A
*ABOUT TIME
GB
2013
2hrs 04mins
Dir: Richard Curtis
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams
A young man with the special ability to time travel tries to change his past in order to improve his future
This romantic comedy drama features a shot of a First Great Western HST passing through the countryside, followed by a shot of one standing in platform one at London Paddington station. There are a couple of scenes filmed at Maida Vale Underground station, with 1972-stock present in one, and brief scenes of Domhnall Gleeson onboard an FGW HST and a train of 1996-built Jubilee Line stock. Finally, there is a rather good shot of a 3-car Class 150+153 DMU combination crossing Penwithers Viaduct near Truro.
*ACCOUNT RENDERED
GB
1957
59mins
Dir: Peter Graham Scott
Starring: Honor Blackman and Griffith Jones
A detective tracks the killer of a banker’s wife
There are three railway scenes in this short crime film. First there is a view of a freight yard through a window and a GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 on a parcels train is overtaking a goods hauled by an 0-6-0PT. The house is in Crossfield Road, Belsize Park, but the view is of Southall yards and loco depot and a wonderful array of railway wagons are on display in the foreground, as well as a couple of other locos in the background. The second scene at the film’s climax shows the killer hitching a ride on a shunters truck of a short freight hauled by an ex-GWR 1500-series Class
0-6-0PT. This is followed by the final railway scene, a hugely exhilarating sequence whereby the killer and the police inspector lie in the four-foot as a goods train passes over them! It is hauled by the now preserved 1500 Class 0-6-0PT No.1501 and was again filmed at Southall.
ADOLF HITLER – MY PART IN HIS DOWNFALL
GB
1972
1hr 42mins
Dir: Norman Cohen
Starring: Spike Milligan and Jim Dale
Dramatisation of Spike Milligan’s experiences as a World War II recruit
This film adaptation of the first volume of Spike Milligan’s autobiography has a closing scene featuring ‘Aldershot’ station, in reality Horsted
Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway. Ex-GWR ‘Dukedog’ 4-4-0 No.3217 is hauling the arriving train and there is also a run by of the train
from a bridge at Holywell.
*AdULTHOOD
GB
2008
1hr 39mins
Dir: Noel Clarke
Starring: Noel Clarke and Adam Deacon
A young man struggles with life after his release from a six-year prison sentence
This film was the sequel to Kidulthood (qv) and it includes scenes at Hammersmith, Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road Underground stations on the Hammersmith & City Line with LT C stock featuring in some scenes. No.5727 was one driving vehicle. The film was followed by Brotherhood (qv), the last in the trilogy.
ADVENTURE FOR TWO (see THE DEMI-PARADISE)
ADVENTURES IN THE HOPFIELDS
GB
1954
1hr
Dir: John Guillermin
Starring: Mandy Miller and Russell Waters
A young girl accidentally breaks her mother’s favourite ornament and goes hop-picking to earn money to buy a replacement
This Children’s Film Foundation movie is typical of the period and like many others from the CFF stable has some very good railway scenes. There is a railway journey sequence which starts at London Bridge station and there is an excellent close up shot of ex-SECR Class D1 4-4-0 No.31741 at the head of a train. As the guard blows his whistle a BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T is standing at the blocks awaiting shunt release (the train in this instance is different to the other scenes at ‘the Bridge’ for whereas these feature vintage Southern Railway coaching stock, the guard is about to board a carmine & cream liveried coach). After this there are some equally good and rather rare scenes filmed on the Hawkhurst branch from Paddock Wood with trains featuring at both Goudhurst and Horsmonden stations. The arrival scene at Goudhurst features another D1, this time No.31735, whilst the departure that follows has a loco at the front shrouded in steam that is running tender first. A later departure scene at Horsmonden features an ex-SECR H Class 0-4-4T (No.3154?). Goudhurst appears as itself in the movie though Horsmonden was the fictional ‘Barden’. All these excellent shots are interspersed with a single, and somewhat out-of-sync low-level run-by, of an express on the Western Region hauled by ex-GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 No.5079 Lysander. The Hawkhurst branch closed in June 1961, before the Beeching Report was published. The film was based on the 1952 novel The Hop Dog by Nora Lavrin & Molly Thorp.
*ADVENTURES OF A PLUMBER’S MATE
GB
1978
1hr 28mins
Dir: Stanley Long
Starring: Christopher Neil and Steven Lewis
A plumber is chased by crooks and amorous women
This was the third and final ‘Adventures’ series which attempted to occupy the same market position as the better-known and more successful ‘Confessions’ series starring Robin Askwith. It features an early scene outside Wormwood Scrubs Prison and a brief glimpse of 1962-built tube
stock passing in the background on the Central Line.
*ADVENTURES OF A PRIVATE EYE
GB
1977
1hr 36mins
Dir: Stanley Long
Starring: Christopher Neil and Harry H. Corbett
A private detective investigates a blackmail case
The second ‘Adventures’ film features a scene in the car park outside West Byfleet station.
*THE ADVENTURES OF BARRY MCKENZIE
AUS
1972
1hr 54mins
Dir: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Barry Crocker and Barry Humphries
An Australian gets into trouble when he visits England in an attempt to advance his cultural education
In one sequence, the main characters enter Barons Court Underground station but are then seen on the platform of the Waterloo & City Line at Waterloo with Class 487 units visible. Barry McKenzie was originally a character created by Barry Humphries for a cartoon strip in Private Eye.
*THE ADVENTURES OF JANE
GB
1949
1hr
Dir: Edward G Whiting
Starring: Chrystabel Leighton-Porter and Ian Colin
An actress is given a bracelet by an elderly admirer but is then used as a pawn to smuggle diamonds into England
This was a cheap low-budget film version of the stage show based on the famous comic strip character Jane from the Daily Mail. Filmed on location in and around Brighton there is a scene at Brighton station where ‘Jane’ gets her dress ripped off in a carriage door of an SR pre-war EMU. There are also some scenes at Newhaven Marine with the rear of a coach just creeping in to the corner of one shot.
THE ADVENTURESS (see I SEE A DARK STRANGER)
AFRAID OF THE DARK
FRA / GB
1991
1hr 31mins
Dir: Mark Peploe
Starring: David Thewlis and Clare Holman
A little boy, obsessed with blindness and violence, slowly gets trapped in his own delusions
This puzzling, and quite alarming drama, features an equally puzzling railway sequence that was filmed on the Nene Valley Railway. Ben Keyworth enters Wansford Tunnel where some coaching stock is stored including a BR Mk.1 in blue & grey. A train then enters the tunnel hauled by a Class 40 diesel, all of which is interspersed with scenes filmed at West Brompton station on the District Line! It is not clear where Ben ‘leaves’ the tunnel for as he climbs over a wall, a bridge with colour light signal are behind him.
*AGATHA
GB
1979
1hr 38mins
Dir: Michael Apted
Starring: Venessa Redgrave and Dustin Hoffman
A fictionalised story about what happened to Agatha Christie during her real-life disappearance in the 1920s
In this drama York station was disguised as ‘Harrogate’, with much of the railway scenes shot in the bay platforms at the north end of the station. LNER A3 Class 4-6-2 No.4472 Flying Scotsman and ex-LNER J72 Class 0-6-0T No.69023 where the locos used. Interestingly, No.4472 was given a split personality for filming, as No.4474 Victor Wild on one side and No.4480 Enterprise on the other, though only the Victor Wild side is visible in the completed film. In the scene at the end, Venessa Redgrave departs ‘Harrogate’ on a short train that includes the Pullman Cars Zena and Rosalind.
*AGENT CODY BANKS 2: DESTINATION LONDON
US
2004
1hr 40mins
Dir: Kevin Allen
Starring: Frankie Muniz and Anna Chancellor
Cody and his partner try to recover stolen software and stop the activation of the government’s mind control project
This American children’s action comedy was the sequel to the 2003 film Agent Cody Banks. The secret CIA underground storage facility and the science laboratories in the film are in fact Canary Wharf Underground station, the film making good use of the ample space available in the upper concourse levels. As it happens, quite a large amount of filming actually took place at the station, yet the escalators at the entrance are the only instantly recognisable location.
*THE ALF GARNETT SAGA
GB
1972
1hr 30mins
Dir: Bob Kellet
Starring: Warren Mitchell and Dandy Nichols
The further adventures of Alf Garnett as he struggles to adapt to life on a housing estate
This comedy film features some good passing shots of BR blue-liveried Eastern Region EMUs, probably on the former London, Tilbury & Southend lines in East London. These include Class 302 No.(302)227 and two Class 305 units, one of which is No.(305)447. There is also a scene in the entrance foyer of Hemel Hempstead station. The film was a follow up to Till Death Us Do Part (1969) (qv).
*ALFIE
GB
1966
1hr 53mins
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Michael Caine and Vivian Merchant
The adventures of an irresponsible Cockney lothario
There are a number of good railway scenes in this drama. An early scene is shot on the banks of the Thames opposite Lots Road Power Station and a loco-hauled freight crosses Battersea Bridge in the background, though the distant image is silhouetted and indistinct. There is also a scene in the Regents Canal Basin outside St. Pancras station with a DMU, almost certainly a Class 127, visible in the background. Perhaps the best scene depicts Michael Caine walking down a street in Brixton; his face is in close-up with the background blurred, but none the less we get a great shot of a BR green-liveried Class 71 electro-diesel passing behind him, a very rare loco in feature film. Finally, there are shots outside Temple Underground and St. Margarets BR stations and a scene on the concourse of London Waterloo with Southern Railway EMUs present.
*ALI G INDAHOUSE
GB
2002
1hr 28mins
Dir: Mark Mylod
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen and Michael Gambon
Ali G stands for election as MP for Staines and wins
The opening titles of this comedy feature Ali G in various poses, one of which gives a very brief glimpse of him riding on a miniature railway in a park. The exact location is unknown, but it is thought to be in the Chertsey area.
ALIAS BULLDOG DRUMMOND (see BULLDOG JACK)
*ALIEN AUTOPSY
GB
2006
1hr 35mins
Dir: Jonny Campbell
Starring: Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly
Two Londoners make a fake alien movie that is taken as genuine
Ant and Dec’s house in this sci-fi comedy is located close to a railway line in the Hackney area, and a couple of one ‘rainbow’-liveried Class 315 EMUs are seen passing over a bridge early on in the movie.
ALIVE AND KICKING
GB
1959
1hr 34mins
Dir: Cyril Frankel
Starring: Sybil Thorndike and Kathleen Harrison
Three women who grow dissatisfied with their lives in a retirement home decide to search for fresh enjoyment and adventure
This comedy film features one 1930s stock shot of a GWR express hauled by what appears to be a ‘King’ Class 4-6-0.
ALL AT SEA (see BARNACLE BILL)
ALL COPPERS ARE
GB
1972
1hr 27mins
Dir: Sydney Hayers
Starring: Nicky Henson and Martin Potter
A young policeman and a small-time crook both have affairs with the same girl
This drama was largely shot in Battersea and there are considerable railway scenes in the Queenstown Road and Clapham Junction areas. There
are plentiful shots of suburban EMUs, pre-war 4 SUB and 4 COR Southern Railway units and later South Western express types of 4 CIG and
4 VEP. A Class 33 and a Class 73 do, however, also appear, both running light. There is also a chase sequence filmed in one of the coal yards at
Battersea with 16-ton mineral and hopper wagons in evidence.
*ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
GB
1974
1hr 27mins
Dir: Claude Whatham
Starring: Simon Ward and Anthony Hopkins
The life of a country vet in 1930s Yorkshire
This biographical drama is based on James Herriot’s first two novels, If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet and opens with a shot of the bay platforms at the northern end of York station, suitably bedecked with 1930s LNER posters to add to the period feel. Some rolling stock is present in the platforms, but no locomotives. A sequel titled It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet (qv) was released in 1976.
ALL NEAT IN BLACK STOCKINGS
GB
1968
1hr 36mins
Dir: Christopher Morahan
Starring: Susan George and Jack Shepherd
An easy-going window cleaner falls in love with a woman he meets in 60s Swinging London
This comedy has a number of street scenes in South London with blue EPB EMUs crossing bridges. One is filmed in Smugglers Way, just west of Wandsworth Town station, and the other is filmed in Southolm Street, Battersea. The film is based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Jane Gaskell.
*ALL OR NOTHING
GB
2002
2hrs 08mins
Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: Timothy Spall and Leslie Manville
The life of three working-class families on a London housing estate
This gritty drama film is set on the old Haddo Estate in Greenwich just prior to its demolition. The estate overlooked Greenwich station and in the background of one scene, Docklands Light Railway units and Class 465/66 ‘Networker’ EMUs are visible.
*ALL OVER THE TOWN
GB
1949
1hr 23mins
Dir: Derek Twist
Starring: Norman Wooland and Sarah Churchill
The reporter on a small town newspaper exposes corruption in the local planning committee
This decent comedy was filmed almost entirely on location in Lyme Regis, Dorset, and there are some good rare shots of Lyme Regis station with a branch train hauled by 0415 Class 4-4-2T No.3125. The film was adapted from the 1947 novel of the same name by R. F. Delderfield.
*ALL THE RIGHT NOISES
GB
1971
1hr 32mins
Dir: Gerry O’Hara
Starring: Tom Bell and Olivia Hussey
A married man with two small children has an affair with a 15-year old actress
This drama features some good railway scenes. The first is filmed on the London Underground, mostly at Leicester Square, with 1959-built tube
stock. This is followed by a lengthy scene filmed onboard one of the units and a night-time arrival of another at Uxbridge station. There are several scenes filmed at London Cannon Street station with 4 CEP EMUs and a 4 EPB present. One of the CEP’s is unit No.7113 working headcode 07, Cannon Street-Gillingham or Ramsgate via Swanley and Chatham. The final scene is filmed at Windsor & Eton Riverside station with a 4 SUB EMU featuring. The short scene inside a ‘Mk1’ could be a set. The film was produced in 1968 but was not released until 1971.
ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL (see IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN TO A VET)
ALLT FLYTER
SWE
2008
1hr 40mins
Dir: Måns Herngren
Starring: Jonas Inde and Amanda Davin
A bunch of aging athletes decide to form the first Swedish all male synchronised swimming team
The name of this Swedish comedy drama translates to ‘Everything Floats’ and the film was released in the UK under the title The Swimsuit Issue (qv). There is one scene where Amanda Davin meets her mother (who has moved to London from Sweden for a sportscasting job) outside Mornington Crescent Underground station during a Christmas trip to London.
*THE ALPHABET MURDERS
GB
1965
1hr 30mins
Dir: Frank Tashlin
Starring: Tony Randall and Robert Morley
Hercule Poirot investigates a series of strange murders
Loosely based on the 1936 novel The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie, this crime caper features a night scene of a coffin being loaded onto a BR Southern Region Mk.1 EMU, though the location of this cannot be identified. There are also several shots of passing expresses and a further ‘back-projected’ shot of a steam-hauled train. As all these scenes take place at night these shots are all very indistinct.
AMA
GB
1991
1hr 40mins
Dirs: Kwate Nee-Owoo and Kwesi Owusu
Starring: Thomas Baptiste and Anima Misa
A young Ghanaian girl living in London rediscovers her African heritage
This fantastical religious drama sets out to explore the themes and aesthetics of African cinema and traditional Akan story telling in the context of
contemporary Britain. Ploddingly shot and eccentrically scripted it features a scene on Hungerford Bridge and an SR suburban EMU passes
behind.
THE AMAZING ADVENTURE (see THE AMAZING QUEST OF ERNEST BLISS)
THE AMAZING MR BEECHAM (see THE CHILTERN HUNDREDS)
*THE AMAZING QUEST OF ERNEST BLISS (aka THE AMAZING ADVENTURE and ROMANCE AND RICHES)
GB
1936
1hr 20mins
Dir: Alfred Zeisler
Starring: Cary Grant and Mary Brian
A bored millionaire bets that he can live a successful life without his wealth for one year
This romantic comedy features some scenes in East London that depict rare images of trains from the 1930s. There are three main trains featured in these scenes; one is of a mixed-freight hauled by LNER J52 Class 0-6-0ST No.4207, whilst the other two, a mineral train and a passenger made up of vintage LMS 3rd Class non-corridor stock do not show the locomotives. A 1920s District Line train also briefly features as does the frontage to Stepney Green Underground station. The film was a remake of the 1920 film The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss. It was re-issued in the United States in 1937 under the title The Amazing Adventure (and sometimes Romance and Riches) and was edited down from the original UK running time of 80 minutes, to just 62 minutes. Most versions found these days are the shorter one.
*AMY FOSTER (aka SWEPT FROM THE SEA)
US
1997
1hr 55mins
Dir: Beeban Kidron
Starring: Vincent Perez and Rachel Weisz
In 19th century Cornwall a shipwrecked Ukrainian peasant starts a doomed love affair with a simple country girl
This American drama is based on the 1901 short story Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad. The snowy railway scene supposedly set in Ukraine is in fact both the Keighley & Worth Valley and the North Yorkshire Moors Railways with Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Aspinall Class 27 0-6-0 No. 1300 renumbered ‘H-17’ and suitably weathered to look like a vintage Russian locomotive. It was fitted with a cow-catcher and a huge headlight to add to the continental-style effect and was hauling a mixed bag of freight stock and parcels vans.
*AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
GB / US
1981
1hr 37mins
Dir: John Lamdis
Starring: David Naughton and Jenny Agutter
An American tourist is bitten by a werewolf and becomes one himself
This largely successful comedy horror features a suspense scene on the London Underground whereby a city worker is stalked by the werewolf. The scene was filmed at Tottenham Court Road on the Northern Line with 1972-built tube stock making an appearance. There is another, earlier scene, filmed onboard a similar train.
*ANGELA’S ASHES
IRE / US
1999
2hrs 25mins
Dir: Alan Parker
Starring: Emily Watson and Robert Carlyle
An Irish writer remembers his poor childhood in Limerick
This lengthy drama film based on the memoir of the same name by Frank McCourt features a couple of period station scenes filmed at Dublin Pearse station with K2 Class 2-6-0 No.461 as the train engine.
*THE ANGRY SILENCE
GB
1960
1hr 35mins
Dir: Guy Green
Starring: Richard Attenborough and Pier Angeli
A factory worker suffers victimisation at work when he refuses to join in on strike action
The opening scene of this good drama features ex-LMS Fowler Class 3P 2-6-2T No.40010 arriving at Willesden Junction Low Level (Main Line) platforms. These shots include a very unusual low angle view of the train approaching a camera placed in the ‘four foot’. Other equally good views of the station follow during the film and at the very end there is a shot of another train departing the platforms. Suburban stock appears in this final scene, one of which is No.24459, one of the old LMS suburban brake thirds converted to push-pull use. Although the loco is visible at the head of the train as it pulls out, it is not identifiable, though it looks to be another Fowler tank. The station masquerades in the film as ‘Melsham’. The main line platforms were closed in December 1962 upon electrification of the West Coast Main Line though the station remains open on other routes.
ANNA KARENINA (aka TOLSTOY’S ANNA KARENINA)
GB
1948
1hr 35mins
Dir: Julien Duvivier
Starring: Vivian Leigh and Ralph Richardson
The tragic story of a married aristocrat and her affair with an affluent Count
One of many film versions of Leo Tolstoy’s tragic 19th century novel, this British production saw London Films borrow a pair of ex-SECR B1 Class 4-4-0s, Nos 1445 and 1454, to play a couple of ‘Russian’ locomotives. They were equipped with massive smokestacks, headlights and cowcatchers along with front end railings and built up tenders. Some studio work involved models, but the night journey and final suicide scene were filmed at Tattenham Corner station with the use of some suitably disguised rolling stock adding to the occasion. The film is usually referred to in the UK as Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. The 2012 version of the film also featured a British railway scene (qv).
*ANNA KARENINA
GB
2012
2hrs 10mins
Dir: Joe Wright
Starring: Jude Law and Keira Knightley
In late 19th century Russian high society, an aristocrat enters into a life-changing affair with a dashing Count
Despite this 2012 version of Tolstoy’s novel being a lengthy lavish remake of the by now familiar tale, it was poorly received and described by
many as being little more than average. It is very theatrical and at times, difficult to come to terms with. The film has some quite odd model work but does feature a railway scene filmed at the Didcot Railway Centre, the engine shed of which masquerades as Moscow station. The shed is decked out with various back cloths and GWR locomotives in the form of 2884 Class 2-8-0 No.3822 and 4300 Class 2-6-0 No.5322 appear in this
scene, the latter rather elaborately ‘caked’ in fake snow. Some vintage coaching stock is also visible but be warned, a wheel tapper is crushed to
death beneath the wheels of No.5322 in one rather gruesome scene.
*ANOTHER MAN’S POISON
GB
1951
1hr 30mins
Dir: Irving Ripper
Starring: Bette Davis and Anthony Steel
A successful novelist poisons her husband and her lover with tragic consequences
This drama features an early night scene at an unknown station with an Ivatt 2-6-0 passing. The station, believed to be somewhere in Cumberland, posed as ‘Tarn Moor’.
*ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE
GB
1958
1hr 38mins
Dir: Lewis Allen
Starring: Lana Turner and Glynis Johns
An American war correspondent falls in love with a BBC reporter, but their relationship seems doomed from the start
This melodrama is based on Lenore Coffee’s 1955 novel Weep No More and there are some good shots of Looe station in Cornwall with a branch
train in attendance hauled by ex-GWR 4500-series 2-6-2T No.4552. The station appears again at the end of the film, with scenes taken from both the platform overlooking the river and from the adjacent river bank, with another branch train present. In addition, the film also contains one stock shot of ex-GWR ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 No.6004 King George III passing Teignmouth on an express. Earlier on in the film a car is being driven through an industrial estate on its way to an airfield and it passes over a gated level crossing. This is then followed by a scene with Lana Turner and Sid James talking in the back seat. A rake of Esso oil tanks and some other private-owner wagons can be seen in the back-projection through the car window, but the image is reversed! All in all, this is an unusual and rather odd sequence.
*ANOTHER YEAR
GB
2010
2hrs 09mins
Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: Jim Broadbent and Lesley Manville
A look at four seasons in the lives of a happily married couple and their relationships with their family and friends
This is another brilliant Mike Leigh drama. It features a couple of scenes filmed at Battersea Power Station with Class 465 ‘Networker’ EMUs passing on the viaducts behind, and a scene with Peter Wight onboard a Southeastern Class 375 ‘Electrostar’ EMU. There is also a very good passing shot of an East Midlands Trains 7-car Class 222 ‘Meridian’ DEMU on the southern end of Midland Main Line, though it is dubbed to the sound of an HST! Finally, there is a shot of the frontage to King’s Cross station.
APPOINTMENT WITH CRIME
GB
1946
1hr 32mins
Dir: John Harlow
Starring: William Hartnell and Robert Beatty
An ex-convict swears revenge on the gang that let him take the fall for the crime
There is a train robbery sequence in this crime film which is interspersed with the usual varying stock shots of changing locomotives including an ex-LSWR 4-4-0 and a GWR 4-6-0. These are filmed day for night thus making exact identification of the locomotives difficult. There is one much clearly shot later in the film however; that of an LMS 4P ‘Compound’ 4-4-0 leaving London St. Pancras with a train.
THE ARAB CONSPIRACY (see THE NEXT MAN)
ARABESQUE
US
1966
1hr 45mins
Dir: Stanley Donen
Starring: Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren
An Oxford professor finds his life in grave danger after he deciphers a hieroglyphic
Based on Gordon Cotler’s 1961 novel The Cypher, this thriller contains some scenes at London Waterloo station with a good shot of a 4 SUB EMU arriving alongside another. The EMU has stencil headcode 28, Waterloo – Reading, Aldershot or Farnham via Richmond (rear portion detached at Ascot for Aldershot). Most interestingly, the climax of the film took place on the closed Crumlin Viaduct on the Pontypool-Neath line shortly before its demolition. The viaduct passed over the Ebbw Valley Line between Llanhilleth and Crumlin Low Level stations, a route still open today, and a route just visible in some aerial shots of the viaduct. Hailed as ‘one of the most significant examples of technological achievement during the Industrial Revolution’, in its 109 years of service until being dismantled in 1967, it remained: the least expensive bridge for its size ever constructed, the highest railway viaduct in the United Kingdom and the third highest viaduct in the world.
*ARTHUR’S DYKE
GB
2001
1hr 43mins
Dir: Gerry Poulson
Starring: Pauline Quirke and Robert Daws
A group of friends reunite to walk Offa’s Dyke, having achieved the walk 20 years earlier
This comedy drama features brief scenes at Abergavenny station, masquerading as ‘Chepstow’ (!), with a Class 158 ‘Sprinter’ DMU arriving.
*THE ASPHYX (aka SPIRIT OF THE DEAD and THE HORROR OF DEATH)
GB
1972
1hr 39mins
Dir: Peter Newbrook
Starring: Robert Stephens and Robert Powell
A scientist separates the spirit of death from the body with tragic results
The opening shot of this horror film is an aerial view of Clapham Junction, with the Wandsworth and Putney lines at the bottom. Unsurprisingly, many Southern suburban EMUs are in evidence.
ASSAULT FORCE (see NORTH SEA HIJACK)
*THE ASTONISHED HEART
GB
1950
1hr 25mins
Dirs: Terence Fisher and Antony Darnborough
Starring: Noël Coward and Celia Johnson
A married psychiatrist has an affair with another woman
This thoughtful comedy drama is based on Noël Coward’s play of the same name from his cycle of ten plays Tonight at 8:30. The opening scene at London Paddington mixes real footage of the station concourse with that of a studio set, and an ex-GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 appears as back-projection. Then, towards the end, there is a similar stage set up of ‘Waterloo’ only this time the loco on the blocks does appear to be a mock-up, based along the lines of an SR 4-6-0.
*ATONEMENT
GB
2007
2hrs 03mins
Dir: Joe Wright
Starring: James McAvoy and Keira Knightley
A thirteen-year-old irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister’s lover of a crime that he did not commit
Based on Ian McEwan’s 2001 novel of the same name, this romantic wartime drama is a brilliant production, justifiably winning a number of awards. It features a final poignant and shocking scene filmed at Aldwych Underground station. The scene portrays a wall of water hurtling down the staircase of the underground station towards those sheltering inside. Keira Knightley’s body is then shown floating in the depths of the murky water. The station represents Balham, which was one of many deep tube stations designated for use as a civilian air raid shelter. At 20:02 on 14th October 1940, a 1400 kg semi-armour piercing fragmentation bomb fell on the road above the northern end of the platform and burst the water mains and sewers that ran above the station tunnels, which then flooded causing the deaths of sixty-six people. The film also includes a couple of shots of newsreel footage of troop trains. These are formed of LNER teak and GWR suburban coaching stock, though no locomotives are seen.
*THE AVENGERS
US
1998
1hr 29mins
Dir: Jeremiah Chechik
Starring: Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman
Steed and Miss Peel have to save the world from a mad meteorologist
This unsuccessful attempt to update the popular 1960s spy-fi television series uses London’s old Kingsway tram subway as the entrance to the government’s secret headquarters. Computer generated imagery has the Tram Tunnel entrance at Newcastle Draw Dock, near Island Gardens, with a view of the University of Greenwich and the Trinity College of Music across the Thames! There is also a scene where Steed and Miss Peel are being chased in their 1970 Jaguar E-type car by mechanical flying insects. They pass beneath a bridge which causes a number of the pursuing insects to crash into the parapet and explode. The bridge looks suspiciously like a railway one, but if so, it is not known where this was filmed.
*THE AWAKENING
GB
2011
1hr 47mins
Dir: Nick Murphy
Starring: Rebecca Hall and Dominic West
A hoax exposer visits a boarding school to explain sightings of a child ghost
This supernatural drama was set in 1921 and features aerial shots of a steam-hauled service passing the shores of a Scottish loch and crossing a tree-shrouded viaduct, almost certainly filmed on the West Highland line. Formed of Mk.1 coaches and a ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 it is not exactly what you would expect for a train of the time.
THE AWAKENING OF EMILY (see EMILY)
B
*B. MONKEY
GB / US
1998
1hr 32mins
Dir: Michael Radford
Starring: Asia Argento and Rupert Everett
A London schoolteacher begins an affair with an Italian jewel thief known only as ‘B. Monkey’
This crime drama includes a number of randomly brief shots of the London Underground network that feature 1972-built Northern Line stock, C type stock, and 1990s-built tube stock. There is a scene filmed in the interior of a 1992-built Waterloo & City Line train which sees Rupert Everett leave the train at Bank station. There is also a scene at London Waterloo International with a Class 373 Eurostar set in evidence, which is followed by a brief scene filmed onboard one of the trains. There is a later shot of the frontage to Chiswick Park Underground station at night with a district Line train of D78 stock passing on the viaduct behind, and a shot early in the film of the frontage to an office block opposite Battersea Power Station. A Class 455 EMU is reflected in the windows as it passes across the viaduct in front.
*BABY LOVE
GB
1968
1hr 33mins
Dir: Alastair Reid
Starring: Linda Hayden and Keith Barron
A libidinous schoolgirl seduces her adoptive family after her mother commits suicide
There is one aerial view in this really dull drama of a train passing through an equally dull industrial landscape. The train is distant and going-away from the camera, but it appears to be a DMU. In addition to this there are brief glimpses of the rear of a passenger train formed of BR Mk.1 coaching stock and a slow-moving freight train, the latter largely obscured from view through editing. The locations for all these shots are not known. The film is based on the 1968 novel of the same name by Tina Chad Christian.
*BABYLON
GB
1980
1hr 35mins
Dir: Franco Rosso
Starring: Brinsley Forde and Trevor Laird
The trials and tribulations of young black youths in troubled early eighties London
This racial drama was produced by the National Film Finance Corporation and is now regarded as a classic of the genre. There are some scenes filmed within the viaduct arches of Edward Place, Deptford, and BR blue-liveried EPB units pass overhead. Another scene filmed at the junction of Atlantic Road with Electric Avenue in Brixton shows a similar unit passing. There is also a scene filmed at Finsbury Park Underground station with 1973-built tube stock arriving in the Northbound Piccadilly Line platform. This is followed by short scenes filmed onboard a similar unit and a shot of escalators at an unknown Underground station. This is not Finsbury Park as although the station is a ‘deep-level’ tube station, it has neither lifts nor escalators as its lines are less than 20’ (6.1 m) below street level.
*BACHELOR OF HEARTS
GB
1958
1hr 34mins
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Starring: Hardy Krüger and Sylvia Syms
A German student goes to Cambridge University to study
This comedy features an edited departure scene from London King’s Cross with ‘blood and custard’ liveried Mk1 rolling stock displaying ‘Cambridge Buffet Express’ roofboards. There is also a run-by of an ex-LNER B17 Class 4-6-0, going away from the camera, and a shot of the frontage of Cambridge station. All in all, a good accurate depiction of a London-Cambridge train journey, and in technicolor too! Incidentally, although the platform scene at Cambridge station is real, with Mk1 coaches shrouded in steam, the carriage interior scene was a set.
BACK IN BUSINESS
GB
2007
1hr 25mins
Dir: Chris Munro
Starring: Martin Kemp and Chris Barrie
A gang of conmen fool the superpowers with a British space attempt
There is one early scene in this comedy that is filmed at the sushi bar on the concourse of London Paddington station.
BACKGROUND (aka EDGE OF DIVORCE)
GB
1953
1hr 23mins
Dir: Daniel Birt
Starring: Valerie Hobson and Philip Friend
A married couple decide on divorce but then struggle with the effect it has on their children
This drama was based on a stage play by Warren Chetham-Strode and features a shot of a train departing from London Victoria station. The locomotive is not seen but in a curious continuity error, the preceding shots featured London Waterloo and a train is in Platform 12 with an ex-SR ‘King Arthur’ N15 Class 4-6-0 at the bufferstops.
BAD BLONDE (see THE FLANAGAN BOY)
*BANK HOLIDAY
GB
1938
1hr 26mins
Dir: Carol Reed
Starring: Rene Ray and Hugh Williams
The adventures of various holiday makers on a day out to Brighton
This drama has a number of good scenes filmed at London termini. A Urie 4-6-0 is departing Waterloo and a pre-war 3 SUB EMU is visible along with several other unidentified locos. An LNER A1 Class 4-6-2 is departing King’s Cross and at the end of the film is a scene at Victoria with a very good shot of SR ‘Schools’ V Class 4-4-0 No.938 St Olaves and SR ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 No.856 Lord St Vincent passing.
*THE BANK JOB
GB
2008
1hr 51mins
Dir: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows
A film based on the 1971 Baker Street robbery
This crime drama has a scene filmed on Platform 1 of London Paddington station with a train formed of EWS maroon-liveried Mk2 coaching stock. The loco used was preserved Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic D1015 Western Champion but it is only just visible at the front end in one shot. There are also some scenes filmed on the London Underground that featured 1972-built tube stock at Aldwych station, masquerading as both ‘Baker Street’ and ‘Tottenham Court Road’ stations, though the frontage of the real Baker Street station is also briefly glimpsed.
BARNACLE BILL (aka ALL AT SEA)
GB
1957
1hr 27mins
Dir: Charles Frend
Starring: Alec Guinness and Irene Browne
An unsuccessful Royal Navy captain takes command of a seaside pier
This Ealing comedy features Hunstanton Pier in Norfolk and in some scenes a working narrow gauge 4-4-0 steam loco complete with open seated stock can be seen on basic narrow-gauge track.
*BARNIE ET SES PETITES CONTRARIÉTÉS
FRA
2001
1hr 20mins
Dir: Bruno Chiche
Starring: Fabrice Luchini and Nathalie Baye
A philandering Frenchman ends up on the Orient-Express with his wife and two lovers for company
This French romantic comedy centres around Barnie, an office worker who lives in Calais but works in London. He commutes every day by taking the Eurostar to go to his office. Although he is married, he has two lovers in London: Margot, a young and fresh advertising executive (played by Marie Gillain), and Mark, a hot 35 years old auctioneer (played by Hugo Speer). They each buy him the same present for his birthday, a ticket for a trip on the VSOE. There is an opening scene filmed at London Waterloo and a couple of Class 373 ‘Eurostar’ EMU sets are visible in the International platforms. No other scenes were filmed in the station, and apart from a couple of brief shots filmed onboard a ‘Eurostar’ set, no other UK trains feature either, though there are some excellent Continental shots of the VSOE. The French title ‘Barnie et ses petites contrariétés’ translates as ‘Barnie and his little annoyances’ though the film had the International Title of ‘Barnie’s Minor Annoyances’.
BARNIE’S MINOR ANNOYANCES (see BARNIE ET SES PETITES CONTRARIÉTÉS)
*BATTLE OF BRITAIN
GB
1969
2hrs 13mins
Dir: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier
The story of Britain’s war in the air during 1940
Right at the very end of this epic there is a shot of people taking refuge in an Underground station during an air raid. This was filmed at Aldwych Underground station. The 2-disc edition of the DVD of the film includes a contemporary documentary about the making of the movie, which includes good behind-the-scenes footage of the Aldwych location. Both the completed film and this additional footage contain shots of the station frontage, quite rare in fact when you consider most productions stuck solely to the platform areas.
*THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES
GB
1959
1hr 24mins
Dir: Charles Crichton
Starring: Peter Sellers and Constance Cummings
An American efficiency expert causes upset to a Scottish tweed manufacturer
This comedy is based on the James Thurber short story The Catbird Seat and features a number of railway images early on. These include a ‘stock shot’ of the platforms of London Paddington station at night with plenty of coaching stock present but no locomotives, a distant view of an ex-LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 passing through Princes Street Gardens on the approach to Edinburgh Waverley, and two ‘stock footage’ shots of streamlined LMS ‘Coronation’ Class 4-6-2s passing through Watford Junction, as taken from Brief Encounter (qv). There are also a number of distant views of the roofline of Edinburgh Waverley station throughout the film, but, seeing that the station is in a cutting, no trains can be made out. The carriage interior is a set.
THE BATTLE OF THE VILLA FIORITA
GB
1965
1hr 51mins
Dir: Delmer Daves
Starring: Maureen O’Hara and Rossano Brazzi
A young boy and his sister try to break up their mother’s romance with a concert pianist
The classic drama based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Rumer Godden features one good shot of a Class 117 DMU, possibly filmed on the Maidenhead-High Wycombe line, and a scene at London Marylebone with Class 115 DMUs visible.
BE MY GUEST
GB
1965
1hr 22mins
Dir: Lance Comfort
Starring: Avril Angers and David Hemmings
A family inherits a seaside hotel and has trouble attracting guests, until their son’s rock group begins bringing them in
This musical was largely set in Brighton and features a single stock shot of a passing Met-Camm ‘Blue Pullman’ DMU. Although of interest to the railway enthusiast, this is hardly typical fair for a Brighton express! The film was a follow-up to the commercially successful Live It Up!
*BEAN (aka BEAN THE MOVIE and BEAN THE ULTIMATE DISASTER MOVIE)
GB
1997
1hr 30mins
Dir: Mel Smith
Starring: Rowan Atkinson and Pamela Reed
The bumbling Mr Bean travels to America where he is entrusted to unveil a priceless painting at a Los Angeles gallery
This family adventure was based on the television series Mr. Bean. At the end of the film, Mr Bean settles into his bed in his room in a building in
Prebend Gardens, London W4. On the viaduct behind, a District Line train of London Transport D78 stock is pulling out of Stamford Brook station and although it is filmed at night, it is quite clear. The film was followed ten years later in 2007 by Mr Bean’s Holiday (qv), which had slightly more in the way of railway material.
BEAN THE MOVIE (see BEAN)
BEAN THE ULTIMATE DISASTER MOVIE (see BEAN)
*THE BEAST IN THE CELLAR
GB
1970
1hr 41mins
Dir: James Kelly
Starring: Flora Robson and Beryl Reid
Two elderly spinsters keep their disfigured brother locked up in the cellar, but he escapes
This pretty dreadful horror movie has one railway scene filmed at Horsted Keynes station on the fledging Bluebell Railway. A train is seen and although the locomotive is too far off to positively identify it looks to be one of the line’s ex-SECR P Class 0-6-0Ts.
*BEAT GIRL (aka WILD FOR KICKS)
GB
1960
1hr 25mins
Dir: Edmond Gréville
Starring: David Farrar and Delphi Lawrence
An architect’s daughter rebels against her father’s new young wife
This drama about late-fifties youth-rebellion includes a scene with some teenagers undertaking a car race. This involves a railway sequence that starts with them driving under the majestic Welwyn Viaduct then playing chicken at a level crossing. There is an initial shot of an ex-LMS ‘Jubilee’ Class 4-6-0 leaving Elstree Tunnel on an express, but the train at the level crossing has an identity change. An ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 approaches the group of youths but as it passes it has become a two-coach passenger hauled by a small tank locomotive! The location of the level crossing is not known. The scene with youths lying on the track used real footage, with back-projection cut in where necessary. The original script, entitled Striptease Girl, was submitted to the British Board of Film Censors in March 1959, whose reviewers gave it an ‘X’ rating due to its content. The project was then renamed Beat Girl and although the nudity was reduced, censors still objected to scenes of strip tease, juvenile delinquency, the implication of underage sex and teenagers playing ‘chicken’ by lying on railway tracks before an oncoming train. Ultimately, the film still received an ‘X’ certificate, causing its release to be delayed. Some versions of the released film have cut the original striptease sequences (which included topless nudity), some scenes set in the strip club, the ‘chicken’ game scene and, most curiously, some opening exposition scenes with David Farrar and Noëlle Adam on a train. These scenes feature a stock shot of LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 No.6100 Royal Scot on Bushey Troughs. The loco is displaying the cast ‘THE ROYAL SCOT’ headboard from its 1933 North American Tour and this shot crops up from time to time in other films, including Escapade (1955 qv). The carriage interior scene is a set.
*BEAUTIFUL CREATURES
GB
2000
1hr 26mins
Dir: Bill Eagles
Starring: Rachel Weisz and Susan Lynch
Two girls thrown together by their boyfriends’ violence accidentally kill one of them
This crime film has scenes that were shot on the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway featuring BR Mk1 coaching stock. Bo’ness station is prominent in one scene but no locomotives feature. The opening and closing credits run with an unusual night-time ‘phantom ride’ from a bufferbeam mounted camera that is hanging down to track level thus giving a ‘rolling track’ image. There is also a brief shot of Dumbarton Central station.
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME (see THE MATCH)
*BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
GB
1999
1hr 47mins
Dir: Jasmin Dizdar
Starring: Siobhan Redmond and Roger Sloman
Various examples of ethnic intolerance come to a head in London
This satirical comedy features an odd scene that was filmed in sidings adjacent to the East Coast main line and Class 313 and Class 365 EMUs pass by in the background. It is believed to have been shot in the Hornsey area. There is a very brief glimpse of a Class 312 EMU passing over viaduct arches and there is a scene at a house where The Railway Children is being watched on TV!
THE BEAUTY JUNGLE (aka CONTEST GIRL)
GB
1964
1hr 50mins
Dir: Val Guest
Starring: Ian Hendry and Janette Scott
A British newsman promotes a stenographer from seaside beauty queen to Miss Globe
This comedy drama film features a fashion shoot on the platforms of London Marylebone station, but no trains are visible.
*THE BED SITTING ROOM
GB
1969
1hr 30mins
Dir: Richard Lester
Starring: Mona Washbourne and Arthur Lowe
Various survivors of a nuclear war eke out a frugal existence
This surreal fantasy has scenes that involve a family living on a deserted London Underground ‘Circle Line’ train. This was filmed at Aldwych station using a train formed of 1962-built tube stock. However, the cross passages and escalators used Knightsbridge station whilst the left luggage office was located on the derelict platform 4 of Wood Lane station on the Central Line. The station had closed in 1947 and all traces were removed by 2006.
*BEDAZZLED
GB
1967
1hr 43mins
Dir: Stanley Donan
Starring: Peter Cook and Dudley Moore
The Devil offers an unhappy young man seven wishes in return for his soul, but twists the spirit of the wishes to frustrate the man’s hopes
In one scene towards the beginning of this comedy, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore are walking close to Subway Junction near London Paddington station and a Class 35 ‘Hymek’ diesel-hydraulic passes behind with a single parcels van in tow.
BEFORE I WAKE (aka SHADOW OF FEAR)
GB
1954
1hr 16mins
Dir: Albert Rogell
Starring: Jean Kent and Maxwell Reed
A stepmother attempts to murder her adopted daughter in order to get her inheritance
There is a scene in this mystery drama that was filmed on Taplow station, and a GWR train can be seen passing in the background.
*BELL BOTTOM GEORGE
GB
1943
1hr 37mins
Dir: Marcel Varnel
Starring: George Formby and Anne Firth
A bumbling sailor catches a ring of spies
The climax to this comedy film involves a car chase in and around Fleetwood and a couple of 1930s Blackpool single-deck trams can be made out. Some wagons and LMS coaches are visible in the background of the earlier dockside scenes but the filming of George onboard a train appears to be a studio mock up.
*THE BELLES OF ST. TRINIAN’S
GB
1954
1hr 26mins
Dir: Frank Launder
Starring: Joyce Grenfell and George Cole
A headmistress attempts to keep peace at Britain’s most infamous girls’ school
This was the first of a series of five comedy films that were based on the fictional St Trinian’s School. This one features a stock shot of London Paddington station with trains visible in the platforms but no locomotives, a distant shot of a GWR 4-6-0 on an express passing through the countryside, and a brief comedy scene filmed at Seer Green and Jordans station. The platform boarding scene with the ‘school special’ was a studio set.
*BELLMAN & TRUE
GB
1987
1hr 52mins
Dir: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Bernard Hill and Frances Tomelty
A computer expert is used by gangsters for a heist on a newly built bank
This crime drama is based on the novel of the same name by Desmond Lowden. At the start of the film there are some good shots at London Paddington station with HSTs visible including set No.253051 (possibly power car 43184). There is then a scene filmed in the entrance foyer and lift stairwell of an unknown Underground station, plus a scene on the entrance ramp to an unknown mainline terminal station.
*THE BELSTONE FOX
GB
1973
1hr 43mins
Dir: James Hill
Starring: Eric Porter and Rachel Roberts
A fox and hound grow up together which leads to tragedy for the humans
One sequence in this live-action family film has the hounds follow the fox onto a railway line only to be run down and killed by a train. This quite horrific scene for what was basically a family movie, was filmed on the Minehead branch in its first year of private ownership, with very good shots Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7100 on a goods train, headcode 2T30. The cutting was north of Crowcombe Heathfield as was the level crossing, thought to be that at Roebuck Gate. The film is based on the 1970 David Rook novel, The Ballad of the Belstone Fox.
*BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM
GB / US / IND / GER
2002
1hr 52mins
Dir: Gurinder Chadha
Starring: Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley
A young Indian girl dreams of becoming a professional footballer
A number of brief scenes in this popular comedy were filmed on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. The frontage of Hounslow Central and the platform at Piccadilly Circus Underground stations are seen, with 1973-built tube stock present at both. There is also an interior shot onboard one of the trains.
*BETRAYAL
GB
1983
1hr 35mins
Dir: David Jones
Starring: Jeremy Irons and Patricia Hodge
The story of a London publisher and his wife who has an affair with a literary agent
This 1983 film adaptation of Harold Pinter’s 1978 play of the same name features a shot of London Transport C stock on the Hammersmith & City Line, filmed on the approach to Latimer Road station at the junction of Bramley Road and Freston Road.
BETWEEN TWO WOMEN
GB
2000
1hr 32mins
Dir: Steven Woodcock
Starring: Barbara Marten and Andrina Carroll
A housewife forms an intense relationship with a female schoolteacher
This drama was set in 1950s Northern England and makes excellent use of both the East Lancashire and the Keighley & Worth Valley Railways.
The East Lancashire Railway scenes were filmed at Bury Bolton Street and feature ex-LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.45337, BR Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No.46441 and a rare thing in the form of the unique two-car Derby Lightweight BMU (vehicles 79998+79999). The Keighley & Worth Valley scenes were shot largely at Damems and Haworth stations and feature BR Standard 2-6-4T No.80002, ex-LMS 8F 2-8-0 No.48431, ex-LNER Class J27 0-6-0 No.65894 and one of the former Manchester Ship Canal Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0Ts (probably No.31 Hamburg).
BEWARE MY BRETHREN (see THE FIEND)
THE BEWITCHED TRAVELLER (see THE JONAH MAN)
*BEYOND THIS PLACE (aka WEB OF EVIDENCE)
GB
1959
1hr 30mins
Dir: Jack Cardiff
Starring: Van Johnson and Rosalie Crutchley
An American in London turns detective to clear his wrongly convicted father
This mystery film is pretty standard fare on a common theme and is based on the 1950 A J Cronin novel of the same name. It features a night scene at an unknown level crossing whereby Van Johnson is nearly rundown by a train, the exact identity of which is unclear. The film was largely set in Liverpool but there is nothing to suggest that the level crossing was located there.
*BHAJI ON THE BEACH
GB
1993
1hr 41mins
Dir: Gurinder Chadha
Starring: Kim Vithana and Jimmi Harkishin
A group of Indian women have a day out in Blackpool with various results
This popular comedy is mostly set in Blackpool and there are a number of distant shots of trams though towards the end there are some better images of the illuminated trams.
BHOWANI JUNCTION
GB / US / PAK
1956
1hr 50mins
Dir: George Cukor
Starring: Stewart Granger and Ava Gardner
Drama set in India during the last days of the British Raj
A large amount of filming for this historical drama took place in Lahore, Pakistan, and some of that country’s British-built Beyer-Peacock steam locomotives feature prominently. There is a crash scene that was filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway, however, which used WD 2-10-0 No.600 Gordon heavily disguised as an Indian locomotive. The tunnel scenes used the closed Kingsway tram subway in Holborn, with plenty of additional studio effects. The film was an adaptation of the 1954 novel of the same name by John Masters.
*THE BIG MONEY
GB
1958
1hr 26mins
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Starring: Ian Carmichael and Belinda Lee
The son of a family of crooks sets out to prove he is capable of pulling off a big heist
This Technicolor comedy features a run-by shot of a pair of ex-SR 2 BIL EMUs somewhere on the South Western Division along with a shot of the frontage of London Victoria station.
BIG TIME OPERATORS (see THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH)
*BIGGLES (aka BIGGLES: ADVENTURES IN TIME)
GB
1986
1hr 32mins
Dir: John Hough
Starring: Alex Hyde-White and Neil Dickson
An American executive is transported back to World War One to help a Royal Flying Corps airman
This sci-fi adventure may have had a poor reception, but it has some brilliant stunts involving a Bell 206B JetRanger helicopter. One such stunt sees Biggles land the helicopter on a flat wagon of a moving train and then take off again. This was filmed on the Nene Valley Railway and was apparently the first time such a stunt had been attempted. The train was hauled by French DeGlehn Nord ‘Compound’ 4-6-0 No.3.628, a loco suitable to a story set largely in World War One as it had been built in 1907. The locomotive is officially a du Bousquet Nord Class 3.513 4-6-0 which has since been repatriated back to France.
BIGGLES: ADVENTURES IN TIME (see BIGGLES)
BIKINI BABY (see LADY GODIVA RIDES AGAIN)
BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN
GB
1967
1hr 51mins
Dir: Ken Russell
Starring: Michael Caine and Françoise Dorléac
A former British spy stumbles into in a plot to overthrow Communism with the help of a supercomputer
This espionage thriller is based on the 1966 Len Deighton novel of the same name and was not entirely a success, but it was considered the best of the Harry Palmer trilogy that started with The Ipcress File (1965 – qv). This movie features a scene filmed at King’s Cross station though no trains are present.
*BILLY ELLIOT
GB
2000
1hr 51mins
Dir: Stephen Daldry
Starring: Jamie Bell and Julie Walters
The 11 years old son of a miner switches from boxing to ballet
This dance drama features a scene towards the end of 1996-built tube stock at the new Canary Wharf Jubilee Line station which had only opened in 1999. There is also an earlier scene where Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) walks down a road with a railway viaduct behind. This is Queen Alexandra Road in the Dawdon area of Seaham, County Durham, and Dawdon Dene Viaduct is behind located on the line between Seaham and Hartlepool.
*BILLY LIAR
GB
1963
1hr 38mins
Dir: John Schlesinger
Starring: Tom Courtenay and Julie Christie
An undertaker’s clerk lives in a fantasy world that he finds hard to separate from reality
Based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Keith Waterhouse this rather odd comedy drama has one railway scene at the end. Despite being filmed in Bradford the scene features London Marylebone station and although no locomotives are visible, BR Mk1 coaching stock and parcels vans are present.
*BITTER HARVEST
GB
1963
1hr 36mins
Dir: Peter Graham Scott
Starring: Janet Munro and John Stride
A Welsh girl goes to London to seek fame which ultimately leads to her demise
Based on the book 20,000 Streets Under the Sky by Patrick Hamilton, a lot of this drama is filmed in a tenement flat that overlooks the approaches
to London Paddington station in the Ranelagh Bridge and Subway Junction areas. A number of trains are seen, hauled variously by both Western
Region steam and diesel-hydraulic locomotives. These trains are hauled by GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0s, Class 35 ‘Hymek’s’ and a Class 42
‘Warship’ that maybe D807 Caradoc. There are also a number of Class 9400-series 0-6-0PTs on empty coaching stock moves and a scene filmed on Paddington station itself with another ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 visible at the buffer stops.
*BLACK BEAUTY
GB
1994
1hr 28mins
Dir: Caroline Thompson
Starring: David Thewlis and Peter Davison
Adventures of a horse from birth to pasture
The fifth film adaptation of the 1877 classic novel by Anna Sewell features a scene filmed on the Bluebell Railway at Horsted Keynes station,
though no locomotives are visible. It is nice to see that Horsted Keynes played itself and did not masquerade as a different place entirely.
*BLACK JOY
GB
1977
1hr 50mins
Dir: Anthony Simmons
Starring: Trevor Thomas and Floella Benjamin
A Guyanese immigrant must quickly learn to adapt to England’s unfamiliar culture
This comedy was made on location in Brixton and a handful of SR suburban EMUs make an appearance along with the frontage of Brixton
Underground station. An opening shot overlooking the viaducts shows Brixton BR station with the closed platform on the Catford Loop line. The film was adapted from a stage play by Jamal Ali called Dark Days and Light Nights.
*BLACK ORCHID
GB
1953
58 mins
Dir: Charles Saunders
Starring: Ronald Howard and Olga Edwardes
A respected London doctor is accused of killing his recently divorced wife so as to marry her sister
This short and straightforward enough crime drama features a shot of the entrance to St John’s Wood Underground station.
*THE BLACK PANTHER
GB
1977
1hr 42mins
Dir: Ian Merrick
Starring: Donald Sumpter and Debbie Farrington
A post office robber kidnaps a teenage heiress to use as ransom
This crime thriller was based on the Donald Neilson case, an ex-soldier turned armed robber who kidnaps a teenage heiress. Some scenes in the film show that the kidnapped girl was kept in a drain in Bathpool Park, close to the new Harecastle Tunnel (310 yards), in the Kidsgrove area of Staffordshire, and there are shots of two trains. One is a distant view of a London Midland Region EMU, possibly a Class 304, and the other is a mineral train, unfortunately edited so that the locomotive is just passing out of shot. By pausing the scene, however, it is possible to make out from the two roof fans that it is a Class 47. Later in the film there is an exterior shot of Chalk Farm Underground station.
THE BLACK SHEEP OF WHITEHALL
GB
1942
1hr 20mins
Dirs: Basil Dearden and Will Hay
Starring: Will Hay and John Mills
An incompetent teacher beats spies who are keeping a boffin in a nursing home
There is a sequence in this comedy war film that depicts a railway journey: a shot of London Paddington station is followed by an SR L1 Class
4-4-0 (possibly No.1753) departing London Victoria, a ‘stock footage’ shot of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 in the Lune Gorge, a ‘stock shot’ of an LNER A5 Class 4-6-2T entering a tunnel on the ex-Great Central main line, and a scene depicting GWR ‘Grange’ Class 4-6-0 No.6815 Frilford Grange arriving at High Wycombe station.
*THE BLACK WINDMILL
GB
1974
1hr 20mins
Dir: Don Siegel
Starring: Michael Caine and Janet Suzman
A member of the secret service has his son kidnapped for ransom
This spy thriller features a number of confusing scenes on the London Underground. The first station entrance that is seen is the secondary Surrey Street entrance of Aldwych, followed by the cross-passageways of this entrance. The platform though is the Aldwych branch one at Holborn. The same platform is then re-used for the second station, suitably dressed with Central Line and ‘Shepherd’s Bush’ signage and roundels, although a single ‘Holborn’ one is visible to the trained eye as the train pulls in. The cross-passageways and stairs then seen are again at Aldwych, but the exterior is the actual Shepherd’s Bush. It can probably be inferred from this confusion that the first station was meant to represent an adjacent Central Line one, presumably Holland Park, since the next one in the opposite direction is the above-ground White City. 1959-built tube stock appears in the platform scenes.
BLACKMAIL
GB
1929
1hr 24mins
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Anny Ondra and Sara Allgood
A police inspector finds his girl is suspected of murder and he is blackmailed
This thriller is based on the Charles Bennett play of the same name and was produced as both a silent and a sound version. It features a very brief shot of a passing London tram as Anny Ondra looks out of a window in one scene.
*THE BLISS OF MRS. BLOSSOM
GB
1968
1hr 33mins
Dir: Joseph McGrath
Starring: Shirley MacLaine and Richard Attenborough
The wife of a bra manufacturer keeps her lover in the attic
There is a very odd dream sequence in this strange comedy whereby GWR 6100 Class 2-6-2T No.6106 (along with one coach) is ‘painted’ in a swirling psychedelic livery, seen as absolute sacrilege in some quarters! Filming took place in the Transfer Shed at the Didcot Railway Centre and despite the centre’s own website stating that Taplow station was used for filming, the sequence in the movie appears to only show the transfer shed, plus plenty of fake snow and some 16T minerals thrown in for good measure! The film was adapted from a play by Alec Coppel that was in turn based on a short story by Josef Shaftel.
BLOWUP (see BLOW-UP)
*BLOW-UP (aka BLOWUP)
GB / ITA
1966
1hr 50mins
Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring: David Hemmings and Sarah Miles
A London fashion photographer believes he has seen a murder but seems to dismiss it as fantasy
Near the beginning of this mystery drama there is a shot of a 2-car EPB EMU crossing over Consort Road in Peckham. The plot was inspired by Julio Cortázar’s 1959 short story, Las babas del diablo or The Devil’s Drool, translated also as Blow Up in Blow-up and Other Stories. It would appear that the film’s original title was Blowup but the more commonly accepted title contains a hyphen.
*BLUE ICE
GB
1992
1hr 40mins
Dir: Russell Mulcahy
Starring: Michael Caine and Sean Young
A former secret agent in London becomes embroiled in murder and arms smuggling
Part of this crime thriller is centred on The Globe Pub in Bedale Street, Southwark, and a number of night shots feature passing 4 EPB EMUs. The
scenes culminate in an exciting sequence in which Michael Caine chases a murderer onto a railway line and narrowly avoids being hit by a train. There is a major continuity error though for as the train approaches it is a Class 415/416 EPB EMU, but as it disappears beyond it has become a Class 205 DEMU! This scene was believed to also have been shot in South London.
BLUE JUICE
GB
1995
1hr 30mins
Dir: Carl Prechezer
Starring: Sean Pertwee and Ewan McGregor
The life of surfers in a Cornish resort
This comedy drama features a scene on St Erth station in Cornwall, but no trains are visible.
*THE BLUE LAMP
GB
1950
1hr 25mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Jack Warner and Dirk Bogarde
A respected police officer is shot in a robbery and a manhunt is launched to catch his killer
This classic Ealing drama was the inspiration for Dixon of Dock Green and it features a lengthy chase at the end, part of which crosses the Central Line tracks outside White City with a good close-up shot of 1923 ‘standard stock’. Also, during a car chase sequence the cars pass down Hythe Road, near Willesden Junction, and Mitre Bridge Junction signalbox is visible on the bridge behind.
BLUE MURDER AT ST. TRINIAN’S
GB
1957
1hr 26mins
Dir: Frank Launder
Starring: Terry-Thomas and Joyce Grenfell
The schoolgirls go to Rome and become involved with jewel thieves
The second in the series of five films that were based on St Trinian’s features a shot of an express at night that is hauled by an unidentified Bullied ‘Pacific’ that may be a ‘Merchant Navy’.
*THE BLUE PETER (aka NAVY HEROES)
GB
1955
1hr 33mins
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Starring: Kieron Moore and Greta Gynt
A war hero finds a purpose as a trainer of youth seamanship at the original Outward Bound School in Aberdovey, Wales
This adventure film has a good scenic shot of an ex-GWR ‘Dukedog’ 4-4-0 on the Cambrian Coast Line and a shot of Penhelig station. There are also a number of good views of Aberdovey Quay with various wagons prominent. The title is derived from the flag of the Outward Bound Sea School at Aberdovey, Wales, but the film was retitled for release in the US.
*BLUE SCAR
GB
1949
1hr 30mins
Dir: Jill Craigie
Starring: Emrys Jones and Gwyneth Vaughan
In a small South Wales coal mining town, a young coal miner competes with an Englishman for the love of a beautiful Welsh girl
This drama features some good rare shots of Abergwynfi station, terminus of the line from Bridgend via Maesteg. A branch train is present at the South Wales station hauled by GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT No.7798. There is also a scene outside London Paddington station.
BLUEBEARD’S 10 HONEYMOONS
GB
1960
1hr 32mins
Dir: William Lee Wilder
Starring: George Sanders and Corinne Calvet
An impoverished aristocrat kills women for their money
This thriller is set in Paris but features a number of British railway scenes. One depicts a murder victim being pushed to her death above a railway
yard at night. The scene features an ex-SECR C Class 0-6-0, but the location of the shot is not known. There is another night scene which depicts
an ex-LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 and although it is again unclear as to where this was filmed, it is believed to be Brickett Wood station on the Watford
Junction-St Albans Abbey branch.
BOB’S WEEKEND
GB
1996
1hr 33mins
Dir: Jevon O’Neill
Starring: Bruce Jones and Brian Glover
A security guard mulls suicide after losing his wife and job, but a psychology student makes him think positively
The film is largely set in Blackpool and a number of trams are visible. Most make only fleeting glimpses though there is a decent shot of an English Electric open-top Balloon tram.
BOND OF FEAR
GB
1956
1hr 06mins
Dir: Henry Cass
Starring: Dermot Walsh and Jane Barrett
An escaped killer hides out by forcing a travelling family to take him with them
This well-made cat-and-mouse thriller contains a number of railway scenes though the first has a rather glaring continuity error. Dermot Walsh
heads for ‘London’ onboard an express hauled by a BR Standard Class 7MT ‘Britannia’ 4-6-2 filmed somewhere on the Western Region yet he gets off a formation of pre-war EMUs at Walton-on-Thames station! In another scene the holidaying family are stopped at a level crossing on their way to Dover and although this is believed to be filmed in Kent, the exact location of the level crossing is not known. The scene produces a nice view of an SR U Class 2-6-0 piloting an ex-SECR D Class 4-4-0 in its last year of operation at the head of a holiday express. The final shoot-out scene is filmed in a small goods yard in Dover Docks and plenty of wagons are visible.
BOOKED OUT
GB
2012
1hr 30mins
Dir: Bryan O’Neil
Starring: Mirren Burke and Sylvia Syms
A film following the quirky exploits of a Polaroid loving artist as she spies and photographs the occupants of her block of flats
This comedy drama features a scene that was filmed at St Pancras station, though no trains feature.
*BORN ROMANTIC
GB
2000
1hr 36mins
Dir: David Kane
Starring: Craig Ferguson and Jane Horrocks
The film follows four love stories connected to a London salsa club
This brilliant comedy romance features a scene filmed on the platforms at London King’s Cross station with a GNER-liveried HST prominent, and a night shot of a Docklands Light Railway train at an unknown location. There are also a number of scenes set inside a London taxi cab and in one of these the frontage of Camden Town Underground station passes behind.
*THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
US / GER
2007
1hr 55mins
Dir: David Kane
Starring: Matt Damon and Joan Allen
Jason Bourne finds himself taking on assassins as he continues to seek his identity
This action thriller was the third of the five highly acclaimed ‘Bourne’ films and there is a tense sequence filmed at London Waterloo station.
There are plenty of glimpses of EMU sets which include Class 373 ‘Eurostars’ along with several Class 450 ‘Desiros’, a Class 458 ‘Juniper’ and a Class 442 ‘Wessex Electric’. One ‘Desiro’ set is No.450061, whilst the appearance of a Class 442 EMU is very rare indeed. The final scene takes place on the disused Jubilee Line platforms at Charing Cross, standing in for ‘Waterloo’, with 1996-built tube stock present. The Waterloo scenes start with an aerial shot of the station, with more Class 450s visible, and there is a shot of the street entrance to Waterloo Underground station. Finally, the earlier aerial shots of the ‘Eurostar’ sets passing through the countryside appear to have been filmed on the French side of the Channel. Released in 2016, Jason Bourne (qv) was the fifth film of the Bourne series and is the direct sequel to The Bourne Ultimatum.
*THE BOXER
IRE
1997
1hr 53mins
Dir: Jim Sheridan
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis and Emily Watson
A former IRA prisoner sets up a non-sectarian boxing club for young boys
The final scenes of this Irish sporting drama were filmed in the container rail yards around Dublin North Wall and amongst the wagons that are visible, a GM diesel can be seen in the far background. There is an earlier scene in the same location at night, with an indistinct view of a CIE Class 141/181 diesel passing on a freight train, and another scene filmed in the buffet at Belfast Central station.
*A BOY, A GIRL AND A BIKE
GB
1949
1hr 32mins
Dir: Ralph Smart
Starring: John McCallum and Honor Blackman
Romantic complications develop in a cycling club
One of the characters of this romantic comedy lives in a flat that overlooks a railway. The scenes out of the window are in fact superimposed projection, and there is one train, though only half of it appears as a partly obscured image. An ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 is pulling an express out of a station and although the film is set in Yorkshire, the location in the image is London St Pancras. Nothing of the station is visible but it is readily identified by the gasometer!
*BOY AND BICYCLE
GB
1965
27mins
Dir: Ridley Scott
Starring: Tony Scott
A teenage schoolboy playing truant for the day meanders around Hartlepool with just his bicycle and his thoughts for company
This was Ridley Scott’s first film, shot in black and white on a Bolex 16mm cine-camera while studying photography at the Royal College of Art in London in 1962. This lyrical and evocative drama features his late younger brother as the central character and is a far cry from his Hollywood blockbusters. The film is shot in and around Hartlepool and there are some scenes in the docks with railway wagons present. In one, rakes of fully laden Conflats are present, and another features rakes of loaded ballast hoppers. Another shot shows an expansive yard devoid of wagons showing clearly that the contraction of the freight network was already underway, and another scene shows Tony Scott riding his bike under a railway bridge with a very large signal gantry above. Although no locomotives are present, and despite the fact that the railways only form a backdrop to the story, this is an interesting glimpse of the North East port’s railway facilities.
*THE BOY WHO TURNED YELLOW
GB
1972
55mins
Dir: Michael Powell
Starring: Mark Dightam and Helen Weir
A boy turns yellow after being visited by an alien
This short film was made for the Children’s Film Foundation and there is one surreal scene on the London Underground in which the yellow boy, played by Mark Dightam, sees everything else around him turn yellow including the train, its driver and the other passenger! The scenes were filmed at the Aldwych branch platform of Holborn station, which masqueraded as both ‘Chalk Farm’ and ‘Hampstead’ stations on the Northern Line, though the entrance to Hampstead is seen in a later shot. A train of 1938-built tube stock was painted yellow specially for the film, though a more standard red one opens the scene, a British Transport Films stock shot of a southbound Bakerloo Line train arriving at Embankment station!
THE BRAINSNATCHER (see THE MAN WHO CHANGED HIS MIND)
*BRANDY FOR THE PARSON
GB
1952
1hr 19mins
Dir: John Eldridge
Starring: Kenneth More and Jean Lodge
A couple on a boating holiday in the west country find themselves smuggling brandy into Britain
The opening scenes of this decent comedy were shot at London Paddington station, though no trains are seen, and are followed by a rare shot of the frontage and approach road of Maiden Newton station in Dorset. There is one train in the film, a Bulleid ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 at the head of an express is seen passing over Woodsford No.38 Level Crossing between Moreton and Dorchester South stations in Dorset.
*BRANNIGAN
GB
1975
1hr 51mins
Dir: Douglas Hickox
Starring: John Wayne and Richard Attenborough
A cop from Chicago is sent to London to extradite a wanted American criminal
The climax to this crime thriller takes place, unusually, on the old elevated sidings of Beckton Gasworks which were derelict and awaiting demolition at the time of filming. There is also an earlier scene showing the frontage of London St Pancras station.
*(THE) BRASS MONKEY (aka THE LUCKY MASCOT)
GB
1948
1hr 40mins
Dir: Thornton Freeland
Starring: Carroll Levis and Carole Landis
A radio singer thwarts an attempt to steal a precious idol
This comedy thriller features a shot of a boat train leaving an unknown port. No engine is visible but as the coaches are Southern it is almost certainly Southampton. The clip is likely to be edited stock footage.
*BREAKFAST ON PLUTO
GB / IRE
2005
2hrs 09mins
Dir: Neil Jordan
Starring: Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson
An Irish transvestite goes to London to search for his mother
This pretty weird comedy drama features a number of railway scenes. There is a scene filmed on the footbridge at London Paddington station with an HST, a Class 332 ‘Heathrow Express’ EMU and a Class 180 ‘Adelante’ DMU visible in the background. There is a brief scene filmed onboard a D stock train of the London Underground, and a scene filmed at an unknown Piccadilly Line Underground station with 1973-built tube stock present. Finally, there are good scenes filmed on Southend Pier which include some of the rolling stock operating the 3ft gauge pier railway. Train A, one of the two seven-car sets built by Severn Lamb Engineering Co. is visible in one scene, along with the 3-axle battery car built by Castleline of Nottingham in another. This vehicle is numbered 1835, the year in which Southend Pier first appeared on Admiralty Charts, and it is used for winter services. The Southend scenes are quite good, and they include a brief ‘ride’ on a train. The film was based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Patrick McCabe.
*BREAKING AND ENTERING
GB / US
2006
1hr 56mins
Dir: Anthony Minghella
Starring: Jude Law and Juliette Binoche
A successful architect becomes involved with a thief and his mother
The main building project in this crime drama is cleverly interwoven with the actual construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link at St Pancras, with the production company making extensive use of the construction site of High Speed 1 and the redevelopment of the station in certain scenes. In one of the shots, Class 373 ‘Eurostar’ sets can be espied in the background. King’s Cross station also appears in some scenes, with GNER Mk4
sets present. In addition, there is a shot of a Thameslink Class 319 EMU crossing a viaduct and Class 455 EMUs crossing Hungerford Bridge.
*BREAKING GLASS
GB
1980
1hr 44mins
Dir: Brian Gibson
Starring: Hazel O’Connor and Phil Daniels
The rise and fall of a pop singer
This musical drama features a couple of rather odd scenes filmed onboard London Underground 1938-built tube stock. Finsbury Park station on the Piccadilly Line is the location for one scene. There is also a night scene filmed on a train at an unknown Western Region station. No locomotive is visible, but the train is made up of blue & grey liveried Mk2 coaching stock, two vehicles of which are Mk2D Open Standard No.5679 and Mk2E Open First No.3250. There are also scenes onboard the train, which now also contains a kitchen car and Mk3A sleeping vehicles. This train journey includes two lineside scenes at dusk, one is a going-away shot of Mk2 coaches with no locomotive visible, but the other shows a Class 87 electric locomotive at the head. There is also a night-time shot of an unknown train crossing a bridge in London. Finally, there is an establishing shot panning over London as the radio plays the latest Breaking Glass single. Looking along Tavistock Road towards Portobello Road, the shot ends with Ladbroke Grove Underground station just creeping into shot in the far distance.
THE BREAKING OF BUMBO
GB
1970
1hr 29mins
Dir: Andrew Sinclair
Starring: Joanna Lumley and Richard Warwick
A newly commissioned Fusilier Guards Ensign learns the facts of life from his new girlfriend in Swinging London
This comedy features a good shot of 1938-built tube stock arriving at the southbound Bakerloo Line platform of Embankment Underground station. The shot is actually stock footage taken from the classic 1963 British Transport Films production, All That Mighty Heart.
*BRICK LANE
GB
2007
1hr 42mins
Dir: Sarah Gavron
Starring: Tannishtha Chatterjee and Satish Kaushik
Events in the life of a Bangladeshi woman living in East London
This drama is based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Monica Ali and includes a night-time scene filmed on the deserted platforms of London Liverpool Street station with no trains visible. As an interesting footnote, in another scene during the film, the 1945 classic Brief Encounter is being watched on the TV in the family flat!
THE BRIDAL PATH
GB
1959
1hr 35mins
Dir: Frank Launder
Starring: Bill Travers and Bernadette O’Farrell
A young Hebridean islander travels to the mainland in search of a wife
This comedy features a shot of a branch line train in the Scottish Highlands hauled by an ex-Caledonian Railway Class 439 0-4-4T. This may have been filmed on the Killin branch to Loch Tay.
THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU
GB / GER
1966
1hr 33mins
Dir: Don Sharp
Starring: Christopher Lee and Marie Versini
The ‘yellow peril’ kidnaps young women to blackmail their influential boyfriends
This is the second of the five movies featuring the fictional Asian villain Fu Manchu, known as the ‘Yellow Peril’. It has one short railway scene,
in this case a train of ex-LMS coaching stock leaving London Marylebone station. The locomotive hauling the train is not visible.
*BRIDESHEAD REVISITED
GB
2008
2hrs 13mins
Dir: Julian Jarrold
Starring: Matthew Goode and Hayley Atwell
A poignant story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in England prior to the Second World War
This drama is based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Evelyn Waugh, which previously had been adapted in 1981 as an eleven-episode
television serial. It features a good shot filmed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway at Oakworth station, with Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Barton Wright Class 25 0-6-0 No.957 on four vintage coaches.
*BRIDGET JONES’S BABY
GB / US / FRA
2016
2hrs 3mins
Dir: Sharon Maguire
Starring: Renée Zellweger and Patrick Dempsey
Now in her forties Bridget falls pregnant, but is unsure as to who the father is
This was the third film in the Bridget Jones franchise and was the sequel to the 2004 film Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (qv). Like The Edge of Reason there are several views of Bridget’s flat in Borough Market with Class 375 ‘Electrostar’ and Class 465 ‘Networker’ EMUs passing. In addition, there is a brief aerial shot of Cannon Street station with Class 465 EMUs in the platforms and a scene filmed at St Pancras station with Class 373 Eurostar EMUs present.
*BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY
GB / US / FRA
2001
1hr 37mins
Dir: Sharon Maguire
Starring: Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant
A single woman in her thirties looks for love in the wrong places
Based on Helen Fielding’s 1996 novel of the same name there are three trains in this successful ‘romcom’, namely a Connex-liveried Class 319
EMU crossing the Ouse Valley Viaduct, Balcombe, a partially obscured shot of another Class 319, this time NSE-liveried crossing Bedale Street bridge in Borough Market, South East London, and a passing night shot of another 319 in the same location. The film was followed by Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (qv).
*BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON
GB / US / FRA
2004
1hr 47mins
Dir: Beeban Kidron
Starring: Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth
Bridget Jones has more trouble with the two men in her life
There are a couple more railway scenes featuring in the sequel to Bridget Jones’s Diary (qv). In several views of Bridget Jones’s flat in Borough Market, Class 465 ‘Networker’ EMUs are passing. The movie was based on Helen Fielding’s 1999 novel of the same name and was followed in 2016 by Bridget Jones’s Baby (qv).
*BRIEF ENCOUNTER
GB
1945
1hr 30mins
Dir: David Lean
Starring: Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson
A married woman embarks on a doomed romance with a married doctor
Brief Encounter perhaps more than any other film epitomises the railway station at night during the steam era. It has become a British film classic and is now much-celebrated and rightly so. The screenplay for this drama is by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play Still Life. The bulk of the action took place at Carnforth, which doubled for ‘Milford Junction’, yet the majority of the express trains were filmed at Watford Junction with WCML expresses passing. Locos featured include a couple of unrebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0s and two streamlined ‘Coronation’ 4-6-2s, one of which is a going-away shot. Many of these scenes later reappear as stock footage, frequently turning up in films during the 1950s and 1960s (e.g. The Battle of the Sexes, Brick Lane, Escape by Night and Mandy, amongst many others). The loco of the ‘Ketchworth’ branch train was Stanier-built LMS Class 4P 2-cylinder 2-6-4T No.2429 and it becomes a minor character in itself, appearing as it does three times in the film. It probably had the same coaching stock too and one vehicle, LMS coach No.25149 is prominent in one scene. ‘Ketchworth’ appears to be a studio set however, as does the opening and closing scenes filmed onboard the branch train itself. In fact, a lot of studio work was undertaken at Denham Studios which was then blended in with the live action sequences.
*BRIEF ENCOUNTER
GB / ITA
1974
1hr 43mins
Dir: Alan Bridges
Starring: Richard Burton and Sophia Loren
The story of a couple’s brief, but fated, love affair
This unsuccessful and little-seen remake of David Lean’s 1945 classic does at least feature some decent railway scenes. All of the action was filmed at Brockenhurst station, in the New Forest, Hampshire, and there are plenty of shots of blue & grey liveried Southern Region Class 423 4 VEP EMUs, including No’s 7816 and 7834 (identifiable through vehicle No.71015). There is also a scene of Sophia Loren onboard a VEP as it is departing Brockenhurst in the up direction, the blue seat moquette and orange curtains are how I really remember trains. Interestingly, the opening credits feature a passing mixed freight but the loco, a blue-liveried Class 33, is not identifiable. There is also one shot filmed at Shawford station in Hampshire, with 4 VEP No.7734 arriving on headcode 93 (a slow service to/ from Waterloo). The final scene when Sophia Loren contemplates suicide features an express service headcode 91 (a fast service to/from Waterloo) with a 4 REP EMU leading (No.30??). There has been much confusion over the location of this remake as Richard Burton’s character works in Winchester and a number of scenes were filmed in the city with the cathedral taking precedence in one meeting between the fated couple. This confusion is added too still further when we see that for a number of station scenes the signs at Brockenhurst station were amended to read ‘Winchester’. As a result of this, many publications over the years have stated that the station used for the film was Winchester, but no filming was carried out there and all the station scenes were undertaken at Brockenhurst, junction for the Lymington branch.
THE BRIGHTON MOB
GB
2015
1hr 45mins
Dir: Christian Hearn
Starring: Max Day and Georgia Bone
A young police constable fresh out of Hendon, is recruited by a local DCI to work undercover infiltrating a gang
This modern-day crime thriller was filmed entirely on location in Brighton and at the very end there is a scene filmed at Brighton station with Max Day boarding Class 377 ‘Electrostar’ EMU’s at Platform Two.
*BRIGHTON ROCK (aka YOUNG SCARFACE)
GB
1947
1hr 32mins
Dir: Roy Boulting
Starring: Richard Attenborough and Carol Marsh
A teenage leader of a gang marries a girl as an alibi for murder, but it proves to be his downfall
This film noir was adapted from the 1938 novel of the same name by Graham Greene and features a shot of the frontage to Brighton station, though the opening scene on a station platform is a set. Later in the movie there is a shot of a freight train slowly passing over a residential street at night in the hands of a large tender engine and towards the end, a small tank locomotive can be seen through an office window shunting about, though it is partly obscured by a wall. It is not known where either of these trains were filmed, or indeed, just how much they were real.
*THE BRIGHTON STRANGLER
US
1945
1hr 07mins
Dir: Max Nosseck
Starring: John Loder and June Duprez
An actor goes mad and tries to live out the life of the character he is playing on stage by committing a string of murders
A train journey from London Victoria features prominently in this American crime drama, and a number of scenes show the station and trains, though the only locomotive visible throughout is SR ‘King Arthur’ N15 Class 4-6-0 No.748 Vivien leaving London Waterloo!
*BRIMSTONE & TREACLE
GB
1982
1hr 27mins
Dir: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Denholm Elliott and Joan Plowright
A strange young man has a sinister effect on a middle-class family
This controversial drama was filmed in and around Southwark and there are shots of Southern Region suburban EMUs that include 4 EPBs plus a ‘Hastings’ line DEMU. The film was adapted from a 1976 BBC Television play by Dennis Potter.
*BRONCO BULLDOG
GB
1969
1hr 26mins
Dir: Barney Platts-Mills
Starring: Del Walker and Anne Gooding
A young lad takes part in a robbery with a friend straight out of borstal, and then runs away with his girlfriend for a taste of freedom
This drama is a fascinating record of suedehead subculture which is largely improvised by a non-professional cast of teenagers from east London. The film was shot in and around Stratford and the gang of youths rob a freight train of its goods in a night time raid. This was filmed either in Temple Mills Yard, or another in the Stratford area, and there are good shots of 12T Palvans B755530, B763215 and B772257, along with 12T
Vanfit E284912. Although no locomotives are seen, plenty of horns can be heard throughout, and a Class 20 can be heard whistling away nearby!
*BrOTHERHOOD
GB
2016
1hr 45mins
Dir: Noel Clarke
Starring: Noel Clarke and Olivia Chenery
Time has moved on, but old grudges still simmer, as a young man tries to keep his family safe from the gang world he grew up in
This was the sequel to Adulthood (qv) and was the third and final instalment of the Hood trilogy, which had begun with Kidulthood (qv). It again
features scenes that were filmed in the areas around Ladbroke Grove, with the new London Underground S type stock working Hammersmith & City Line services. There are shots of these sets passing through the landscape, as well as scenes filmed onboard. The frontages to Ladbroke Grove, Shepherds Bush and Westbourne Park Underground stations are also seen, along with some rather distant views of Ladbroke Grove station, as viewed from the adjacent tower blocks.
*BULLDOG JACK (aka ALIAS BULLDOG DRUMMOND)
GB
1935
1hr 12mins
Dir: Walter Forde
Starring: Jack Hulbert and Fay Wray
A playboy poses as Bulldog Drummond to capture the notorious Morelle gang
After the real Bulldog Drummond is injured in a car crash, Jack Hulbert agrees to masquerade as the sleuth and infiltrates a gang of jewel thieves
led by the evil Dr Morelle. Their hideout is in an abandoned Underground station called ‘Bloomsbury’. The climax of the film involves a runaway Underground train that contains Jack Hulbert and his colleagues but driven by Morelle. As the train careers through station after station Hulbert climbs onto the roof (!) to gain access to the driver’s cab and bring the train to a stand just before a collision. This gripping sequence was filmed in the studio involving sets and detailed models as were all the station and tunnel scenes. It is a good climax to the film but the only ‘real’ footage
used are a handful of drivers-eye views from the cabs of Underground trains passing through stations and tunnels.
*BULLET BOY
GB
2004
1hr 29mins
Dir: Saul Dibb
Starring: Leon Black and Ashley Walters
Life in the black community of East London with the constant threat of gang-related gun crime
This crime drama features a shooting scene at Hackney Downs station in East London, with a couple of Class 317 EMUs passing. Earlier in the film there is a street scene with another Class 317 crossing a road bridge in the background.
THE BULLET MACHINE (see CLEGG)
*BULLSEYE
GB
1990
1hr 35mins
Dir: Michael Winner
Starring: Michael Caine and Roger Moore
Two conmen are asked to impersonate nuclear scientists
This comedy has some scenes that supposedly show the ‘Orient Express’ making a tour of Britain’s castles. This is depicted by the use of a number of shots of the VSOE hauled by Class 73s on the Southern Region. Both un-named and named examples of the class feature in these scenes and one of the named examples is passing Arundel Castle, West Sussex. It maybe 73102 Airtour Suisse judging by the coat of arms beneath the nameplate. This loco had been renumbered 73212 by the time the film was made suggesting that the footage had already been filmed for other purposes and was being reused for this movie. Either way, most shots of the VSOE trains do appear to be ‘stock footage’ and all depict early InterCity Mainline-liveried examples of the class. There are in addition to this plenty of scenes filmed onboard the Pullman coaches and external shots of the train filmed at London Victoria and on the Mid-Hants Railway. More important is the earlier scene filmed inside the old Transport Gallery of London’s Science Museum prior to its redevelopment with some fantastic views of the exhibits on show. The prototype DELTIC features very prominently in this scene and somewhat overshadows the actors. Other exhibits visible include Rocket, Puffing Billy, GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 No.4073 Caerphilly Castle, London Transport 1927 Standard Stock driving motor vehicle No.3327, Glasgow Corporation Tram No.585 and, very briefly in the background of one view, what appears to be the City & South London Railway electric loco No.13, seen through the windows of the 1927 Standard Stock car. The Mid-Hants stations of Alresford, Ropley, Medstead & Four Marks and Alton all appear in the film, with the latter masquerading as ‘Inveraray’ in one night scene. However, look out for the establishing shot of the frontage to Edenbridge Town station on the Hurst Green-Uckfield line.
BULLSHOT
GB
1983
1hr 25mins
Dir: Dick Clement
Starring: Alan Shearman and Frances Tomelty
Spoof comedy featuring hero Bullshot Crummond, a parody on Bulldog Drummond
The film has some comedy scenes shot on the Bluebell Railway utilising trains hauled by SR ‘Schools’ V Class 4-4-0 No.928 Stowe and ex-SECR C Class 0-6-0 No.592.
BURNING AN ILLUSION
GB
1981
1hr 45mins
Dir: Menelik Shabazz
Starring: Cassie McFarlane and Victor Romero Evans
A young black woman becomes increasingly frustrated with her life and with the help of friends seeks something better
This pioneering black drama features a scene where McFarlane and Evans use a photo booth at a main line London terminus, possibly London St
Pancras, and a scene filmed at Charing Cross Underground station. Trains do not feature in either scene.
*BURNT EVIDENCE
GB
1954
1hr 01min
Dir: Daniel Birt
Starring: Jane Hylton and Duncan Lamont
A man finds out about his wife’s lover and police try to identify whether an unidentified body found in a fire is the husband or her lover
Adapted from a story called Burn the Evidence by Percy Hoskins, this short mystery crime drama has a number of brief railway shots during a montage sequence of police making enquiries. In one shot, a police car pulls up outside terraced housing and a train is crossing the railway bridge behind. The exact location is not known and although the locomotive is not seen, the train is formed of former LMS (MR) suburban carriages. This is followed by a brief glimpse of officers keeping watch outside a mainline railway station, but it is again not known where this was filmed.
*BUSTER
GB
1988
1hr 31mins
Dir: David Green
Starring: Phil Collins and Julie Walters
The life of the great train robber Buster Edwards
The early part of the film features a relatively realistic depiction of the Great Train Robbery of 1963 filmed on the Great Central Railway at Swithland Sidings. Preserved Class 40 No.40106 was repainted into early BR green with small yellow warning panel and was fitted with mock-up split-headcode indicator boxes so as to represent D326, the actual class member involved. The GCR’s mail set was disguised on one side with flush sides so as to represent the ex-LMS mail coaches involved in the robbery and Loughborough Central station was renamed ‘Glasgow Central’ with much of the station signage being changed to Scottish Region light blue. All in all, this was a well-recreated example of the historical event with much thought having gone into the continuity of the film. It would also appear that one piece of stock footage from the British Transport Films archives, of a mail train being loaded at a station, was used in this sequence.
*BUTLEY
GB / US
1974
2hrs 10mins
Dir: Harold Pinter
Starring: Alan Bates and Jessica Tandy
A university lecturer struggles with his personal life
This drama is an adaptation from Simon Gray’s 1971 play of same name and is shot almost entirely within the lecturer’s classroom. However, at the beginning of the film Alan Bates takes the Underground to work. We first see him standing smoking (!) on the platform at Kilburn Park station on the Bakerloo Line and then travelling onboard 1962-built tube stock, a type of train never used on the line.
C
CAGE OF GOLD
GB
1950
1hr 32mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Jean Simmons and David Farrar
A young bride is widowed and then marries another man only to be blackmailed by her first husband
This drama features two shots of expresses hauled by ex-LMS ‘Royal Scots’. One is hauled by a rebuilt example and the other is of 46100 Royal Scot itself, seen on Bushey troughs carrying ‘THE ROYAL SCOT’ cast headboard. Both shots are from the stock footage archives with the latter appearing in a number of films over the years. There is also a scene filmed on the London Underground featuring 1923 ‘standard stock’.
*CALCULATED RISK
GB
1963
1hr 12mins
Dir: Norman Harrison
Starring: William Lucas and John Rutland
Crooks plan a bank heist by digging through the basement of a neighbouring bombed-out house
This tightly plotted and suspenseful crime drama features one scene in a snowy Shepherd’s Bush market with a Hammersmith & City Line train of CO stock passing over the viaduct on the left. This is of particular note because the film was shot during the notorious ‘Big Freeze of 1963’ which crippled much of Britain’s road and rail network and not much would have been running.
CALL ME GENIUS (see THE REBEL)
*CALLAN
GB
1974
1hr 46mins
Dir: Don Sharp
Starring: Edward Woodward and Eric Porter
A former secret agent is called back to service to eliminate a government enemy
There is a car chase in this thriller, based on the TV series of the same name, which culminates in a 1964 Jaguar S-Type being caught on a level crossing and struck a glancing blow by a Class 33/0 (or possibly a Class 33/2) with three Mk1 coaches. It is not known where this scene was filmed but it was a single track line and was likely to be either the Dungeness or Grain freight-only branches. Incidentally, the original posters for the film show the car being struck by what is clearly a Class 55 ‘Deltic’! Elsewhere in the film there is a shot of the frontage of Tower Hill Underground station and another shot of the entrance to Charing Cross Underground station before it was rebuilt and renamed Embankment.
THE CAMERONS
GB
1974
1hr
Dir: Frederick Wilson
Starring: Lois Marshall and Joseph McKenna
A group of children thwart crooks in the Far North of Scotland
This Children’s Film Foundation production makes good use of the Aberdeen-Inverness line with Forres standing in for ‘Moorlands Junction’ and Elgin representing ‘Rioch’. There is a lot of relatively rare footage of Class 120 DMUs, though continuity errors show both 3 and 6-car trains on the same journey! A nice touch is that one of the child actors is reading a copy of Locomotives Illustrated No.11 with a Class 76 electric locomotive on the front cover!
