Railway footage in feature films and television...

[whart57]

The Michael Crichton story The First Great Train Robbery is back on iPlayer for a bit. Roscommon is playing the part of Kent, and various Dublin stations play London Bridge, but the producers need a pat on the back for the effort put into recreating an early Victorian Boat Train out of Irish railway material. The plot is based on a real event, right down to the mark being the same - gold being shipped from London to Paris by train - but, oh my, what a bit of 1970s period hokum the film turns out to be, despite Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland playing the lead roles. Still fun though.

[Arun Sharma]

The book is rather better than the film. Like all of the late Dr Crichton's books [under his name and his nom d'plume John Lange ] they are strong on technical detail and accurate history of the period. 

[Pacific231G]

On 15/04/2023 at 11:02, jetmorgan said:

Screen grabs from the 1951 film Lady with a Lamp. Just a very short scene at a railway station, don't know the location, and Lion hauling some Liverpool Manchester style coaches.

You don't need to be a railway enthusiast to see that the train and the station are from totally different eras. We can see the reasons why that's obvious- high platforms, signalling, the porter's uniform, the track- but, even without knowing all that, the  look and feel of the scene just screams anachronism. 

[Ben B]

4 hours ago, whart57 said:

The Michael Crichton story The First Great Train Robbery is back on iPlayer for a bit. Roscommon is playing the part of Kent, and various Dublin stations play London Bridge, but the producers need a pat on the back for the effort put into recreating an early Victorian Boat Train out of Irish railway material. The plot is based on a real event, right down to the mark being the same - gold being shipped from London to Paris by train - but, oh my, what a bit of 1970s period hokum the film turns out to be, despite Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland playing the lead roles. Still fun though.

 

It's surprising the lengths that the production team went to, with the trains and stations, and very impressive. I think I read somewhere they even gave the loco cosmetic outer frames?

 

One similar but bungled effort was with "Those Magnificent Men, In Their Flying Machines" where they got at least a lovely vintage Scottish loco and compartment stock (to replicate an early 20th Century French train)... then did the location filming with a prominent 1960's power station, cooling towers and all, in shot...

[TinTracks]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJpoh1uYMYU

 There's some lovely old Irish stuff in the Quiet Man, featuring John Wayne.

 Apart from the above link there's a couple of different scenes from this movie available.

 Apologies if this has already been posted, I did a search but nothing came up.

 Regards, Enjoy, Rich

 

[TJ52]

Don't know if it's been posted before. Talking Pictures tonight had an episode of Dial 999 called Night Mail which has lots of railway footage.

 

Terry

[whart57]

22 hours ago, Ben B said:

 

It's surprising the lengths that the production team went to, with the trains and stations, and very impressive. I think I read somewhere they even gave the loco cosmetic outer frames?

 

Indeed they did

 

 

Not bad when you consider this was the South Eastern's Boat Train loco of the era

 

 

[eldomtom2]

On 21/04/2023 at 13:34, Arun Sharma said:

The book is rather better than the film. Like all of the late Dr Crichton's books [under his name and his nom d'plume John Lange ] they are strong on technical detail and accurate history of the period. 

It's an interesting mix of fact and fiction - some of things Crichton (as the narrator) presents as true are, and some aren't, and he never tells the reader which is which.

[keefer]

Just watched a bit of Father Brown:  The Two Deaths of Hercule Flambeau.

Set in the early-1950s, in this scene Father Brown shares a Mk1 compartment with Flambeau - which would be fair enough if it wasn't for the (relatively) modern moquette!

Winchcombe station (on the GWSR) has been a location, so presumably one of their trains.

BTW this isn't a dig at the railway!

Edited May 14, 2023 by keefer

[melmerby]

My wife had recorded a film off Talking Pictures TV called "Tonight's The Night" starring David Niven and Barry Fitzgerald.

It was set in the Republic of Ireland in the 1950s. It's a slapstick comedy with lots of typical Irish humour.

At the local station a train drew in. The carriages were darkish green livery with the correct CIE cypher for the period but I'm pretty sure it was all filmed in the UK.

 

I tried to find some info  from IMDB but the film was not listed, also not in Halliwell's film guide. Couldn't find it by Googling either.

It's all about "O'Leary" night when the ghost of O'Leary walks.

 

Anybody heard of it, any info?

[Andy Kirkham]

19 minutes ago, melmerby said:

My wife had recorded a film off Talking Pictures TV called "Tonight's The Night" starring David Niven and Barry Fitzgerald.

It was set in the Republic of Ireland in the 1950s. It's a slapstick comedy with lots of typical Irish humour.

At the local station a train drew in. The carriages were darkish green livery with the correct CIE cypher for the period but I'm pretty sure it was all filmed in the UK.

 

I tried to find some info  from IMDB but the film was not listed, also not in Halliwell's film guide. Couldn't find it by Googling either.

