and Everyday again and was highly amused to notice that, in the Cheltenham Flyer sequence about 24 minutes in, they didn't just use the music from Jean Renoir's 1938 movie La Bete Humaine but actually lifted a section of the entire soundtrack then cut the sequence to fit it. This runs from  a whistle just before the music becomes apparent to the start of the Swindon Works sequence. So, if you wondered if GW Castles and Kings really had such high pitched whistles the answer is that they didn't but Etat Pacifics did. The incidental sounds accompanying the train's approach and entry to Paddington are actually those of the "Rapide" from Paris entering Le Havre. I'll bet they only paid royalties on the music if that. 

Edited November 24, 2017 by Pacific231G

[BG John]

Hollywood runaway train movies end in exotic places. British ones end in a field near Hastings!