*CANDLESHOE
US
1977
1hr 41mins
Dir: Norman Tokar
Starring: David Niven and Jodie Foster
A butler prevents an attempt to pass off a fake heiress to an English estate which is said to hold a hoard of missing treasure
This Walt Disney family adventure is based on the 1953 Michael Innes novel Christmas at Candleshoe and features a car chasing a steam train,
with the exhilarating sequence culminating in the car’s chauffeur bringing the train to a halt on a level crossing. The Severn Valley Railway was used with Arley station, Trimpley Reservoirs, Eardington Road Bridge (with the then open Eardington Halt in the background) and the Victoria Bridge all featuring in the movie. The train stopping scene was filmed at Waterworks Crossing and the locomotive that featured was GWR 4500-series 2-6-2T No.4566 with chocolate and cream coaching stock. In a scene reminiscent to The Railway Children, the train came to a stand with the bufferbeam of the locomotive only inches from David Niven’s chest. To protect the actor, a full-size mock up of the locomotive’s front end was constructed by the film company which was taken away by them after completion of the scene. Arley station appears again at the very end of the film with an approaching train too far off to identify.
*A CANTERBURY TALE
GB
1944
2hrs 04mins
Dirs: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring: Eric Portman and Sheila Sim
An insane magistrate is unmasked by a land girl and a US soldier
This classic drama features a number of railway scenes in Kent including a distant shot of a Maunsell 2-6-0 and a rare shot of what is either a rebuilt Wainwright 4-4-0 or a similar Maunsell design passing Harbledown Junction signal box where the Elham Valley Line left the Canterbury West-Ashford line as it passed under the Faversham-Canterbury East line (on which the train is crossing). The main characters later take a train journey that sees them board a train at Selling (renamed Chillingbourne in the film) before arriving at Canterbury West behind ex-SECR H Class 0-4-4T No.1306. When most rail journeys are depicted using mock-ups and studio sets this particular journey appears to use real footage, albeit slightly out of sync. The footage onboard the train sees it pass through a short tunnel, and the view from the window includes St Dunstan’s level crossing at Canterbury West with its distinctive covered subway. The journey takes about five minutes, which is about right for the trip between Selling and Canterbury, the short tunnel (405 yards) would be the one at Selling, and as the arrival is into Canterbury West, the train would have taken the connecting chord between the two lines which was closed in 1953. The slightly out of sync footage is referenced by the fact that the H Class tank is seen arriving from Sturry, the next station beyond Canterbury West when heading towards Minster and Ramsgate. The scene of the passengers boarding at Selling also shows the loco at the front of the train and although the design is not clear it appears to be another H Class tank. All in all, this is an interesting sequence of events.
*THE CAPTIVE HEART
GB
1946
1hr 44mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson
The lives of British Prisoners of War at a German camp
This war drama features a number of flashback scenes, one of which shows Aston Rowant on the Watlington branch from Princes Risborough with a distant train approaching. The station is masquerading as ‘Hambleden’.
*CAPTIVES
GB
1994
1hr 40mins
Dir: Angela Pope
Starring: Julia Ormond and Tim Roth
A dentist is blackmailed after she begins an affair with a convicted murderer
This romantic crime drama features several shots of the distinctive building of Southgate Underground station, as well as a scene on the escalators. There are also two shots in South London whereby Class 455 and Southern Region semi-fast EMUs are passing over a road bridge.
*THE CARD (aka THE PROMOTER)
GB
1952
1hr 25mins
Dir: Ronald Neame
Starring: Alec Guinness and Glynis Johns
A charming and ambitious young man finds many ways to rise through the ranks in business and social standing
This smart drama was an adaptation of the short comic novel written by Arnold Bennett in 1911 called The Card, A Story Of Adventure In The Five Towns. Set in Stoke and its surrounding districts there is one scene towards the end where a local football team leaves a recreation pitch in the pouring rain having just lost 15-0! On an embankment in the background stands a rake of passenger coaches, but no locomotive is seen. This was in fact filmed at Maidenhead United’s York Road ground and although the pottery kilns in the background are a superimposed painted
backcloth the coaches are real and are standing in a siding adjacent to the Great Western main line.
*CAREER GIRLS
GB
1997
1hr 27mins
Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: Katrin Cartlidge and Lynda Steadman
Two former student flatmates meet again ten years later and see how their lives have evolved
This brilliant drama features two scenes at London King’s Cross. The first shows an HST arriving with power car 43116 City of Kingston upon Hull leading and an NSE-liveried Class 317 EMU is in an adjacent platform. The second shot shows a departing Mk4 rake with DVT on the rear.
CARLTON-BROWNE OF THE F.O. (aka MAN IN A COCKED HAT)
GB
1959
1hr 26mins
Dirs: Jeffrey Dell and Roy Boulting
Starring: Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers
An inept Foreign Office diplomat is sent to re-establish good relations with a forgotten mineral-rich former British colony
The film features a comedy scene whereby a character is painting a white boundary line down the middle of a railway track and continues on into a tunnel. A train then exits with a white stripe down the locomotive smokebox! The loco is ex-LBSCR Class AIX ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No. 32640, disguised with a cow-catcher and other fittings to vaguely represent a loco in the South Seas, and the location is the west end of Midhurst Tunnel (276 yards) on the Petersfield-Pulborough line in Mid-Sussex.
*CARRINGTON
GB / FRA
1995
2hrs
Dir: Christopher Hampton
Starring: Emma Thompson and Jonathan Pryce
The story of the artist Dora Carrington’s love affair with the author Lytton Strachey
This feisty biographical film based on the 1968 biography of Lytton Strachey written by Michael Holroyd includes an opening scene shot on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway at Goathland station, with ex-Lambton Collieries Robert Stephenson & Company 0-6-2T No.5 at the head of the train. The arrival scene is quite unusual in being a rear three-quarters shot, something not often seen in feature film.
*CARRY ON CABBY
GB
1963
1hr 31mins
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sidney James and Hattie Jacques
The neglected wife of a cab driver sets up a rival business with female drivers
The seventh in the series of Carry On films has two scenes filmed outside Windsor & Eton Riverside station. In another scene filmed at the Arthur Road roundabout with Goswell Road in the town, Central station can clearly be seen on the viaduct behind.
*CARRY ON GIRLS
GB
1973
1hr 28mins
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sidney James and Barbara Windsor
A beauty contest at a seaside resort is disrupted by the Women’s Lib movement
The twenty-fifth in the series of Carry On films includes a comedy scene with Bernard Bresslaw at London Marylebone station. The scene features BR blue-liveried Class 115 DMUs.
CARRY ON LOVING
GB
1970
1hr 28mins
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sidney James and Joan Sims
Comedy misadventures plague a computer dating agency
The twentieth in the series of Carry On films includes a scene near the start at ‘Much Snogging on the Green’, which in reality was Windsor & Eton Central station. A Class 117 DMU is seen departing.
CARRY ON REGARDLESS
GB
1961
1hr 30mins
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sidney James and Liz Fraser
A group of unemployables form an odd-job agency
The fifth in the series of Carry On films, Carry On Regardless is the best of the thirty one for railway scenes. There is an amusing parody of the Forth Bridge scene from The Thirty Nine Steps (qv) which features Kenneth Connor leaping from the train into a giant puddle! Most of this of course is a studio recreation but the scene does use stock footage from John Buchan’s classic and shots from the lesser quality 1959 remake. These include a couple of shots of A4 Class 4-6-2 No.60027 Merlin and the same shot of the passing A2 Class 4-6-2 that nearly mows down our hero. There is also a scene with Kenneth Williams arriving at Windsor & Eton Central station onboard a green Class 117 DMU.
*CARRY ON SERGEANT
GB
1958
1hr 24mins
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Kenneth Connor and Dora Bryan
A group of motley Army recruits eventually prove their worth
The first of the Carry On films, based on a play The Bull Boys by R. F. Delderfield, features a railway journey made from a studio set. However,
there is a stock shot of an express hauled by SR ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 No.859 Lord Hood passing through the centre roads of an unknown Southern Region station. This shot later turned up in The Whisperers 1967 (qv). The carriage interior scene is a set with ‘back-projection’, and a rake of wagons can be seen passing.
*THE CASE OF THE MISSING SCENE
GB
1951
45mins
Dir: Don Chaffey
Starring: Ivor Bowyer and Susanne Gibbs
A film crew is sent to Norfolk to make a short film about the bittern, only to catch on camera poachers attempting to shoot the bird
This short crime drama by Children’s Entertainment Films has a good railway scene filmed at an unknown country station. The film was set in and around the fictional Norfolk village of ‘Poldyke’ but the approaching London train has ex-LNER N7/2 Class 0-6-2T No.69689 hauling Gresley Quad-Art stock. This is more at home on the suburban services out of Kings Cross or Moorgate than in Norfolk, suggesting that the station was somewhere in Hertfordshire! Some 16T mineral wagons are visible in the station goods yard and another N7 is seen passing through the station, as viewed from inside the goods office. The entire film is available for viewing on the wonderful East Anglian Film Archive website.
*CASSANDRA’S DREAM
US / GB / FRA
2007
1hr 50mins
Dir: Woody Allen
Starring: Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor
Two brothers in financial trouble plan to kill in order to help a shady uncle
One scene in this dramatic thriller is filmed in a bar that overlooks Camden Carriage Sidings and a number of EMUs are visible. Several Class 321’s are stabled in the sidings and a Class 313 (or 508) and a Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ pass behind on the West Coast main line. Later, there is a scene at London Paddington station with a Class 180 ‘Adelante’ DMU, an HST set and a Class 332 ‘Heathrow Express’ EMU visible in the background, plus a shot of the old taxi rank alongside Eastbourne Terrace.
*CASTAWAY
GB
1986
1hr 57mins
Dir: Nicholas Roeg
Starring: Amanda Donohoe and Oliver Reed
A London girl accepts an offer to marry a man and live with him on a tropical island
This adventure drama features one scene onboard an LT C stock train, possibly filmed at Notting Hill Gate station on the Circle Line, as one of
the street level entrances to that station also features.
A CASTLE IN ITALY (see UN CHÂTEAU EN ITALIE)
CATCH ME A SPY (see TO CATCH A SPY)
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
GB
1997
1hr 30mins
Dir: Mark Greenstreet
Starring: Sara Crowe and Annete Badland
Three girls form a music group in order to perform on a talent show
This music film has good shots of Wymondham station in Norfolk with a couple of Class 158 ‘Sprinter’ DMUs featuring including set 158854.
*CEMETERY JUNCTION
GB
2010
1hr 35mins
Dirs: Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant
Starring: Christian Cooke and Felicity Jones
The lives of three young working class friends in 1970s suburban Reading
This decent coming of age comedy drama has some excellent railway scenes. Cemetery Junction is set in a small town in 1973. Gervais explained that the title of the film was taken from Cemetery Junction, Reading, an area he knew as a child – an actual road junction in Reading, where the Wokingham Road diverges from the London Road. Despite this, no part of the film was shot in the Berkshire town and all the railway scenes used the Great Central Railway. Loughborough Central station features prominently throughout as ‘Cemetery Junction’ station. There is a shot of the frontage and a number of scenes filmed in the station’s café. The first railway scene features a track walk involving the three boys and a train is passing formed of carmine & cream-liveried BR Mk1 coaching stock hauled by Class 47 No. D1705 Sparrowhawk. Another rake of maroon-liveried Mk1s is visible in the background and the Class 47 appears later in another platform scene. The departing train at the end is also formed of maroon Mk1 coaching stock, and the film ends with a very good run by of Class 45 ‘Peak’ No. D123 Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry with another train of maroon Mk.1s. This shot was in part reused three years later in the 2013 movie The Railway Man (qv).
*THE CHAIN
GB
1984
1hr 40mins
Dir: Jack Gold
Starring: Phyllis Logan and Denis Lawson
The story of seven couples all involved in moving home
This rather clever comedy drama uses a number of rather unusual aerial shots to represent various parts of London and several trains can be made out. These railway scenes include an LT train made up of 1970s tube stock, a SR semi-fast suburban EMU, and a general shot of Old Oak Common taken from Old Oak Lane, with the surrounding yard home to at least one Class 47 amongst the rakes of coaches.
*THE CHALLENGE (aka IT TAKES A THIEF)
GB
1960
1hr 41mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Jayne Mansfield and Anthony Quayle
A lady mobster kidnaps the son of an ex-convict to get at stolen loot
This crime film has a railway central to the latter half of the story. The climax sees a race against time to prevent the child getting killed by playing chicken on a railway under duress from the gang of villains. This was filmed on the ever faithful Longmoor Military Railway with Longmoor Downs station masquerading as ‘Fourways’. The main motive power that featured was WD ‘Austerity’ 2-10-0 No.601 Kitchener, seen a number of times in the film, though the other of Longmoor’s 2-10-0s, No.600 Gordon, and one of their Hunslet 0-6-0STs are also seen. Added to this
footage are a number of stock shots seen throughout the film that include LMS 4-6-0s on the Midland Main Line, a GWR ‘Castle Class
4-6-0 and an LNER A1/2 Class 4-6-2. There are also some shots filmed on London Marylebone station and another of the old taxi rank adjacent to London Paddington.
CHANCE MEETING (see THE YOUNG LOVERS)
*CHANCE OF A LIFETIME
GB
1950
1hr 29mins
Dir: Bernard Miles
Starring: Basil Radford and Bernard Miles
In the times of austerity after the Second World War a failing factory’s owner hands the factory over to the workers to run it for themselves
This wonderful drama features a ‘stock shot’ of a Southern Region express passing Esher hauled by a ‘King Arthur’ N15 Class 4-6-0, followed by a scene filmed on the concourse of London Waterloo station. There is then a second going away shot, again filmed at Esher, of a train formed of a mixed rake of passenger stock and vans with another express approaching, with what looks to be a Bulleid pacific at the head.
*CHANNEL CROSSING
GB
1933
1hr 10mins
Dir: Milton Rosmer
Starring: Matheson Lang and Constance Cummings
A millionaire faces ruin and tries to drown his secretary’s lover on a cross-Channel ferry from Dover
The first five minutes of this crime film feature some excellent period railway scenes. First there is a shot of a boat train passing Folkestone Warren behind ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 No.854 Howard of Effingham. Then there are two scenes filmed in a studio-bound coach interior with back projection that features a run along the sea front. The second of these scenes shows Dover sheds through the windows and a P Class
0-6-0T, a Maunsell 2-6-0 and an ex-SECR FI Class 4-4-0 are among the locomotives visible. After this we get a truly excellent shot from the tender of a loco running into Dover Marine station and, on the waterfront, what appears to be an ex-SECR O1 Class 0-6-0. The loco is standing at the head of two Southern Railway CCT parcels vans but is partially obscured by a crane. Finally, we get a glimpse of two other tender locos stabled in the background of one scene, but their exact identity is not known.
*CHAPLIN
GB / US
1992
2hrs 23mins
Dir: Richard Attenborough
Starring: Robert Downey Jr and Dan Aykroyd
The life of British silent-movie comedian Charlie Chaplin
This biographical comedy-drama includes one scene filmed at London St Pancras station with Southern Railway coaches present and some shots filmed on the Bluebell Railway with the line’s Southern Railway Maunsell-designed Q Class 0-6-0 No.541.
*CHARIOTS OF FIRE
GB
1981
2hrs 04mins
Dir: Hugh Hudson
Starring: Ben Cross and Ian Charleson
Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, compete in the 1924 Olympics
This fact-based historical drama features a railway scene towards the end. The triumphant return to England after the Olympics, with Liddell and Abrahams getting off the boat train, was filmed in the north bay of York station representing London Victoria. Preserved SECR D Class 4-4-0 No.737 and GNR C1 Class 4-4-2 No.251, both from the National Collection, were used as stationary locos with fake steam effects added. There is also one additional shot earlier in the movie of the Atlantic ‘arriving’ at York, representing on this occasion King’s Cross.
*CHARLOTTE GRAY
GB / AUS / GER
2001
2hrs 01mins
Dir: Gillian Armstrong
Starring: Cate Blanchett and Michael Gambon
A woman is recruited as a spy and is sent to France to join up with the Resistance movement
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Sebastian Faulks the film is set in Vichy, France, during World War II but despite this all the trains featured depict post-war traction and BR liveries. The opening shots show ex-LNER K1 Class 2-6-0 No.62005 on a train of six maroon-liveried Mk1s on the West Highland Line, including a shot of it crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct. The scenes onboard the train, however, could well be an elaborate stage set. These West Highland scenes are followed by a train arriving at Sheffield Park station on the Bluebell Railway behind BR Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 No.73082 Camelot. Although the smokebox numberplate and the nameplate remain, the cabside number and BR crest on the tender have been painted over in an unusual attempt at hiding their origin. Just visible on the adjacent track as the train arrives is Class 4MT
4-6-0 No.75027. The Bluebell was then used for one of the biggest scenes in the film, the blowing up of an ammunition train. BR Standard 9F
2-10-0 No.92240 was used on a train complete with wagons carrying armoured vehicles. The explosion, which demolished a couple of balsa wood vans built by the special effects crew, was filmed between Caseford Bridge and Three Arch Bridge but the aftermath scenes were filmed at Longcross Studios using various mock-ups.
*THE CHASE
GB
2013
1hr 25mins
Dir: Faolan Jones
Starring: Curtis Scott and Ajani McCleary
A film following the lives of a group of teenagers growing up in Nottingham
Despite being shot on location in Nottingham all the railway scenes of this drama are filmed in London. There are a number of good scenes onboard 1972-built tube stock on the Bakerloo Line, with one shot at Charing Cross station, and other scenes filmed onboard 1996-built Jubilee Line tube stock. There is also a lengthy scene filmed outside Arnos Grove Underground station.
CHEER BOYS CHEER
GB
1939
1hr 24mins
Dir: Walter Forde
Starring: Jimmy O’Dea and Nova Pilbeam
A small brewery is threatened by a takeover from a larger rival
This comedy includes a brief shot of the platforms at Chiswick Park Underground station on the District Line with a couple of tube trains formed of 1923 Standard stock passing on Piccadilly Line services.
*CHEMICAL WEDDING (aka CROWLEY)
GB
2008
1hr 49mins
Dir: Julian Doyle
Starring: Simon Callow and Lucy Cudden
A shy university professor becomes possessed by the occultist Aleister Crowley
This supernatural horror features a scene on Bushey station, posing as ‘Cambridge’, with a Silverlink Metro Class 313 (or possibly a Class 508) EMU departing.
*CHILD IN THE HOUSE
GB
1956
1hr 30mins
Dir: Cyril Raker Endfield
Starring: Eric Portman and Phyllis Calvert
A girl struggles to cope with the uncaring relatives that she’s sent to stay with while her mother is in hospital
This drama was based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Janet McNeill and features opening scenes filmed at London Victoria station, though no trains feature.
*CHILDREN OF MEN
GB / US
2006
1hr 49mins
Dir: Alfonso Cuarón
Starring: Clive Owen and Julianne Moore
In 2027, human infertility creates anarchy and fear
This aggressive science fiction thriller based on P. D. James’ novel of the same name has one rather interesting scene. Clive Owen is onboard a very heavily graffitied Class 117 DMU complete with grilles over the windows. The scene was actually filmed at Alresford on the Mid Hants Railway (an ‘Alresford Mid Hants Railway’ sign can be seen quite clearly in the car park!) with much in the way of computer generated effects then added to make the scene totally unrecognisable. These effects included people chucking rocks at the train! Also, in the scene where Clive Owen gets dropped off at the junction of Cable Street and Dock Street, E1, he is beneath the DLR line near Tower Gateway and a DLR unit can be
made out in the distance.
THE CHILTERN HUNDREDS (aka THE AMAZING MR BEECHAM)
GB
1949
1hr 24mins
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Starring: Cecil Parker and David Tomlinson
Friction is caused at an election by the son of an earl standing as a Labour candidate whose butler is standing as a Conservative
This comedy features a shot of a very rare locomotive in the form of GWR 850 Class 0-6-0ST No.1925 entering Denham station. The loco was withdrawn in 1951 as the last survivor of its class.
*CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
GB
1968
2hrs 24mins
Dir: Ken Hughes
Starring: Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes
An eccentric inventor creates a flying car with magical properties
This classic and now highly popular musical, features a surprisingly good railway scene where the car rides alongside a rather wacky-looking GWR train. Filmed on the Hollywater Loop of the Longmoor Military Railway and using Hunslet WD ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No.196, the loco was given a tall dummy chimney and copper-painted dome, with the letters ‘GWR’ painted on the tanks in elaborate Pullman-style font. This is made even odder by the two Southern coaches in tow, both of which were also painted blue and branded ‘GWR’. Another scene where the Vulgarian spies hang a fake bridge backdrop from the parapet of an actual railway bridge was filmed at Ilmer, just northwest of Princes Risborough, on the double track GW&GC Joint main line to Bicester.
A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL
GB
1988
1hr 45mins
Dir: Michael Winner
Starring: Jeremy Irons and Jenny Seagrove
A newcomer joins an amateur choir and finds that he is attractive to the female members
This comedy drama was adapted from the Alan Ayckbourn play of the same title and features shots of Scarborough station. A Class 150/2 ‘Sprinter’ DMU is seen in the opening sequence passing through the countryside en-route to the resort, and Jeremy Irons is filmed onboard an HST though he arrives in Scarborough on a Class 142 ‘Pacer’ DMU. As the train pulls in, another Class 150/2 is reflected in its windows.
*CHROMOPHOBIA
GB
2005
2hrs 16mins
Dir: Ken Hughes
Starring: Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas
A bourgeois family slowly comes apart at the seams
This drama features a scene towards the end where Kristin Scott Thomas and Damian Lewis face the press on the platforms at London Liverpool Street. A pair of Stansted Express-liveried Class 317 EMUs are present with Anglia-liveried Mk2 coaching stock just visible in the background.
*THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE
GB / US
2005
2hrs 25mins
Dir: Andrew Adamson
Starring: William Moseley and Tilda Swinton
Four evacuated children find a magical world through a wardrobe
This lavish and hugely successful version of the children’s classic saga has little ‘real’ railway action. Most of the opening scenes reveal the wonders of modern CGI techniques with the overview of London Paddington station mixing real footage of the platforms with computer imagery of GWR trains and hordes of people. There are a number of scenes of a GWR passenger service on the Severn Valley Railway hauled by ‘Manor’ Class 4-6-0 No.7802 Bradley Manor. One shot is of the train crossing Oldbury Viaduct and ‘Pewsey’ station is actually Highley station, but for such an English story these were the only scenes filmed in the UK. ‘Coombe Halt’ for instance is actually in New Zealand where a lot of location work took place. The GWR train pulling out of Paddington is another shot of the ‘Manor’ filmed on the Severn Valley which was then superimposed into a computer-generated image of the tracks in the station approach, and the close up shots of the carriages and those scenes onboard the train were actually filmed in the studio. This was the first of the film series based on C. S. Lewis’s epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia, and the only one to feature railway scenes. The second Narnia film which followed, The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian, did feature a scene on the London Underground but it was nothing more than a studio set, though a very detailed one at that.
*CHURCHILL THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS
GB
2004
1hr 24mins
Dir: Peter Richardson
Starring: Christian Slater and Miranda Richardson
A secret document reveals that Winston Churchill was in fact nothing more than an American GI
This is a hilarious spoof drama satirising the Hollywood distortion of war stories. The film makes extensive use of both the South Devon and the Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railways, with Buckfastleigh station appearing as ‘Frothington-on-the-Waddle’ and Kingswear station appearing as ‘Buckingham Palace’! The South Devon was used for battle scenes featuring German soldiers at both Buckfastleigh and Bishops Bridge. These elaborate stunt sequences used ex-GWR locos in the form of 1600 Class 0-6-0PT No.1638 on a short freight, 2251 Class 0-6-0 No.3205 on a passenger train and 1400 Class 0-4-2T No.1420 on another short freight. Interestingly, No.1420 is uncoupled from its train by Christian Slater as the train crew take a rest, using an off-tracked pump trolley as a picnic table! In an earlier scene by the footpath crossing at the 2 ½ milepost, there is a good shot of GWR ‘Ocean Saloon’ No.9111 King George in the formation of the passing train. The filming at Kingswear used ex-GWR 4500-series 2-6-2T No.4555 Warrior at the head of the ‘Royal Train’, and in another scene Christian Slater jumps off the footplate of an unidentified loco, probably a pannier tank, as it pulls up alongside No.4555. During all this there is a montage sequence with a few night-time shots of trains thrown in. Several depict No.3205, but another shows what appears be a ‘stock shot’ of a BR Standard tender loco entering an unknown tunnel on a passenger train. Note the scene between Mackenzie Crook and Sally Philips in a station tearoom, followed by Neve Campbell’s response on Christian Slater’s arrival there. These are parodies of scenes from Brief Encounter, between Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey, and Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson, respectively.
*CIRCUS
GB
2000
1hr 35mins
Dir: Rob Walker
Starring: John Hannah and Brian Conley
Tales of double crossing as a conman and a crook attempt to outwit one another
This crime thriller features a couple of shots outside ‘Brighton’ station, which is in fact Slough. The station is suffering from a double identity crisis for in the final scene where John Hannah enters the station to meet his wife, played by Famke Janssen, they embrace on the footbridge at Taplow. No trains are featured.
*THE CITADEL
GB
1938
1hr 52mins
Dir: King Vidor
Starring: Robert Donat and Rosalind Russell
A young, enthusiastic doctor takes his first job in a Welsh mining town, and begins to wonder at the persistent cough many of the miners have
This drama is based on the 1937 A. J. Cronin novel of the same name and features two opening railway scenes. The first is a good shot of a GWR 5600 Class 0-6-2T on a local branch train passing through an unidentified location in the South Wales valleys, though the film was largely shot in Abertillery. The second features a night time arrival shot at ‘Blaenelly’, the actual identity of which is sadly not known. This second scene shows an LNER J15 Class 0-6-0 with ‘GREAT WESTERN’ lettering on its tender arriving with a rake of vintage six-wheeled ex-GER coaches. If one looks closely at the locomotive a mock GWR cast numberplate can also be seen applied to the cabside, though it is impossible to distinguish a number. Some effort has gone into making this scene GWR when it is likely filmed somewhere on the old GER system, it is just a shame that the station remains as yet unidentified. During this sequence Robert Donat is seen onboard a train and a rake of private owner coal wagons are briefly visible out of the carriage window in one shot. The carriage interior is a studio mock up with the usual ‘back-projection’. Notice that when Robert Donat alights from the train as the sole passenger, the carriage door closes behind him by itself! In a later overall view of Abertillery a steam-hauled passenger train can be seen passing through the townscape. A couple of trams can also be seen in the background of one of the night time London street scenes.
*THE CLAIRVOYANT (aka THE EVIL MIND)
GB
1934
1hr 21mins
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Starring: Claude Rains and Fay Wray
A fake clairvoyant has a vision of a mining disaster that comes true
This drama does feature a railway journey though how much of this is real is difficult to ascertain. It would appear that most of the journey along
with the railway tunnel and the signal box are studio sets, yet the external views of the teak carriages look real enough. The only train actually
identifiable is a grainy night time image of a passing express that may show an LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 at the helm, though the footage is poor.
*CLEGG (aka THE BULLET MACHINE or CLEGG PRIVATE EYE and HARRY AND THE HOOKERS)
GB
1970
1hr 27mins
Dir: Lindsay Shonteff
Starring: Gilbert Wynne and Gilly Grant
A private detective named Harry Clegg is on a mission to track down the perpetrator of a string of murders
This crime drama features a scene that sees a car chase end in a small overgrown freight yard and a couple of mineral wagons are visible. It is not known exactly where this was filmed. There is also an earlier scene filmed outside the entrance to London St Pancras station.
CLEGG PRIVATE EYE (see CLEGG)
*CLIMBING HIGH
GB
1938
1hr 18mins
Dir: Carol Reed
Starring: Jessie Matthews and Michael Redgrave
A rich man poses as a model to win the love of a girl
This wonderful little comedy features one brief shot of a 1920s District/Circle Line train though it is obscured by an advertising hoarding.
*CLOCKWISE
GB
1986
1hr 36mins
Dir: Christopher Morahan
Starring: John Cleese and Alison Steadman
A headmaster on his way to a conference is delayed by a series of circumstances
This comedy features a scene at a Hull Paragon station, with the ‘Norwich’ and ‘Plymouth’ trains formed of BR Mk.1 coaching stock though we do not see the locomotives. There are quite a number of DMUs present, however, most of which are probably Class 108s, though a Class 101 is just visible in the far background of one scene. Also, just as John Cleese runs out of the station car park in a failed attempt to catch up with his wife, the front end of a Class 31 just comes into shot.
CLOCKWORK MiCE
GB
1995
1hr 40mins
Dir: Vadim Jean
Starring: Ian Hart and Catherine Russell
A teacher manages a bond with a special needs student and tries to put him on the straight and narrow
This drama has a spectacular climax whereby the problem child tries a roof walk on a train whilst it is in motion. This stunt was filmed on the
Mid Hants Railway and obviously used a stuntman but much of the railway is seen. Medstead & Four Marks and Alresford stations are identifiable along with various items of the lines motive power department. BR Class 5MT 4-6-0 No.73096 was used for the train loco and BR Class 4MT 2-6-0 No.76017 was at the head of a passing train. On the approach to Alresford Class 08 No.D3358 and Class 27 No.D5353 are also visible. An interesting footnote is that the main character has an interest in railways and his school locker is adorned with pictures of locomotives: ‘Royal Scots’, a ‘Hall’, a ‘Western Class 52, Class 47s and the Railway Technical Centre Class 46 No.97403 Ixion are all recognisable in this montage!
CLOSE YOUR EYES (see DOCTOR SLEEP)
*CLOSING NUMBERS
GB
1993
1hr 34mins
Dir: Stephen Whittaker
Starring: Jane Asher and Tim Woodward
A couple’s relationship is blown apart by the wife’s discovery of her husband’s bisexuality which is then compounded by the threat of AIDS
This ultra-sensitive drama features a number of run-bys of HST sets along with scenes filmed onboard. It is not known where the run-bys were filmed except for the opening shot which features a distant HST passing through the landscape. This was filmed from the flooded clay pits at
Kempston, south of Bedford on the Midland Main Line. The leading power car in one of the later scenes is identifiable as No.43064 City of York.
*CLOUD ATLAS
GER / US
2012
2hrs 51mins
Dirs: Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski
Starring: Halle Berry and Tom Hanks
Tribesman Zachry Bailey recounts stories to his grandchildren on an extra-terrestrial Earth colony
This epic German-American science fiction film was adapted from the 2004 novel of the same name by David Mitchell. The film has multiple
plots set across six different eras, which Mitchell described as ‘a sort of pointillist mosaic!’ Whatever all this means, it does have some railway
scenes. There are two scenic run-bys of trains in the West Highlands of Scotland, one with a steam train formed of maroon-liveried Mk1 coaching stock hauled by ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.45407, and the other with a pair of First ScotRail-liveried Class 156 DMUs. The location for these shots was on the Fort William to Mallaig line at a point just over a mile west of Glenfinnan. There is also a scene with Jim Broadbent on the platform of Bo’ness station as a Class 156 DMU is leaving. The scenes with Jim Broadbent sat onboard a Class 156 were also filmed on the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway and quite inadvertently a Class 37, almost certainly 37175, is very briefly glimpsed through the window as the train arrives into Bo’ness station.
*CLOUDBURST
GB
1951
1hr 23mins
Dir: Francis Searle
Starring: Robert Preston and Elizabeth Sellars
A former operative for the SOE seeks revenge on the driver and passenger of a hit-and-run that killed his wife and unborn child
A couple of London trams can be discerned behind the opening titles of this taught crime drama in a night shot of Westminster Bridge.
*THE CLOUDED YELLOW
GB
1950
1hr 35mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Trevor Howard and Jean Simmons
An ex-secret service agent takes a job tending a butterfly collection only to be involved in murder
There is a short scene in this mystery film with Trevor Howard and Jean Simmons meeting on the ‘King’s Cross platform’ at Holborn (Kingsway). Although it certainly appears to be a real station, the tiling design does not match either the Piccadilly or Central Line platforms at Holborn. The exact identity of the station is therefore not known. There are shots of Newcastle Central station and a scene in St Nicholas Street looking down towards the castle. In the hazy background an ex-NER Tyneside EMU passes over the bridge on its way out of the station. There is also a shot of Liverpool Lime Street station with an ex-LMS parcels van visible. The film’s exciting climax is shot in Liverpool Docks. A Liverpool Overhead Railway EMU is filmed arriving at Gladstone Dock station and the stairs to Brocklebank Dock station are also visible in the background of one scene. A good number of Mersey Docks & Harbour Board 0-4-0 and 0-6-0ST locos are present with MD&HB 0-4-0ST No.4 featuring prominently. Finally, there is a very brief glimpse of a passing tram in the earlier Liverpool street scenes.
*COAMINUM
GB
1935
16mins
Dir: Albert E Hammond
Starring: Albert Hammond and Marjorie Perkins
Two designers discover a new formula for reducing coal consumption, but will they be able to prove their findings before their secret is stolen?
A de Havilland Gipsy Moth biplane, a car chase and a steam express train all feature in this pre-war 16mm silent thriller that stretches the ambition and art of the amateur filmmaker. Produced by the Nottingham Amateur Cine Society the significance of this movie lies in its quite complex use of all modes of transport, even if the ‘production’ is poor. Although the era of the silent had passed, the amateur film society probably found the use of sound too cost prohibitive. Technically a sound clip is more complex to shoot and cut, but the use of 16mm film is more professional. There are some truly fantastic shots of the old Great Central Railway in and around Nottingham, with Nottingham Victoria station featuring prominently. In the background to the opening shot of the station frontage, a Nottingham Corporation Tram can just be glimpsed passing (this is a rare glimpse as well because the city lost its tram network in 1936). Though several locos are not identifiable, there are good shots of Robinson C4 Class 4-4-2s in the confines of the station. Loco No.5261 arrives with a train and No.5266 is seen in close up whilst in the platform. Other locos which feature, include footage of a train crossing a viaduct in the capable hands of LNER B2 Class 4-6-0 No.5425 City of Manchester, one of only six built and a real rarity on film as the last had been withdrawn by the end of 1947. There is then a shot of LNER Ivatt C1 Class 4-4-2 No.4422 passing across an embankment and then at the end, several more trains passing, one of which is an interesting local passenger with four-wheel ventilated vans on the rear. Although the exact location of these shots is not known, railway footage is believed to have been taken in and around Bulwell Common. The story used the fictional Lancester & North East Coast Railway’s ‘Border Express’ for the trial of the special fuel, a mix of Coal and Aluminium, hence the title. The opening shots show the designers working on a beautiful scale-model of an LMS ‘Patriot’ 4-6-0. The film is said to have been shot in 1934 but in one scene a train pulls out of Nottingham Victoria behind LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.5158. This is significant in the fact that it can tie down a date. The loco would have been brand new at the time of filming, being outshopped from Armstrong Whitworth in July of 1935. It is unnamed in the film but was named Glasgow Yeomanry on 22nd May 1936 thus narrowing down the filming to an 11 month period from 1935-36, but not 1934.
COCK O’ THE NORTH
GB
1935
1hr 24mins
Dirs: Oswald Mitchell and Challis Sanderson
Starring: George Carney and Marie Lohr
An engine driver forced into retirement following an accident finds consolation in his son
This little-known musical seems to have been lost which is a big shame because its importance lies in the fact that the then new LNER P2 Class
2-8-2 No.2001 Cock o’ the North was used as part of the plot. The loco gives its name to the film and was the loco which the driver was rostered to work before his accident. Sadly, no other details about the film are known. Incidentally, Cock o’ the North was the nickname given to George, fifth Duke of Gordon and Marquis of Huntly (1770 – 1836). Chief of the Gordon clan he was founder of the Gordon Highlander Regiment.
*THE COCKLESHELL HEROES
GB
1955
1hr 37mins
Dir: José Ferrer
Starring: Trevor Howard and José Ferrer
A fictionalised account of Operation Frankton, the December 1942 raid by canoe-borne British commandos on shipping in Bordeaux Harbour
Part of the plot of this war drama centres on the Marines undergoing training, including a cross-country ingenuity exercise in which some of the characters get a ride home by train. Featured in this long running montage are quite a number of very good railway scenes that include, in order:
an ex-SR S15 Class 4-6-0 on a freight passing beneath Chertsey Road between Addlestone and Chertsey stations in Surrey; some very good shots of the closed Fort Brockhurst station on the Gosport branch with ex-LSWR T9 Class 4-4-0 No.30729 skipping through tender first with a single CCT in tow; a scene looking down on Chertsey station with a 2 BIL EMU arriving in the platform on Headcode 18 (Waterloo-Weybridge via Richmond); a shot of Shepperton station with pre-war Southern coaching stock pulling away; and ex-LNER F5 Class 2-4-2T No.67208 (with yellow smokebox number plate?) on a local passenger service at North Woolwich station in East London. For a film set in World War Two, all the trains that feature are in the BR era, but at least there are some rare colour images. Fort Brockhurst, for instance, had closed to passengers in 1953 two years before filming, and North Woolwich has also now gone, closed to passengers in 2006.
COL CUORE IN GOLA (see I AM WHAT I AM)
*COLD COMFORT FARM
GB
1995
1hr 35mins
Dir: John Schlesinger
Starring: Kate Beckinsale and Rufus Sewell
A London cousin visits a family of misfits on their country farm and changes their lives for the better
This comedy drama is an adaptation of Stella Gibbons’ 1932 book of the same name. Kate Beckinsale’s journey from London to the country by train utilised the Kent & East Sussex Railway with Northiam station masquerading as ‘Beershorn Halt’. The locomotive at the head of the train is Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST No.14 Charwelton.
*THE COLLECTOR
GB / US
1965
1hr 59mins
Dir: William Wyler
Starring: Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar
A butterfly collector kidnaps a woman and holds her hostage just for the pleasure of having her there
This superbly atmospheric Anglo-American psychological crime thriller is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by John Fowles. It features a shot of the entrance to Holborn Underground station followed by a scene filmed in the ticket hall of Belsize Park Underground station.
COME ON GEORGE!
GB
1939
1hr 28mins
Dir: Anthony Kimmins
Starring: George Formby and Patricia Kirkwood
A stable boy rides a racehorse to victory
This typical Formby farce features a railway journey that involves Formby walking on the roof of a train in motion and then having to duck for
cover when it reaches a tunnel. A comedy scene precedes this, filmed at ‘Longford’ station which is believed to have really been Potters Bar, and
vintage LNER D3 Class 4-4-0 No.4309 is prominent at the head of an arriving train. The roof-walking scene is a combination of actual footage using a stuntman, and film of Formby on a roof mock-up in a studio with back projection. Locations are unknown, but the stunt scenes use LNER coaches and the Hertford Loop was popular for filming at the time. There are a number of other railway scenes in the film. There is a stock shot of an express in the Lune Gorge hauled by a relative rarity on film in the form of an ex-L&YR Class 8 4-6-0 ‘Lanky Dreadnought’, and another scene of a horsebox being unloaded at a cattle dock of an unknown station, the fictional Avonbury Goods Yard, with an even rarer loco in the form of an LNER N5 Class 0-6-2T shunting in the background. Finally, there is a bit of camera trickery as George jumps the gap of a partly constructed bridge in his car. Beneath is a four track main line and although the location of the bridge is not recorded, it is likely to be the ‘Home Counties’ end of the East Coast mainline.
THE COMEDY MAN
GB
1964
1hr 32mins
Dir: Alvin Rakoff
Starring: Kenneth More and Cecil Parker
An out-of-work actor finds success as a star of TV commercials
This drama features a scene at London St Pancras station with a split-headcode Class 45 and a Class 27 at the buffer stops. The 27 is a very rare beast but look closely and some Class 127 DMU vehicles are visible amongst the coaching stock. Some distant shots overlooking the approaches to London Paddington in the Ranelagh Bridge/Royal Oak area appear later on in the film and an ex-GWR 2-6-2T and a Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic are visible amongst the various items of rolling stock. An earlier railway scene was filmed at night on the platform of an unknown station, with Kenneth More boarding a train formed of Mk1 coaching stock.
*COMFORT AND JOY
GB
1984
1hr 46mins
Dir: Bill Forsyth
Starring: Bill Paterson and Eleanor David
A Glaswegian radio disc jockey gets mixed up in a local ice cream trade war
This comedy was filmed on location in Glasgow and, in the background of one shot, there is quite a rare glimpse of a named split-headcode Class 37 on a short engineer’s train that includes a crane. This was filmed from Arrochar Street, Summerston.
*THE COMMITMENTS
IRE / GB / US
1991
1hr 58mins
Dir: Alan Parker
Starring: Robert Arkins and Maria Doyle
A group of Dublin youths form a soul band
This fabulous musical comedy was a film adaptation of Roddy Doyle’s 1987 novel of the same name and was shot on location in Dublin. There
are several scenes filmed onboard the city’s DART EMU’s, with Robert Arkins boarding one train at an unknown suburban station. There is also a shot at dusk of DART units crossing the Loopline Bridge across the River Liffey.
*THE COMMON TOUCH
GB
1941
1hr 44mins
Dir: John Baxter
Starring: Greta Gynt and Geoffrey Hibbert
A wealthy young managing director disguises himself as a tramp in order to save a dosshouse, which is due to be condemned
This drama features a stock shot of an express taking water on Dillicar Troughs in the Lune Gorge, hauled by an ex-LNWR Claughton 4-6-0, a class virtually extinct by 1941. The carriage interior scene is a studio set with the usual back-projection.
COMPUTER KILLERS (see HORROR HOSPITAL)
*CONFESSION (aka THE DEADLIEST SIN)
GB
1955
1hr 30mins
Dir: Ken Hughes
Starring: Sydney Chaplin and Audrey Dalton
A falling out between thieves over the proceeds of a robbery, leads to murder
This crime drama was based on the play of the same name by Don Martin and features the 1930s art-deco station building at Surbiton in the background of several scenes.
*CONFESSIONS FROM A HOLIDAY CAMP (aka CONFESSIONS OF A SUMMER CAMP COUNSELLOR)
GB
1977
1hr 28mins
Dir: Norman Cohen
Starring: Robin Askwith and Doris Hare
An entertainments officer at a holiday camp has various sexual adventures
This sex comedy was the last of the four Confessions series of films, and the only one to feature anything railway related. There is a scene at Radlett station with Class 127 DMU’s present, one vehicle of which is No.51601.
CONFESSIONS OF A SUMMER CAMP COUNSELLOR (see CONFESSIONS FROM A HOLIDAY CAMP)
*CONFLICT OF WINGS (aka FUSS OVER FEATHERS)
GB
1954
1hr 24mins
Dir: John Eldridge
Starring: Kieron Moore and Muriel Pavlow
A small Norfolk village tries to prevent the RAF from using a bird sanctuary as a firing range
This drama was filmed in Norfolk and features a shot of an ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 entering a loop on a passenger service, and a shot of the frontage of Stalham station, where a train is present in the platforms and some vans are visible in the yard. Stalham station was located on the line between Melton Constable and Great Yarmouth and closed in 1959. The station lay derelict and unused for many years after closure though upon redevelopment the station buildings were dismantled and rebuilt at the new Holt station on the North Norfolk Railway.
*THE CONJURING 2
US
2016
2hrs 14mins
Dir: James Wan
Starring: Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga
Two American paranormal investigators travel to North London to investigate a house plagued by a supernatural spirit
This American horror film was the sequel to 2013’s The Conjuring and the third installment in The Conjuring series. It is largely based on the famous Enfield hauntings of 1977 in which a family living in a Brimsdown council house where terrorized by a Poltergeist. It features scenes with Wilson and Farmiga at London Marylebone station. Firstly, there is a shot of them being picked up outside the station then later a scene filmed onboard a train of Mk.2 coaching stock. A good attempt has for once been made in trying to remove modern paraphernalia from the station, as the scene was supposedly set on British Rail in the 1970’s. The coaching stock was in blue & grey and a dozen period cars and extras in period dress were used so as to get the feeling right for the movie.
*CONNECTING ROOMS
GB
1970
1hr 43mins
Dir: Franklin Gollings
Starring: Bette Davis and Michael Redgrave
The lives and loves of the residents in a seedy West London boarding house are played out
This obscure and little-known drama has one brief scene filmed on the concourse of a London Underground station. The scene is filmed at night and is surprisingly poorly lit, so the exact identity of the station remains a mystery so far. The screenplay is based on the play The Cellist by Marion Hart.
*CONQUEST OF THE AIR
GB
1936
1hr 11mins
Dir: Zoltan Korda
Starring: Laurence Olivier and Franklin Dyall
A film charting the history of flight up until the Second World War
Although this drama-documentary concerns itself solely with air travel there is one railway scene. Towards the end there is a shot of a Southern Railway express pulling out of London Waterloo, possibly behind an N15 ‘King Arthur’ Class 4-6-0. There is also one very brief glimpse of a London tram. The updated version was released in 1940 to include footage of the Second World War and also carried the subtitle John Monk Saunders’ Story of Man’s Greatest Achievement. John Monk Saunders was one of the film’s writers.