It's all about "O'Leary" night when the ghost of O'Leary walks.

 

Anybody heard of it, any info?

 

Also known by the title "Happy Ever After"

 

https://railwaymoviedatabase.com/happy-ever-after/

 

The British Railway Movie Database is pretty comprehensive, but doesn't seem to be widely known about.

[keefer]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

My wife had recorded a film off Talking Pictures TV called "Tonight's The Night" starring David Niven and Barry Fitzgerald.

It was set in the Republic of Ireland in the 1950s. It's a slapstick comedy with lots of typical Irish humour.

At the local station a train drew in. The carriages were darkish green livery with the correct CIE cypher for the period but I'm pretty sure it was all filmed in the UK.

 

I tried to find some info  from IMDB but the film was not listed, also not in Halliwell's film guide. Couldn't find it by Googling either.

It's all about "O'Leary" night when the ghost of O'Leary walks.

 

Anybody heard of it, any info?

 

The film has an entry at Reelstreets.com - general locations given as Hertfordshire & Middlesex but the railway scenes are at Braughing station on the Buntingford branch in Hertfordshire.

Entry for Braughing at disused-stations states the station was used in three films: 'Postman's Knock', 'O'Leary Night' (sic) and 'Girls in Arms'.

 

EDIT: apologies, esp. to @Andy Kirkham - for some reason i completely missed his post! Sorry 😔🙂

Edited May 14, 2023 by keefer

[melmerby]

Thanks for the updates.

Putting "Happy Ever After" into IMDB brings up a poster for "Tonight's The Night", however that is the only mention, the rest of the info is for Happy Ever After.

I* wonder what stock they used for the train?

They looked like old suburban coaches pulled by a small tank, but the only close up is the side of one carriage, which knowing film coimpanies was probably still maroon on the other side!

 

[33C]

4 hours ago, keefer said:

Just watched a bit of Father Brown:  The Two Deaths of Hercule Flambeau.

Set in the early-1950s, in this scene Father Brown shares a Mk1 compartment with Flambeau - which would be fair enough if it wasn't for the (relatively) modern moquette!

Winchcombe station (on the GWSR) has been a location, so presumably one of their trains.

BTW this isn't a dig at the railway!

Wow, never noticed that. I think i last saw that pattern in a 310 unit!

[luckymucklebackit]

Nobody watching " The Steeltown Murders"?  This drama, based on a true story is set in South Wales in two timelines, the first being 1973 the second in the early 2000s .  In the 1973 era, a MGR hauled by a large logo livery class 56 appears in the background twice, the first time the logo is the wrong way round, the second time the train is going the opposite direction  and the logo is right way round.  The loco also has small white numbers.  Can't help thinking it might have been CGI but at usual plenty of attention had been made to ensure the correct cars and vans are used, but when a train is needed, anything will do.

 

Jim

[luckymucklebackit]

On 21/04/2023 at 18:35, TinTracks said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJpoh1uYMYU

 There's some lovely old Irish stuff in the Quiet Man, featuring John Wayne.

 Apart from the above link there's a couple of different scenes from this movie available.

 Apologies if this has already been posted, I did a search but nothing came up.

 Regards, Enjoy, Rich

 

 

There was a lovely layout at Model Rail Scotland this year called CASTLETOWN (BALLYGLUNIN) which is based on the movie location.

 

https://www.modelrailways.ie/layouts/castletown

 

Jim

[Northmoor]

6 hours ago, luckymucklebackit said:

Nobody watching " The Steeltown Murders"?  This drama, based on a true story is set in South Wales in two timelines, the first being 1973 the second in the early 2000s .  In the 1973 era, a MGR hauled by a large logo livery class 56 appears in the background twice, the first time the logo is the wrong way round, the second time the train is going the opposite direction  and the logo is right way round.  The loco also has small white numbers.  Can't help thinking it might have been CGI but at usual plenty of attention had been made to ensure the correct cars and vans are used, but when a train is needed, anything will do.

 

Jim

You say that, but on Dalgleish the other night, despite being set in the early 70s, at one point there was one of the very late Allegros with a front air dam and twin headlights.

[John M Upton]

A 1999 episode of The Bill with some night time Class 455 Network South Central action:

 

Not sure where although the Position Four route indicator lighting up as the train comes to a stand is a clue.

 

The train apparently came from Weymouth though, err I think not!

[KingEdwardII]

On 14/05/2023 at 20:14, keefer said:

if it wasn't for the (relatively) modern moquette!

The GWSR has used a lovely blue maple leaf moquette in some of its recent refurbishments that would be splendid for use in any film or television program - and hang the intended era!

 

Yours, Mike.