CONSPIRATOR
GB
1949
1hr 27mins
Dir: Victor Saville
Starring: Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor
A guardsman leads a double life as a military man and a spy
This thriller is based on the 1948 novel of the same name by Humphrey Slater and features a scene on the Aldwych branch platform of Holborn
Underground station with 1923 Standard stock present. There are also a couple of scenes later on that show GWR 7400-series Class 0-6-0PTs
hauling branch trains in North Wales. Although the exact location is not known it is believed they were filmed on the Bala Junction-Blaenau
Ffestiniog line.
*THE CONSTANT GARDENER
GB / GER
2005
2hrs 09mins
Dir: Fernando Meirelles
Starring: Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz
A British diplomat tries to find the truth about his wife’s death in Kenya
This political thriller is based on the 2001 John le Carré novel of the same name and features a scene at London Waterloo International with a couple of Class 373 Eurostar EMU sets present. In a bizarre continuity error, the train’s departure is depicted with a drivers-eye view of a train leaving Berlin Hauptbahnhof, and an aerial shot of a Eurostar power car, possibly No.3011, leaving Waterloo! There is also a scene filmed at Canary Wharf Underground station.
CONTEST GIRL (see THE BEAUTY JUNGLE)
*CONTROL
GB / US
2007
2hrs 02mins
Dir: Anton Corbijn
Starring: Sam Riley and Samantha Morton
The life of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis
This biographical film features a ‘BR’ train at Loughborough Central on the Great Central Railway. Some of the line’s preserved Mk1 coaching stock was embellished with ‘Inter-City’ stickers, one of which is TSO No.4630. No locomotives are seen, and little of the station is visible. The film was based on the biography Touching from a Distance by Curtis’s widow Deborah, who served as a co-producer on the film.
*COOL IT, CAROL! (aka DIRTIEST GIRL I EVER MET)
GB
1970
1hr 41mins
Dir: Pete Walker
Starring: Robin Askwith and Janet Lynn
A young couple go to London for excitement
This typical low-budget sex comedy of the time features an excellent scene at Etchingham station in East Sussex with three Southern Region 6B Class 203 ‘Hastings’ DEMUs identifiable in the form of Nos.1006, 1033 and 1034. There are several shots of Etchingham signal box and some shots inside a ‘Hastings’ unit, but the trip to London is depicted with some further run-bys of ‘Hastings’ units and one of a BR blue-liveried 4 COR EMU No.3139, with an arrival scene shot outside Paddington station. Some poor continuity perhaps, but some quite rare railway scenes none the less. Once in London there is a shot of the frontage of Sloane Square Underground station and the film ends with another very good run by of ‘Hastings’ unit 1013. The DEMUs are working headcodes 22 and 33, Charing Cross/Cannon Street – Hastings via Orpington and Battle.
*CORRIDOR OF MIRRORS
GB
1948
1hr 45mins
Dir: Terence Young
Starring: Eric Portman and Edana Romney
An art collector believes his mistress is a reincarnation from 400 years before
This brilliant piece of pure gothic drama was one of the most engaging pieces of cinema made in Britain in 1948. The stunning Edana Romney appears in her sole major film role and plays a married woman who transitions from housewife to muse and finally into goddess. The film also features two quite rare scenes in North Wales, filmed at a station on what was possibly the Blaenau Ffestiniog line. The first scene shows a train hauled by an ex-LNWR 18in 0-6-0 Goods, known as a ‘Cauliflower’ or ‘Crested Goods’, and the second shows ex-LMS Stanier Class 3P 2-6-2T No.133 at the head of a train. Look out for the early reference to Brief Encounter’s ‘grit in the eye scene’, a film released the same year and to which viewers would have been all too familiar with. The film was inspired by the 1941 novel of the same title by Christopher Massie.
*CORRUPTION
GB
1968
1hr 31mins
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Starring: Peter Cushing and Sue Lloyd
A surgeon kills to restore the beauty of his fiancée
Some filming in this ropey horror took place around the Sussex coast, and there are some scenes filmed at both Seaford and Lewes stations. There are good shots of pre-war Southern Railway EMUs, which include 2 BIL set No.2038 arriving at Seaford on headcode 20 (should it be 28?), and 2 HAL set No.2633 departing on headcode 28, Seaford-Brighton. One of the murders then takes place on a train, and there are equally good shots filmed onboard. As Peter Cushing carries out his slaying, a shot out of the window shows a 4 SUB EMU passing in the opposite direction working headcode 16, almost certainly not in Sussex though as these units never worked there. Finally, the arriving train at Lewes is formed of 2 BIL set No.2084 leading another 2-car unit, again working headcode 28. All in all then, though the film is pretty bad, the railway scenes are pretty good.
COTTON QUEEN (aka CRYING OUT LOUD)
GB
1937
1hr 20mins
Dir: Bernard Vorhaus
Starring: Stanley Holloway and Will Fyffe
A mill owner’s daughter joins a rival mill without his knowledge
Part of this comedy film is set in Blackpool and there are some scenes that feature trams including a 1934 boat car.
COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA
GB
2016
1hr 50mins
Dir: Jacky Jhaj
Starring: Cameron Anderson and Lucy Drive
Three people collide in the city of unrequited dreams, in pursuit of true romance, as they fight to defy a life of ‘what ifs’
This obscure romantic dramedy has scenes filmed at both London’s St. Pancras and Waterloo stations.
*COUNT FIVE AND DIE
GB
1957
1hr 32mins
Dir: Victor Vicas
Starring: Nigel Patrick and Jeffrey Hunter
In 1944 British intelligence puts out false information to fool the Germans
There is one scene in this thriller that involves David Kossoff making a rendezvous at an engine shed. An ex-LMS 4F Class 0-6-0 can be seen moving slowly past light engine, with some Class 3F ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0 and Fowler 2-6-4 tanks in the background. The engine shed and yard in this sequence was Willesden.
*COUNTERBLAST
GB
1948
1hr 39mins
Dir: Paul Stein
Starring: Mervyn Johns and Robert Beatty
A Nazi scientist poses as an Australian to carry out germ warfare tests
There is a memorable scene in this thriller whereby Mervyn Johns, intending to release deadly germs on London, travels on the Underground and sees a passenger turn into a skeleton. Most of this scene is thought to use a studio set although some real shots do appear to have been used. For instance, there is a scene outside Baker Street station. Another scene at London Paddington shows an express arriving behind a GWR ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 with another shot of a passing express hauled by a GWR ‘King’ Class 4-6-0.
CRASH OF SILENCE (see MANDY)
*CRAZE
GB
1974
1hr 36mins
Dir: Freddie Francis
Starring: Jack Palance and Diana Dors
A black magic worshipper is compelled to sacrifice women to the statue of an African god
In this horror Jack Palance parks his car outside Taplow station and then boards a train formed of a pair of Class 123 Swindon-built InterCity
DMUs. This is believed to be the only time that this class has appeared on screen. Also in the film is a run-by of an express hauled by a Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic at an unknown location and a shot of a Class 121 single car DMU arriving at Windsor & Eton Central station.
THE CREATURES (see FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE)
*CREEP
GB / GER
2004
1hr 25mins
Dir: Christopher Smith
Starring: Franka Potente and Vas Blackwood
Travellers on the London Underground are killed by an unseen monster
This horror film set on the London Underground is reminiscent in some ways to the 1972 movie Death Line (qv). Most of the station work was carried out on the disused Jubilee line platforms at Charing Cross and on the Aldwych branch, using both 1972 and 1996-built tube stock. There is also a scene filmed at the disused York Road station on the Piccadilly Line with the former signalling cabin featuring in one horrific scene.
THE CREEPING UNKNOWN (see THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT)
CRIMETIME
GB
1996
1hr 58mins
Dir: George Sluizer
Starring: Stephen Baldwin and Pete Postlethwaite
An actor appearing as a murderer in a crime reconstruction programme begins to identify with the killer
This horror features a scene in which one of the killer’s victims is found in a railway yard and BR Mk1 coaches are visible in the background.
The exact location used is not clear, but it is thought to be somewhere in London, possibly Old Oak Common.
CROOKS IN CLOISTERS
GB
1964
1hr 38mins
Dir: Jeremy Summers
Starring: Ronald Fraser and Bernard Cribbens
Fleeing robbers hide out in an abandoned monastery by posing as monks
This crime comedy begins with a gang staging a train robbery. This sequence was filmed in Brent Sidings, Cricklewood, using class 46 No. D140. There is also a shot of a Class 45-hauled express on the Midland Main Line leaving Elstree Tunnels.
CROSS-UP (see TIGER BY THE TAIL)
*CROUPIER
GB
1998
1hr 34mins
Dir: Mike Hodges
Starring: Clive Owen and Gina McKee
A failing novelist gets a job in a casino and uses it for his novel
This superb neo-noir film helped launch Clive Owen’s career in the States. The scenes with Owen smoking onboard 1972-built tube stock were likely filmed on the Aldwych branch which had only then recently closed. One of the street level entrances to Piccadilly Circus Underground station is also seen.
*CROW HOLLOW
GB
1952
1hr 10mins
Dir: Michael McCarthy
Starring: Donald Houston and Natasha Parry
A newly-wed wife of a young doctor goes to live with him in an oppressive old house where various mysterious attempts are made on her life
This drama was based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Dorothy Eden. It features a good shot of Gomshall and Shere station on the North
Downs line in Surrey, with a train arriving behind an ex-SR N Class 2-6-0. The station is now just plain Gomshall.
CROWLEY (see CHEMICAL WEDDING)
THE CRUCIFER OF BLOOD
GB
1991
1hr 43mins
Dir: Fraser Clarke Heston
Starring: Charlton Heston and Edward Fox
Sherlock Holmes investigates mysterious deaths surrounding a secret pact made by soldiers over loot
Based on the play of the same name by Paul Giovanni this crime drama features a number of interesting railway scenes. The first is a broadside
view of a vintage train passing through the countryside hauled by GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT No.5775 from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. What is unusual is that the loco is painted in the fictitious light brown livery of the ‘Great Northern & Southern Railway’ and it is coupled to the ‘Old Gentleman’s Train’. Therefore, this is an unused shot filmed initially for The Railway Children (qv). This scene is preceded by an over-the-camera view of the same train. The station scenes however were filmed at Quainton Road, headquarters of the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, and used Hunslet 0-6-0ST No.3782 Arthur. The loco was in fact unserviceable at the time and the production company used Arthur with a smoke bomb in the smokebox and various other filming ‘magic’ so as to represent a working loco. The train which Arthur was coupled to was propelled from the rear by Class 04 No.D2298 which remained out of sight throughout. Quainton Road masqueraded as ‘Maidenhead’.
*THE CRUEL SEA
GB
1953
2hrs 06mins
Dir: Charles Frend
Starring: Jack Hawkins and Denholm Elliott
A film charting the conditions for the crew of a small escort vessel in WWII whilst protecting the Atlantic convoys
This highly regarded war drama was very successful and is still regarded as a very competent piece of cinematography. It was based on the 1951 novel of the same name by Nicholas Monsarrat. The film has a number of scenes shot at the expansive Royal Naval Dockyard at Devonport, Plymouth, and railway lines are visible. In the very opening scene one of the Dockyard’s own industrial saddle tanks passes by in the background hauling a single flat wagon whilst large rail-mounted steam cranes and wagons are present in several other views.
*A CRY FROM THE STREETS
GB
1958
1hr 39mins
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Max Bygraves and Barbara Murray
A welfare worker becomes emotionally involved with her latest charges, a group of homeless orphans
This drama features a fantastic opening shot that pans from left to right across Holloway, north London. The freight yards at King’s Cross and Somers Town are visible and are jam packed with freight stock, whilst a train of bogie vans is passing on the main line out of King’s Cross. In the background, a freight mainly consisting of four wheel vans is passing on the North London Line viaduct but although the tender locomotive at the head is clearly visible, it is too far off to accurately identify. The film also features a distant shot of St Pancras station with its prominent clock tower though the King’s Cross station scene looks to be entirely a set. The film is based on the 1957 Elizabeth Coxhead novel The Friend in Need.
*THE CRYING GAME
IRE / GB / JAP
1992
1hr 51mins
Dir: Neil Jordan
Starring: Stephen Rea and Miranda Richardson
A British soldier is kidnapped by IRA terrorists, with unexpected results for one of his captors
This critically acclaimed thriller features a shot of the entrance to London King’s Cross station, plus an unusual shot of the former Piccadilly Line,
Leslie Green-designed, two-storey red brick glazed building of South Kensington Underground station. The fantastic opening tracking shot of a fairground, was filmed at Laytown in County Meath, and in one shot one of Northern Ireland Railways three, Class 111 General Motors diesels passes over the River Nanny bridge on a train of Mk2s, sadly dubbed to the sound of an HST! The film was known as The Soldier’s Wife until shortly before its release.
CRYING OUT LOUD (see COTTON QUEEN)
*A CUCKOO IN THE NEST
GB
1933
1hr 25mins
Dir: Tom Walls
Starring: Ralph Lynn and Yvonne Arnaud
A newly-wed is forced to spend the night with an old flame
This screen adaption of the original 1925 Aldwych farce of the same title features one scene at London Paddington station, and although a number of trains feature, no locomotives are visible. The movie was remade in 1954 as Fast and Loose (qv).
THE CUCKOO PATROL
GB
1967
1hr 16mins
Dir: Duncan Wood
Starring: John Le Mesurier and Peggy Ann Clifford
Despite meticulous planning, a Scout troop find themselves entangled in various misadventures before encountering a criminal gang
This musical comedy featured Freddie & the Dreamers playing a scout troop, but it took over two years to get a release at a time when the world moved on very quickly. By this stage Freddie & The Dreamers had been out of the charts for two years and musical comedies were beginning to feel old hat. As a result, the film is a poor spectacle, but it does feature some scenes at Brickett Wood station on the Watford Junction-St Albans Abbey branch.
*CUP FEVER
GB
1965
1hr 03mins
Dir: David Bracknell
Starring: Bernard Cribbens and David Lodge
A youth football team meet Manchester United and then go on to win their local cup competition
This sporting drama from the Children’s Film Foundation features an overall shot of the old undeveloped Manchester United football ground at Old Trafford and a Stanier 2-6-4T emerges from under a bridge in the foreground running light.
CURSE OF THE DEMON (see NIGHT OF THE DEMON)
D
DAD SAVAGE
GB
1998
1hr 44mins
Dir: Betsan Morris Evans
Starring: Patrick Stewart and Kevin McKidd
A gangster in Norfolk attempts to find who killed his son and attempted to steal his loot
This crime thriller depicts a rarely-featured narrow gauge locomotive, albeit brief, in the form of 10 ¼ in gauge Philip Gray-built 0-4-0 No.5 Lady Jane Grey, standing at the head of a train on the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway.
*DAD’S ARMY
GB
2016
1hr 40mins
Dir: Oliver Parker
Starring: Toby Jones and Sarah Lancashire
The Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard deal with a visiting female journalist and a German spy as World War II draws to its conclusion
This comedy was the second film to be based on the hugely popular BBC television sitcom of the same name, the first being the 1971 movie with the original cast. Whereas that film was a wonderful addition to the ongoing series, this modern remake is, quite frankly, a poor spectacle. Although well-meaning it was a pointlessly elaborate movie that veered too far from the original sitcom and failed to pay homage to the TV show. The railway scenes used the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, though the opening shot of a train passing through the countryside is largely obscured by trees making the exact identity of the locomotive unclear. There is a scene filmed onboard a Mk.1 coach and a later scene filmed at Pickering station, with LNER teak vehicles in the platform.
DAKOTA ROAD
GB
1992
1hr 28mins
Dir: Nick Ward
Starring: Charlotte Chatton and Jason Carter
A farm labourer’s abused daughter fantasises about the officers of a local US Air Base, but it leads to a series of tragedies
This sensitive drama features a number of scenes that centre around Shippea Hill station on the Ely-Norwich line. There are decent shots of the signal box and passing trains comprising vintage Class 101 ‘Met-Camm’ DMUs and a more modern Class 156 ‘Sprinter’ DMU. There are also a couple of unusual drivers-eye views taken from the cab of the ‘Met-Camm’ units. Shippea Hill station, Cambridgeshire, is said to be the quietest station on Britain’s network. Whether this is true or not, the film brought a little bit of excitement to this rarely visited rural backwater.
*THE DAMNED (aka THESE ARE THE DAMNED)
GB
1963
1hr 34mins
Dir: Joseph Losey
Starring: Oliver Reed and Shirley Anne Field
A scientist looks after a colony of radioactive children
This science fiction film, based on H.L. Lawrence’s novel The Children of Light, was shot entirely around Weymouth and Portland and in one scene Oliver Reed and his gang run up the steps to Town Bridge. Moving slowly along the Weymouth Quay Tramway in the background is one of the line’s ex-GWR 1366 Class 0-6-0PTs on a train of vans.
*DANCING QUEEN
GB
1993
51mins
Dir: Nick Hamm
Starring: Rik Mayall and Helena Bonham Carter
A man ends up in Scarborough the night before his wedding in Maidstone and struggles to get back in time
This was one of six short films starring Rik Mayall that were produced for ITV under the title Rik Mayall Presents. This was the third film and the
only one to feature railway scenes. The romantic comedy drama has a quite lengthy early scene onboard Mk1 coaching stock with a number of night time run bys that include a very brief opening glimpse of a locomotive that when the image is paused, looks likely to be a Class 40. The run through ‘Doncaster’ station features more Mk1s and the plethora of BR maroon-liveried examples in these scenes suggests strongly that it is actually a preserved railway, probably the Great Central, with illuminated InterCity-style ‘Doncaster’ station signage added for effect. There are also a number of good shots of the frontage of Scarborough station.
*DANDY DICK
GB
1935
1hr 10mins
Dir: William Beaudine
Starring: Will Hay and Nancy Burne
A respected vicar unwittingly becomes involved in a racehorse doping scandal
This comedy, one of Will Hay’s weakest, features a shot of LMS Stanier Class 4P 3-Cylinder 2-6-4T No.2509 arriving with a train at an unknown station. The Class 4P express passenger tank locomotives were designed specifically for the London, Tilbury and Southend line of the LMS so it is almost certainly a station on that route. It masquerades as ‘St Marvell’s’.
*A DANDY IN ASPIC
GB
1968
1hr 47mins
Dir: Anthony Mann
Starring: Laurence Harvey and Tom Courtenay
A double agent is given orders to kill himself
Based on the 1966 Derek Marlowe novel of the same name this spy film features a shot in East London of a Class 302 EMU passing over a viaduct. This was filmed from Barnardo Gardens in Shadwell. Also, during a film showing there is a black and white image of the frontage to London Victoria station, a rare example of a ‘film within a film’.
*DANGEROUS AFTERNOON
GB
1961
1hr 02mins
Dir: Charles Saunders
Starring: Ruth Dunning and Nora Nicholson
An ex-convict, running a home for female ex-cons, poisons a blackmailer
This short crime drama includes a shot of a Southern Railway suburban EMU passing over Wellesley Road level crossing just outside Strawberry Hill station, the entrance to which is also seen.
DANGEROUS MASQUERADE (see DEAD MEN ARE DANGEROUS)
DARK ASCENSION
GB
2017
1hr 52mins
Dir: Gene Fallaize
Starring: Paul Blackthorne and Nathan Jones
Three new arrivals in Purgatory must find their way around the afterlife amidst a war between Heaven and Hell
This Anglo-American fantasy action film has a scene filmed at London Waterloo station.
THE DARK MAN (aka MAN DETAINED)
GB
1951
1hr 31mins
Dir: Jeffrey Dell
Starring: Maxwell Reed and Edward Underdown
After a black-marketeer is murdered, the killer goes after a witness to the crime
The climax to this thriller was shot on Romney Marsh and some of the sidings around the former Dungeness station and the surrounding area are
visible though no rolling stock is present. Also, in an aerial shot from the Old Lighthouse at Dungeness, the narrow-gauge Romney, Hythe &
Dymchurch Railway can be seen curving away to the right adjacent to the old standard gauge railway line from Appledore.
*DARK PLACES
GB
1973
1hr 31mins
Dir: Don Sharp
Starring: Christopher Lee and Joan Collins
An unstable man inherits a haunted house in which a cache of money has been hidden
This seventies horror has some rather good early shots of Denham station with a Class 115 DMU calling. The lead vehicle is DMBS No.51652. The station is masquerading as ‘Marr’s Halt’.
THE DARK ROAD (aka THERE IS NO ESCAPE)
GB
1948
1hr 12mins
Dir: Alfred Goulding
Starring: Charles Stuart and Joyce Linden
A film charting the rise and fall of a young crook from petty thief to underworld crime boss
This forgotten low budget B-movie features a shot of Manchester Victoria station, with no trains visible, and a number of scenes in Blackpool with trams present in some shots that include a single-deck Brush car.
DARKLANDS
GB
1997
1hr 30mins
Dir: Julian Richards
Starring: Craig Fairbrass and Rowena King
A journalist in South Wales discovers a pagan cult involved in ritual sacrifice
There are a number of night time scenes in this Welsh horror that were filmed on the Dean Forest Railway using the line’s Class 108 DMU. The scenes were filmed at St Mary’s Halt and Norchard stations.
DARLING
GB
1965
2hrs 08mins
Dir: John Schlesinger
Starring: Julie Christie and Dirk Bogarde
An ambitious young woman, balances relationships with various men of a jet-set lifestyle
This drama features a ‘going-away’ shot of a Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic on an express at an unknown location, and a scene with Christie and Bogarde having a row on the concourse of an Underground station, possibly Bond Street.
*DARLING LILI
US
1970
2hrs 16mins
Dir: Blake Edwards
Starring: Julie Andrews and Jeremy Kemp
During the First World War an American pilot falls for a female spy
This elaborately mounted, WW1 musical, features a railway scene towards the end that was filmed in Ireland, and in very unusual circumstances. In one of the oddest cinematic set-ups ever, preserved J15 Class 0-6-0 No.184 and a rake of historic rolling stock was used by the film makers under the pretence that any old Irish train resembles that of one in Continental mainland Europe! What was unusual is that the J15 was not steam worthy at the time, so a Metro-Vick 001 Class diesel No. A16 was borrowed from CIE, disguised as a baggage car, and tucked between the tender of the J15 and its train. The Metro-Vick provided power and the J15 provided smoke effects. Perhaps equally surprising was the fact that this scenario worked pretty effectively. Scenes were filmed around Beauparc on the Drogheda-Navan freight only line that had closed to passengers in 1958 and the Metro-Vick apparently worked regular links while carrying the disguise, including the 5.07pm Dublin to Bray suburban train on one occasion! Even more elaborate was the initial railway station departure scene which saw the Palais de Justice in Brussels doubling as an Irish station with Jeremy Kemp chasing Julie Andrews through crowds of extras to a mock-up train in the platform, a scene that cost $100,000 to create.
*DATE WITH A DREAM
GB
1948
55mins
Dir: Dicky Leeman
Starring: Terry-Thomas and Jean Carson
A wartime concert reunion leads to nightclub success
This short vaudeville comedy features a montage scene early on. In this sequence there is a brief shot of passengers boarding a train at an unknown Southern station and a shot outside the street level entrance to East Brixton station in London. The station closed in 1976.
*DATELINE DIAMONDS
GB
1966
1hr 13mins
Dir: Jeremy Summers
Starring: William Lucas and Patsy Rowlands
An ex-con manages a top band in the UK, but is forced to re-enter the crime scene
This musical drama was part of the ‘pop and cop’ genre of film popular in the UK during the early 1960s and featured the Small Faces and The Chantelles, amongst others. The opening scenes are filmed in Harwich Docks and there is an extremely rare glimpse of a Hunslet-built Class 05
0-6-0DM shunter propelling wagons across a level crossing. Wagons are visible in the background to a number of scenes in this sequence, with some close-up shots of five-plank opens and four-wheel vans. Later, there is a shot of the concourse of London Waterloo station though no trains are visible here.
A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG
GB
1972
1hr 46mins
Dir: Peter Medak
Starring: Alan Bates and Janet Suzman
A couple use black humour to disguise their pain as they care for their disabled child
This astonishingly hard-hitting drama is based on the Peter Nichols play of the same name. There is a scene near the end that is filmed at Bristol Temple Meads station with Alan Bates boarding an express hauled by a ‘Peak’ Class 45 or 46 diesel.
*THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS
GB
1962
1hr 33mins
Dir: Steve Sekely
Starring: Howard Keel and Nicole Maurey
A meteor blinds almost everyone in the world and alien plants wreak havoc
This science-fiction film is broadly based on John Wyndham’s 1951 post-apocalyptic novel and features a chilling scene whereby an express train ploughs into the bufferstops at a terminus station after the footplate crew have been blinded. This was filmed at London Marylebone using a BR Standard ‘Black Five’ Class 5MT 4-6-0 as motive power with the subsequent crash using a studio set. The train’s arrival was captured on film and then speeded-up for use in the sequence, the original shot at normal speed can be found on the Video 125 DVD Steam on 35mm.
*THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE
GB
1961
1hr 38mins
Dir: Val Guest
Starring: Edward Judd and Janet Munro
Nuclear tests tilt the earth off its axis and send it spinning towards the sun
This relatively low-budget sci-fi disaster has proved to be one of the classic apocalyptic films of its era. There are a few railway scenes that are used to depict news spreading throughout the country. One is of a train being loaded with mail and newspapers at an unidentified London station and the other is a ‘stock footage’ shot of the wheels and motion of an LNER A4 Class 4-6-2. When the fog descends on London there are some semi-distant views of SR EMUs in the Battersea area and there is also a shot of the frontage of Hampstead Underground station. Note that the external tiling to the station reads ‘Hampstead Heath’. Although the station was never officially referred to by this name, ‘Heath Street’ was proposed, and tiling with this name can still be seen at platform level.
*A DAY TO REMEMBER
GB
1953
1hr 32mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Stanley Holloway and Harry Fowler
A pub darts team takes a day trip to France
In this comedy drama, the darts team from ‘The Hand & Flower’ meet at London Victoria to catch the boat train to Boulogne. There is a scene filmed at the London terminus but the train itself is represented by a shot of a ‘King Arthur’ N15 Class 4-6-0 passing Esher with an express. This erroneous depiction of a French boat train is in fact a stock shot that first appeared in the 1950 movie Chance of a Lifetime (qv). The film was based on the 1952 novel The Hand and Flower by Jerrard Tickell.
*DEAD CERT
GB
1974
1hr 39mins
Dir: Tony Richardson
Starring: Scott Anthony and Judi Dench
A young jockey investigates a series of suspicious racing related deaths
This crime features a dramatic scene in which a rider on horseback jumps level crossing gates and narrowly avoids being hit by a train. It is not known exactly where this scene was shot but it is somewhere on the Southern Region as the train is formed of SR semi-fast EMU stock.
*DEAD FISH
GB
2005
1hr 38mins
Dir: Charley Stadler
Starring: Robert Carlyle and Cassandra Bell
Traitors, killers and lovers collide in London
This rather strange action comedy features scenes filmed at London Paddington station, with Class 332 EMUs, FGW HST sets and Class 180 ‘Adelante’ DMUs visible. There is a particularly good shot of an arriving Class 332 ‘Heathrow Express’ EMU, a curious thing, seeing that Elena Alaya then boards an HST for her journey to the airport! Despite this, as the train pulls out there is a good view of rear power car No.43004 Borough of Swindon, still in Great Western green and gold colours when all else around was in First Group purple and white.
*DEAD LONDON
GB
1996
19mins
Dir: Thomas Q. Napper
Starring: Dexter Fletcher and Ewen Bremner
Two young men have found a way to predict the deaths of Londoners, but their theory is unravelled by an American tourist with tragic results
This strikingly imaginative drama is rather mysterious, even more so since it is shot in black and white. It features a number of scenes filmed at
Aldwych and Holborn stations, with 1972-built tube stock present at both. There is also a scene filmed at King’s Cross St Pancras with 1973-built Piccadilly Line stock, and a shot of the entrance to the main line station above. Finally, there is a scene filmed inside what appears to be 1992-built Central Line stock.
*DEAD MEN ARE DANGEROUS (aka DANGEROUS MASQUERADE)
GB
1939
1hr 09mins
Dir: Harold French
Starring: Robert Newton and Betty Lynne
An out-of-work writer swaps his identity with that a murder victim
At the beginning of this crime film there is a brief shot of LNER N7/2 Class 0-6-2T No.2656 at an unknown station at night. The station is called
‘Templemere’, though its real identity is not known. It is just possible that the station is in fact a studio set, with a shot of a steam locomotive cut in. The film is based on the 1939 novel Hidden by H. C. Armstrong.
THE DEADLIEST SIN (see CONFESSION)
*DEADLY STRANGERS
GB
1975
1hr 28mins
Dir: Sidney Hayers
Starring: Hayley Mills and Simon Ward
The hunt is on for a maniac who leaves a trail of dead after escaping from an asylum
This superb and greatly overlooked psychological thriller features good shots of Yatton station in Somerset, though no trains feature. A little later in the movie the car with Ward and Mills inside pauses at an automated level crossing as a train passes by. The level crossing is Huish, 1 ¾ miles west of Yatton and although we see the train passing, it is only shown through the windscreen thus precluding an exact identity. However, the express is typical of the 1970s and consists of a ‘BR blue-liveried diesel on blue and grey Mk2 coaching stock’.
DEADLY SWEET (see I AM WHAT I AM)
A DEAL IS A DEAL (see THREE AND OUT)
*DEATH LINE (aka RAW MEAT)
GB
1972
1hr 27mins
Dir: Gary Sherman
Starring: Donald Pleasence and Clive Swift
A cannibal descended from Victorian railway workers, dwells in disused London Underground tunnels and picks off passengers for food
The disused British Museum tube station was mentioned in this film, but it is not the station portrayed as being the cannibal’s home. The station in question is named ‘Museum’ and is stated as being between Holborn and British Museum in a conversation between two police inspectors. Signs in the abandoned station also state ‘Museum’ as the name and a brief history of the City & South London Line is mentioned to give this station some historical background. Location filming actually took place at Russell Square, Holborn and Aldwych stations late at night with 1959-built tube stock prominent, and the rest was a studio set. A nice macabre touch to this horror movie is that the main cannibal character only knows three words of English, ‘Mind the Doors!’, which he picked from having heard the guards of the tube trains calling!
*DEATH OF AN ANGEL
GB
1952
1hr 04mins
Dir: Charles Saunders
Starring: Patrick Barr and Jean Lodge
A young doctor moves to a small village to help the resident doctor but quickly gets involved with a curious murder that only he can solve
This crime film features some excellent shots of ex-GWR ‘auto-trains’ arriving and departing from the old Marlow station at the hands of 1400 Class 0-4-2Ts. There is also one distant shot of an ‘auto-train’ en route along the branch hidden behind the opening credits. This would appear to have been filmed from Winter Hill, Cookham. The screenplay for the film was based on the play This is Mary’s Chair by Frank King. Marlow station masquerades as ‘Evenbridge’, but as an interesting footnote the nurse in the film played by Jean Lodge is called Nurse Marlow!
*THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE
GB / US
2007
1hr 27mins
Dir: Dario Piana
Starring: Mike Vogel and Christina Cole
A man is murdered each day by horrifying pursuers, only to then wake up in a parallel life each time before being murdered again
This Anglo-American horror features a quite lengthy sequence filmed on London Underground’s Jubilee line, starting at Charing Cross station and continuing aboard 1996-built tube stock (vehicle No.96611 is prominent). Baker Street station signage is visible through the window of one shot, but it remains to be seen just how much took place at other stations, or whether it was all carried out with a train shuttling between Green Park and Charing Cross. All the station scenes appear to be filmed at the latter.
DECLINE AND FALL… OF A BIRDWATCHER!
GB
1968
1hr 53mins
Dir: John Krish
Starring: Robin Philips and Donald Wolfit
An Oxford undergraduate is expelled and has various adventures as a teacher and a criminal
The basis for this De Luxe comedy film is the 1928 novel Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh. Updated to contemporary times it features one passing shot of an express hauled by a two-tone green Class 47 at an unknown location.
*THE DEEP BLUE SEA
GB
2011
1hr 38mins
Dir: Terence Davies
Starring: Rachel Weisz and Tom Hiddleston
The wife of a judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot
This romantic drama was an adaptation of the 1952 Terence Rattigan play of the same name and features a scene filmed at Aldwych station, now a regular in feature film. Although a little predictable and quite plodding at times, the scene at Aldwych is good. Rachel Weisz arrives onto an empty platform which transforms itself into an air raid shelter as she reminiscences about her past. She is then woken by a passing train, which we do not see, but having arrived at the station in a suicidal state the reflections of the carriage lighting passing across her is very reminiscent of the final scene in Brief Encounter (qv). Like Celia Johnson in the 1945 classic she cannot bring herself to jump, so leaves the station and walks off to live with the guilt that evolved from her love.
*DEEP END
GB
1970
1hr 32mins
Dir: Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring: Jane Asher and Christopher Sandford
A young boy takes a job as an attendant at a public baths only to become infatuated with an older female co-worker
This dark coming-of-age drama features a scene filmed on the Northern Line of London Underground with 1959-built tube stock, one car of which is No.1750. It is not known which station features in the scene.
DEFENCE OF THE REALM
GB
1985
1hr 36mins
Dir: David Drury
Starring: Gabriel Byrne and Greta Scacchi
A journalist investigates the link between an influential MP and a Russian agent
This political thriller includes some scenes filmed around the London Bridge area as well as on Hungerford Bridge, with both two and four-car
EPB EMUs featuring quite prominently.
*THE DEMI-PARADISE (aka ADVENTURE FOR TWO)
GB
1943
1hr 54mins
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Laurence Olivier and Margaret Rutherford
A Russian inventor is sent to observe life in Britain at the start of the Second World War
The wartime comedy film was designed to encourage sympathy between Britain and the Soviet Union. The film’s title is a reference to John of Gaunt’s famous speech in Richard II. The film features four short railway clips. The first is of a partially cut three-quarters shot of an LNER A3 Class 4-6-2 standing at the head of a train, the second shows ex-LSWR T9 Class 4-4-0 No.705 pulling out of London Waterloo, the third shows an express passing behind what is probably a GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 and the fourth is a going away shot of an express at night, the locomotive of which is not visible.
*DEMOBBED
GB
1946
1hr 36mins
Dir: John E Blakeley
Starring: Norman Evans and Nat Jackley
A group of incompetent ex-servicemen foil a robbery and stage a concert party
One scene in this comedy takes place at an unknown Southern Railway station with pre-war suburban EMUs visible in the background.
DER GEISTERZUG (see THE GHOST TRAIN (1927))
DER POSTZUG-BERFALL (see THE GREAT BRITISH TRAIN ROBBERY)
DER WÜRGER (see THE WRECKER)
DERBY DAY (aka FOUR AGAINST FATE)
GB
1952
1hr 24mins
Dir: Herbert Wilcox
Starring: Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding
Various stories surrounding race-goers as they journey to the Derby at Epsom
This drama was filmed at actual racecourse locations and includes some scenes at Tattenham Corner station of arriving race specials made up of various Southern Railway EMUs. 2 NOL and 3 SUB types are in evidence. There is also a run by of a 2 NOL at an unknown location.
THE DETECTIVE (see FATHER BROWN)
DEVIL ON HORSEBACK
GB
1954
1hr 28mins
Dir: Cyril Frankel
Starring: Jeremy Spenser and Googie Withers
A teenage jockey struggles to become a major rider
Near the start of this drama there are some shots of a colliery. The exact location is not known but an industrial saddle tank is visible reversing
some wagons in one scene. Later in the film there is a view of a freight train of mineral wagons passing over a junction though the loco is not visible. Again, it is not known where this was filmed but it could be in Macclesfield.
*DEVIL’S BAIT
GB
1959
58mins
Dir: Peter Graham Scott
Starring: Geoffrey Keen and Jane Hylton
After a loaf of bread is accidentally contaminated with rat poison a desperate police search is made to find it
This taut little B thriller contains an excellent shot of ex-GWR 9400-series 0-6-0PT No.9422 running light engine and stopping next to a drunk rat catcher involved in the story. He has fallen down a railway embankment but unfortunately, it is not known where this scene was filmed.
*DICK BARTON SPECIAL AGENT
GB
1948
1hr 11mins
Dir: Alfred J Goulding
Starring: Don Stannard and George Ford
Dick Barton fights a plot to poison Britain’s water supply with cholera
This was the first of three films that Hammer Film Productions made about the popular British radio series, but it is the only one that features railways. There is a shot of a crossing keeper winding the gate wheel of a crossing keepers box that is then followed by a shot of an approaching freight hauled by an unknown ex-Southern Railway loco running tender first (the loco maybe an ex-LSWR 4-4-0). There is then a shot of an unknown level crossing over which passes a coal train hauled by an ex-LMS 4F Class 0-6-0. Both the trains are speeded up for dramatic effect.
DIE BEAUTIFUL MARIANNE (see DIE SCREAMING MARIANNE)
DIE, MONSTER, DIE! (see MONSTER OF TERROR)
*DIE SCREAMING MARIANNE (aka DIE BEAUTIFUL MARIANNE)
GB
1971
1hr 39mins
Dir: Pete Walker
Starring: Barry Evans and Susan George
After the death of their mother, two sisters fight over an inheritance whilst their father tries to conceal incriminating documents
This low-budget thriller features a single shot of the frontage to Brighton station.
*DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS
GB / FRA
1996
1hr 36mins
Dir: Richard Spence
Starring: Rupert Graves and Steven Mackintosh
A motorcycle courier falls in love with a schoolboy friend who has undergone a sex-change
London is largely used as a backdrop to this drama and some railways are captured in the process. There are trains in the background of some scenes filmed in the London Bridge / Blackfriars area with Class 465 ‘Networker’, Class 411 4 CEP and Class 319/1 EMUs all visible and a shot overlooking the approaches to London Paddington with Class 165/66 ‘Turbo’ DMUs and Hammersmith & City Line C stock present.
*DIGBY THE BIGGEST DOG IN THE WORLD
GB
1973
1hr 28mins
Dir: Joseph McGrath
Starring: Jim Dale and Spike Milligan
An Old English Sheepdog accidentally eats an experimental growth formula and grows to an enormous size
This popular family comedy has a memorable scene in which Digby lies down on a railway line in front of an approaching train, much to the
driver’s consternation. However, he gets up just in time for the train to pass through his legs! The train itself is a Cravens two-car Class 105 DMU which is interestingly running wrong-line. The location for filming could be the Bedford-Bletchley line.
*DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE
IND
1995
3hrs 09mins
Dir: Aditya Chopra
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan and Farida Jalal
When a couple meet in Europe it isn’t love at first sight, but when one moves to India for an arranged marriage, love makes its presence felt
This Hindi-language, Bollywood blockbuster, the name of which translates to The Big-Hearted Will Take Away the Bride, was placed twelfth on the British Film Institute’s list of top Indian films of all time. As the film centres partly on an inter-rail holiday in Europe there are shots of Swiss and British trains, as well as later scenes filmed on Indian Railways. The British scenes were filmed at London King’s Cross with a good opening shot of no less than four Mk4 DVTs on the blocks. Other sets are seen, all in the original InterCity livery, as well HST power cars. One of the Mk4 coaches is Open First vehicle No.11234. There is also a scene filmed at Angel Underground station on the Northern Line with a train of 1959-built tube stock arriving, followed by a shot of a train leaving formed of 1972-built stock.
*DINNER AT THE RITZ
GB
1937
1hr 17mins
Dir: Harold Schuster
Starring: David Niven and Paul Lukas
A French girl exposes swindlers who faked her father’s suicide
This mystery romance has one railway scene at the very end which shows an express hauled by a GWR 4-6-0, possibly a ‘Hall’, passing through the countryside on an embankment.
DIRTIEST GIRL I EVER MET (see COOL IT, CAROL!)
*DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
GB
2002
1hr 37mins
Dir: Steven Frears
Starring: Chitwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou
A hotel receptionist discovers an illegal organ donor trade
There is a good close up shot early on in this drama of a Thameslink blue and yellow-liveried Class 319 EMU crossing the girder bridge across
Southwark Street, in Bankside, South East London.
*DIRTY WEEKEND
GB
1993
1hr 42mins
Dir: Michael Winner
Starring: Lia Williams and Rufus Sewell
A woman decides to take revenge against men
At the end of this crime thriller there are some scenes filmed at Brighton station, including shots of the frontage and the platform areas. One scene shows a close up shot of Class 421 4 CIG EMU No.1709 departing. Several other slam-door express units are visible in the background and in another shot, a similar unit is entering an unknown tunnel. There are also a couple of brief scenes filmed inside the compartment of a CIG, though the locations visible through the window do not feature any trains. One very unusual and highly unexpected feature of this film shows Lia Williams drinking tea from a Railfreight Distribution mug in one scene. Just how this cropped up in the movie is anybody’s guess!
*DISTANT VOICES STILL LIVES
GB
1988
1hr 25mins
Dir: Terence Davies
Starring: Freda Dowie and Pete Postlethwaite
Life for a Liverpool working class family during the 1940s and ’50s
This drama was originally made for television and is inspired by Terence Davies’ family memories of growing up in a working-class family in
Liverpool during the 1940s. It does in fact consist of the two films, ‘Distant Voices’ and ‘Still Lives’, which were made two years apart with the same crew. Whilst ‘Distant Voices’ portrays the main characters growing up in Britain in the 1940s during World War II, ‘Still Lives’ portrays
them as grown-ups in Britain in the early 1950s after the war. There are some brief scenes depicting railway journeys that appear in ‘Distant Voices’, with shots onboard a train that were apparently filmed at the Didcot Railway Centre.
*THE DIVORCE OF LADY X
GB
1938
1hr 32mins
Dir: Tim Whelan
Starring: Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon
A nobleman’s daughter poses as a divorce client
This romantic comedy filmed in Technicolor is a remake of the 1933 film Counsel’s Opinion. It features a shot of the frontage of London Victoria
station and a brief run by of a ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0, probably No.862 Lord Collingwood, on a Southern Railway express.
*DOCTOR IN DISTRESS
GB
1963
1hr 42mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Dirk Bogarde and Barbara Murray
Dr Simon Sparrow goes back to work at his old hospital and finds love
The fifth of the seven films in the Doctor comedy series includes a number of scenes that were filmed at Windsor & Eton Central station with trains of Mk1 coaches. In one shot, a ‘Marylebone’ station sign is visible through the window just to try and trick any unsuspecting viewer! There is also a shot of a Western Region express (1F55) cleverly worked into one scene, hauled by a Class 35 ‘Hymek’ diesel-hydraulic passing through Maidenhead station at speed (although the initial approaching shot is of a different train at a different, as yet unknown, station, with the Hymek working service 1A30). The train interior scenes consist of the usual studio set with back projection.
*DOCTOR IN TROUBLE
GB
1970
1hr 30mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Leslie Phillips and Irene Handl
Dr Anthony Burke accidentally becomes a stowaway on a cruise ship
The final Doctor film also included a scene shot at Windsor & Eton Central station, a popular location for movies around this period. No trains
are visible this time, however, as it plays the part of a port, though there are some interesting Sealink posters on the walls! The film was based on the 1961 story Doctor on Toast by Richard Gordon.
DOCTOR SLEEP (aka CLOSE YOUR EYES and HYPNOTIC)
GB
2002
1hr 48mins
Dir: Nick Willing
Starring: Paddy Considine and Shirley Henderson
A hypnotherapist is caught up in the pursuit of a serial killer
This obscure crime horror has some railway scenes, the most notable of which takes place at the beginning. This consists of a young girl throwing herself off a railway bridge into the river below just as a train crosses behind her. The scene, which takes place at night, used a Class 117 or similar type DMU but it is not known where exactly it was shot. There is also a surreal sequence filmed onboard a Northern Line train of 1995-built tube stock and a scene filmed at The Anchor Pub in Bankside, Southwark, with London Cannon Street station clearly visible behind though no trains are seen. Finally, in one street scene filmed at the eastern end of the District Line, a train of LT D78 stock passes in the background.
*DOG EAT DOG
GB
2001
1hr 33mins
Dir: Moody Shoaibi
Starring: Mark Tonderai and Alan Davies
Four London blaggers strapped for cash mistakenly kidnap the dog belonging to a drug baron
This little-known comedy thriller has a number of decent railway scenes and includes a rare shot of the original 1907 Leslie Green-designed Euston station building on the Hampstead Railway, now the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line. There was a separate station for the City and South London Railway, which opened around the same time, and now forms the City branch of the Northern Line. Both stations lasted only seven years, when access to both lines was provided directly from the mainline station, and now only the Hampstead Railway building survives on the corner of Melton Street and Drummond Street. Other scenes include a shot from an office window that overlooks Neasden station, with a train of 1996-built Jubilee Line stock in Platform 3, and a scene filmed at a petrol station, with the roof line of a 1990s-built tube train passing in a cutting behind. As the location of this latter scene is not known it is impossible to ascertain as to whether it is Central, Jubilee or Northern Line stock which appears. There is also a football match scene which is filmed in Northwick Park and in the background some trains are visible on the West Coast Main Line. These include NSE-liveried Class 321 EMUs, Virgin Trains services formed of Mk3s, one of which appears to be hauled by a Railfreight-liveried Class 90 electric loco, and Royal Mail TPO vehicles. Finally, there is a brief scene filmed outside London Euston station.
*THE DOGS OF WAR
GB / US
1980
1hr 42mins
Dir: John Irvin
Starring: Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger
A mercenary becomes involved in a plot to overthrow a West African state
This action film is based upon the 1974 novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth and is set in a number of countries. The ‘English’ scenes
start with a good shot from the footbridge of the original Liverpool Street station in London prior to its redevelopment and there is a plethora of rolling stock on view. Look carefully and a partially obscured split-box Class 37 is just visible at the bufferstops with Class 306 EMUs in their final few years of operation behind. A mixed rake of parcels stock is in the foreground and Mk1 and Mk2 coaching stock make up the scene.
DOING TIME (see PORRIDGE)
*DOLPHINS (aka OCTANE)
GB
2007
1hr 52mins
Dir: Mark Jay
Starring: Karl Davies and Lauren Steventon
High-octane romance set in the recognizable world of Brighton’s homegrown youth, as Boy Racer gangs uneasily coexist with the Indie scene
This little-known car racing film got more interest when released in the US as Octane (qv), but unfortunately had been badly cut by almost 30 minutes and as a result was slated by the reviews and now lies largely forgotten. It features some scenes at the end that were filmed at London Waterloo station with Class 373 ‘Eurostar’ EMUs in the International platforms. There is also an excellent shot of a Eurostar crossing the
Medway Viaduct plus some scenes filmed onboard.
DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART
GB
1999
1hr 35mins
Dir: Willi Paterson
Starring: Jenny Seagrove and Anthony Edwards
A group of well-meaning friends try to persuade a beautiful friend to remarry
This romance features scenes on the London Underground with the travelator at Bank and the exterior of Hampstead station visible along with some scenes filmed onboard 1990s tube stock.
*DON’T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS
GB
1984
1hr 26mins
Dir: Edmund Purdom
Starring: Alan Lake and Belinda Mayne
Somebody with very little Christmas spirit is killing people dressed as Santa
This dreadful horror has a scene filmed on the concourse of London Marylebone station and a Class 115 DMU just creeps into the background of one shot.
*DON’T TAKE IT TO HEART!
GB
1944
1hr 30mins
Dir: Jeffrey Dell
Starring: Richard Greene and Patricia Medina
A stray World War Two bomb releases the 400-year old ghost of an Earl with a guilty conscience
This comedy film features a short scene at a country railway station. A bus arrives in the car park and passes wagons in the goods siding, and although the booking office appears to be real, the platform scene and carriage are a set. This was thought to be Denham station, but this is unconfirmed. The back-projection through the window as the train departs shows a station, and although the nameboard is unreadable, it consists of two words, so is not Denham!
DOUBLE CONFESSION
GB
1950
1hr 20mins
Dir: Ken Annakin
Starring: Derek Farr and Joan Hopkins
Visiting his unfaithful wife and finding her dead, a man makes her lover suffer before the truth is revealed
This crime film features good atmospheric night scenes at Brickett Wood station, on the Watford Junction-St Albans Abbey branch. The train is hauled by ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.45097 with a ‘W789’ headcode on the smokebox door. The station has proved popular in film and in this instance masqueraded as ‘Seagate’. The film is based on the 1949 book All On A Summer’s Day by H L V Fletcher, written under the pen name ‘John Garden’.
DOUBLE EXPOSURE
GB
1954
1hr 01mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: John Bentley and Rona Anderson
A chance photograph may reveal a murderer’s identity, and someone is after the photographer
This short crime drama is based around a rather predictable theme, but it gets by well enough. It also features a superb shot of Winchester (City) station with Southern Railway streamlined Bulleid ‘Merchant Navy’ Class 4-6-2 No.35020 Bibby Line in the platform.
DOUBLE EXPOSURE
GB
1977
1hr 21mins
Dir: William Webb
Starring: Anouska Hempel and David Baron
A top photographer falls for the mistress of a wealthy and influential man
This thriller includes a scene filmed onboard a train on the Bluebell Railway.
DOUBLE HIT (see THE NEXT MAN)
*DOWNHILL (aka WHEN BOYS LEAVE HOME)
GB
1927
1hr 20mins
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Ivor Novello and Isabel Jeans
A Public schoolboy gets expelled when he takes the blame for a friend’s charge and his life falls apart in a series of misadventures
This excellent silent Hitchcock drama has what is probably the first use of the London Underground in a feature film. There is a lingering shot of
Ivor Novello descending the original escalator at Maida Vale Underground station. The escalator was of the original type that required people to step off to one side (in this case the left) at the bottom. A legacy left over from these early ‘moving staircases’ is the reason today that passengers stand on the right of escalators. The film is based on the play Down Hill by Ivor Novello and Constance Collier. For release in the US the film’s
length was cut by six minutes and it was given the alternative title ‘When Boys Leave Home’.
*DR MORELLE: THE CASE OF THE MISSING HEIRESS
GB
1949
1hr 13mins
Dir: Godfrey Grayson
Starring: Valentine Dyall and Julia Lang
A young woman goes missing under strange circumstances, leaving Dr Morelle to investigate
This was a film version of the popular BBC Radio series about a doctor-turned-sleuth, and there are some really good railway scenes in what is only a cheaply made B-movie mystery. There is a very good and rather rare shot of a GWR ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 leaving London Paddington and two shots of passing expresses. Both are hauled by GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0s, one with the stencil headcode ‘180’, and both with early ‘BRITISH RAILWAYS’ branding on the tenders. There is also a lovely panning shot of a GWR-liveried 1400-series 0-4-2T with an auto-coach on an unknown GWR branch. Early in the film there is a scenic shot of a single track country branch with the exhaust of a distant steam train visible.
*DR. TERROR’S HOUSE OF HORRORS
GB
1965
1hr 38mins
Dir: Freddie Francis
Starring: Peter Cushing and Ursula Howells
A stranger tells the fortunes of five people during a railway journey in which they all ultimately die
This was the first in a series of anthology films from Amicus Productions and was followed by six more horrors. The film cleverly portrays
death telling five separate stories to the passengers of an express who are all then killed in a train crash. Although the train and the final ‘station’
scene are studio sets, there are a couple of views of London Paddington at the beginning that include two close up shots of ex-GWR ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 No.6995 Benthall Hall on a departing train. The locomotive was withdrawn in 1965. There is also one stock shot of an ex-LMS Class 5MT
‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 on an express at night.
*DRACULA
GB
1973
1hr 40mins
Dir: Dan Curtis
Starring: Jack Palance and Nigel Davenport
Count Dracula comes to England and is pursued by Van Helsing
This 1973 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel features a scene at Tenterden Town station on the Kent & East Sussex Railway with a short train
arriving behind one of the lines diminutive ex-LBSCR A1X Class ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0Ts. Tenterden Town masquerades as ‘Whitby’. The later railway scenes, however, feature two ground level run-bys of GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT No.5775 from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Painted in the fictitious light brown livery of the ‘Great Northern & Southern Railway’ and working the ‘Old Gentleman’s Train’, it can be assumed that these shots were filmed for The Railway Children (qv) and then not used. The onboard scene shown in this sequence is almost undoubtedly filmed
on the Kent & East Sussex Railway.
*DRACULA
GB / US
1979
1hr 49mins
Dir: John Badham
Starring: Frank Langella and Kate Nelligan
In 1913, the charming, seductive and sinister vampire Count Dracula travels to England in search of an immortal bride
This lavish remake of the 1973 film above (qv) features a very atmospheric night scene on the Bluebell Railway. It was the turn of Sheffield Park station to this time masquerade as ‘Whitby’, and visible through the windows of the signalbox amidst much smoke and steam is the arriving train, hauled by SECR C Class 0-6-0 No.592. The coaches of the train carry fictitious ‘Eastern Yorkshire’ branding.
*DREAM ON
GB
1991
1hr 55mins
Dir: Amber Production Team
Starring: Anna-Marie Gascoigne and Maureen Harold
A film charting the struggles of three women and their families on a Tyneside housing estate
This drama was filmed on location on the Meadow Well estate in North Shields, and Tyne & Wear Metro units can be seen passing in the
background of several shots. There is also a brief scene filmed on a disused branch line, the exact location of which is not known.
DREAMING
GB
1944
1hr 18mins
Dir: John Baxter
Starring: Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen
A soldier is knocked out by a blow to the head and then dreams
This Flanagan and Allen comedy film opens with a studio-bound railway journey that includes a low-angle stock shot of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’
Class 6P 4-6-0 in the Lune Gorge.
*THE DRESSER
GB
1983
1hr 58mins
Dir: Peter Yates
Starring: Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay
A larger-than-life Shakespearean actor has a wild last day on tour
This drama is based on the successful 1980 West End and Broadway play by Ronald Harwood and features a memorable railway scene. Albert
Finney, playing the lead role as a Shakespearean actor, stops a departing train he has just missed by booming ‘Stop that train!’ so loudly that the driver simply has too oblige! The scene was filmed at York, posing as Crewe, and used LMS ‘Princess Coronation’ Class 4-6-2 No.6229 Duchess of Hamilton as the train engine, with coaching stock made up of 12 condemned BR Mk1 coaches painted LMS crimson lake with 1st and 3rd class designations for the occasion. The scene opens with a shot of ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.5407 on another rake of maroon-liveried
Mk1s.
DRIVING LESSONS
GB
2006
1hr 38mins
Dir: Jeremy Brock
Starring: Rupert Grint and Julie Walters
A sensitive teenager takes driving lessons from an eccentric actress who teaches him about life
This coming-of-age dramedy features a scene near the end that is shot outside Hampstead Underground station.
*DUAL ALIBI
GB
1947
1hr 21mins
Dir: Alfred Travers
Starring: Herbert Lom and Phyllis Dixey
Twin circus trapeze artists devise a way to commit murder in plain sight after being swindled out of a fortune
Most of this drama was filmed in Blackpool and there is brief stock shot footage of a couple of illuminated trams, a vintage double-decker with Daily Express advertising and a ‘sailing-yacht’ type.
*DUFFER
GB
1971
1hr 15mins
Dirs: Joseph Despins and William Dumaresq
Starring: Kit Gleave and Erna May
A teenage boy is torn between the womanly charms of a kindly prostitute and the sadistic attentions of an older man
This obscure and seemingly forgotten drama is an intense and bizarre study of obsession that is by turns lyrical and disconcerting, but more often than not just plain weird. There is a sequence filmed on the top deck of a bus travelling along the Great Western Road in West London and there are views of the goods facilities adjacent to the Great Western main line in the Westbourne Park area. There is also a very brief scene filmed on the concourse of London Waterloo station, but no trains are visible.
DULCIMER STREET (see LONDON BELONGS TO ME)
DUNKIRK
GB
2017
1hr 46mins
Dir: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Kenneth Brannagh and Cillian Murphy
The story of the Dunkirk evacuation told through three inter-connected perspectives
This war drama of critical acclaim is said to be a generally realistic representation of the historical evacuation. The narrative follows three inter-connected perspectives covering different but overlapping periods: on land covering one week, on the sea covering one day, and in the air covering one hour. There are railway scenes filmed on the Swanage Railway, with Swanage station appearing as ‘Woking’, plus shots onboard a train.
DUSTY ERMINE (aka HIDEOUT IN THE ALPS)
GB
1936
1hr 24mins
Dir: Bernard Vorhaus
Starring: Jane Baxter and Anthony Bushell
Police pursue counterfeiters to Switzerland
This crime film features a good shot of Southern Railway N Class 2-6-0 No.1830 leaving London Waterloo station together with a very brief ‘over
the camera’ shot of a GWR 4-6-0.
E
*THE EARLY BIRD
GB
1965
1hr 38mins
Dir: Robert Asher
Starring: Norman Wisdom and Edward Chapman
A small milk company is threatened by takeover from a national firm
This Norman Wisdom comedy has a memorable scene in which his milk handcart is trapped on a level crossing and demolished by a passing train. The level crossing is a mock-up with excellent stock footage of a Met-Camm ‘Blue Pullman’ DMU cut in, all the better seeing that the film is in colour.
*THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING
GB
1964
1hr 02mins
Dir: Terence Fisher
Starring: Dennis Price and Willard Parker
A crack space pilot returns to earth to find the planet has been devastated by some unknown force leaving few survivors
The pre-credit sequence of this science-fiction film shows footage of a Southern Railway large-boilered Drummond 4-4-0 on a passenger train followed by a train driver slumped at the controls of his locomotive. The ensuing crash is made up of footage from The Wrecker (qv) with ex-SECR F1 Class 4-4-0 No.148 being derailed in the film’s spectacular staged crash. There is also a shot of a commuter dropping down dead on the platform of Shepperton station!
*EAST IS EAST
GB
1916
1hr 20mins
Dir: Henry Edwards
Starring: Florence Turner and Henry Edwards
A poor girl comes into money but finds the high life difficult
This classic silent drama includes a scene where a family board a train made up of 1st Class SE&CR coaching stock. Despite seeing the entrance to the station, it is not known exactly where this scene was filmed.
EAST OF SHANGHAI (see RICH AND STRANGE)
EASY MONEY
GB
1948
1hr 34mins
Dir: Bernard Knowles
Starring: Greta Gynt and Jack Warner
Four stories about people who have won the football pools
Although this drama is made up of four separate segments which follow on from each other, they are not given specific titles. The second story includes a shot of a train leaving Beaconsfield station in Buckinghamshire, but no locomotive is visible.
*THE ECHO MURDERS
GB
1945
1hr 15mins
Dir: John Harlow
Starring: David Farrar and Kynaston Reeves
Sexton Blake solves a number of murders in Cornwall
This crime film involving the fictional detective Sexton Blake (played by David Farrar) has a number of railway scenes. There are a couple of shots of GWR main line expresses. One is hauled by a ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 but the other is a distant ‘going-away’ shot so the loco cannot be identified. Sexton Blake’s journey from Cornwall to London at the end of the film features a stock shot of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 in the Lune Gorge (!) and there is a scene with David Farrar hailing a taxi at London Paddington station.
EDGE OF DIVORCE (see BACKGROUND)
*THE EDGE OF LOVE
GB
2008
1hr 50mins
Dir: John Maybury
Starring: Keira Knightley and Matthew Rhys
Two women and their relationships with the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas
This drama features scenes of a London Underground station acting as a shelter during the blitz, these being filmed at Aldwych station. There is also a scene with Sienna Miller at King’s Cross station though no trains are visible. ‘New Quay’ station in Wales is indeed a Welsh station, it is Bronwydd Arms on the Gwili Railway with some BR Mk.1 coaching stock present. These are of course just slightly too young for the film.
*EDUCATING RITA
GB
1983
1hr 50mins
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Julie Walters and Michael Caine
A hairdresser enrols on an open university course
There is a scene in this popular comedy drama that was filmed at Dublin Pearse station with old CIÉ laminate-type carriages painted on one side only in BR blue & grey livery complete with logos and numbers. The repaint was done to a very high standard using water-soluble paint but it rained just before filming so some of it needed touching up! The former carriage ramp to Westland Row is also visible in this scene.
EGRESSION
GB
2011
1hr 40mins
Dir: Ray Brady
Starring: Andrew Shire and Angela Spalding
Attempting to escape the past through drugs and sex, three friends charge headlong towards their inescapable fates
This remarkable drama has some time-lapse scenes filmed at London Liverpool Street station, but there is also a shot of Great Eastern-liveried Class 321 EMUs passing through an unknown station, presumably in the Essex surburbia.
*80,000 SUSPECTS
GB
1963
1hr 53mins
Dir: Val Guest
Starring: Claire Bloom and Richard Johnson
The City of Bath is threatened by a smallpox epidemic
Shot on location in and around Bath there are two shots of railway stations in this brilliant drama. The first scene shows Richard Johnson on the platform of Bath Spa and the second shows a sadly unidentified snowbound country station. No trains are visible in either scene.
*ELECTRICITY
GB
2014
1hr 36mins
Dir: Bryn Higgins
Starring: Agyness Deyn and Christian Cooke
A young epileptic girl goes to London in search of her brother
This quite extraordinary drama is based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Ray Robinson. It features a dream sequence filmed largely at Haymarket station on the Tyne & Wear Metro system in Newcastle, though footage of an unidentified London Underground station is blended in. There is a train journey to London that features various brief images of window views and equally brief glimpses of King’s Cross station, where East Coast-liveried Mk3 coaching stock is present. The frontages to both King’s Cross and St Pancras stations also feature in this sequence and in a later scene, there is a shot of the platforms at London Euston station with a Class 221 ‘Super Voyager’ DEMU and a Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ EMU
just visible. The scenes at Haymarket feature Tyne & Wear Metro units as well as some shots filmed onboard.
ELEPHANT JUICE
GB / US
1999
1hr 26mins
Dir: Sam Miller
Starring: Emmanuelle Beart and Sean Gallagher
Three couples help their friend find a partner
There are various scenes in this drama that are shot on the London Underground, mainly showing Northern and Central Line 1990s-built tube
stock, though exact locations are not clear.
*THE ELEPHANT MAN
US
1980
2hrs 04mins
Dir: David Lynch
Starring: John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins
The story of Joseph Merrick who despite deformity, became a member of society
This critically-acclaimed film includes a scene at London Liverpool Street station and a brief stock shot of BR Class 2MT 2-6-0 No.46443 (carrying number 644) near Arley on the Severn Valley Railway that was originally filmed for the 1978 version of The Thirty Nine Steps (qv).
*11 HARROWHOUSE
GB
1974
1hr 34mins
Dir: Aram Avakian
Starring: Charles Grodin and Trevor Howard
An independent diamond broker and his girlfriend attempt a heist at a major Diamond Exchange house in London
There is a scene right at the end of this crime thriller that was shot at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. The featured scene was shot in Quainton Road Down Yard with ‘diamonds’ being mixed with cement in the back of a lorry using water from the Down Yard water tower. In the background three locomotives are visible: ex-GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT No.7715, rebuilt LSWR Beattie 0298 Class 2-4-0WT No.0314 and Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST No.3717 (ex-Associated Portland Cement Company No.3). The screenplay was adapted from the 1972 novel of the same name by Gerald A. Browne.
*THE EMBEZZLER
GB
1954
1hr 01mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Charles Victor and Avice Landone
A quiet, respectable bank cashier learns he has only a few years left to live, and decides to embezzle money from the bank where he works
This short but rather good crime film features several shots of the frontage to St Margarets station. There are also scenes filmed at London Victoria station with Charles Victor boarding a train formed of two 6 PUL / 6PAN EMU sets working an ‘Eastbourne’ service, as denoted by the carriage destination boards. In the background of other shots, a 4 COR unit is present as is an unidentified steam locomotive, standing at the bufferstops but largely obscured by the passing crowds. Victor’s journey to Eastbourne is depicted with a good, but erroneous, shot of a 4 SUB EMU passing over a steel girder bridge somewhere in south London. The carriage interior scene appears to be a quite convincing set.
*EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES
GB
1935
1hr 11mins
Dir: Milton Rosmer
Starring: John Williams and Mary Glynne
A young boy travels to London and after having his money stolen on the train, he enlists the help of a local street gang to help him retrieve it
This children’s detective adventure was a remake of the 1931 German film Emil und die Detektive, with the main setting moved from Berlin to London. Otherwise, it follows the original very closely even recreating many of the same camera shots. The initial film was based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Kästner, who also contributed to the 1931 film’s script. There have been six versions of the film in total, but this is the only English version. The film follows young Emil Blake as he travels by train from his home village to visit his grandmother in London. He
has his money stolen on the train journey down and quite a lot of this journey features in the film. There are scenes filmed at a Southern Railway
station that unfortunately has yet to be identified and although there is a glimpse of an arriving train, the shot cuts before the loco comes fully into view. Later though there is a very fine shot of an ex-LSWR Drummond Class L11 4-4-0 on a two-coach passenger service, but again this is at an unknown location. The platform scenes in this sequence are real, but the carriage interior is a set. After this there are scenes at the original London Bridge station and in one, a locomotive is seen beyond the ticket barrier that looks like it is an SR Maunsell-designed N1 or U1 2-6-0 in its original form minus smoke deflectors. The film is announced as Emil and the Detective, though the plural form was the title of the film.
*EMILE
GB / CAN
2003
1hr 35mins
Dir: Carl Bessai
Starring: Ian McKellen and Deborah Kara Unger
A man tries to reconcile with the family he abandoned
This drama features a scene near the start of the film with Ian McKellen on Platforms 6 and 7 of London Paddington station and Class 332 ‘Heathrow Express’ EMUs are present. There is also a brief scene filmed on board one of the Siemens-built units. Prior to this, there is a shot of the entrance to Wapping Underground station, before its transformation as part of the London Overground network.
*EMILY (aka THE AWAKENING OF EMILY)
GB
1976
1hr 27mins
Dir: Henry Herbert
Starring: Koo Stark and Victor Spinetti
A young girl’s sexual awakening in 1920s England
This awful coming-of-age drama features opening scenic shots filmed on the Bluebell Railway. The three-coach train is hauled by ex-LBSCR A1X Class ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No.72 Fenchurch with an arrival scene filmed at Horsted Keynes station.
*THE END OF THE AFFAIR
GB / US
1999
1hr 42mins
Dir: Neil Jordan
Starring: Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore
A writer reflects on his affair with a married woman during the Second World War
This drama is based on the 1951 novel of the same name by author Graham Greene, which had itself been adapted as a film in 1955. There is a brief shot of the stairs down to the ticket hall at Maida Vale Underground station, and a very unusual aerial shot of a steam-hauled train passing through a bombed cityscape. There is also a scene filmed in the ticket hall of Arnos Grove Underground station. In addition, there are a couple of scenes filmed onboard a train, and although these look real enough, it is not known where they were filmed or, indeed, whether they were a set.
THE END OF THE LINE
GB
1957
1hr 03mins
Dir: Charles Saunders
Starring: Alan Baxter and Barbara Shelley
The wife of a night club owner frames an American writer for his murder
The opening credits of this crime film feature a good shot of the ‘Golden Arrow’ titled express arriving at London Victoria station behind a BR ‘Britannia’ Class 7MT 4-6-2. This is then followed by various shots of the platforms and station frontage.
*ENGLISH WITHOUT TEARS (aka HER MAN GILBY)
GB
1944
1hr 29mins
Dir: Harold French
Starring: Michael Wilding and Lilli Palmer
During the Second World War a wealthy ATS girl falls for her butler
This comedy has a brief panoramic shot of the platforms of London Victoria station with a Southern Railway tank locomotive, possibly an H Class 0-4-4T, visible at the bufferstops. The foreign looking carriages in the following scene are an obvious studio set.
*THE ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL BUT CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN
GB
1995
1hr 39mins
Dir: Christopher Monger
Starring: Hugh Grant and Tara FitzGerald
Two English explorers declare a Welsh mountain really a hill, much to the annoyance of the local community
There are a couple of short scenes in this popular comedy drama that were filmed at Hampton Loade station on the Severn Valley Railway one of which shows the rear of a departing train. 1923-built GWR Brake Unclassed Saloon No.9369 is the last vehicle.
*AN ENGLISHMAN’S TRIP TO PARIS
GB
1904
4mins
Dir: Lewin Fitzhammon
Starring: Actors unknown
The adventures of an Englishman journeying to Paris
This early black and white silent understandably features some fascinating images despite its short length. From a historical viewpoint, it is of interest for the numerous tracking and panning shots. The camera moves around quite a bit, and in a variety of different settings, but from a railway viewpoint the film features something very rare. The entrance and platforms of London Charing Cross station are shown along with a shot of a departing train. The steam-hauled service is being worked by SER Stirling B1 Class 4-4-0 No.454 fitted with Holden oil-burning equipment. Only two engines, No’s.454 and 459 were fitted with Holden’s oil burning system in 1901 so the footage is unique. Although the conversions were a success it was deemed to be too expensive to be adopted generally and the equipment was removed from the locomotives in 1904, the year the film was made. It is thus very fortuitous that one should be captured on film and it is probably the rarest locomotive ever to be caught on camera. Not to be outdone, SECR Wainwright D Class 4-4-0 No.745 is in an adjacent platform and two other steam locos standing light can be seen in other platforms once the train has departed. The film also includes a shot of a boat train arriving at Dover Marine station behind another D Class locomotive. The early booking office scene was a set, filmed on the outdoor stage at Hurst Grove, Walton-on-Thames. The railway footage is available on Video 125’s Trains from the Arc’ DVD.
*ENIGMA
GB / US
2001
1hr 59mins
Dir: Michael Apted
Starring: Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott
A decoder at Bletchley Park tries to trace his missing girlfriend who is thought to be a spy
All the railway scenes in this wartime espionage thriller were filmed on the Great Central Railway, with Loughborough Central and Quorn & Woodhouse stations featuring prominently, as well as a number of lineside shots around Swithland. Rolling stock was largely erroneous for a film set in WWII; ex-GCR O4 Class 2-8-0 No.63601 which although built in 1911 was portraying BR livery, and BR Mk1 coaching stock, one of which is Corridor Composite No.16070 built in 1959. LMS roundels were applied to the coaches to add a degree of authenticity, and in one run-by the locomotive’s smokebox number plate has been amended to read ‘3601’ but for a film in which so much effort was carried out in portraying the correct period details it seems a shame that the railway scenes should be all wrong! In the background to one of the station scenes Ransomes & Rapier 45T steam crane No.RS1097 is visible which, being built in 1940, is at least of Second World War vintage! The script was adapted from the 1995 novel Enigma by Robert Harris and is highly fictionalized.
*THE ENTERTAINER
GB
1960
1hr 47mins
Dir: Tony Richardson
Starring: Laurence Olivier and Joan Plowright
A failing third-rate music-hall stage performer has one last shot at fame
Based on the stage play of the same name by John Osbourne this drama features scenes filmed at the old London Liverpool Street station, but no trains are visible. There are also some night shots of Blackpool trams at the end, with two Brush single-deck cars and two illuminated trams identifiable, the latter being an old double-decker and a pseudo ‘paddle steamer’.
*ESCAPADE
GB
1955
1hr 27mins
Dir: Philip Leacock
Starring: John Mills and Yvonne Mitchell
An English pacifist’s son runs away from school and hijacks a plane to Vienna so as to deliver a petition for peace
This comedy drama features a stock shot of unrebuilt LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 No.46100 Royal Scot complete with ‘THE ROYAL SCOT’ headboard on Bushey Troughs. This is a shot which can also be found in Beat Girl (qv), amongst others.
*ESCAPE
GB / US
1948
1hr 18mins
Dir: Joseph Mankiewicz
Starring: Rex Harrison and Peggy Cummins
A prisoner escapes from Dartmoor and claims his innocence by suggesting his conviction was unjust
This thriller features a scene where Rex Harrison’s car is held up at a level crossing by a mixed goods with a hot axlebox. A 4500-series 2-6-2T is the motive power and the location is Nappers Crossing on the Totnes-Ashburton branch (now of course the South Devon Railway).
*ESCAPE BY NIGHT
GB
1953
1hr 19mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Bonar Colleano and Sidney James
A journalist hides out with a crook in order to get a story
A scene towards the end of this crime thriller takes place in an unknown railway yard at night. Some wagons are visible as are the coaches of a passing express. There is also a stock shot from Brief Encounter 1945 (qv) of a streamlined ‘Coronation’ Class 4-6-2 on an express at Watford Junction.
ESCAPE FROM THE DARK (aka THE LITTLEST HORSE THIEVES)
GB / US
1976
1hr 44mins
Dir: Charles Jarrott
Starring: Alastair Sim and Peter Barkworth
Two boys attempt to rescue pit ponies from a slaughterhouse in Yorkshire
This Walt Disney family drama features a scene where there is an attempt to load the ponies onto wagons in a railway yard and this was filmed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway using a siding in Oakworth Yard. The locomotive used is former Manchester Ship Canal Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No.31 Hamburg.
*THE ESCAPIST
GB
2008
1hr 35mins
Dir: Rupert Wyatt
Starring: Liam Cunningham and Joseph Fiennes
A prisoner serving a life sentence plans an escape in order to visit his seriously ill estranged daughter
This highly acclaimed prison thriller features quite a lot of filming below ground, as the prisoners escape into a subterranean London, breaking out into the tunnels of the London Underground. Much filming took place at the closed Jubilee Line station at Charing Cross, with particular emphasis placed on the ventilation shafts and cross passages, though there were some scenes at track level. In one of these scenes the escapees are seen at the scissors crossover prior to the platforms, but the tube train in this sequence appears to be a CGI creation. ‘Union Street’ station was the old Holborn station within the closed Kingsway tram tunnel.
EVERY DAY’S A HOLIDAY (aka SEASIDE SWINGERS)
GB
1965
1hr 34mins
Dir: James Hill
Starring: John Leyton and Ron Moody
Several teenagers take jobs at a seaside resort for the summer so that they can enter a talent contest
The musical comedy used the Butlin’s Holiday Camp in Clacton, Essex, as a location and there is brief footage of Class 305 EMU No.153 on a
Clacton-bound service. Rather good continuity from the producers.
*EVERYHOME SHOULD HAVE ONE (aka THINK DIRTY)
GB
1970
1hr 34mins
Dir: James Clark
Starring: Marty Feldman and Judy Cornwell
A struggling advertising man is tasked by his boss with trying to come up with a sexy new image for porridge
During a comedy chase sequence in this film there is a shot of a pair of SR 4 SUB EMUs passing over New Malden High Street.
EVERYBODY DANCE
GB
1936
1hr 14mins
Dir: Charles Reisner
Starring: Cicely Courtneidge and Ernest Truex
A nightclub owner poses as a country lady to help young relations
There is a station scene in this comedy musical with an LNER N7 Class 0-6-2T prominent, but it is not known where this was filmed.
EVERYTHING IS RHYTHM
GB
1936
1hr 13mins
Dir: Alfred Goulding
Starring: Harry Roy and Dorothy Boyd
A member of a band playing at a luxurious hotel falls in love with a princess staying there
There is a montage sequence in this musical that depicts a band travelling across Europe which at one point includes a run by of Southern Railway rolling stock, but no locomotive is seen.
THE EVIL MIND (see THE CLAIRVOYANT)
EXISTENCE (see THE 14)
*EXPOSÉ (aka THE HOUSE ON STRAW HILL)
GB
1976
1hr 24mins
Dir: James Kenelm Clark
Starring: Udo Kier and Fiona Richmond
A paranoid writer’s troubles begin after he hires a secretary to help with his second novel
This soft-core video nasty is dreadful, but it has some fantastic shots of Hatfield Peverel station on the Great Eastern Main Line in Essex and other nearby lineside scenes. Passing Eastern Region trains include a pair of Class 309 EMUs, a couple of Class 305 EMUs and a Class 47-hauled express.
*AN EYE FOR A TOOTH
GB
2005
15mins
Dir: Murat Kebir
Starring: Taylan Halici and Lorna Bennet
A generations old family feud continues to simmer
This short crime drama deals with two Turkish families and how they are affected by tradition and honour. It features an opening shot of the concourse at Canary Wharf Underground station.
*EYE OF THE NEEDLE
US
1981
1hr 58mins
Dir: Richard Marquand
Starring: Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan
In wartime Britain, a German spy flees to a Scottish island where his plans are thwarted by a young woman resident
Based on the novel of the same title by Ken Follett this American spy thriller has some wildly varying railway scenes. These start out at London
Marylebone, which is straightforward enough, and there are some brief scenes filmed at the station, but then it all goes awry. The trains which follow are an ‘over the camera’ shot of a ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0, a run past of what looks to be a named BR 9F 2-10-0 decorated with a ‘Golden Arrow’ headboard, a low-level shot of ex-SR N Class 2-6-0 No.31874 Brian Fiske pulling away with a service on the Mid Hants Railway, a lineside run by that seems to show ex-SR S15 Class 4-6-0 No.825 on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and finally BR Standard Class 4MT
4-6-0 No.75078 entering Mytholmes Tunnel on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway! It is not clear where the onboard scenes were filmed, and
the railway sequences end with Donald Sutherland walking the tracks past an unknown signalbox. The film’s opening takes place at a goods depot where goods and supplies board a train consisting mostly of CCTs, one of which is QPV No.DS90. It is not clear where this was filmed either, but it would have been somewhere in London, and this opening sequence also features the arrival of a troop train. All a bit bizarre really.
F
*FACE
GB
1997
1hr 45mins
Dir: Antonia Bird
Starring: Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone
A group of thieves carry out a robbery but one of them is a traitor
As the opening credits of this crime drama roll there is a night shot of a passing Docklands Light Railway unit at an unknown location. The film also includes the entrances to two London Underground stations and a scene filmed beneath a railway viaduct in East London though it is not known where any of these shots were filmed.
THE FACE BEHIND THE SCAR (see RETURN OF A STRANGER (1937))
*THE FACE OF FU MANCHU
GB
1965
1hr 36mins
Dir: Don Sharp
Starring: Christopher Lee and Nigel Green
A London crime spree is linked to the world mastermind criminal Fu Manchu
This crime thriller was the first in a series of five films based on Fu Manchu and features a good railway scene. During a car chase through the streets of Dublin, which is supposedly set in London, there is a good shot of the cars passing a 5’ 3” gauge Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST hauling a rake of wagons. The location is the tramway that ran along St. John’s Road and linked the Guinness Brewery with Kingsbridge Goods Yard near Heuston station. The industrial locomotive was one of the two broad-gauge locos that belonged to the brewery.
THE FACTS OF LOVE (see 29 ACACIA AVENUE)
*FAHRENHEIT 451
GB
1966
1hr 52mins
Dir: François Truffaut
Starring: Oskar Werner and Julie Christie
In a fascist future books are banned and burned by firemen as part of an oppressive totalitarian regime
This Dystopian science fiction drama is based on the 1953 Ray Bradbury novel of the same name. At the very end, there are scenes set in resistance camps and the end of an overgrown siding is visible along with a very complete grounded body of a vintage compartment coach of Southern origin. It is not known where this was filmed, and it could well be a set, but the plethora of Birch trees suggests either MoD Bramley or the Longmoor Military Railway were used.
FAIRYTALE A TRUE STORY
GB
1997
1hr 39mins
Dir: Charles Sturridge
Starring: Paul McGann and Peter O’Toole
In 1917 two girls become famous for apparently taking photographs of fairies
This family fantasy is based loosely on the tale of the Cottingley fairies and uses an accurate depiction of a local train in Yorkshire. Filmed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Aspinall Class 27 0-6-0 No.1300 was borrowed from the East Lancashire Railway and was coupled to appropriate vintage stock. There is also an atmospheric scene filmed on the platform at Keighley station.
*FALLING FOR YOU
GB
1933
1hr 28mins
Dirs: Jack Hulbert and Robert Stevenson
Starring: Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge
Two reporters go to Switzerland to trace a missing heiress
This comedy features a scene filmed at Folkestone Harbour station where a train is briefly visible. Leading tender first the locomotive maybe an
ex-SE&CR C Class 0-6-0.
*THE FAMILY
GB
1969
28mins
Dir: Michael Alexander
Starring: Actors unknown
A man travels to the Isle of Arran to marry his fiancée, only to find that her extended family is part of the package
This almost silent black and white mystery drama is quite horrifying at times and has a gentle guitar soundtrack throughout with barely a word being uttered. The opening two minutes feature scenes onboard trains, largely unidentifiable to the author, though it looks as if the first shot is taken onboard a DMU leaving Glasgow Central station.
*FAMILY LIFE (aka WEDNESDAY’S CHILD)
GB
1971
1hr 48mins
Dir: Ken Loach
Starring: Sandy Ratcliff and Bill Dean
A young girl becomes mentally ill through pressure from her parents
This dark and gritty drama is a remake of In Two Minds, an episode of the BBC’s Wednesday Play series first transmitted by the BBC in March 1967. It features a couple of scenes on the London Underground with 1962-built tube stock and a Central Line station.
*FAN
GB
2016
2hrs 18mins
Dir: Maneesh Sharma
Starring: Shah Rukh Khan and Sayani Gupta
What happens when one fans passion for a superstar becomes a dangerous obsession?
This standard Bollywood drama has quite a lot of location work in England, with much of the second half filmed in London. There are aerial scenes around The Shard with Alexandra Bridge and Cannon Street Railway Station visible. Trains can be seen in the landscape, but they are too small to preclude an exact identity. There then follows an extraordinary sequence of events at King’s Cross station, masquerading as its neighbour St Pancras of all places. Shah Rukh Khan is travelling to the Continent by train, and an HST pulls out with power car No.43309 on the rear with a fake ‘London to Dubrovnik’ dot matrix display in the cab windscreen!! Bollywood films are renowned for their poor continuity errors, but this one seems a bit excessive. Class 365 EMU’s, Mk4 DVT’s, another HST set and a Class 91 electric are also visible in this scene. The adjacent power car to that pulling out is 43290, as identified through its nameplate – mtu fascination of power.
THE FARMER’S WIFE
GB
1941
1hr 21mins
Dir: Leslie Arliss
Starring: Wilfred Lawson and Patricia Roc
A farmer seeks a wife but marries his housekeeper
This drama is based on the play The Farmer’s Wife by Eden Phillpotts, which had previously been adapted by Alfred Hitchcock for a 1928 film of the same name. It features a rare shot of Cole Green station on the Welwyn Garden City-Hertford line, but no trains are present.
*FAST & FURIOUS 6
US
2013
2hrs 10mins
Dir: Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster
A professional criminal gang is reassembled to take down a team of mercenaries
This action film is the sixth instalment of The Fast and Furious franchise and includes quite a lot in the way of railways. There is of course the
epic fight scene filmed on the concourse of Waterloo Underground station, though the subway and platform shots use Aldwych station with its 1972-stock train. Earlier in the film there are some elevated night shots of Canary Wharf with Docklands Light Railway units crossing the landscape, and a night shot of Class 315 EMUs crossing the Regents Canal at Cambridge Heath. In a daytime view probably filmed in the same area, Class 317 EMUs cross viaduct arches, and a scene filmed adjacent to Battersea Rail Bridge at night features trains crossing, but they are not that easily identified. In a scene filmed somewhere near the Regents Canal basin St Pancras station is visible in the background and, in a surprise twist, Class 395 ‘Javelin’ EMUs are running along the HS1 chord in the far distance. Finally, an aerial montage of London includes brief shots of Waterloo station, with Class 455 EMUs just visible in some of the platforms.
*FAST AND LOOSE
GB
1954
1hr 15mins
Dir: Gordon Parry
Starring: Brian Reece and Kay Kendall
A married man misses his train and has to spend the night with an old flame
This comedy was a remake of the 1933 movie A Cuckoo in the Nest (qv) and features opening scenes at London Paddington station. A train is
departing from Platform 1, and an ex-GWR 0-6-0PT can be seen moving light engine behind a rake of coaches in another. Later in the film there is a good shot of a local train arriving at Denham Golf Club station behind an ex-LNER L1 Class 2-6-4T. The station is referred to as ‘Piddock’ in the film, but the following station scene of carriage interior and platform is a set.
*FATHER BROWN (aka THE DETECTIVE)
GB
1954
1hr 31mins
Dir: Robert Hamer
Starring: Alec Guinness and Peter Finch
Father Brown tries to transport an historically important cross to Rome but is pursued by a thief and a policeman
Technically, the film is a remake of the 1934 Paramount picture Father Brown, Detective which was likewise based on The Blue Cross, a short
story by G. K. Chesterton. This Catholic drama was largely successful and is an enjoyable tale that features one brief railway scene at London Victoria station. Alec Guinness runs for a train and despite the presence of a banking locomotive at the bufferstops, it is shrouded in steam and as a result is not identifiable.
FEAST OF JULY
GB
1995
1hr 56mins
Dir: Christopher Menaul
Starring: Embeth Davidtz and Tom Bell
In Victorian England, a woman finds love with a simple-minded youth
Based on the 1954 novel of the same name by H. E. Bates this drama features scenes on the Severn Valley Railway using ex-GWR 5700-series
0-6-0PT No.5764 hauling vintage stock. Several scenes were also filmed at Bewdley station.
*FELICIA’S JOURNEY
GB / CAN
1999
1hr 56mins
Dir: Atom Egoyan
Starring: Bob Hoskins and Elaine Cassidy
A young pregnant Irish girl comes to Birmingham alone and is befriended by a strange middle-aged man
This psychological thriller is based on the prize-winning 1994 novel of the same name by William Trevor. It features a shot of Elaine Cassidy walking alone beside a river with a Centro-liveried Class 323 EMU passing behind. This was filmed in Aston next to the River Tame as it passes underneath the A38M and the Birmingham to Lichfield ‘Cross-City’ railway line.
FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY
GB
1965
1hr 28mins
Dir: Jeremy Summers
Starring: Gerry Marsden and Eric Barker
A pop band forms for a music competition
This musical film featuring Gerry and the Pacemakers followed a popular genre of the time. It features a ‘Keystone Kops’-style comedy sequence
with a hearse speeding through the streets of Liverpool and at one point being chased through the docks by a Class 03 diesel shunter with a match
wagon, a rare loco type to be captured on film. A considerable number of wagons such as box vans and open mineral-types can be seen in the
yards, as well as some parcels vans.
*FEVER PITCH
GB
1997
1hr 42mins
Dir: David Evans
Starring: Colin Firth and Ruth Gemmell
A sports fan’s romantic courtship clashes with his obsession with his favourite football team – Arsenal
This sporting drama is based loosely on Nick Hornby’s 1992 best-selling memoir Fever Pitch: A Fan’s Life and unsurprisingly there are a number of shots featuring the frontage of Arsenal Underground station.
FFOLKES (see NORTH SEA HIJACK)
THE FIEND (aka BEWARE MY BRETHREN)
GB
1972
1hr 38mins
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davies
Starring: Ann Todd and Patrick Magee
A religiously obsessed young man becomes a serial killer
Early in this horror film there is a shot of BR blue-liveried 4 COR EMUs passing somewhere in South West London.
*THE FILE OF THE GOLDEN GOOSE
GB
1969
1hr 49mins
Dir: Sam Wanamaker
Starring: Yul Brynner and Edward Woodward
An American agent works with Scotland Yard to track down an international counterfeit gang
This crime thriller features several good shots of the old London Liverpool Street station with a Class 47 diesel and Class 305 EMUs visible. There are also two indistinct run-bys of an express at night.
THE FILM-MAKER’S SON
GB
2013
1hr 44mins
Dir: Bart Gavigan
Starring: Gregg Burton and Carol Adkins
After an unexpected tragedy, an inner-city teen struggles to put together disturbing pieces of his life
This drama features a scene filmed in the yard at the Didcot Railway Centre, with ex-GWR 2884 Class 2-8-0 No.3822 in steam and ‘Toad’ brake van No.68684 on an adjacent siding.
*THE FINAL TEST
GB
1953
1hr 30mins
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Jack Warner and Robert Morley
A cricketer looks forward to his last game
This sports film has a good opening shot of ex-Southern Railway ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 No.34048 Crediton arriving at London Waterloo station on an express.
*FINDING YOUR FEET
GB
2017
1hr 51mins
Dir: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Timothy Spall and Imelda Staunton
After discovering her husband of 35 years is having an affair, a well-off judgmental snob goes to London to live with her bohemian sister
This lovely, and very thoughtful comedy drama has a superb cast throughout, and a powerful story. It features a couple of good close-up shots of the entrance to Leicester Square Underground station, and a scene looking down Amyand Park Road in Twickenham with St Margaret’s station in the background. As the shot opens a rebuilt Class 458 EMU is departing from Platform 1.