[keefer]

 

[Pacific231G]

On 18/05/2023 at 13:53, luckymucklebackit said:

Nobody watching " The Steeltown Murders"?  This drama, based on a true story is set in South Wales in two timelines, the first being 1973 the second in the early 2000s .  In the 1973 era, a MGR hauled by a large logo livery class 56 appears in the background twice, the first time the logo is the wrong way round, the second time the train is going the opposite direction  and the logo is right way round.  The loco also has small white numbers.  Can't help thinking it might have been CGI but at usual plenty of attention had been made to ensure the correct cars and vans are used, but when a train is needed, anything will do.

 

Jim

Setting scenes in dramas is all about suspension of disbelief. There should be nothing that immediately makes the audience feel they're not when and where the scene is set so one has to ask what is necessary for achieving that end and what isn't.

We happen to know far more about railways than the overwhelming majority of viewers so see things they don't* I'm quite there are always things that people with other areas of specialist knowledge will spot that we won't. Are the hens clucking in the 1950s farm yard different from the breeds around at that time; are the horse harnesses too modern; is it obvious to any highway engineer that ,in the Edwardian street scene that I accept as authentic , the straw strewn road with the yellow lines carefully covered has the wrong camber and the wrong surface treatment?  

What makes a scene feel authentic may be quite subtle and what makes it just feel inauthentic  may not be due to any particulalr details beign wrong but rathet to a general sense of things not being quite right.  All this does of course apply equally to our layouts!

 

* For example, in the Burt Lancaster film "The Train" I accept the story and its locations and have a sense of the train crossing war torn north east France in the summer of 1944. Even the locos, with one exception, are from the right region. I do though notice that some of the track is bullhead even though none of it in the Est region was and I do also noice that outside Vaires loco depot, when it is being bombed, there are a number of 141R locos on shed which weren't delivered to France till after the liberation. They are though in the background  so they don't shout "Wrong!" to me while I'm watching the scene.  Burt Lancaster operating a hand point lever that throws a point a hundred yards away I do notice! 

[The Stationmaster]

12 hours ago, Pacific231G said:

Setting scenes in dramas is all about suspension of disbelief. There should be nothing that immediately makes the audience feel they're not when and where the scene is set so one has to ask what is necessary for achieving that end and what isn't.

We happen to know far more about railways than the overwhelming majority of viewers so see things they don't* I'm quite there are always things that people with other areas of specialist knowledge will spot that we won't. Are the hens clucking in the 1950s farm yard different from the breeds around at that time; are the horse harnesses too modern; is it obvious to any highway engineer that ,in the Edwardian street scene that I accept as authentic , the straw strewn road with the yellow lines carefully covered has the wrong camber and the wrong surface treatment?  

What makes a scene feel authentic may be quite subtle and what makes it just feel inauthentic  may not be due to any particulalr details beign wrong but rathet to a general sense of things not being quite right.  All this does of course apply equally to our layouts!

 

* For example, in the Burt Lancaster film "The Train" I accept the story and its locations and have a sense of the train crossing war torn north east France in the summer of 1944. Even the locos, with one exception, are from the right region. I do though notice that some of the track is bullhead even though none of it in the Est region was and I do also noice that outside Vaires loco depot, when it is being bombed, there are a number of 141R locos on shed which weren't delivered to France till after the liberation. They are though in the background  so they don't shout "Wrong!" to me while I'm watching the scene.  Burt Lancaster operating a hand point lever that throws a point a hundred yards away I do notice! 

And of course as soon as you travel along the real route and see the  real stations you know that it wasn't just the single line that wasn't spot on.  But none of that spoils the story in any way.    Just like watching a GWR/BR station I knew extremely well pretending to be at a seaport station in 'The Key' .  Or indeed watching 'The Magic Christian' which was filmed on a line, and at stations (one of which was used in 'The Key' (not that I knew it at the time), which I had suggested to the film company when making arrangements with them for the hire of the train involved.

[DY444]

On 18/05/2023 at 22:40, John M Upton said:

A 1999 episode of The Bill with some night time Class 455 Network South Central action:

 

Not sure where although the Position Four route indicator lighting up as the train comes to a stand is a clue.

 

The train apparently came from Weymouth though, err I think not!

 

It's Streatham Common

[ess1uk]

I’ve been watching Netflix The Stranger and there have been some railway related scenes but I couldn’t work out where they were filmed 

was the station Stockport?

[steve1]

On 18/05/2023 at 13:53, luckymucklebackit said:

Nobody watching " The Steeltown Murders"?  This drama, based on a true story is set in South Wales in two timelines, the first being 1973 the second in the early 2000s .  In the 1973 era, a MGR hauled by a large logo livery class 56 appears in the background twice, the first time the logo is the wrong way round, the second time the train is going the opposite direction  and the logo is right way round.  The loco also has small white numbers.  Can't help thinking it might have been CGI but at usual plenty of attention had been made to ensure the correct cars and vans are used, but when a train is needed, anything will do.

 

Jim

 

Just be pedantic, Class 56s weren’t built until 1976 but the show is set in 1973.

 

steve