FIONA (see HARDCORE)
*A FIRE HAS BEEN ARRANGED
GB
1935
1hr 20mins
Dir: Leslie Hiscott
Starring: Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen
After ten years in prison three ex-bank robbers try to recover their hidden loot
There is a comedy scene in this film whereby Flanagan and Allen drive their car from a level crossing and into a tunnel. An express follows them in and emerges from the other side, followed by the car missing most of its parts! The express suffers from an identity crisis as in the ‘approaching’ shot it is hauled by GWR ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 No.4035 Queen Charlotte, only for it then to be hauled by a Class 4300-series 2-6-0 as it enters the tunnel. When it emerges from the other side it is hauled by a ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0, which is travelling a lot quicker and appears to contain some vintage clerestory stock, though the shot is edited and could be two trains! The level crossing is Greenland Mill Level Crossing and the tunnel is the adjacent 159 yards-long Bradford Tunnel. The trains are not the only continuity error. The car initially turns left off the level crossing and, by crossing onto the bridge over the River Avon, is driving away from the tunnel. The first shot of the ‘approaching’ ‘Star’ also shows the loco heading away from the level crossing having already crossed the bridge. Then we see the car entering the tunnel, so it has turned
around! None of this really matters though because the amusing scene has some decent images, that of the ‘Star’ is particularly rare. There is also
a shot of the wrecked car being driven through Bradford-on-Avon station just after the event.
THE FIREFIGHTERS
GB
1975
56mins
Dir: Jonathan Ingrams
Starring: Vincent Hall and Sharon Fussey
A group of children living near a fire station regularly help out with fire drills, but one gets accused of arson after a series of fires are started
This Children’s Film Foundation drama features shots of Datchet station, and a scene beneath the arches of Windsor viaduct on the Windsor & Eton Central branch. No trains feature in either scene.
*FIRST A GIRL
GB
1935
1hr 34mins
Dir: Victor Saville
Starring: Jessie Matthews and Sonnie Hale
A delivery girl becomes a musical star by pretending to be a female impersonator
This musical was adapted from the 1933 German film Viktor und Viktoria. There is a montage sequence involving a theatre tour from Britain to the Continent with brief glimpses of a Gresley ‘Pacific’, both passing and rail-level shots.
*THE FIRST GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (aka THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY)
GB
1979
1hr 40mins
Dir: Michael Crichton
Starring: Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland
In 1855 a ruthless crook picks a gang to rob the London-Folkestone express
All the railway scenes for this frequently shown caper film where shot in Ireland. Dublin Heuston was used for all the ‘London Bridge’ scenes, including a number of atmospheric night shots, and Cork station appeared as ‘Folkestone Harbour’. All the train journey scenes were filmed at various locations on the CIE system, including Moate which appeared as ‘Ashford’. Moate was located on the former Midland Great Western Railway’s Dublin-Galway route via Mullingar and closed in 1987. Preserved GSR Class J15 0-6-0 No.184 was the loco that was used in the film, painted in a fictional livery based on that of the South Eastern Railway. It was renumbered No.134 and was equipped with dummy side frames which lay in Mullingar shed for many years after. The four-wheel coaches and vans were created specially by the production company. They paid to have mock carriage bodies built onto the frames of redundant old long-wheelbase flat wagons, yet the plywood bodies really looked the part. The other preserved J15 No.186 also makes an appearance in the film but is particularly noticeable in the closing scenes filmed at Cork.
*A FISH CALLED WANDA
GB
1988
1hr 49mins
Dir: Charles Crichton
Starring: John Cleese and Jamie Lee Curtis
Four very different people team up to commit armed robbery only to double cross each other for the loot
In this successful heist-comedy there is a shot of a BR large-logo liveried Class 73 on NSE-liveried EMU stock passing over viaduct arches in
South West London. This was filmed in Culvert Place, Battersea, and the train is running on the ‘Down Brighton Slow’ line.
*5 CHILDREN AND IT (or FIVE CHILDREN & IT)
GB / US / FRA
2004
1hr 29mins
Dir: John Stephenson
Starring: Tara Fitzgerald and Kenneth Branagh
Five evacuated children make friends with a sand fairy
This popular adventure fantasy film based on E. Nesbit’s 1902 book of the same title features scenes at the start that were filmed on the Isle of Man Steam Railway. There are some excellent shots of Beyer Peacock 2-4-0T No.11 Maitland departing Douglas station and then arriving at Castletown. Douglas masquerades as ‘Hampton Wick’ but Castletown station appears as itself. More interesting is the fact that the coaching stock carries spurious ‘Somerset & Dorset’ branding! Between these scenes there are some equally good aerial shots of Beyer Peacock 2-4-0T No.10 G.
H. Wood passing through the countryside. Although the book title and that of the film feature the number 5 along with the word ‘and’, it often
appears on movie covers and on posters spelt with an ampersand, and with the number five written fully (Five Children & It).
*FIVE SECONDS TO SPARE
GB
2000
1hr 39mins
Dir: Tom Connolly
Starring: Max Beesley and Ray Winstone
A young musician travels to London in pursuit of his dreams, but ends up the sole witness to a bizarre murder
There are some shots of London St Pancras station in this rather strange crime film with a Midland Mainline-liveried HST set visible in one. There are also a couple of shots on the London Underground that feature District Line D78 stock.
*FLAME (aka SLADE IN FLAME)
GB
1975
1hr 31mins
Dir: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Neville Holder and Tom Conti
A rock group is promoted by a smart advertising executive in the 1960s
This rock movie starring the members of the band Slade features a scene where Jim Lea walks across waste ground with a signal box visible on an embankment behind him. This is Willesden High Level Junction signal box and the waste ground was that located between railway lines to the south east of Stoke Place, NW10. The North London Line runs across the embankment on its way between Willesden Junction and Acton Central and the bridge seen on the left of the shot is that which takes the line across the West Coast Main Line. If you look really carefully some old Departmental coaching stock is just visible adjacent to the bridge. The signalbox was demolished in April 2011. Later in the movie there is a scene that was filmed onboard Mk.1 coaching stock on the Kent & East Sussex Railway plus another that was shot beneath a railway bridge that crosses a canal, but it is not known where this last scene was filmed.
THE FLANAGAN BOY (aka BAD BLONDE)
GB
1953
1hr 19mins
Dir: Reginald Le Borg
Starring: Barbara Payton and Sidney James
A young boxer becomes romantically involved with the wife of a shady promoter
This film noir features a night shot of a passing express hauled by a GWR 4-6-0, and a scene at Denham station in Buckinghamshire with the tail end of a departing local train, the locomotive of which is not visible.
*THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW
GB
1972
1hr 36mins
Dir: Pete Walker
Starring: Ray Brooks and Jenny Hanley
Actors rehearsing a show at a mysterious seaside theatre are being killed off by an unknown maniac
This horror film features some good shots of Cromer station in Norfolk, with a Class 105 DMU present.
THE FLESH IS WEAK
GB
1957
1hr 28mins
Dir: Don Chaffey
Starring: John Derek and Milly Vitale
A pimp preys on young women in London, charming them into his confidence, and then blackmailing them into prostitution
This drama features a shot of the frontage to St Pancras station, but no trains feature.
*FLIGHT OF THE DOVES
GB
1971
1hr 45mins
Dir: Ralph Nelson
Starring: Ron Moody and Dorothy McGuire
While fleeing across the Irish countryside, two orphans are pursued by their villainous uncle, a master of disguises
This family drama is an adaptation of Walter Macken’s 1963 novel of the same name. Set in Ireland, there is one very good shot of CIE black and tan-liveried Metro-Vick A Class diesel locomotive No.A60, with a couple of laminate and Cravens coaches on the Carlisle Pier in Dún Laoghaire.
FLIGHT OF TREASON (see LIVE NOW, PAY LATER)
*FLOOD
GB
2007
1hr 50mins
Dir: Tony Mitchell
Starring: Robert Carlyle and Joanne Whalley
A devastating flood strikes London when the Thames Barrier is overwhelmed by a huge surge of water
Based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Richard Doyle, this disaster movie features shots of Charing Cross, Canary Wharf and Embankment Underground stations, the very clever use of computer generation shows people fleeing the catastrophic flood waters that engulf the tunnels. There are also some brief shots of 1990s-built tube stock on CCTV sets.
*FLYBOYS
GB / US
2006
2hrs 18mins
Dir: Tony Bill
Starring: James Franco and Tyler Labine
American pilots join the First World War with the Lafayette Escadrille, the 124th air squadron formed by the French in 1916
The railway scenes of this war drama were all filmed on the Bluebell Railway, though you would never know it. Kingscote station was used to depict Lincoln, Nebraska, with BR Standard 5MT 4-6-0 No.73082 used for the scene. The loco was renumbered 2759 and adorned with US railway insignia, though the Camelot nameplates were retained! Computer imagery was added so that when the train departs, instead of revealing the up platform we see typical Midwest prairie land. Horsted Keynes was likewise transformed and became ‘Paris’ with computer generation giving it a large overall roof and making it appear as a major station. In these scenes two locomotives were used, namely ex-GWR ‘Dukedog’
4-4-0 No.3217 and ex-LBSCR E4 Class 0-6-2T No.32473 Birch Grove.
*THE FLYING SCOT
GB
1957
1hr 10mins
Dir: Compton Bell
Starring: Kay Callard and Alan Gifford
A team of crooks attempt to rob an overnight train of its used bank notes
This low-budget B-movie is really rather good and its taut suspense and crisp dialogue raises the game where many others of the period fail. It
also has a good number of railway scenes. Interestingly, the first 15 minutes of the film is the imagined planned robbery sequence without
dialogue, and involves the robbers gaining access to the money by occupying the compartment next door and gaining access to it by taking the
seats and adjoining partition apart. Railway shots during this sequence include, in the following order; a general view of London Paddington station with the announcer giving details of an ‘overnight express for London’!; a three-quarter rear shot of ex-GWR ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 No.6942 Eshton Hall leaving Paddington on a Shrewsbury express; three different shots of streamlined ‘Duchess’ Class 4-6-2s on expresses at night, one of which is a going-away shot (all three of which are stock shots from Brief Encounter 1945 (qv)); an ex-GWR ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 with stencil headcode ‘187’ in a deep cutting; night shots of several express trains though they are all too dark to discern any details; and a ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 arriving at London Paddington with an express (a shot which also appears in 6.5 Special (qv)). During the actual robbery which follows the same shots are used but with three extra ones put in, namely; an interesting view of a ‘Duchess’ Class 4-6-2 overtaking a slow moving ex-LMS 8F Class 2-8-0 on a freight on a bridge crossing a river; a ‘going-away’ shot of a silhouetted express on an embankment at night, again the loco of which is not discernible; and a different view of another express arriving at London Paddington behind a ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-2 with the stencil headcode ‘753’. All other scenes appear to be studio sets yet the props department seem to have built some very accurate copies of compartment stock.
THE FLYING SCOTSMAN
GB
1929
57mins
Dir: Castleton Knight
Starring: Moore Marriott and Pauline Johnson
A disgruntled former employee tries to wreck the ‘Flying Scotsman’
This film is a very early ‘part-talkie’ as half way through this silent everyone starts to talk! As the name of the film suggests Gresley LNER A3 Class 4-6-2 No.4472 Flying Scotsman was the star of the film, suggesting that its recent fame is not a new phenomenon. The locomotive was used by the film company for six weeks of filming, with crews using numerous camera positions on the loco, tender and stock. The early railway scenes in this film are as follows; an unknown ‘Gresley’ 4-6-2 passing on an express; Flying Scotsman entering London King’s Cross followed by a general station scene; Flying Scotsman leaving King’s Cross ‘Top Shed’ MPD light engine with ex-GNR ‘large-boilered’ Class C1 4-4-2 No.4411 in the background with possibly another ‘Gresley’ 4-6-2 behind that (incidentally loco 4411 was involved in the 1935 Welwyn crash but was not damaged); Flying Scotsman backing onto a train at King’s Cross with an LNER N2 Class 0-6-2T alongside; Flying Scotsman then leaves with an express and this is followed by a number of good drivers-eye views of locations in the immediate area such as Gasworks and Copenhagen Tunnels and Holloway Bank. During these clips, we get a rare glimpse of a D49 Class 4-4-0 passing on an express. The rest of the film is taken up by the attempt to wreck the train which was filmed on the Hertford Loop. The scenes where actors Pauline Johnson and Alec Hurley climb on to the roof and running-boards of the train at 45 mph were filmed between Crews Hill, Cuffley and Bayford and the actors actually carried out these brave stunts themselves, not stunt-doubles. Pauline Johnson wore high-heels! (Pauline Johnson was a leading British silent actress of her age, although she did appear in few films after 1930). Having acquired the use of Flying Scotsman, Castleton Knight took a number of liberties, and it is a fantastic record of what could be done through co-operation of the railway companies combining their efforts with a determined film crew. Moore Marriott really drove the locomotive, and Ray Milland tended the fire. Eventually the loco is uncoupled from its train, again at speed, and as the loco continues, the teak coaches are brought to a stand. This entire sequence is a masterpiece of editing and in many ways set a precedent for future films starting with The Last Journey (qv) in 1936. However, the scene of the villain uncoupling the loco from the stock, with the carriages racing on in pursuit of the loco, were a source of great anger to Sir Nigel Gresley! He said, ‘it made it look as though the LNER had not yet discovered the vacuum brake’ and a special title had to be added to the film explaining that ‘certain liberties had been taken for dramatic license with the normal safety equipment of LNER trains’. In fact, this movie put Sir Nigel completely off ‘film people’ as he called them, and he stayed away from the camera thereafter. Footage of him on screen is thus limited to just a few promotional reels from a visit to Doncaster Works in 1927. It seems a shame that this movie is relatively little known, despite being readily available on DVD.
*THE FOOTBALL FACTORY
GB
2004
1hr 31mins
Dir: Nick Love
Starring: Danny Dyer and Frank Harper
British football fans celebrate their favourite sport in a wash of drugs, alcohol and violence
This hooliganism film is based on the cult award winning novel of the same name by John King, published in 1997. The film features a very brief glimpse of the entrance to Surrey Quays station on the East London Line.
FOR FREEDOM
GB
1940
1hr 27mins
Dirs: Maurice Elvey and Castleton Knight
Starring: Will Fyffe and Anthony Hulme
A news agency scoops the sinking of the Admiral Graf Spee
One scene in this drama depicts a group of reporters working on a newsreel about scientific progress and there are two interesting shots, one of London trams crossing Westminster Bridge at night, and another showing a view of London Charing Cross station with a collection of pre-war Southern Railway suburban EMUs present.
*FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY
GB / US
1988
1hr 45mins
Dir: Martin Stellman
Starring: Denzel Washington and George Baker
A black soldier is discharged from the British military but struggles to find gainful employment in the face of racism and corruption
This crime drama is largely shot on location in South London and in one scene as Denzel Washington walks through an inner-city estate, a
Gatwick Express Class 73-hauled service passes in the background.
*FOR THEM THAT TRESPASS
GB
1949
1hr 35mins
Dir: Alberto Cavalcanti
Starring: Richard Todd and Rosalyn Boulter
A renowned writer knowingly conceals the identity of a killer even though an innocent man is being held for the crime
This crime film is an adaptation of the 1944 novel of the same name by Ernest Raymond that has the real murderer as a fireman. Despite this detail there is relatively little in the way of real railway scenes and the engine sheds and footplate shots are studio sets. In the engine shed scenes there are backdrops with steam locomotives present, perhaps a couple of ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s, but the shots appear to be artistic recreations despite the ‘live’ steam. There is, however, a dramatic final scene filmed in one of the tunnels at Welwyn which sees the killer run down by a train, a passing freight hauled by an ex-LNER WD Austerity 2-8-0. What appears to be an ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 also features in this scene and a couple of other shots of unrebuilt LMS ‘Patriot’ Class 6P 4-6-0s on passing expresses at dusk appear earlier in the film.
FOR THOSE IN PERIL
GB
1944
1hr 17mins
Dir: Charles Crichton
Starring: David Farrar and Ralph Michael
A flier fails to join the Royal Air Force so instead joins the Air Sea Rescue launches
This war film was developed from a short story by Richard Hillary, an RAF pilot killed in action in January 1943, and includes a shot of Southern Railway 2 NOL EMU No.1833 arriving at an unknown station on the Sussex Coast.
*FORBIDDEN (aka SCARLET HEAVEN)
GB
1949
1hr 27mins
Dir: George King
Starring: Douglass Montgomery and Hazel Court
A chemist working at a fairground stall is suspected of killing his wife
This good, fast-paced thriller is set in Blackpool, and there are shots of trams throughout. Although most are just fleeting glimpses, there is a good distant shot of a Brush single-decker near the beginning. The station scenes and the ‘London’ train are studio sets.
FORBIDDEN CARGO
GB
1954
1hr 25mins
Dir: Harold French
Starring: Nigel Patrick and Jack Warner
A narcotics agent attempts to trap a brother and sister drug smuggling team
This crime film features a scene at London Victoria station, but no trains are visible.
*FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE
GB
1978
1hr 58mins
Dir: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford
During the Second World War commandos are sent to blow up a bridge in Yugoslavia
This war film is loosely based on Alistair MacLean’s 1968 novel of the same name and is a sequel to the 1961 film The Guns of Navarone. Although the majority of the film was set on the continent, there is a railway scene that was filmed in Britain which features railway stock largely out of sync for a Second World War movie. The scene takes place in a goods yard where the commandos smuggle themselves onto a train. This was filmed at the Royal Naval Dockyard (South Yard) Devonport, Plymouth, and VBA 4-wheeled van No.200425 is prominent along with other vans (including a VCA No.20032?) and various mineral wagons. The letters P.S.T.O(N) can be seen on several internal user vehicles, this stands for Principal Supply and Transport Officer (Navy). Identifiable wagons in this series include Nos.151 and 451 both 7-plank opens, a 4-plank bogie open tube No.336, and No.695, a small four-wheel flat. There is a locomotive as well in the opening shot when one of the dockyards fleet of F.C. Hibberd 4wDM ‘Planet’ shunters trundles past with a couple of wagons. Built in 1955, this is also too young for a film set in WWII.
*FOREIGN BODY
GB
1986
1hr 51mins
Dir: Ronald Neame
Starring: Victor Banerjee and Amanda Donohoe
An unemployed Indian engineer emigrates to England to find work and ends up impersonating a doctor to win the attention of a young woman
This romantic comedy was adapted from the 1975 Roderick Mann novel of the same name. It includes a scene filmed at London Marylebone station, impersonating Calcutta in India, complete with hundreds of extras in hot climate marginal clothing freezing to death in the depths of a London winter!! The railway carriage is likely a recreation for the scene, but there is an inadvertent and all too brief glimpse in the background of a BR blue and grey-liveried coach.
*FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (aka IMPOSTER and PERSONAL HISTORY)
US
1940
2hrs
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Joel McCrea and Laraine Day
On the eve of war, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London
This American spy thriller is based on the 1935 novel Personal History by Vincent Sheean. It features a fine three-quarter rear shot of Southern Railway ‘Lord Nelson’ Class 4-6-0 No.851 Sir Francis Drake arriving at London Waterloo station with an express. However, the following platform scenes are a set.
FORGET PARIS
GB
2011
1hr 17mins
Dir: Christopher Presswell
Starring: Ed Coleman and May Cunningham
A romantic new year’s getaway to Paris descends into a nightmare when the couple’s relationship implodes prior to their departure
This romantic drama has shots of Class 373 ‘Eurostar’ EMUs at both London St Pancras and Gare du Nord in Paris.
FOUR AGAINST FATE (see DERBY DAY)
FOUR DARK HOURS (see THE GREEN COCKATOO)
*FOUR IN THE MORNING
GB
1965
1hr 34mins
Dir: Anthony Simmons
Starring: Ann Lynn and Norman Rodway
The parallel stories of two couples in crisis and their connection to a drowned woman found in the Thames
There are a couple of shots in this award winning and moody drama of London Transport stock at Aldgate station. These scenes feature District Line R stock and Circle Line C stock, but there is also a shot of a District Line service crossing the Thames on Kew Railway Bridge. There are scenes filmed inside the London Transport trains and a final shot of a 4 CEP EMU crossing the Thames on Cannon Street Railway Bridge.
*FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE
GB
1953
1hr 21mins
Dir: Terence Fisher
Starring: Stephen Murray and Barbara Payton
Three friends develop a “reproducer” which can exactly duplicate any object
This science-fiction film has a few good scenes of trains arriving and departing at the old Marlow station in Buckinghamshire, with an ex-GWR
1400-series 0-4-2T and auto-coach W33 operating on the ‘Marlow Donkey’ shuttle to Bourne End. Later in the film there is a good run-past of ex-SR unrebuilt Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 No.35017 Belgian Marine on ‘The Bournemouth Belle’ at West Byfleet on the LSWR main line.
*4.3.2.1.
GB / US
2010
1hr 57mins
Dirs: Noel Clarke and Mark Davis
Starring: Ophelia Lovibond and Emma Roberts
A chance encounter sends four girls on a collision course with diamond thieves
The title of this Anglo-American crime thriller stands for ‘4 girls, 3 days, 2 cities, 1 chance’. It features a shot of the entrance to Wood Lane station on the Hammersmith & City Line plus some brief scenes filmed onboard ‘C’ stock trains.
FOURPLAY (see LONDINIUM)
THE 14 (aka EXISTENCE and THE WILD LITTLE BUNCH)
GB
1973
1hr 45mins
Dir: David Hemmings
Starring: Jack Wild and June Brown
A film portraying the fate of fourteen children after they are orphaned following the death of their single mother
This gritty drama has a lot of action that centres around the old disused sidings adjacent to Portobello Junction on the Great Western main line out
of London Paddington. In some scenes, there are close up shots of a couple of moribund wagons in the form of minerals and an old tank. In the background of other scenes main line traffic is visible passing beneath the A40 Westway and although much blue & grey coaching stock is seen, locos remain tantalisingly out of glimpse. Several Class 117 DMUs are also seen calling at the main line platforms of Westbourne Park station, which was still open at the time. In another shot, a Hammersmith & City Line train of C stock can be seen partly obscured by the back of Westbourne Park Underground station. These are very interesting scenes as the whole area has been completely redeveloped. In several views, the
old disused former Westbourne Park signalbox can be seen awaiting demolition.
*THE FOURTH PROTOCOL
GB
1987
1hr 59mins
Dir: John Mackenzie
Starring: Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan
A Russian spy attempts to set off a nuclear weapon in the UK
Based on the 1984 Frederick Forsyth novel of the same name, this Cold War spy film has some good scenes filmed on the London Underground using 1972-built tube stock (MkII trailer No.4351 is one vehicle), though they are a little confusing. It seems that the majority of filming took place at Charing Cross and Green Park stations on the Jubilee Line, with the former appearing as ‘Hyde Park Corner’. There is also a fight scene at Aldwych, again with 1972-built stock, only with the station marked this time as ‘Paddington’. In addition, there is a very good scene filmed at London St Pancras station with Michael Caine alighting from a Rover 2000 that slides to a screeching halt on the platform just as a Class 312 EMU is departing, revealing an HST set behind. Caine races to board the departing EMU, opening the cab door of the final vehicle as the train gathers speed, and another HST can be seen in the background. This exciting stunt would probably not be allowed today. The EMU was a visitor to the station for filming as the type never usually ran into St Pancras, and there follows a brief scene filmed onboard. The unit was forming the ‘18:30 to Colchester’ and in a good piece of continuity we see 312786 arriving at Colchester to complete the journey. British Rail must have given some considerable co-operation to the producers during these scenes. The Colchester scene at night shows the unit ‘stopping short’ in the platform. It is in fact an eight-car formation and stops only just enough to allow Jiri Stanislav to exit onto the platform. The train then pulls out and it is clear that it is empty coaching stock as no one else is onboard. Meanwhile, as the train clears the shot we can see that Michael Caine has alighted onto the tracks to avoid detection as he is stood on the adjacent running line.
*FRAGMENT OF FEAR
GB
1970
1hr 34mins
Dir: Richard Sarafian
Starring: David Hemmings and Gayle Hunnicutt
A young British author is plunged into a nightmare as he tries to solve his aunt’s murder in Italy
Adapted from the book A Fragment of Fear (1965) by John Bingham, this intelligent thriller is really rather good. It features a scene filmed at Bank, on the Waterloo & City Line, with one of the line’s Class 487 EMUs. During production, a Waterloo & City train ran into the buffer stops at the end of the station with David Hemmings, Gayle Hunnicutt and 10 extras suffering minor injuries. Despite the use of Bank station, Hemmings and Hunnicut are seen exiting one of the street level entrances to Chancery Lane. There are also several lingering shots filmed on the travolator at Bank. In addition to this there is an excellent shot near the end of the film of a Class 42/43 ‘Warship’ diesel-hydraulic passing Ruscombe on an express at dusk. The film ends with a drivers-eye view of a train entering a tunnel somewhere on the Southern Region. Included in the film are several scenes filmed onboard a train, probably inside a Mk.1.
FREEDOM TO DIE
IRE
1961
1hr 01min
Dir: Francis Searle
Starring: Paul Maxwell and Kay Callard
Upon release from prison, a vicious criminal goes searching for a stash of stolen loot
This surprisingly professional little crime thriller utilises a handful of small sets to tell an intriguing tale of crime and retribution. In a number of street scenes filmed in Dublin, Connolly station can be seen in the background beyond Amiens Street railway bridge.
FRENCH DRESSING
GB
1964
1hr 26mins
Dir: Ken Russell
Starring: James Booth and Roy Kinnear
A deckchair attendant has an idea to bring a film festival to a seaside resort
This comedy includes a couple of scenes filmed at Herne Bay station in Kent and features a departing train made up of Southern coaches.
Despite the steam sound effects on the film, the train was actually hauled by a Class 33 diesel, unseen at the front. The complete longer take
appears in the Video 125 DVD Diesel and Electrics on 35mm and reveals the loco to be No.D6527.
*THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN
GB
1981
2hrs 07mins
Dir: Karel Reisz
Starring: Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep
In 1867, a man falls for the abandoned mistress of a French seaman
Based on the 1969 novel of the same name by John Fowles, this popular romantic drama features two stories that run parallel to each other, one is
the story summarised above, whilst the other is a contemporary story about actors playing the characters. The ‘Victorian story’ has a scene filmed at Kingswear station, masquerading as ‘Exeter’, with ex-GWR 1400-series 0-4-2T No.1450 arriving with a train. The loco was brought in by road to the Paignton and Dartmouth Railway specifically for filming as it normally resided on the South Devon Railway. The loco was built in 1935 and although old enough, is still too young for the period in which the film is set. The ‘present-day’ story includes a night scene at Windsor & Eton Central station. BR blue & grey-liveried Mk.2 coaching stock is visible in the platform and there is a glimpse of a locomotive at the bufferstops, but the angle is too acute to accurately identify what type. The station also masquerades as ‘Exeter St David’s’ and as the short Windsor-Slough branch had long been converted to DMU only operation, the train was brought into the station specially for filming. Therefore, both the ‘past’ and ‘present’ scenes used stock unfamiliar to the surroundings, neither of which actually took place at what was supposed to be Exeter!
*FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH
GB
1933
1hr 29mins
Dir: Victor Saville
Starring: Jessie Matthews and Emlyn Williams
A film depicting the lives of several passengers in the hours before they are involved in a bus crash
This decent drama has a couple of characters arriving at London King’s Cross station on an express hauled by LNER A3 Class 4-6-2 No.2585 Sir Hugo. The scene filmed on the London Underground was a studio set.
FRIEDA
GB
1947
1hr 38mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: David Farrar and Mai Zetterling
An RAF officer marries a German girl, but she encounters hostility when they return home
There are quite a number of trains in this war drama which include a very good shot a local, hauled by M7 Class 0-4-4T No.378 in Southern black livery. The train is arriving at ‘Denfield’ station, which in reality is Shalford on the Guildford-Redhill ‘North Downs’ line. Incidentally, the station forecourt scene which follows is a fake, shot in Park Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, with the Town Hall in the background playing the part of the station quite nicely! There are a few stock shots of LMS expresses hauled by, in sequence, an ex-LNWR ‘Claughton’ Class 4-6-0, two unrebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0s, and a Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0. Finally, the early escape scenes set in Germany feature much detailed model work, though there is a real locomotive in the form of War Department Austerity 2-8-0 No.7180. This night-time scene was probably filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway though this is unconfirmed.
*THE FRIGHTENED MAN (aka ROSSELLI AND SON)
GB
1952
1hr 09mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Dermot Walsh and Barbara Murray
The hidden life of a second-hand dealer inadvertently ensnares his son
This decent crime drama features a scene at London Paddington station with an ex-GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 on an express and a shot of an ex-LMS ‘Duchess’ Class 4-6-2 on an express in the Camden area.
*FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (aka THE CREATURES, TALES FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE and TALES FROM THE BEYOND)
GB
1974
1hr 37mins
Dir: Kevin Connor
Starring: Peter Cushing and Ian Carmichael
Four customers purchase (or take) items from an antiques shop and a nasty fate awaits those who cheat the shop’s Proprietor
Based on stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes this was the last in a series of seven anthology films from Amicus, the first of which was Dr. Terror’s
House of Horrors (1965) (qv). Originally filmed as The Undead, it is also known as The Creatures, Tales from Beyond the Grave, and Tales
from the Beyond. In the third story of this film, The Elemental, Ian Carmichael plays a pompous business man who falls prey to an invisible
monster. In one scene, he is on a train home from work, illustrated by a rather good ground level shot of a brand new Class 87 electric loco on an express. There then follows a scene onboard the train itself.
*FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
GB
1963
1hr 55mins
Dir: Terence Young
Starring: Sean Connery and Robert Shaw
James Bond deals with a Russian spy out to kill him and steal a coding machine
A lot of action in this, the second Bond movie, takes place on a train heading across Europe from Istanbul. Although most of the scenes were filmed on the Continent three shots of British trains have been amusingly slipped in, all featuring LmR expresses hauled by 4-6-0’s. The first maybe hauled by a ‘Royal Scot’ but the other two are in the hands of ‘Jubilee’s’, hardly what you would expect to see on a train from Istanbul!
*THE FROZEN DEAD
GB
1966
1hr 35mins
Dir: Herbert Leder
Starring: Karel Stepanek and Anna Palk
A German scientist attempts to revive Nazi leaders in an English laboratory
This science fiction horror film features some scenes at Merton Park station, with SR two-car Class 416 EPB EMUs visible in several. Vehicle No.77516 (unit No.5717) is identifiable as one such unit pulls out of the station. Merton Park was located on the Wimbledon-West Croydon line via Mitcham, with two adjacent platforms on the line to Tooting. The Tooting line closed to passengers as early as March 1929. The line remained open for freight, but the former up line was lifted, the down line being worked as a long siding from Merton Park after the junction at the Tooting end was taken out. Merton Park was unusual in that passengers for the Mitcham line now had to cross two disused platforms to reach their trains from the main station building, the reason why passengers in the film appear to be waiting for a train at a platform that has no track! After being reduced further in status, the dilapidated station closed in June 1997 prior to the route being converted for use by the new Croydon Tramlink.
THE FUGITIVE (see ON THE NIGHT OF THE FIRE)
*THE FULL MONTY
GB
1997
1hr 31mins
Dir: Peter Cattaneo
Starring: Robert Carlyle and Lesley Sharp
A group of unemployed steelworkers become male strippers
This hugely successful comedy set in Sheffield features several scenes that include the city’s Siemens-built Supertrams. One is passing the ‘Job
Centre’ in West Street and a close look suggests that it could be the last built, No.025. In a later hilltop scene viewed from Mount Road, Parkwood Springs, there is a very distant view of a tram passing through the streets, and towards the end there is a scene filmed on Infirmary Road, at the junction with Barrack Lane, and a tram passes by in the background. The trams are still in as delivered white and blue livery, and so far, these are the only known appearances of them in a feature film.
*FUNNY BONES
GB / US
1995
2hrs 08mins
Dir: Peter Chelsom
Starring: Lee Evans and Oliver Platt
A failed American comedian goes to Blackpool and discovers his half-brother
This comedy was largely set in Blackpool but curiously there are no shots of the trams, though there is a good aerial view of Blackpool North station. Instead, there is a most unusual sequence of a rendezvous taking place in a railway coach, an old GWR Hawksworth-type being used as living accommodation, which was filmed at the Didcot Railway Centre. Though the exact identity of the coach is not known the opening shot gives a good view of three other vehicles. Unique GWR Six-wheel ‘Beetle’ Cattle Van No.DW150420 (built in 1952), the GWR ‘Rotank’ milk flat wagon built in 1947 and which is another unique example, plus BR Mk.1 Corridor Composite No.15577 (in chocolate & cream livery but with NSE branding) in use as a dormitory coach, but scrapped in December 1998 due to its asbestos content.
FURTHER TALES FROM THE CRYPT (see THE VAULT OF HORROR)
*FURTHER UP THE CREEK
GB
1958
1hr 31mins
Dir: Val Guest
Starring: Frankie Howerd and David Tomlinson
A navy frigate is sold to the Middle East and the crew try to turn it to profit by taking passengers aboard
This comedy was the follow up to Up the Creek (qv) and features a run-by of a Bullied ‘Pacific’ on the LSWR mainline at the head of ‘The
Royal Wessex’. There are also some good shots of the Reading line side of Virginia Water station, masquerading as ‘Weyport East’, and a steam-hauled train is approaching in one scene, but it is too far off to positively identify the locomotive.
FUSS OVER FEATHERS (see CONFLICT OF WINGS)
*FUTTOCKS END
GB
1970
45mins
Dir: Bob Kellett
Starring: Ronnie Barker and Roger Livesey
General Futtock invites a motley group of guests to stay at his country estate for the weekend, and chaos ensues
This short comedy is entirely silent, with just a musical score, sound effects and incoherent mutterings to accompany the cast. One of several such ‘silents’ which were popular at the time, this one includes some very good shots of Denham Golf Club station with a blue-liveried Class 115 DMU arriving working headcode 2B51. The station has a ‘Pease Green’ totem nameboard in the film, but a Denham Golf Club nameboard is visible in the ground level shot of the station as taken from the approach road.
G
*G:MT GREENWICH MEAN TIME
GB
1999
1hr 57mins
Dir: John Strickland
Starring: Stephen John Shepherd and Alec Newman
Six London school-leavers attempt to make it in the world by balancing the pressures and tragedies of everyday life
The opening scenes of this quite boring drama feature a roof walk on a moving train. The sequence sadly involved some bad editing as the walk involves two types of rolling stock, a rake of Mk1 coaches first, after which the train has become an NSE-liveried Class 115 DMU. The scene was filmed on the Nene Valley Railway and starts and ends (!) with the train entering Wansford Tunnel (616 yards).
GAIETY GEORGE
GB
1946
1hr 38mins
Dir: George King
Starring: Richard Greene and Ann Todd
The life of theatre impresario George Howard in the early 20th century
This historical musical film features a montage sequence of George Howard’s travels, typical of the style of the time. The sequence includes a couple of shots of GWR expresses hauled by 4-6-0s.
THE GALLOPING MAJOR
GB
1951
1hr 22mins
Dir: Henry Cornelius
Starring: Basil Radford and Janette Scott
A group of Londoners form a syndicate to buy a racehorse
In this comedy sports film, the group train the racehorse in a field next to a railway on which SR pre-war EMUs are passing. The location is not known but it was probably somewhere in South West London. As the horse is entered into the Grand National there are scenes filmed at Aintree Central station with an ex-LMS ‘Jubilee’ Class 5XP 4-6-0 making an appearance though the actual race track was that at Alexandra Palace, which can be seen briefly in the background. The lorry carrying the horse is held up on its way to the meet at a level crossing over which an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 passes running light. Again, it is not known where this shot was filmed.
*THE GATHERING STORM
GB / US
2002
1hr 36mins
Dir: John Schlesinger
Starring: Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave
The life of Winston Churchill during the 1930s and the build up to the Second World War
The railway scenes in this biographical film were shot at Horsted Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway with period Southern Railway coaching stock present but no locomotive. There is also a shot of the frontage to St. James’s Park Underground station.
*THE GAY DOG
GB
1954
1hr 27mins
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Starring: Wilfred Pickles and Petula Clark
A miner loves his racing greyhound but, out of town, he finds a dog with a better chance to win
This comedy was filmed at Southall Studios and there are plenty of scenes shot in and around the local area. In one of these scenes Wilfred Pickles walks across Dudley Road and in the background an ex-GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT is shunting some wagons in Southall Gasworks. A remarkably similar shot would later appear in One Jump Ahead (qv), which was released the following year.
THE GAY LADY (see TROTTIE TRUE)
*GENEVIEVE
GB
1953
1hr 26mins
Dir: Henry Cornelius
Starring: Kenneth More and Dinah Sheridan
Two couples race each other on their way back from the London-Brighton car rally
This classic comedy features a railway scene towards the end. The scene where Kenneth More and John Gregson almost come to blows was filmed at the road junction close to West Drayton station. In the unedited versions of the film, a train hauled by a large 2-6-2T locomotive can be glimpsed passing behind the pair on an embankment at the top of the screen, though the train is partially obscured by a wall. The tram lines seen in parts of the film where not in Westminster, as the film suggests, but were in the Stockwell and Old Kent Road areas of South West London where the defunct lines were still present in the road at the time of filming.
THE GENTLE GUNMAN
GB
1952
1hr 26mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: John Mills and Dirk Bogarde
In 1941 two Irish brothers working for the IRA come against their local leader’s ruthless methods
This drama features a suspenseful scene on the London Underground in which a bomb is timed to go off. This was shot on the Aldwych line platform at Holborn station with 1923 Standard stock in evidence. To add to the suspense there are various close up shots of the station clock counting down with emphasis placed on its second hand. This is a studio creation as London Transport clocks on the Underground did not feature second hands.
*THE GENTLE SEX
GB
1943
1hr 32mins
Dir: Leslie Howard
Starring: Rosamund John and Joan Greenwood
This documentary-drama follows seven women from different backgrounds who meet at an Auxiliary Territorial Service training camp
This wartime propaganda film has a good number of railway scenes but not all are identifiable. The opening scenes at London Waterloo feature an excellent shot of ‘King Arthur’ N15 Class 4-6-0 No.771 Sir Sagramore leaving on an express though the scenes onboard the train that follow are a studio set. Back-projection during the journey produces images of some railway carriages, but there is a struggle to identify anything else. There then follows a run by of LNER B17 Class 4-6-0 No.2841 Gayton Hall on an express and a shot of LMS 7F Class 0-8-0 No.9007 crossing a level crossing tender first on a mineral train. This was filmed at Fenny Stratford, Buckinghamshire, on the Bedford-Bletchley line. There is also a shot of an unknown express passing a signalbox, the railway bridge in the centre of Chalvey, near Slough, and a slow moving mixed goods in a dockyard setting, with no locomotive visible.
*GEORDIE (aka WEE GEORDIE)
GB
1955
1hr 33mins
Dir: Frank Launder
Starring: Bill Travers and Alastair Sim
A weak Scottish boy becomes an Olympic hammer-thrower
Based on David Walker’s 1950 novel of the same title this sporting drama has three good railway shots, and all in Technicolor too. The first is a run by of an ex-LNER C16 Class 4-4-2T, which is followed by a scene of a train arriving at a station. There then follows a rare shot of an ex-LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 arriving at Tilbury Riverside station with a boat train and displaying reporting number ‘M803’ on the smokebox door, and finally an even rarer view of ex-LNER C16 Class 4-4-2T No.67488 arriving at Gartmore station on the Aberfoyle branch in Scotland. It is highly probable that the earlier shot of the C16 and the station scene, featured the same locomotive again at Gartmore, a station which had already closed to passengers in January 1950, but remained open to freight until 1959.
*GEORGY GIRL
GB
1966
1hr 39mins
Dir: Silvio Narizzano
Starring: Lynn Redgrave and Alan Bates
An unattractive girl looks after the illegitimate child of a friend
Based on the 1965 eponymous novel by Margaret Forster there is one shot in this drama of the entrance to Belsize Park Underground station.
*GET CARTER
GB
1971
1hr 43mins
Dir: Mike Hodges
Starring: Michael Caine and Rosemarie Dunham
A London gangster goes to Newcastle to avenge his brother’s death
Based on the 1969 novel Jack’s Return Home by Ted Lewis, this successful crime thriller has some very good railway scenes. The film’s opening begins with a train journey from London to Newcastle and we get shots onboard Mk2 coaching stock and some excellent drivers-eye views. Locations identifiable in these views are as follows: leaving Barnet Tunnel, Hadley Wood North Tunnel, approaching Arch Road over the railway to the south of Great Wymondley near Hitchin, the tunnels at Welwyn with a Cravens Class 105 DMU exiting, the overbridges just north of Biggleswade, the now demolished cooling towers of Little Barford Generating Station, and a number of other shots that appear to show also the approach to Peascliffe Tunnel and the yards around the Doncaster area. Viewed through the window of the train during this sequence are the British Oil & Cake Mills facility at Barlby on the approach to Selby in Yorkshire (still on the ECML at this time) and Newcastle Central station. The Class 55 ‘Deltic’ that passes on an express was at the site of Tempsford station, closed in 1956. Later in Newcastle itself, there are shots of King Edward VII Bridge and the High Level Bridge with the rear end of an express made up of Mk1 coaches present on the former, and a light engine Class 25 visible on the latter. The film ends with a chase on the northeast coast with the sidings at North Blyth coal staithes prominent in one scene.
*GET CRACKING
GB
1943
1hr 36mins
Dir: Marcel Varnel
Starring: George Formby and Dinah Sheridan
A mechanic joins the Home Guard and becomes embroiled in local rivalry whilst undertaking battle manoeuvres
There is one scene in this comedy film of an unidentified LNER A5 Class 4-6-2T passing over the bridge at the entrance to Denham Golf Club station, heading a train made up of teak carriages.
*GET HIM TO THE GREEK
US
2010
1hr 49mins
Dir: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Russell Brand and Rose Byrne
A record company intern is hired to accompany an out-of-control British rock star to a concert at L.A.’s Greek Theater
Showing that a view of Britain’s railways can crop up purely by chance in the most unexpected of ways, is shown to great effect in this off-the-wall but actually quite funny American comedy. There are some scenes filmed on the roof top balcony of Russell Brand’s London flat on the Albert Embankment in Lambeth, and in the background of two shots, there are brief glimpses of South West Trains Class 455 and Class 450 ‘Desiro’ EMUs winding their way between London Waterloo and Vauxhall stations.
*GET SANTA
GB
2014
1hr 42mins
Dir: Christopher Smith
Starring: Jim Broadbent and Jodie Whittaker
A race against the clock to save Christmas begins when a young boy finds Santa Claus hiding in the garden shed after he crashes his sleigh
This Christmas family comedy has a scene filmed outside the entrance to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home with an EMU passing over the viaduct in front of the building, though it is dark, and it may be a CGI creation. Later, Santa’s sleigh is found in a tree on the overgrown and disused double track railway that runs between Wortley West and South Junctions in Leeds, West Yorkshire. This is the Wortley West Curve, abandoned by BR in 1985 though the mainline connection is still evident in the Bradford direction. Also, there is a nice touch in the opening scenes, which show the young boy Tom (Kit Connor) playing with an OO-gauge model of one of the LMS prototype English Electric diesels No.10001.
*A GHOST IN MONTE CARLO
GB
1990
1hr 31mins
Dir: John Hough
Starring: Sarah Miles and Oliver Reed
A courtesan takes her niece to Monte Carlo to begin a new life
There is a night scene at the very end of this romantic drama that was filmed on the Bluebell Railway at Horsted Keynes station, masquerading as ‘Monte-Carlo’ of all places. Ex-LSWR Adams Radial 0415 Class 4-4-2T No.488 is seen at the head of the ‘Chesham rake’, and then again passing through the station light engine. The movie was based on the 1951 novel of the same name by Barbara Cartland.
*THE GHOST CAMERA
GB
1933
1hr 06mins
Dir: Bernard Vorhaus
Starring: John Mills and Ida Lupino
A chemist investigates a murder that was inadvertently caught on camera
This mystery was based on A Mystery Narrative, a short story by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon. Despite being made quickly and on a low budget, the
film has come to be considered as one of the most successful Quota quickies made during the Thirties. Part of the murder investigation leads to a search for clues adjacent to a railway line and there are some good shots of passing Southern Railway 3 SUB EMUs on headcode Bar over H routes. Headcode Bar over H was South Western Division routes Staines-Windsor (attached or detached Waterloo-Weybridge via Richmond), Virginia Water-Chertsey or Weybridge, Waterloo-Chertsey or Weybridge via Richmond and Waterloo-Effingham or Guildford via Cobham. Judging by the verdant countryside it may be the last of these routes which we see.
*THE GHOST SHIP
GB
1952
1hr 14mins
Dir: Vernon Sewell
Starring: Dermot Walsh and Hazel Court
A newlywed couple buy a boat for a holiday, but strange things begin to happen
Some scenes in this thriller were filmed at Fishersgate station, West Sussex, with good shots of vintage Southern Railway EMUs. Those that feature include 2 BILs, of which set No.2116 is identifiable, and 2 NOL set No.1832.
*GHOST STORY
GB
1974
1hr 29mins
Dir: Stephen Weeks
Starring: Murray Melvin and Larry Dann
Several old University friends gather in an old country house that turns out to be haunted by the previous occupants
Although set in England this mystery film was almost entirely shot on location in India, much of it at Bangalore Palace owned by the Maharajah of Mysore, and as a result there are some very good shots of British-built Indian narrow-gauge steam locomotives. The very opening scene, however, is filmed on the London Underground’s Aldwych branch with 1938-built tube stock.
THE GHOST TRAIN (aka DER GEISTERZUG)
GB / GER
1927
1hr 22mins
Dir: Géza von Bolváry
Starring: Guy Newall and Ilse Bois
Passengers are stranded at a Cornish country station where they are told the story of a ghost train
The first, silent version, of this popular story based on the 1923 Arnold Ridley play of the same name, was filmed on the Hurstbourne-Fullerton line, with Wherwell station masquerading as ‘Fal Vale’ station. An ex-LSWR T9 Class 4-4-0 was used in some shots, while the rest of the film used models. Most of the station scenes were filmed on a sound stage in Germany where the film is known as Der Geisterzug. Prints do exist for this first version, despite having originally been thought lost.
*THE GHOST TRAIN
GB
1931
1hr 11mins
Dir: Walter Forde
Starring: Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge
A detective poses as a simpleton to uncover gun-runners using an abandoned railway line
This was the famous ‘lost’ version, although about 40 minutes’ worth of the film was subsequently found as a result of a 1992 British Film Institute campaign to locate missing movies. The Great Western Railway provided much use of facilities and took some pride in doing so. There are some shots of London Paddington station, and some shots of ‘King’ and ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0s on expresses, as well as a freight hauled by ‘4300’ Class 2-6-0 No.6319. Some of the location work was filmed near Box Tunnel, and on the Bristol-Radstock-Frome line. Whereas Wherwell masqueraded as ‘Fal Vale’ in the 1927 movie, in this version Camerton station substituted, for it was located on the lightly used branch to Limpley Stoke and was thus ideal for filming. ‘Dean Goods’ 0-6-0s Nos.2381 and 2441 were both used on the branch line, with 2381 being painted white for the night scenes under the limited lighting conditions. The end of the film involves the train that is of course being used by the gun-runners, crashing into the river as the swing-bridge has been left open. Understandably this uses models, though with shots of the Barmouth Bridge and No.2441 cut in where appropriate. Incidentally, the late British comedian Bob Monkhouse owned a complete set of reels of this film, but they were sadly seized and destroyed after a raid on his home by Her Majesties Customs and Excise on copyright grounds.
*THE GHOST TRAIN
GB
1941
1hr 25mins
Dir: Walter Forde
Starring: Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch
Hijinks and chills ensue when a group become stranded at an isolated station and a legendary phantom train approaches
This final version, basically remade by Walter Forde ten years after his first attempt in 1931, is the best-known version. However, as it was made in wartime with the obvious restrictions that this imposed, it is the version with the least interesting railway scenes. The station and tunnel were all studio sets but despite this the film is enjoyable. Railway material that features in the movie includes two shots of ‘King’ Class 4-6-0s, the first bursting out of a tunnel and the second, No.6004 King George III, on the approach to Teignmouth. In addition to this there is a shot of the semi-streamlined ‘Castle’ 4-6-0 No.5005 Manorbier Castle, slowing on an express at Langstone Rock between Dawlish Warren and Dawlish. The shot of King George III was originally filmed for Ealing’s 1940 production Return to Yesterday (qv) and the final crash scenes in this movie basically use footage of the 1931 production, with brief shots of Barmouth Bridge and ‘Dean Goods’ 0-6-0 No.2441. The opening credits to this film feature a phantom ride shot on an unknown four track main line.
GIDEON OF SCOTLAND YARD (see GIDEON’S DAY)
*GIDEON’S DAY (aka GIDEON OF SCOTLAND YARD)
GB
1958
1hr 31mins
Dir: John Ford
Starring: Jack Hawkins and Dianne Foster
A Scotland Yard inspector has an eventful day
Adapted from John Creasey’s 1955 novel of the same name, this crime drama has one scene filmed at Aldwych station on the London Underground with 1923 Standard stock featuring.
GIRL
GB
2009
1hr 10mins
Dirs: Daniel Astbury and Jake Astbury
Starring: Jessica Johnson and Paul Roffman
In the last days of the human race, a young woman becomes the victim of a mysterious experiment to evolve humanity
This obscure sci-fi fantasy has a scene filmed at London Liverpool Street station.
THE GIRL-GETTERS (see THE SYSTEM)
GIRL IN DISTRESS (see JEANNIE)
THE GIRL IN THE PAINTING (see PORTRAIT FROM LIFE)
THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE
GB
1985
1hr 24mins
Dir: Cary Parker
Starring: John Gordon Sinclair and Irina Brook
An established Glaswegian photographer breaks up from his girlfriend but then has second thoughts
This romantic comedy was set on location in Glasgow and there is one semi-distant shot of a Class 303 EMU crossing the River Clyde outside Glasgow Central station.
THE GIRL ON THE BOAT
GB
1961
1hr 30mins
Dir: Henry Kaplan
Starring: Norman Wisdom and Millicent Martin
During the 1920s, two young men returning to England on a transatlantic liner fall in love with two fellow passengers
Based on the 1921 novel of the same name by P. G. Wodehouse, ‘New York Docks’ at the start of the film are in fact Southampton Docks. The scene features a semi-distant view one of the Southern Railway USA 0-6-0 tanks, built years after the story was set but an inadvertently accurate loco for a supposed scene set in America. The USA class were a fleet of fourteen ex-United States Army Transportation Corps S100 Class locomotives purchased and adapted by the Southern Railway after the end of the Second World War for working in Southampton Docks.
THE GIRL ON THE PIER
GB
1953
1hr 05mins
Dir: Lance Comfort
Starring: Veronica Hurst and Ron Randell
A Brighton waxworks exhibitor kills a blackmailer
This crime film features a scene shot on the concourse of London Victoria station, but no trains are visible.
GIRL TROUBLE (see WHAT’S GOOD FIOR THE GOOSE)
*THE GIRL WITH A PISTOL (aka LA RAGAZZA CON LA PISTOLA)
ITA
1968
1hr 48mins
Dir: Mario Monicelli
Starring: Stanley Baker and Monica Vitti
A Sicilian woman, ‘dishonoured’ by her lover, goes to England with a pistol intending to murder him
This Italian comedy romance features a number of railway scenes which include some shots of Edinburgh Waverley station. Blue & grey liveried Mk1 coaching stock is visible in the platforms, complete with ‘King’s Cross – Edinburgh’ roof boards. There is a scene filmed at the site of the former Neepsend station in Sheffield, which closed in 1940, though only the footbridge remained by the time of filming and no trains feature. The scenes at the end were filmed at Newhaven Docks, and Newhaven Harbour station and signalbox are visible in the background along with some parcels vans. The railway scenes open with a good run by of a green Class 40 on an express, partially obscured by the film titles 13 minutes in!!
*GIRL WITH GREEN EYES
GB
1964
1hr 31mins
Dir: Desmond Davis
Starring: Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave
In 1960s Dublin a young girl has an affair with a middle-aged writer
Written by Edna O’Brien who adapted it from her own novel The Lonely Girl, this drama was mainly shot in Ireland but at the very end there is a scene filmed at Bethnal Green Underground station that includes a shot onboard 1962-built tube stock.
*GIRLS WILL BE BOYS
GB
1934
1hr 10mins
Dir: Marcel Varnel
Starring: Dolly Haas and Edward Chapman
A young woman dresses up as a boy to fool a wealthy misogynist
This vintage comedy is based on The Last Lord, a play by Kurt Siodmak. The film features a scene shot at King’s Compton, a country railway station. In reality this is a rather rural looking Elstree & Borehamwood, long before the post WWII development and the spread of housing. A train is standing in the Down Fast platform (No.4) and although there are good shots of the LMS coaching stock no locomotive is seen.
*GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET
GB
1984
1hr 48mins
Dir: Peter Webb
Starring: Paul McCartney and Tracey Ullman
Paul McCartney’s recording of his new album is complicated by the fact that the master tapes of his recordings are missing
This musical drama covers a fictional day in the life of Paul McCartney, but it is all a bit obscure. Despite the film being unsuccessful in the box office both financially and critically, its soundtrack album sold well. The title is a take on George M. Cohan’s classic show tune Give My Regards to Broadway, and makes reference to London’s Broad Street railway station, which would close in 1986. In one of the last scenes of the film, McCartney walks around the deserted and rundown concourse of the station, which is closing up for the night, and a number of Class 501 EMUs are present, in both plain blue and blue & grey liveries. There are then scenes with Paul sitting on a bench at the end of the platforms and, throughout all this, there are some good clear shots of the station. These scenes proved to be a final fitting tribute to the station, now completely redeveloped and largely forgotten. During the Broad Street flashback sequence, there is a shot of the entrance to Leicester Square Underground station and, due to a strange quirk of fate, it is the now closed former Little Newport Street entrance on the corner with Charing Cross Road.
GLAD TIDINGS
GB
1953
1hr 07mins
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Starring: Raymond Huntley and Barbara Kelly
A retired RAF officer returns home to find his adult children resent him having married an American widow
This comedy drama was based on the play of the same title by R.F. Delderfield. It features some shots of London Waterloo station with a boat train leaving formed of ‘blood & custard’ liveried coaching stock, though the locomotive at the head is not visible.
*THE GLASS CAGE (aka THE GLASS TOMB)
GB
1955
59mins
Dir: Montgomery Tully
Starring: John Ireland and Honor Blackman
A carnival is interrupted by a couple of murders which a freak show promoter solves
This short mystery film features a scene at Strand (later Charing Cross) Underground station with 1938-built tube stock.
THE GLASS MOUNTAIN
GB
1949
1hr 28mins
Dir: Henry Cass
Starring: Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray
A married composer still loves an Italian girl who saved his life during the war
Although this romance was mostly set in Italy there is one scene of a British train journey that is illustrated by a shot of a GWR 4-6-0 passing over a viaduct in the West Country on an express.
THE GLASS TOMB (see THE GLASS CAGE)
*THE GO-BETWEEN
GB / US
1971
1hr 56mins
Dir: Joseph Losey
Starring: Alan Bates and Julie Christie
A 12-year old boy carries love-letters between a farmer and his friend’s sister living at a stately home
This romantic drama is an adaptation of the 1953 novel of the same name by L. P. Hartley and features an unusual shot of the frontage of Norwich station, still called Norwich Thorpe at the time of filming, which is certainly not 1900 when the novel was set.
*GO KART GO
GB
1964
55mins
Dir: Jan Darnley-Smith
Starring: Dennis Waterman and Wilfrid Brambell
A gang of children enter a go-kart race, but their rivals try to stop them from winning
This Children’s Film Foundation production used Rye House Kart Circuit, Hertfordshire, now one of the oldest in the country. In the background of many scenes is the overhead catenary of the Lea Valley line plus the girder bridge over the River Lea itself. Trains do creep into the background of two scenes, but they are sadly edited in such a way that only the coaching stock is visible. There are also a number of scenes filmed in an unknown scrapyard with 16T mineral wagons visible.
*GOING OFF BIG TIME
GB
2000
1hr 26mins
Dir: Jim Doyle
Starring: Neil Fitzmaurice and Dominic Carter
The rise of a ruthless gangster in Liverpool ends badly
This crime comedy features one distant overview of the Liverpool industrial landscape with a pair of Class 507/508 EMUs passing through. There is also a scene filmed beneath the Runcorn Bridge across the Mersey.
*THE GOLD EXPRESS
GB
1955
58mins
Dirs: Guy Fergusson and Colin Bell
Starring: Vernon Gray and Ann Walford
A news reporter foils a planned robbery of gold onboard an overnight sleeper train
This little known and rarely seen Rank ‘quota-quickie’ thriller is based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Jackson Budd and is set almost entirely around a railway journey. Stanmore station, terminus of the now long forgotten LMS suburban branch from Harrow & Wealdstone was used for some night shots, with an ex-LMS sleeping-car and Mk.1 parcels van No.M1005 being borrowed from BR for the scenes. The various shots of expresses that appear throughout the course of the film are varied and mixed, though some are stock shots filmed originally for Train of Events (1949 qv). The shots are all taken at dusk or night, not ideal for loco identification, but seem to include a ‘Princess Royal’ 4-6-2 at London Euston, a Jubilee Class 5XP leaving Euston on an express, an unknown loco crossing a viaduct on an express (from Train of Events), one ‘Royal Scot’ passing over an unknown level crossing (again from Train of Events), a couple of ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s, five different shots of rebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ or ‘Patriot’ 4-6-0s, one ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0, one ‘Duchess’ 4-6-2 and one BR ‘Britannia’ Class 7MT 4-6-2. Quite a good collection of historical shots that depict practically every type of LMS express passenger loco! The ‘Britannia’ is the odd one out and was relatively new at the time. As the train is brought to an emergency stop, the bottom three-quarters of LMS ‘Coronation’ Class 4-6-2 No.6253 City of St Albans briefly comes into view, a shot possibly taken from A Journey for Jeremy (1949 qv). A number of stations appear in these shots, which are unidentified, but there is a brief night shot of London Paddington station towards the beginning, though no trains are visible. Stanmore station, which appears to be called both ‘Northborough’ and ‘Hamwood’ in the film, had closed to passengers on 15th September 1952 but remained open for freight until July 1964. So, what of the film itself? Well, it really isn’t very good. The plot is flimsy and the acting bad, with some rather lame characters, but it is no worse than many B movie shorts that were produced at the time, which makes The Flying Scot (qv) all the more exceptional. The sound effects are pretty good, if a little repetitive at times, and one does get the impression that a reasonable attempt was made at making the railway scenes work, but when the train initially departs, the sensation of movement is simply made by the guard walking backwards to board his van! Nonetheless, this cheap technique is surprisingly effective!!
*GOLDENEYE
GB
1995
2hrs 10mins
Dir: Martin Campbell
Starring: Pierce Brosnan and Sean Bean
James Bond goes to Russia to search for a master criminal intent on destroying the electronic world
The elaborate railway sequence in this, the seventeenth all action Bond movie, saw a Russian train crash into a tank parked in a tunnel. Filmed
on the Nene Valley Railway, the scene involved Class 20 No.20188 coupled to some Mk.1 coaches, the loco and stock being owned by Pete Waterman at the time. The 20 was heavily-disguised to look like an armoured Soviet loco, with a huge battering ram-type addition to the front end and side guard plates over the bogies. The loco was also renumbered 715-5623 and was adorned with large bodyside red stars and cabside soviet-style arms on a weathered grey livery that was very different to the LNWR black which it already carried. The first short scene was shot at the old sugar beet factory (now part of the Sugar Way housing estate, Woodston) and showed some of the characters boarding the train as it leaves on a short length of track temporarily laid down by the production company. The main sequence which followed was filmed at Mill Road Bridge, Castor, with the bridge ‘rebuilt’ to look as if it was actually a tunnel rather than just a bridge. In the film, the train hurtles down the track passing through Ferry Meadows station, with the station and the lineside both decorated to look like a stretch of railway in St Petersburg, before running into the tunnel where it crashes into the tank, which then explodes. Although the initial plan was to actually use a real tank, a fibreglass model was used instead when it became apparent that a real tank would probably cause damage to the Class 20. The two Mk.1 coaches had full underframe valancing, extended body panels, iron bars across the windows, red stars and a large roof-mounted ‘pod’ on one. The two Mk.1s were TSO No.4913 and BSK No.35454, both renumbered for filming. They remained on the line for a short while before eventually being cut up on site.
*THE GOOD COMPANIONS
GB
1933
1hr 53mins
Dir: Victor Saville
Starring: Jessie Matthews and Edmund Gwenn
A touring variety troupe, the ‘Dinky Doos’, are in financial trouble but a chance encounter with three strangers revitalises their show
Based on the 1929 novel of the same name by J. B. Priestley, this fun musical comedy with the ever-beautiful Jessie Matthews, has a montage of
shots as the group travels around the country. Montages were typical fare for films at the time, but this one is better than most. In appearance order the trains featured are; an ex-LNWR ‘Claughton’ 4-6-0, an ex-Midland Railway 2P Class 4-4-0, an express double-headed by a pair of ‘Claughtons’ and, what appears to be an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0. There is also a phantom ride shot on the approach to an unknown tunnel. Earlier in the film there is a shot of an unidentified ex-GER 0-6-0 arriving at the island platform of an unknown station that poses as ‘Dotworth’, and a shot of the rear of a train departing from the St. Albans Abbey branch bay of Watford Junction station.
THE GOOD COMPANIONS
GB
1957
1hr 44mins
Dir: John Lee Thompson
Starring: Eric Portman and Celia Johnson
Various travellers join a faltering performing troupe in a remake of the 1933 film
A great deal of material for this musical was shot in Wales, mainly on the Cambrian Coast and the Dowlais / Rhymney lines in the South Wales valleys. There is a semi-distant shot of an ex-GWR 5100-series 2-6-2T on a passenger train near Bargoed in the Rhymney Valley and a silhouetted shot of a train crossing the Barmouth Bridge.
*THE GOOD DIE YOUNG
GB
1954
1hr 34mins
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Laurence Harvey and Richard Basehart
Four men form a gang to rob a mail van
This crime thriller featuring a number of American actors was a huge success and is now very popular. It also features a suspenseful chase sequence filmed on the London Underground. The scene was shot in the tunnels of the District & Circle Lines around Barbican station with District Railway F stock featuring. Another scene in which Stanley Baker dies by falling onto the electrified conductor rail features a close
encounter with London Transport R stock. There is also an earlier scene at London Waterloo station with a number of SR 4 SUB EMUs visible.
*THE GOOD SHEPHERD
US
2006
2hrs 47mins
Dir: Robert De Niro
Starring: Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie
A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer looks back on how he became involved with the organisation
This lengthy spy movie has some action taking place in London during the blitz with Aldwych station, as usual, dressed up as an underground wartime air raid shelter.
*GOOD TIME GIRL
GB
1948
1hr 21mins
Dir: David MacDonald
Starring: Jean Kent and Dennis Price
A delinquent young girl gets involved with a criminal gang and heads down the road to ruin
The drama was based on Arthur La Bern’s novel Night Darkens the Street and features a scene at Brighton station with Jean Kent boarding a departing SR 6 PUL EMU.
*GOODBYE CHARLIE BRIGHT (aka STRONG BOYS)
GB
2001
1hr 27mins
Dir: Nick Love
Starring: Phil Daniels and Dani Behr
A young Londoner enjoys drugs, casual sex and generally hanging out with his friends, before trying to make something of his life
This drama has a shot of the frontage to Ickenham Underground station on the Metropolitan Line, though the sign at the entrance reads ‘Debden’, a station on the Central Line on the other side of London. Director Nick Love superimposed the word ‘Debden’ over the ‘Ickenham’ wording of the sign, though quite why he chose to shoot the scene at Ickenham instead of Debden remains unclear. There are also some night time shots of the London skyline taken looking out of the window of a Docklands Light Railway unit, and several DLR trains pass by in extreme close up.
*GOODBYE GEMINI (aka TWINSANITY)
GB
1970
1hr 29mins
Dir: Alan Gibson
Starring: Judy Geeson and Martin Potter
A relationship between twins is strained after they befriend a predatory hustler and his girlfriend
Quite a number of trains feature in this London-based crime thriller based on the 1964 novel Ask Agamemnon by Jenni Hall. In the opening scenes, a Pan-Am branded coach heads towards London and a Piccadilly Line service formed of 1959-built tube stock passes over the M4 motorway, having just departed from Boston Manor station. In a later scene filmed in Shepherd’s Bush Market, a train of London Transport CO stock passes by on the viaduct behind forming a Hammersmith & City Line service. Finally, there is a very brief shot filmed by the Thames at Bankside, and London Cannon Street station can be seen in the background along with Cannon Street Railway Bridge.
GOODBYE MR CHIPS
US
1969
2hrs 32mins
Dir: Herbert Ross
Starring: Peter O’Toole and Petula Clark
The life of a schoolmaster at a boy’s school
This US musical set in 1920s England is based on James Hilton’s 1934 novella of the same name, which was first adapted for the screen in 1939. It features a scene shot at Sherborne station in Dorset, given a 1930s makeover as ‘Brookfield’, with some old Southern Railway coaches visible but no locomotive. This was not the first time that Sherborne station had appeared in a film that featured the Dorset town’s famous boy’s school. See also The Guinea Pig (1949).
*THE GOOSE STEPS OUT
GB
1942
1hr 19mins
Dirs: Will Hay and Basil Dearden
Starring: Will Hay and Charles Hawtrey
An incompetent teacher is sent into Nazi Germany to steal a secret weapon
The climax to this comedy features a barnstorming plane ride that includes flying close to a railway line, in this case what looks to be the ex-LSWR main line. The plane through some clever editing narrowly avoids a collision with an SR ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 on an express.
THE GORBALS STORY
GB
1950
1hr 14mins
Dir: David MacKane
Starring: Russell Hunter and Betty Henderson
An artist remembers his youth growing up in a Glasgow tenement
Although it will be of almost no interest to anyone, this piece of social realism based on a 1946 play by a left-wing Glasgow theatre group is still a curiosity. It’s just a shame that we’ll probably never know why such a parochial drama by an unknown playwright was deemed worthy of filming. Some early shots of the Gorbals area includes a tram visible in one scene.
GORGEOUS LABOUR OF LOVE
GB
2006
9mins
Dir: Stacy Harrison
Starring: Teresa Bonano and Michael Caballero
Amidst the decaying ruins of London, people search for their destiny
This surreal short fantasy film driven by a contemporary music hall libretto features a shot of the frontage to St Pancras station.
GRAND NATIONAL NIGHT (aka WICKED WIFE)
GB
1953
1hr 20mins
Dir: Bob McNaught
Starring: Nigel Patrick and Moira Lister
A racehorse trainer accidentally kills his wife only for subsequent events to then clear him of suspected murder
Despite part of the plot of this thriller making use of railway tickets and train journeys, all this appears as studio sets or model work. However,
there is one night shot of Nigel Patrick leaving a Southern Railway suburban EMU on a level crossing. It is not known where exactly this scene was filmed, and it seems rather out of sync with the rest of the film which is set in Liverpool.
*THE GRASS IS GREENER
GB
1960
1hr 44mins
Dir: Stanley Donen
Starring: Cary Grant and Jean Simmons
The wife of an English earl falls for a confident American millionaire
This brilliant but rather neglected comedy features excellent colour scenes filmed at Baynards station on the Guildford-Horsham line, with Deborah Kerr departing for London on a train hauled by ex-SR M7 Class 0-4-4T No.30132. The station masquerades as ‘Lynley’.
THE GREAT BRITISH TRAIN ROBBERY (aka DER POSTZUG-BERFALL)
GER
1967
1hr 44mins
Dirs: John Olden and Claus Peter Witt
Starring: Horst Tappert and Hans Cossy
A recreation of the 1963 Great Train Robbery
This obscure film was originally made for German television under the title Der Postzug-berfall (The Mail Train Raid) and was not released in the UK at the time. No doubt the film was deemed somewhat insensitive, it being only four years after the actual robbery having taken place, though The Great St. Trinian’s Train Robbery (qv) appeared a year earlier and mocked the situation somewhat. The problem seemed to stem from the fact that the villains were clearly and definitively portrayed in the film, despite the change of names. The fact that the film was being recorded in some secrecy under the title Gentlemen Prefer Cash made no difference. The producers had permission to film on the DB railway network but did not inform the authorities what the movie was about, yet despite the film being a German production there are some British railway scenes, though the continuity is very poor. Some filming took place around Folkestone on the Kent Coast of all places, which probably explains the presence of a Southern Region Class 411 4 CEP EMU in the credits sequence. As well as the 4 CEP the film starts with an opening view of London St Pancras station with a Class 45 leaving on an express and an ex-SR 4 SUB EMU appears later in the movie. The robbery scene itself though has a very improbable railway journey, not to mention the inaccuracy of the robbery itself. The train shots are as follows: the mail leaves ‘Glasgow’ behind a split-box Class 45, which is actually an express leaving St Pancras again; a passing shot of a Class 40 on an express; a pair of Class 40s double-heading an express; and then back to a single Class 40 again. The gang then rig up a false signal to stop the train and as the scene was filmed in Germany, the train is now made up of continental rolling stock and arrives behind a DB V200 Class diesel-hydraulic complete with mock lion and wheel BR emblem on its side!! The movie is a rarity that appears difficult to find and although it was shown on some late-night UK TV schedules in the 1990s it now appears to have completely disappeared. Those who have watched it though say that it was a pretty shoddy production.
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (see THE FIRST GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY)
THE GREAT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SWINDLE
GB
1980
1hr 43mins
Dir: Julien Temple
Starring: Malcolm McLaren and John Lydon
A movie telling the stylised fictional account of the formation, rise and subsequent breakup of The Sex Pistols
Told from the point of view of their then-manager Malcolm McLaren, this mockumentary-style movie about The Sex Pistols has a number of railway scenes, but again with some ropey continuity. McLaren is seen boarding a Class 115 DMU as it departs London Marylebone which is then followed by some shots on board Mk.1 coaching stock and a good shot of an original Class 86/0 on a West Coast main line express. Despite an arrival scene filmed at Northampton station, as McLaren leaves the station he walks out of Chesham, the station at the end of the Metropolitan branch line in deepest Buckinghamshire!!
*THE GREAT ST. TRINIAN’S TRAIN ROBBERY
GB
1966
1hr 30mins
Dirs: Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat
Starring: Frankie Howerd and Dora Bryan
St. Trinian’s is infiltrated by a gang of train robbers who are foiled in their attempts by the schoolgirls
The fourth in the series of five films that were based on St. Trinian’s is by far the best remembered with the most notable railway scenes. It is now considered a movie classic by enthusiasts and its frequent television screenings show that its popularity hasn’t wained. It was another movie to use the substantial system of the Longmoor Military Railway (LMR), three years before the ever faithful system closed. The railway scenes dominate the last 20 minutes or so of the film, although there is a train robbery sequence at the start that features night shots of Royal Mail sorting vans interspersed with views of a European steam locomotive! The girls arrive at ‘Hamingwell Halt’, actually Oakhanger station, behind an LMR Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST with Southern Railway ‘Birdcage’ stock. For the final chase sequence, the train that the crooks use is a short goods hauled by another of the lines Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0STs disguised with sloping side tanks, BR emblems and fictitious number ‘68961’, therefore representing an LNER Class J50/3. This is seen leaving Oakhanger and joining the LMR’s ‘main line’. The schoolgirls give chase by hijacking a waiting local at ‘Nutcombe’, actually Longmoor Downs, and the train is formed of Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No.196 Errol Lonsdale and two old BR suburban non-corridor coaches. Curiously, whereas a previous Hunslet ‘Austerity’ was disguised heavily with side tanks, No.196 just has BR emblems and fictitious number ‘68011’, a scheme it was to later carry in preservation. A couple of girls also give chase in a permanent way pump trolley whilst the schoolmistresses find a Wickham Trolley which they all cram into. The trolley is No.WD9033 which had also appeared the year before in Runaway Railway (qv). The Wickham is now preserved. The police join the scene rather late, arriving at Longmoor Downs aboard three-car Class 205 DEMU No.1102, on loan from British Rail for filming and displaying headcode 99. The final scenes where the crooks are arrested takes place at ‘Pudham’, actually Liss station and the BR (Southern Region) platforms can be seen in the background. At one stage, the girls manage to couple the box van containing the loot to their train and the following chase is fast and frenzied (and much speeded up), with trains being switched at regular intervals from ‘up lines and down lines’. It remains one of the funniest chase sequences involving British trains. Look out for the scene involving Wickham petrol trolley No.WD9033 and one of the LMR’s two Derby-built 0-6-0 diesel shunters, No.878 Basra on a freight. They head towards each other on the same section of track, filmed at Whitehill Bridge, the only overbridge on the Longmoor system. No.878 was in LMR blue but with ‘BR’ replacing ‘LMR’ on its sides. It is now preserved, this being the only time that one of these vintage 1945-built shunters featured in a movie.
THE GREEN CARNATION (see THE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE)
*THE GREEN COCKATOO (aka FOUR DARK HOURS)
GB
1937
1hr 05mins
Dir: William Cameron Menzies
Starring: John Mills and René Ray
An innocent young girl travels to London from her home in Devon and gets mixed up with various unsavoury characters
This short crime drama features good shots of passing GWR expresses at both the start and end of the film, and both the trains are hauled by ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0s. The scenes onboard the trains and at the stations are studio sets, but there is a montage sequence of London scenes, and tram No.625 appears briefly in one. The ‘Hall’ in the opening shot looks like it may be No.5960 Saint Edmund Hall.
*GREEN STREET (aka GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS)
GB / US
2005
1hr 49mins
Dir: Lexi Alexander
Starring: Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam
A wrongly expelled Harvard graduate joins the West Ham United soccer firm
There are plenty of scenes in this football film, centred on drugs and hooliganism, but the continuity leads an awful lot to be desired. The opening scenes at ‘Bank’ station on the Underground were in fact shot at East Finchley and there is quite a bit of footage of 1995-built Northern Line tube stock. There is also a shot of Elijah Wood arriving at London Paddington and a Class 332 ‘Heathrow Express’ EMU is in the background. On the way to a match in Manchester, some of the gang meet in the car park next to London King’s Cross station and there are Class 91s, HST’s, a WAGN purple-liveried Class 317 EMU and a Class 67 diesel all visible in the background, but then it all goes a bit wrong. The gang are then back at Paddington for their ‘Manchester’ train and there are brief glimpses of HST’s, a Class 180 DMU and another Class 332 Hex EMU. On the way up north, the gang are onboard an HST on the Great Western main line and in one shot, a pair of Class 166 ‘Turbo’ DMUs in Thames Trains livery pass by the windows of the train. There is a very distant view of a train passing through the English countryside, which looks like it may be a pair of Silverlink-liveried Class 321 EMUs, and when the hooligans pull the communication cord and alight at ‘Macclesfield’, it is in fact Westbury. Look carefully and you can just make out a Hanson-liveried JHA aggregates hopper wagon behind the entrance building. The fight which follows was set outside ‘Manchester’ station, though in reality it is the rarely viewed entrance to Fenchurch Street, so all-in-all a bit of a poor mish-mash.
GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS (see GREEN STREET)
GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS: UNDERGROUND (see GREEN STREET 3: NEVER BACK DOWN)
GREEN STREET 3 (see GREEN STREET 3: NEVER BACK DOWN)
*GREEN STREET 3: NEVER BACK DOWN (aka GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS: UNDERGROUND and GREEN STREET 3)
GB
2013
1hr 33mins
Dir: James Nunn
Starring: Scott Adkins and Joey Ansah
A football hooligan returns to London to avenge the death of his younger brother
Like the first movie Green Street (qv) there are plenty of railway scenes in this film, and at least the continuity is a bit better. The film opens with Scott Adkins travelling down to London and we see him onboard a ‘Voyager’ DEMU and then waiting on the platform of an unknown West Coast main line station. A Freightliner is shown passing through, but it is edited in such a way that we do not see the loco. He then boards an unknown train that may well be a Class 350 ‘Desiro’ EMU because that is the class that features in further onboard scenes that includes an arrival at London Euston. There are also plenty of good shots of 1996-built Jubilee Line underground stock and DLR units in London’s docklands and a scene of massed hooligans outside Bruce Grove station in London, a particularly good piece of continuity as Bruce Grove is the nearest station to Tottenham Hotspurs’ White Hart Lane ground where many rival ‘meet ups’ over the years have taken place. Finally, in a night fight scene in a scrapyard, there is a partial glimpse of a Class 465/466 ‘Networker’ EMU passing above the crowd on the viaduct behind.
*GREGORY’S TWO GIRLS
GB
1999
1hr 56mins
Dir: Bill Forsyth
Starring: John Gordon Sinclair and Carly McKinnon
A school teacher lusts after a schoolgirl while ignoring the love offered by a colleague
Despite the eighteen-year gap this romantic comedy is in fact the sequel to the highly acclaimed 1981 film Gregory’s Girl but unlike the first movie, which was ‘trainless’, this sequel features a number of railway scenes. The first of these shows a Class 150/2 ‘Sprinter’ DMU entering an unknown tunnel and later a pair of Class 303 EMUs are seen at Gourock station, terminus of a branch from Paisley Gilmour Street. There are also a number of scenes that are filmed onboard a Class 303.
*THE GUARD
IRE / GB/ US
2011
1hr 32mins
Dir: John Michael McDonagh
Starring: Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle
An unorthodox Irish policeman is partnered with a straight-laced FBI agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring
This brilliant dark comedy has a scene filmed at Galway station with an Irish Rail 22000 Class DMU in the platform.
GUILT IS MY SHADOW
GB
1950
1hr 26mins
Dir: Roy Kellino
Starring: Patrick Holt and Elizabeth Sellars
After a failed bank robbery, the getaway driver flees to the Devon countryside and the farm of his uncle
This crime drama is based on the 1943 novel You’re Best Alone by Norah Lofts, penned under the pseudonym of Peter Curtis. It features some excellent shots of Staverton station, on the Ashburton branch in South Devon. The station is masquerading in the film as ‘Welford’ and in one scene a train arrives hauled by ex-GWR 1400 Class 0-4-2T No.1470. Prior to these shots there is a scene filmed at London Paddington station plus a stock shot of an express passing Coryton’s Cove, near Teignmouth on the Devon Coast, hauled by an ex-GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 with a ‘130’ stencil headcode.
GUILTY? (aka JE PLAIDE NON COUPABLE)
FRA / GB
1956
1hr 33mins
Dir: Edmond Gréville
Starring: John Justin and Barbara Laage
A solicitor investigates a crime for which an ex-Resistance member has been framed
This crime drama was originally released in France as Je plaide non coupable (I plead not guilty) before being released in England and it features a stock shot of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 on an express, which as usual is taken from Brief Encounter (1945) (qv).
*THE GUINEA PIG (aka THE OUTSIDER)
GB
1948
1hr 37mins
Dir: Roy Boulting
Starring: Richard Attenborough and Sheila Sim
A 14-year old poor boy goes to a famous public school as part of a social experiment
The drama is adapted from the 1946 play of the same name by Warren Chetham-Strode and features the arrival of three trains at Sherborne station in Dorset. The first is headed by ‘King Arthur’ N15 Class 4-6-0 No.448 Sir Tristram, the second is hauled by unrebuilt ‘Merchant Navy’ Class
4-6-2 No.21C6 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. CO., and the third shows only the coaches. The station later went on to appear in the 1969 musical Goodbye Mr Chips (qv).
*GUMSHOE
GB
1971
1hr 28mins
Dir: Stephen Frears
Starring: Albert Finney and Billie Whitelaw
A Liverpool bingo caller finds himself in the middle of a murder case
This crime drama features the full hat-trick of Liverpool railway termini, in one film! Lime Street station features most prominently, with a train of blue & grey-liveried Mk1 and Mk2 coaching stock departing in one shot. In the background to this scene parcels vans are present which include a very vintage Gresley brake, and there then follows a scene onboard the train. Later shots were taken at both Central and Exchange stations, in their final years of operation. Finally, there are scenes filmed on the Piccadilly Line of London Underground at Aldwych, Holborn and Russell Square stations featuring 1959-built tube stock.
H
*HALF A SIXPENCE
GB
1967
2hrs 23mins
Dir: George Sidney
Starring: Tommy Steele and Pamela Brown
A draper’s assistant inherits a fortune and moves into society
This popular musical is adapted from the stage musical of the same name, which was based on Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul, a 1905 novel by H.G. Wells. During the title sequence at the start of the film there is a scene that depicts one of the 1’ 11 ½” gauge Swindon-built 2-6-2Ts of the Vale of Rheidol Railway. This narrow-gauge Welsh railway was the last steam railway owned by British Rail until it was privatised in 1989. Although the line has been much filmed over the years, it is very rare to see it appear in a feature film.
*HALF HEARTED
GB
2010
12mins
Dir: Max McGill
Starring: Sam Philips and Anna Skellern
After a big night out, a young man wakes up with a prostitute and an unwanted tattoo which he must explain upon his girlfriend’s imminent return
This short London-based film is described as a ‘pitch black unromantic comedy’. It features some scenes at the end that were filmed at London St Pancras station, with good shots of Class 373 ‘Eurostar’ sets. Half Hearted was highly acclaimed at the time it premiered at the 2010 BFI London Film Festival and has since screened at numerous international festivals, received television distribution, and has been selected for the BFI archive. Director Max McGill told the Londonist “Shooting in the station was a bit tricky, we were only allowed to be in there for four hours, which is no time at all for filming, and we only had 10 crew including three actors. We ended up having other actors and crew members hidden in cafes and toilets in disguise who would sneak over when no one was watching.”
*HALF LIGHT
US
2006
1hr 50mins
Dir: Craig Rosenburg
Starring: Demi Moore and Hans Matheson
After the death of her son a novelist heads for Scotland but is haunted by him
This mystery-horror has a rather bizarre scene filmed at Bodmin General station, which is masquerading as ‘Oban’ of all places. The scene shows a night time arrival of the Bodmin & Wenford Railway’s two-car class 108 DMU which waits very briefly at the station before departing again. Bizarrely, the DMU plays the part of an EMU and there is an arc flash from the units ‘collector shoe’ which plays an integral part in the story reminding Hans Matheson of a camera flash!
*HALF MOON STREET
GB / US
1986
1hr 30mins
Dir: Bob Swaim
Starring: Sigourney Weaver and Michael Caine
An American woman working at a British escort service becomes involved in the political intrigues surrounding one of her clients
Based on the 1984 novel Doctor Slaughter by Paul Theroux, this erotic thriller was the first RKO Pictures solo feature film produced in almost a quarter of a century. The film features a shot of the entrance to Ladbroke Grove Underground station with C stock pulling out of the station and crossing the road bridge outside. There is also an unusual close-up shot of 1973-built Piccadilly Line stock in a tunnel working a Heathrow-bound service, and a scene filmed onboard a 1973 stock train.
*THE HALFWAY HOUSE
GB
1944
1hr 35mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Mervyn Johns and Sally Ann Howes
A diverse group of people meet at an isolated inn but there is something odd about the owner and his family
This rather nice supernatural film is based on the play The Peaceful Inn by Dennis Ogden and opens with a street scene outside Cardiff Castle. One of the city’s double-decker trams is passing and although the film is supposedly set in rural Wales this is the only Welsh scene as the inn was in fact Barlynch Abbey, on the Devon/Somerset border. This location setting explains the appearance of a real rarity in the form of East Anstey station on the former Norton Fitzwarren-Barnstaple line. The station poses as ‘Ynysgwyn’ for the film and some of the characters arrive by a train hauled by GWR 4300-series 2-6-0 No.6364. There are also shots of London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads stations and a very distant shot of a steam train passing through a valley landscape.
*HALLAM FOE (aka MISTER FOE)
GB
2007
1hr 35mins
Dir: David Mackenzie
Starring: Jamie Bell and Ruth Milne
A disturbed boy goes to Edinburgh to discover the true cause of his mother’s death
This gritty and atmospheric drama is based on the 2001 Peter Jinks novel of the same name and features a couple of scenes overlooking Edinburgh Waverley station with ScotRail Class 170 ‘Turbostar’ DMUs and an IC225 Mk4 set present. There are also a couple of similar ‘over the camera’ shots of a train with a miniature snowplough fitted locomotive on the rear (presumably a train of Mk.1’s with a Class 37 diesel) and scenes filmed onboard what appears to be a Class 314 EMU.
*A HANDFUL OF DUST
GB
1988
1hr 58mins
Dir: Charles Sturridge
Starring: James Wilby and Kristin Scott Thomas
The wife’s affair and a death in the family hasten the demise of an upper-class English marriage
This romance features a number of scenes that were filmed on the Bluebell Railway, with Sheffield Park station and various lineside locations featuring, along with some good shots of Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No.1618. There is also a scene filmed on platform 1 of London Paddington station though without the presence of any trains.
*HANDS OF THE RIPPER
GB
1971
1hr 25mins
Dir: Peter Sasdy
Starring: Angharad Rees and Eric Porter
The daughter of Jack the Ripper grows up a psychotic murderer having seen him kill her mother
This typical 1970s horror features a scene filmed outside Windsor & Eton Central station.
THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF YOUR LIFE
GB
1950
1hr 21mins
Dir: Frank Launder
Starring: Alastair Sim and Margaret Rutherford
Chaos ensues after a government error accidentally sees a girls’ school billeted at a boys’ school
There are several scenes in this film that were shot at Liss on the Longmoor Military Railway. Government inspectors arrive on a service hauled by War Department Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No.75079 Lisieux and in another scene at the station a train is seen departing with a carriage door still open! The station curiously masquerades as ‘Nutbourne’, which is a real station on the West Coastway route between Havant and Chichester.
*HAPPY EVER AFTER (aka O’LEARY NIGHT and TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT)
GB
1954
1hr 28mins
Dir: Mario Zampi
Starring: David Niven and Barry Fitzgerald
A new squire proves unpopular and the villagers plot to kill him
The film is supposedly set in rural Ireland but was actually filmed entirely in England and there are a number of railway scenes which were shot at
Braughing station on the Buntingford branch from St. Margarets in Hertfordshire. To continue the Irish flavour the station appears as ‘Rathbarney’ and has mock CIE station signage. The first scene shows a four-coach train of non-corridor 3rd class stock leaving the station and though we do not see the locomotive, the coaches have fake CIE emblems applied. This shot is followed by a scene filmed adjacent to the goods yard with plenty of wagons visible, most of which appear to be four-wheel vans. There is then an arrival of a train hauled by ex-LNER J15 Class 0-6-0 No.65464 and a final general view of the station, again with train, which is seen later on in the movie. The loco was given a fresh coat of BR black by Stratford paint shops for the film and had the CIE emblem applied on one side only. It was worked during filming by a Stratford crew but when not required it worked normal BR services, complete with the CIE badge. The coaching stock meanwhile was stored at St Margarets for a fortnight before filming when it was repainted CIE green on one side only. It had ‘1st class’, ‘3rd class’ and ‘no smoking’ stickers added, in addition to the CIE logos. When not in use for filming, the coaches were stored in the long siding at Braughing. Braughing (pronounced Braefin) station along with the Buntingford branch was a popular location used in a number of other films, most notably Operation Bullshine and Postman’s Knock (both qv).
*THE HAPPY FAMILY (aka MR. LORD SAYS NO)
GB
1952
1hr 26mins
Dir: Muriel Box
Starring: Stanley Holloway and Kathleen Harrison
A family refuses to allow a road to be built through their home for the Festival of Britain
The film was an adaptation of a play called The Happy Family by Michael Clayton Hutton and was originally to have been called South Bank Story. The character played by Stanley Holloway is a British Railways train driver who has worked on the railways for 35 years and who is just about to retire. To emphasise this fact there is a fantastic shot of Holloway at Nine Elms Motive Power depot climbing down from the footplate of then brand new BR Standard Class 7MT ‘Britannia’ 4-6-2 No.70009 Alfred the Great at the end of his final shift. Ex-LBSCR Class E4 0-6-2T No.32493 runs past light but other locos in the background are indiscernible. The title sequence features a view of the River Thames and Hungerford Bridge is prominent in the foreground with the elevated signalbox at the entrance to Charing Cross station clearly visible. The very final scenes show actual footage of the Festival of Britain exhibitions on the South Bank and a British-built steam locomotive just creeps briefly into view in two of the shots. It is Indian Government Railway WG Class 5’ 6” gauge 2-8-2 No.8350 built by the North British Locomotive Co. of Glasgow in 1950.
*HAPPY GO LOVELY
GB
1951
1hr 37mins
Dir: Bruce Humberstone
Starring: David Niven and Diane Hart
A chorus girl falls for a millionaire during the Edinburgh festival
This musical comedy was largely set on location in Edinburgh and some of the city’s trams feature in a number of scenes.
*HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
GB
2008
1hr 58mins
Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan
A young teacher remains eternally cheerful despite everything that life throws at her
There are two railway shots in this brilliant comedy drama. The first scene appears when the credits are rolling and shows Sally Hawkins cycling across Blackfriars Bridge. A couple of Class 319 EMUs cross the railway bridge behind her, one in Thameslink blue and white and the other in the short-lived silver and blue scheme. Later in the film there is an elevated view of East London and a formation of Docklands Light Railway units is crossing the landscape.
*HAPPY IS THE BRIDE
GB
1958
1hr 24mins
Dir: Roy Boulting
Starring: Ian Carmichael and Janette Scott
A couple plan a quiet wedding but reckon without the intervention of her parents
This comedy is based on the play Quiet Wedding by Esther McCracken and was previously filmed in 1941 as Quiet Wedding (qv). It features a stock shot of an LNER V2 Class 2-6-2 on an express, a surprisingly rare loco in feature film. The brief station scene that follows is a studio set.
*A HARD DAY’S NIGHT
GB
1964
1hr 27mins
Dir: Richard Lester
Starring: Paul McCartney and Wilfrid Brambell
The Beatles head from Liverpool to London to appear on a television show
Produced during the height of Beatlemania the film portrays several days in the lives of the group. It is the first Beatles film and features a train journey in which the band travel from Liverpool to London, though in reality they go nowhere as both the ‘Liverpool’ departure and ‘London’ arrival scenes are filmed at London Marylebone. In the arrival scenes, a high camera angle used to show fans mobbing the train just reveals a BR Sulzer Type 2 (Class 24 or 25) at the head of some Mk1 coaches with a Class 115 DMU in the far background. The actual railway journey scenes were filmed on the Minehead branch from Norton Fitzwarren, with Crowcombe Heathfield station used in one scene, though it is reported that the line to Barnstaple was also used for some shots. In this journey sequence the train is made up of BR Mk1 coaches, but no locomotives are seen.
*HARDCORE (aka FIONA)
GB
1977
1hr 20mins
Dir: James Kenelm Clarke
Starring: Fiona Richmond and Anthony Steel
The sexual adventures of an actress
This typical soft-core ’70s romp does at least feature a number of railway scenes. Fiona Richmond takes a train journey which starts with a low ground level shot of a Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic-hauled WR express followed by scenes onboard early Mk2 corridor stock where she seduces the guard of the train. This is followed by a shot of Mk2 air-cons entering an unknown tunnel on a line with OHLE. There are then a number of scenes on the Bluebell Railway where a flimsily clad Richmond is picked up from the lineside by the driver of USA Class 0-6-0T No.30064. Richmond and the steam loco driver then make love on the footplate with the train in motion and we are treated to a number of run bys of the train and a shot of the interior of ex-LNWR Observation Car No.1503 at the rear. As the driver of the steam train and the guard of the express are one and the same we realise that it is a visual scenario used to depict her climax, with such obvious cliches as moving motion, escaping steam and a sounding whistle. All this ends with a bare-breasted Richmond sat on the train opposite two old aged pensioners who were asleep at the time Richmond entered the carriage but who are now very much awake! The railway scenes end with another low ground level shot of a WR express which is now hauled by a Class 47 diesel suggesting a change of traction on route.
HARRY AND THE HOOKERS (see CLEGG)
*HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
GB / US
2002
2hrs 41mins
Dir: Chris Columbus
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
Harry Potter ignores warnings not to return to Hogwarts
The Harry Potter films, all based on the fantasy novels of the same name by J K Rowling, have proved just as popular as the books themselves though at well over 2 hours in length they are perhaps just a little too elaborate with almost every contemporary British actor and actress having starred in at least one. Anyone who has read the popular children’s series knows that the ride on the ‘Hogwarts Express’ starts from King’s Cross railway station’s Platform 9¾, which is hidden from view and reached by walking through a brick arch between platforms 9 and 10. Rowling discovered after the books were published that she had confused the layout of King’s Cross with that of Euston station, and that platforms 9 and 10 at King’s Cross were not the ones between which she had meant her magical platform to be placed. There is no platform between lines 9 and 10 at King’s Cross and to solve this, the filmmakers re-numbered platforms 4 and 5 for the duration of filming. In reality, at both King’s Cross and Euston, platforms 9 and 10 are separated by railway lines. Today, a ‘Platform 9¾’ sign is affixed to the wall of the western departures concourse above a luggage trolley that is disappearing into the wall. Just as well known is the ‘Hogwarts Express’, the magical train that carries students non-stop from Platform 9¾ to Hogsmeade, the station closest to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (to give the school its correct title). Warner Bros. Pictures hired preserved ex-GWR ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 No.5972 Olton Hall and a rake of maroon-liveried Mk.1 coaching stock from West Coast Railway Company at Carnforth for filming (one vehicle is No.99716) and the train makes an appearance in all of the Harry Potter films. For this prestigious role, Olton Hall was repainted red and renamed Hogwarts Castle, which no doubt caused much stamping of feet and shaking of fists by GWR aficionados who not only saw a green loco become a red one, but a ‘Hall’ change identity to a ‘Castle’! The loco and stock also had ‘HOGWARTS RAILWAYS’ branding based on the traditional BR emblems. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the second of these highly successful adaptations and not only utilised the same locations that featured in the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (qv), but also introduced the viewer to Glenfinnan Viaduct for the first time. The big railway scene was a computer-enhanced sequence in which the main characters swoop over No.5972 and train on Glenfinnan Viaduct in their flying Ford Anglia car, now one of the most familiar movie scenes in recent times. Glenfinnan Viaduct is on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Lochaber, Scotland. Located at the top of Loch Shiel in the West Highlands, the viaduct overlooks the Glenfinnan Monument and the waters of Loch Shiel. The graceful, curving, mass concrete structure has 21 arches, is 416 feet long and crosses the River Finnan at a height of 100 feet. The viaduct was already well-known to rail enthusiasts but its appearance in three of the Harry Potter films means that it is now instantly recognisable to plenty the world over as ‘the Harry Potter Viaduct’. As well as the viaduct, King’s Cross station was again used with No.5972 and some GNER-liveried Mk.4 coaches in the background. Also, St. Pancras station was used for the station exterior shots as it is much more visually dramatic than its next door neighbour.
*HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1
GB / US
2010
2hrs 26mins
Dir: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
Harry uncovers the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was the seventh and final novel in the series, but was adapted into two feature-length movies as the series continued to move ever further away from its chirpy beginnings. In this first part, there is a brief shot of No.5972 and train stopped on a very bleak looking Rannoch Moor.
*HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2
GB / US
2011
2hrs 10mins
Dir: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
Harry Potter continues his quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes
The second part of the Deathly Hallows novel, the eighth and final film, featured an epilogue nineteen years later with all the latest recuits heading off to Hogwarts by train. Although this at least brought everything nicely back to the very beginning, not all is as it seems. There is an establishing shot of the frontage of St Pancras station, and No.5972 and train are seen again at King’s Cross platform 9 ¾. In these shots, Mk.2s are present in the background in mock GNER livery with one numbered ‘95721’ (which is in fact the number of a Mk.1 Parcels High Security GUV). As the camera pans around the Virgin Trains Mk3 standby rake is visible in the opposite platform! Earlier in the film there is an ethereal scene with Harry Potter meeting Dumbledore whilst in limbo. This features King’s Cross without any trains and entirely shrouded in mist. So, what became of the ‘star’ of the Harry Potter films. Understandably No.5972 began to migrate away from the spotlight upon conclusion of filming, though it still remained in Hogwarts Castle condition. In March 2015[update] after the expire of its boiler ticket saw it withdrawn from service, the locomotive moved to static display at The Making of Harry Potter studio tour within the Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, near Watford, Hertfordshire, where it remained ensconced for two years. During filming of the Harry Potter films the loco carried a ‘Hogwarts Express’ headboard on its smokebox door and this was displayed on the loco during its time at Leavesden.
*HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
GB / US
2005
2hrs 37mins
Dir: Mike Newell
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
Harry Potter finds himself an unwilling competitor in the Triwizard Tournament
The fourth instalment of the Harry Potter films features some more scenic shots of No.5972 and train on the West Highland line, with Glenfinnan Viaduct again appearing in some.
*HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
GB / US
2009
2hrs 33mins
Dir: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
Harry Potter becomes obsessed with a mysterious textbook
There are shots of No.5972 and train passing across Rannoch Moor in the West Highlands and again, the mock up station film set seen initially in The Order of the Phoenix (qv) is used as ‘Hogsmeade’. The later shots of the Hogwarts Express rushing through the snowy landscape were filmed in Norway, around Bjorli, on the Raumabanen railway line, running between Oslo and the Norwegian fjord region. The train was then superimposed over the image showing just how far the stories had progressed. There is in fact quite a bit more railway related in this movie. The opening scenes feature shots of the River Thames from the Millenium Bridge and from the air, with Cannon Street and Blackfriars stations visible, with distant Class 376 EMUs present at the former. There is also a very, very, brief glimpse of the frontage of Leicester Square Underground station as the Death Eaters swoop through London. There is then a most unusual magical experience that takes place on the platforms of Surbiton station, with Class 444 EMUs visible in this sequence. This is the film in which Harry Potter tells Dumbledore that he ‘likes riding around on trains as it takes his mind off things!’
*HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
GB / US
2007
2hrs 18mins
Dir: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
Harry Potter finds that Lord Voldemort is planning a magic war
The fifth film features the usual scenes at King’s Cross station with maroon Mk1’s and GNER Mk.4’s present, along with a glimpse of the rear of No.5972. There are better shots of No.5972 and train on the Mallaig Extension in and around the Glenfinnan area but, like the first film, Glenfinnan Viaduct does not feature. There is also a brief scene with Mark Williams and Daniel Radcliffe at Westminster Underground station. The station scenes in this movie were in fact a set in Black Park Country Park, adjacent to Pinewood Studios at Iver Heath. It is thought that No.5972 and train was a mixture of CGI techniques and convincing mock-ups. This station reappeared in Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince (qv) which followed as the sixth movie.
*HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE
GB / US
2001
2hrs 32mins
Dir: Chris Columbus
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
Harry Potter is called to Hogwarts for the first time
The first of the Harry Potter fantasy films has a number of different railway locations that all set the tone for what lies ahead in the forthcoming sequels. There are scenes at King’s Cross station with No.5972 and train of maroon Mk.1s, though GNER-liveried Mk4 rakes with DVTs are also visible in the background of one scene. The ‘Hogwarts Express’ is then seen on the West Highland line but some filming also took place on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, with Goathland station appearing as ‘Hogsmeade’.
*HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
GB / US
2004
2hrs 22mins
Dir: Alfonso Cuarón
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson
Harry Potter learns that an escaped murderer is coming after him
The third movie features more shots filmed on the West Highland line and Glenfinnan Viaduct with No.5972 but all is not quite what it seems.
Unfortunately, filming was firstly disrupted when the Mk.1 coaching stock was vandalised between takes, and then again after No.5972 started a number of lineside fires amongst the dry vegetation. Therefore, the scenes that appear in the film actually depict a night journey in torrential rain, with the train ‘held’ on Glenfinnan Viaduct for one very scary scene. As in the other films there are shots taken at King’s Cross station, with maroon Mk1s and GNER Mk4s present, but No.5972 is not visible. Perhaps a little more interesting if only for the fact that it is different to the usual Harry Potter fare, is a scene earlier in the film that shows Harry’s lodgings hard by a railway line in Borough, South London. This was filmed adjacent to Borough Market and a Connex-liveried Class 423 4 VEP EMU is passing by in one shot, crossing the bridge over Stoney Street on the line between Metropolitan and Borough Market Junctions.
*HAUNTED
GB
1995
1hr 48mins
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Aidan Quinn and Kate Beckinsale
A sceptic of psychic phenomena is invited to stay at a haunted house
This horror movie features some good scenes filmed on the Bluebell Railway with Horsted Keynes station masquerading as ‘Edbrook’. Southern Railway Maunsell S15 Class 4-6-0 No.847 features heavily, the scenes include a run by filmed at Waterworks Bridge.
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
GB / CAN
2004
2hrs 12mins
Dir: John Duigan
Starring: Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend
Three women in Paris find themselves caught up in the events of the Nazi occupation
This film includes a wartime scene set in a French marshalling yard where the Resistance blow up a German munitions train. This was actually filmed at Sheffield Park on the Bluebell Railway, with heavily-disguised BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.80151 together with a snowplough painted in camouflage colours. The snowplough was ADS70225, an ex-Schools Class tenderplough which was also fitted with a mock machine-
gun nest for filming. It remained in this condition afterwards and can be still be seen amongst the stored stock on the railway.
HEADLINE
GB
1944
1hr 15mins
Dir: John Harlow
Starring: David Farrar and Antoinette Cellier
A crime reporter begins to investigate the disappearance of his bosses wife who had witnessed a murder
This likable but fairly routine forties B-movie is based on the 1933 novel Reporter! by Ken Attiwill. At the end it features a really good close up stock shot of SR H15 Class 4-6-0 No.476 departing London Waterloo. There are also a number of scenes filmed on the Thames riverside around Strand-on-the-Green, Chiswick, with some good shots of Kew Railway Bridge though no trains feature.
HEART
GB
1998
1hr 25mins
Dir: Charles McDougall
Starring: Christopher Eccleston and Saskia Reeves
A woman becomes obsessed with the man who has been given her dead son’s heart in a transplant
This impressive and highly underrated drama features some good contemporary railway scenes. These take on the form of aerial shots of trains around the Merseyside / Cheshire plains and include two views of a Class 158 ‘Sprinter’ DMU (it is the same shot repeated at the both the start and end of the film) and one of an EWS-liveried Class 37 on five Mk2 coaches. There is also a night shot of a passing HST set and interior views onboard a ‘Met-Camm’ Class 101 DMU.
THE HEART WITHIN
GB
1957
1hr 01mins
Dir: David Eady
Starring: David Hemmings and Clifford Evans
A murder suspect on the run must depend on strangers to help clear his name
This drama film features some scenes of arriving boat trains at London Waterloo station, one composed of carmine and cream-liveried Mk1s and the other of Southern stock. Both are probably taken from Newsreel footage and no locos are seen.
*HEARTLANDS
GB
2002
1hr 30mins
Dir: Damien O’Donnell
Starring: Jim Carter and Celia Imrie
Having lost his wife to another man, a mild-mannered guy sets off to Blackpool to find her
This thoughtful comedy drama features some pretty extensive scenes on the Blackpool seafront and as a result a number of trams feature quite prominently – Brush-built single-deck cars, Millennium Balloon car No.709 and a Centenary car.
HEAT WAVE (see THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE)
HEAVENS ABOVE!
GB
1963
1hr 53mins
Dir: John Boulting
Starring: Peter Sellers and Cecil Parker
A naive but caring prison chaplain is accidentally assigned as vicar to a small and prosperous country town
This satirical comedy features a scene outside Shepperton station and a night shot of a steam-hauled express though the loco is unidentifiable.
*HEDD WYN
GB
1992
2hrs 03mins
Dir: Paul Turner
Starring: Huw Garmon and Sue Roderick
A Welsh farmer becomes a First World War poet
This Welsh anti-war biopic is based on the life of Ellis Humphrey Evans, killed in the First World War, and posthumously awarded the Chair at
the 1917 National Eisteddfod of Wales. Evans’ bardic name Hedd Wyn (pronounced ‘Hairth Win’) means ‘Blessed Peace’. The film unsurprisingly features a Welsh railway with atmospheric scenes depicting the main character leaving for France filmed on the Llangollen Railway at Llangollen station. The train is formed of ex-LMS Class 3F ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T No.7298 on BR non-corridor stock but what is more surprising is the fact that the loco appears as number ‘7470’ in mock ‘GREAT WESTERN’ livery. This was probably a good way of depicting an older GWR tank loco as the 3F itself was not built until 1924. A later run by of the train reveals its true identity as the number 7298 is still on the smokebox door. There are also a number of scenes filmed onboard the non-corridor stock.
*HEIDI
GB
2005
1hr 44mins
Dir: Paul Marcus
Starring: Max von Sydow and Emma Bolger
A young orphan girl goes to stay with her morose grandfather in the Swiss Alps
Based on the iconic 1881 Swiss novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri, this live-action film should not to be confused with the animated film of the same name that was released in the same year. This film version of the classic tale features some scenes that were shot on the Gwili Railway with Bronwydd Arms station appearing as ‘Mayenfeld’. However, not is all as it seems. The actual train is Slovenian, with some very fine shots of SZ 2-6-2T No.17-006. These Slovenian Railway scenes were then slotted into the shots of the station at Bronwydd Arms where there are close up views of Mk.1 coaching stock but little else.
*HELL DRIVERS
GB
1957
1hr 48mins
Dir: Cyril Endfield
Starring: Stanley Baker and Sidney James
An ex-con joins a haulage company using death-trap lorries
This drama features a scene at West Ruislip station with a train arriving behind ex-LMS Fairburn Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.42253.
*HELL IS A CITY
GB
1960
1hr 38mins
Dir: Val Guest
Starring: Stanley Baker and Maxine Audley
A police inspector searches for a local criminal in Manchester and is soon investigating a murder committed during a violent street robbery
This Hammer Film noir has a scene filmed on the concourse of the old Manchester Central station, and some later scenes filmed from the roof of the Palace Hotel overlooking Manchester Oxford Road station and its approach viaducts. No trains are visible in either location. Manchester Exchange station is also seen in the background of one other shot. The film is based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Maurice Proctor.
*HENNESSY
GB
1975
1hr 43mins
Dir: Don Sharp
Starring: Rod Steiger and Richard Johnson
After the death of his family during a riot in Belfast, an ex-IRA man comes up with a plan to blow up the British Houses of Parliament
The street battle scene supposedly set in Belfast was actually filmed in White Street, Southall, and a BR blue-liveried Class 117 suburban DMU passes by in the background. There is also a later scene filmed on the concourse of London Waterloo station though no trains are visible.
HER MAN GILBY (see ENGLISH WITHOUT TEARS)
HERE COMES THE SUN
GB
1946
1hr 31mins
Dir: John Baxter
Starring: Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen
A sports reporter on the run from police tries to clear his name
This is another Flanagan and Allen comedy musical that has good railway scenes. A railway journey to Blackpool is depicted with shots of an
ex-L&YR Class 8 4-6-0 ‘Lanky Dreadnought’ and an ex-LMS Fowler Class 4P 2-6-4T on excursion trains, plus the arrival of another excursion
at Blackpool Central station behind LMS Class 4P ‘Compound’ 4-4-0 No.1185.
*HEREAFTER
US
2010
2hrs 09mins
Dir: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Matt Damon and Lyndsey Marshal
An investigation into the possibility of a life in the hereafter with three separate lives being interwoven
This quite heavily overworked drama features a scene at the old Charing Cross Jubilee Line platforms with 1996-built tube stock in the platform. The scene is used to represent one of the London bombings of 2005. The actual deep-level tube bombing took place at King’s Cross, but the smoke-filled Underground station entrance seen in the movie is that of Liverpool Street.
*THE HEROES OF TELEMARK
GB
1965
2hrs 11mins
Dir: Anthony Mann
Starring: Richard Harris and Ulla Jacobsson
Norwegian Resistance workers set out to destroy a Nazi heavy water plant
Based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during World War II, this somewhat embellished account was shot on location in Norway. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the railway scenes are Norwegian, including good shots of a train ferry near the end, but there are a couple of shots of British locomotives. The early dockyard scenes where filmed in Southampton and a small 0-4-0ST can be seen shunting vans in the background. This loco was No.1 Bonnie Prince Charlie (Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Works No.7544 of 1949) which from 1965 worked at Corrall’s depot on Dibles Wharf in Southampton, which somewhat narrows down the location. The loco was purchased for preservation in 1969 and soon moved to the Didcot Railway Centre where it still resides today. There is also one shot soon after that shows a SR express passing through a station at dusk. The station is on a four-track main line with the outer two tracks electrified and the centre platform out of use and overgrown. It could possibly be either Hook or Winchfield. The express appears to be hauled by a streamlined Bullied ‘Pacific’, which is a loco of quite dubious accuracy for a Second World War film, but then so is Bonnie Prince Charlie, which wasn’t built until 1949.
*HIDDEN CITY
GB
1987
1hr 42mins
Dir: Stephen Poliakoff
Starring: Charles Dance and Cassie Stuart
A writer and researcher trace a mysterious event from 30 years before
This drama includes a number of scenes filmed in the abandoned Kingsway tram tunnel with particular emphasis on the Holborn stop.
HIDDEN HOMICIDE
GB
1959
1hr 21mins
Dir: Anthony Young
Starring: Griffith Jones and Patricia Laffan
A writer wakes up in a strange cottage, with a gun in his hand and a dead body in the house
This mystery drama was based on the 1951 novel Death at Shinglestrand by Paul Capon. The film features a number of railway scenes, the first of which was filmed at Merton Park where BR 2 EPB No.5750 is leaving on a Headcode 2 (West Croydon – Wimbledon) service. There is also a scene filmed outside Wimbledon Chase station with its distinctive curved concrete façade, and a scene with Patricia Laffan arriving outside another unknown Southern Region station.
*HIDE AND SEEK
GB
1964
1hr 30mins
Dir: Cy Endfield
Starring: Ian Carmichael and Janet Munro
A reserved British astronomer is drawn out of his quiet life and into an affair of international espionage
There are some good shots at Watford Junction in this thriller, taken on the now disused former platform 12. There is plenty of maroon coaching stock present, but no locomotives. However, the train journey which follows is depicted with the stock shot of un-rebuilt LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 No.46100 Royal Scot complete with ‘THE ROYAL SCOT’ headboard on Bushey troughs. This shot is used in a number of other films including Beat Girl (1960), Escapade (1955) and Left, Right and Centre (1959) (all qv) but its origin is not known. It was first seen in Escapade, but it is unlikely to have been filmed for that movie.
*HIDE AND SEEK
GB
1972
1hr 01min
Dir: David Eady
Starring: Peter Newby and Gary Kemp
A boy runs away from an Approved School in search of his father
There is an aerial shot of Deptford in the early scenes of this Children’s Film Foundation movie and a pair of Southern Region 4 EPB EMUs are
passing through the landscape.
HIDEOUT IN THE ALPS (see DUSTY ERMINE)
*HIGH FLIGHT
GB
1957
1hr 29mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Ray Milland and Anthony Newley
New cadets train to be pilots with the Royal Air Force
There is a scene in this cold war drama where Kenneth Haigh flies his Percival P.56 Provost training aircraft down a river in East Anglia and momentarily chases an express. The train is formed of carmine and cream-liveried stock hauled by an ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0, but it is not known exactly where this stunt was filmed. It is believed, however, to have been either the Sleaford Canal or the nearby River Witham.
*HIGH HEELS AND LOW LIFES
GB / US
2001
1hr 26mins
Dir: Mel Smith
Starring: Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack
Two women overhear a robbery and try to blackmail the gangsters involved
This chick pic features a sequence filmed on the Mid Hants Railway, with Alresford station trebling as ‘Haywards Heath’, ‘Three Bridges’ and ‘London Victoria’!! Push-pull Class 33/1 No.33109 was used with a rake of three Mk2 carriages, one in NSE livery and the other two in Southern green but with the curious addition of two broad white stripes on the lower body. There are also some shots filmed on the concourse of the real London Victoria station, though no trains appear here. There is a much more interesting scene that was filmed at the abandoned platforms of Shoreditch station on the closed Dalston Junction-Broad Street line. The station site was cleared in 2005 prior to the route reopening as part of London Overground’s East London Line extension. There is also another, equally interesting scene, filmed beneath Souldern No.2 Viaduct in Oxfordshire.
*HIGH HOPES
GB
1988
1hr 52mins
Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: Philip Davis and Ruth Sheen
A dysfunctional family gathers to celebrate their mother’s 70th birthday
The final scenes in this comedy-drama take place on the rooftop of a flat overlooking London St Pancras station with HSTs visible beyond. It is the same rooftop that appeared in the second series of 99-1, an undercover police drama series starring Leslie Grantham that was aired on ITV in early 1995. The opening scene, meanwhile, features a shot of the frontage to St Pancras.
*HIGH TREASON
GB
1951
1hr 30mins
Dir: Roy Boulting
Starring: Liam Redmond and André Morell
Enemy saboteurs infiltrate industrial suburbs intending to disable power generating stations throughout the UK
This espionage thriller was filmed in the style of the
American ‘docudramas’ and in one scene the saboteurs infiltrate Battersea Power Station by
hiding onboard a coal train hauled by a ‘named’ industrial Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. 0-4-0ST. It is unclear though as to whether this scene was actually filmed at Battersea, or somewhere more readily accessible.
*HIGHLY DANGEROUS
GB
1950
1hr 30mins
Dir: Roy Baker
Starring: Margaret Lockwood and Dane Clark
A British lady entomologist travels to a Balkan country to look into germ warfare trials using various bugs as carriers
This spy movie features an early scene outside Taplow station and just visible passing through is an express hauled by a GWR 4-6-0 that is partly obscured by the station buildings and footbridge.
*THE HI-JACKERS
GB
1963
1hr 09mins
Dir: Jim O’Connolly
Starring: Anthony Booth and Jacqueline Ellis
A long-distance lorry driver and his girlfriend track down the gang who stole his lorry
This nice little crime thriller has some very good scenes shot on Southall station with some equally good views of passing Class 117 DMUs. DMS vehicle number 51415 is visible in one shot. There is an interesting parody in these scenes whereby the lead actors play out the ‘grit-in-the-eye’ scene from Brief Encounter only this time with the roles reversed so that Jacqueline Ellis removes the grit from the eye of Anthony Booth who even states that he could have lost his eye! Embarrassingly, the digital remastering of the movie sees HST sound effects placed over those of the DMUs!
HINDLE WAKES
GB
1927
1hr 55mins
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Starring: Estelle Brody and John Stuart
During ‘Wakes Week’ the Hindle mill workers go on holiday to Blackpool
This 1927 silent film drama is adapted from Stanley Houghton’s 1912 stage play of the same name and includes a great deal of location work in Blackpool and Manchester with a view of an LMS Class 4P ‘Compound’ 4-4-0 entering a tunnel with an express and some shots of early ‘toast-rack’ Blackpool trams. Hindle Wakes was filmed four times, twice as a silent (the first version, also directed by Elvey, made in 1918) and twice in sound (in 1931 and 1952). The 1927 production was well-budgeted and is generally held by film historians to be the best of the four. Both the 1918 and the 1931 versions did not feature any railway material.
HINDLE WAKES
GB
1952
1hr 22mins
Dir: Arthur Crabtree
Starring: Lisa Daniely and Brian Worth
An independent-minded young woman insists on her right to enjoy a sexual flirtation regardless of the disapproval of family or society
This remake of the above film appeared twenty-one years after the last but it was not well received as social attitudes had changed since the Second World War and it was seen as somewhat anachronistic. The film does feature some excellent railway scenes, however. First there are some very good shots of Preston station with Ivatt 2MT Class 2-6-0s on trains. A passenger service leaves the former platform 8 behind ex-LMS Stanier Class 4P 2 Cylinder 2-6-4T No.42481, followed oddly by a shot of GWR coaches passing somewhere in the west! There are then some scenes in Blackpool showing crowds disembarking from trains at Blackpool Central station and shots of Blackpool trams. Finally, the lead characters make
a brief journey to Llandudno and there is a good shot of them climbing the Great Orme in 3’ 6” gauge Great Orme Tramway tram car No.4.
*THE HISTORY OF MR. POLLY
GB
1949
1hr 35mins
Dir: Anthony Pelissier
Starring: John Mills and Betty Ann Davies
A draper’s assistant decides to make a new life
This drama film is based on the 1910 comic novel of the same name by H. G. Wells and features a going away shot of a passing GWR branch
auto-train hauled by a 1400-series 0-4-2T. The exact location is not known.
HOFFMAN
GB
1970
1hr 53mins
Dir: Alvin Rakoff
Starring: Peter Sellers and Sinéad Cusack
A middle-aged man blackmails a typist into staying with him for a weekend
This satirical film is based on the 1969 novel Shall I Eat You Now? by Ernest Gebler and it opens with some excellent shots inside London
King’s Cross station. Plenty of blue & grey Mk1 and Mk2 coaching stock is visible along with a pair of Class 31s, one of which has a 5S35
headcode. Presumably, it has brought in the empty stock for 1S35, the 14:00 King’s Cross-Edinburgh.
*HOLIDAY CAMP
GB
1947
1hr 37mins
Dir: Ken Annakin
Starring: Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison
Life at a summer holiday camp where a murderer is on the prowl
This successful comedy drama features an excellent opening shot of a train full of holidaymakers arriving at the rarely filmed Sandsend station on the Scarborough-Whitby line. The locomotive is LNER Class A8 4-6-2T No.9881.
*HOLIDAYS WITH PAY
GB
1948
1hr 35mins
Dir: John Blakeley
Starring: Frank Randle and Tessie O’Shea
Mishaps of a northern family on holiday
This comedy features some location work on the Isle of Man. A Manx Electric Railway tramcar with trailer No.62 appears in one shot at the Derby Castle terminus whilst Douglas Bay Horse drawn tram No.40 appears in another. In the scenes filmed on the mainland in Blackpool there are some distant shots of trams at the Lancashire resort.
*THE HOLLY AND THE IVY
GB
1952
1hr 23mins
Dir: George More O’Ferrall
Starring: John Gregson and Celia Johnson
A turbulent Christmas at a Norfolk country rectory
This brilliant drama is an adaptation of Wynward Browne’s hit West End play of the same name and has a good aerial shot of the platforms of
London Liverpool Street station with at least one LNER F6 Class 2-4-2T visible, possibly No.7224. Another tank and a tender loco are standing at the bufferstops but they are heavily obscured making identification difficult. This scene is then followed by an excellent low angle stock shot of a passing Eastern Region express hauled by LNER B17 ‘Footballer’ Class 4-6-0 No.2848 Arsenal. The carriage scene featured in the movie is a studio set and the film also includes some rather dodgy model work.
HOME AT SEVEN
GB
1952
1hr 25mins
Dir: Ralph Richardson
Starring: Ralph Richardson and Margaret Leighton
A man discovers that he has been missing for 24 hours and, despite not remembering the ‘lost’ day, is accused of murder
This mystery drama is an adaptation of R. C. Sherriff’s play of the same name and includes some good shots in the opening scenes of London Transport Metropolitan Line stock at Baker Street Underground station.
HONEST
GB
2000
1hr 50mins
Dir: David Stewart
Starring: Nicole Appleton and Derek Deadman
In 1960s London, a group of female thieves commit crimes disguised as men
This dreadful comedy crime starred three members of the British/Canadian girl group All Saints and includes a getaway scene filmed on the Aldwych branch using 1972-built tube stock. Aldwych station appears and is masquerading in this instance as Mornington Crescent.
*HOPE AND GLORY
GB
1987
1hr 53mins
Dir: John Boorman
Starring: Sarah Miles and David Hayman
Adventures of a small boy and his family in wartime London
This hugely successful film, based on John Boorman’s own experiences of growing up in the Blitz, features an atmospheric wartime evacuation scene recreated at London Marylebone station with SR ‘King Arthur’ N15 Class 4-6-0 No.777 Sir Lamiel. There is another railway scene which was shot at Horsted Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway, which interestingly acts as the location of a romantic scene in a movie that the family are watching in a cinema, therefore a film within a film!
*HORROR HOSPITAL (aka COMPUTER KILLERS)
GB
1973
1hr 25mins
Dir: Antony Balch
Starring: Robin Askwith and Vanessa Shaw
A songwriter goes to a health hotel run by a mysterious doctor
This horror classic uses quite a few railway scenes to depict the journey from London to the health spa resort. These start with some shots on London Waterloo station with EMUs visible that include SR 2 EPBs (unit No.5673 is identified through the vehicle No’s. 14581 and 16125) and BR Class 421 4 CIGs, one of which is No.7342. The journey itself then features the usual odd continuity expected of film-makers, a shot of a Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic on an express (1B90), green Class 40 No. D370 with an express (1S75) passing a Class 24-hauled van train on the WCML, and decent shots of Merton Park station, renamed ‘Brittlehurst’ for the film. SR Class 416/2 2 EPB EMUs No’s.5781 and 5789 are seen at the station. Both are former Tyneside sets and the shot of 5789 arriving on headcode 2 (West Croydon-Wimbledon) is particularly good. The overgrown track is the former line to Tooting. There are additional shots of the exterior to Merton Park station and interior scenes filmed onboard an EPB and a BR express unit, probably a 4 CIG. The WCML shot of the Class 24 and 40 was one of a large number that were apparently filmed in the 1960s for a movie about the Great Train Robbery which was then never produced. The shot along with all the other unused footage can be found on Video 125’s DVD Diesel & Electrics on 35mm.
THE HORROR OF DEATH (see THE ASPHYX)
THE HORSE’S MOUTH
GB
1958
1hr 37mins
Dir: Ronald Neame
Starring: Alec Guinness and Kay Walsh
A somewhat vulgar, but dedicated painter, searches for the perfect realization of his artistic vision, much to the chagrin of others
The screenplay for this comedy was based on the 1944 Joyce Cary novel of the same name. Filmed in Technicolor there is an early scene outside Wormwood Scrubs on Du Cane Road, and a slightly obscured Central Line train formed of 1923 ‘Standard’ stock can be seen passing by on the embankment behind and crossing the steel girder bridge over the road.
THE HORSE’S MOUTH (see THE ORACLE)
*THE HORSEMASTERS
US
1961
1hr 30mins
Dir: William Fairchild
Starring: Janet Munro and Donald Pleasence
A 16-week course in horsemanship has a group of students learning the finer points of sportsmanship, jumping, dressage and riding
The Horsemasters was a two-part episode of the Disneyland TV show from 1961 which screened as a theatrical release in some countries. It was
shot on location in England and it features excellent opening colour scenes filmed at Baynards station on the Guildford-Christ’s Hospital line, with a push-pull train arriving behind ex-SR M7 Class 0-4-4T No.30124. The station is masquerading as ‘Valleywood’. The feature length drama was based on the 1957 Don Stanford novel of the same name.
THE HOSTAGE
GB
1956
1hr 20mins
Dir: Harold Huth
Starring: Ron Randall and Mary Parker
A group of South American revolutionaries plan to kidnap the daughter of their President in London
This crime drama features a single shot of the entrance to an unknown Underground station.
*HOT FUZZ
GB
2007
2hrs 01min
Dir: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
A tough and uncompromising London cop is sent to a peaceful village and becomes involved in some strange ‘accidents’
This satirical action comedy proved a big success and there is a short railway sequence at the beginning. Simon Pegg takes a train journey to
Sandford in ‘Gloucestershire’ and we see montage footage of him onboard trains, with brief glimpses of 1972-built Northern Line tube stock,
almost certainly the one stored on the Aldwych branch, a Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ EMU and a Class 165 ‘Turbo’ DMU. He is also seen sat on the platform of the village station, in reality Denham Golf Club, and a number of Class 165 ‘Turbo’ DMUs pass through including No.165006.
HOT MILLIONS
GB
1968
1hr 46mins
Dir: Eric Till
Starring: Peter Ustinov and Maggie Smith
A confidence trickster makes millions out of fake companies
This caper features some scenes filmed with Peter Ustinov at London Paddington station and two very brief shots of passing express trains, one
hauled by a Class 42 ‘Warship’ diesel-hydraulic and one formed of a Met-Camm Blue Pullman DMU.
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
GB
1932
1hr 12mins
Dir: Gareth Gundrey
Starring: Robert Rendel and Heather Angel
Sherlock Holmes is called in to investigate a suspicious death on Dartmoor
This crime mystery was the very first ‘talking picture’ version of the story, based on the 1902 novel of the same name by Arthur Conan Doyle. It features an arrival scene at Lustleigh station on the GWR’s Moretonhampstead branch from Newton Abbot. The station was renamed ‘Baskerville’ during filming and the GWR hotel at Moretonhampstead played the part of Baskerville Hall. There are also several shots filmed onboard a train.
HOUR OF GLORY (see THE SMALL BACK ROOM)
*THE HOURS
GB / US
2002
1hr 54mins
Dir: Stephen Daldry
Starring: Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore
The story of three women in different times, related only by a parallel in their personal lives – the novel Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
This drama is based on Michael Cunningham’s 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title. One scene features Nicole Kidman on the platform of ‘Richmond’ station, in reality Loughborough Central on the Great Central Railway. The locomotive is ex-LNER Class O4/1 2-8-0 No.63601 on a train of historic LSWR coaches. What is astonishing is that these coaches were brought to the line from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway by the production team, only to then be paired up with a loco in BR livery. For a scene that was supposedly set in 1941, a much more accurate ‘Southern’ station could so easily have been sought at the Bluebell Railway, or at Swanage. Or the Isle of Wight come to think of it. The scene filmed at Loughborough Central is quite lengthy and there are good shots of other rolling stock, particularly LNER teak carriages.
THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE (aka HEAT WAVE)
GB
1954
1hr 08mins
Dir: Ken Hughes
Starring: Alex Nicol and Sidney James
An American novelist meets his rich neighbours across the lake and is soon involved in a love triangle and murder
This B-movie film noir drama is set in the Lake District with the main character missing a London-bound train made up of a pre-war Southern
Railway EMU! This anachronistic scene was filmed at Windsor & Eton Riverside station. There is also a shot of an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 on a passenger train in the West Highlands.
THE HOUSE IN MARSH ROAD (aka INVISIBLE CREATURE)
GB
1960
1hr 20mins
Dir: Montgomery Tully
Starring: Tony Wright and Patricia Dainton
A protective spirit inhabiting their home has other plans when a failing author plots to kill his wife
This suspense film was based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Laurence Meynell and features a scene with Patricia Dainton getting picked up from the entrance of an unknown railway station.
HOUSE OF WHIPCORD
GB
1974
1hr 42mins
Dir: Pete Walker
Starring: Patrick Barr and Sheila Keith
A disgraced matron and a former judge mete out punishment as they preside over a secret correctional institute for girls
This seventies horror exploitation movie is considered too be better than many of the time. It features some rather good shots of Lydney station in Gloucestershire, though no trains feature.
THE HOUSE ON STRAW HILL (see EXPOSÉ)
HOW NOT TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY
GB
2015
1hr 14mins
Dir: Stuart J Parkins
Starring: Damian Walsh and Emma Whittaker
A young photographer returns to London after two years of traveling, but struggles to reconnect with his earlier time there
This drama has a scene filmed onboard what appears to be a Class 455 EMU, the views outside the window show the area around Southwark and Bermondsey. There is also a scene filmed at London Paddington station.
*HOW TO GET AHEAD IN ADVERTISING
GB
1989
1hr 34mins
Dir: Bruce Robinson
Starring: Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward
A rebellious advertising executive grows a boil that turns into another head
This rather odd farce has an interesting comedy scene filmed onboard a train made up of Network SouthEast Mk2 rolling stock, with Mk2B First Class Composite No.13442 and Mk2A Corridor Brake First No.17085 prominent. The scene was filmed at Didcot Parkway, which posed as ‘Datchet’, but not all is as it seems. A look out of the window as the train is arriving into the station very clearly shows Reading, suggesting filming took place on at least two different trains. The locomotive at the head of the train in the platform scene at Didcot is largely obscured from view but sounds like a Class 50.
*HOWARDS END
GB
1992
2hrs 20mins
Dir: James Ivory
Starring: Anthony Hopkins and Vanessa Redgrave
The fortunes of two middle class families overlap
Based upon the 1910 novel of the same name by E. M. Forster, this romantic drama is a story of class relations in turn-of-the-20th-century England and features a number of railway scenes. The preserved Southern Railway 2 BIL EMU No.2090 appears in a scene at London St Pancras station, slightly out of place perhaps but a nice change from the usual ‘shoot anything in steam’ protocol used for most period films. A number of ‘hired in’ box vans add further to this atmospheric spectacle. There are also some shots of a train journey filmed on the Severn Valley Railway with GWR ‘City’ Class 4-4-0 No.3440 City of Truro as the train engine. Both the Victoria Bridge and Bewdley station appear in these scenes, with Bewdley station masquerading as ‘Hilton’.
*HUDSON HAWK
US
1991
1hr 40mins
Dir: Michael Lehmann
Starring: Bruce Willis and Andie MacDowell
A master burglar and safe-cracker is hired to steal a formula from the Vatican City
This action comedy features something very rare. One sequence has Bruce Willis entering an underground railway that is supposedly beneath the
Vatican. In reality, the scenes were filmed on the London Post Office Railway, the 2ft gauge driverless train system beneath the streets of central
London that is also known as Mail Rail. As well as the trains, there are shots of the platform areas and this is believed to be the only time that this
overlooked system has appeared in a movie. The system is accurately referred to as a postal railway and the station signage reads ‘Poste Vaticane’.
*HUE AND CRY
GB
1947
1hr 22mins
Dir: Charles Crichton
Starring: Harry Fowler and Jack Warner
A gang of street boys foil a master crook who sends commands for robberies by cunningly altering a comic strip’s wording each week
This film is generally considered to be the first of the “Ealing comedies”, although it is better characterised as a thriller for children. The final sequences have some excellent shots overlooking Cannon Street railway bridge and station with various traction on show. Identifiable locos are a Bulleid pacific in Southern ‘Sunshine’ livery, a couple of V Class ‘Schools’ 4-4-0’s and what could be an H Class 0-4-4T on pilot duties. A couple of vintage pre-war EMUs join in for good measure. In an earlier scene filmed in Patmore Street, Battersea, as Harry Fowler fights with another child, a ‘King Arthur’ or similar size 4-6-0 can be seen in the background on the lines out of Waterloo being overtaken by an EMU. A number of trams are also visible in the final sequences, crossing Southwark Bridge.
*THE HUMAN FACTOR
GB
1979
1hr 55mins
Dir: Otto Preminger
Starring: Richard Attenborough and John Gielgud
A spy in the Foreign Office allows a colleague to be suspected as a mole
This spy thriller is based on the 1978 Graham Greene novel of the same name and features a shot of a commuter train arriving at Berkhamsted station formed of Class 310 EMU No.310066.
*HUNTED (aka THE STRANGER IN BETWEEN)
GB
1952
1hr 24mins
Dir: Charles Crichton
Starring: Dirk Bogarde and Jon Whiteley
A violent fugitive and a mistreated small boy team up together to flee from authority
This pretty effective crime drama has an excellent railway scene whereby Dirk Bogarde and the runaway boy jump into the open wagons of a mixed freight hauled by ex-LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 No.44548. The bridge that the pair jump from is the last of three bridges that were situated very close together, and which were essentially foot bridges that then linked Burslem brickworks with Sneyd Colliery. The railway below was part of the ‘Potteries Loop Line’ that linked Stoke with Kidsgrove on the stretch of line between Cobridge and Burslem stations. The line was closed in the late 1960s and the three bridges were demolished in the 1980s. The line has now been converted into a ‘greenway’ for walkers and cyclists. Earlier in the film there is a scene filmed on Vauxhall Bridge Road, and a tram can be seen in the background in its final year of operation.
HUSSY
GB
1980
1hr 35mins
Dir: Matthew Chapman
Starring: Helen Mirren and John Shea
A high-class prostitute meets an American who helps her find a way out of the business
A scene in this drama was shot at London Euston station and a Class 86 electric and a Class 310 EMU are visible.
HYPNOTIC (see DOCTOR SLEEP)
*THE HYPNOTIST (aka SCOTLAND YARD DRAGNET)
GB
1957
1hr 29mins
Dir: Montgomery Tulley
Starring: Paul Carpenter and Patricia Roc
A hypnotist attempts to convince one of his patients to murder his wife, whom he has grown sick of
This thriller, based on a play by Falkland Cary, features a scene filmed on the concourse of London Waterloo station but no trains are visible.
I
*I AM WHAT I AM (aka COL CUORE IN GOLA and DEADLY SWEET)
ITA / FRA
1967
1hr 47mins
Dir: Tinto Brass
Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant and Ewa Aulin
After meeting a girl in a nightclub, a man becomes embroiled in murder and blackmail
This Italian-French thriller whose Italian name translates as ‘With Heart in Mouth’ was filmed in London and has some excellent, but rather brief shots, of trains at Clapham Junction. Southern Region express stock is visible, along with BR Standard Class 3 2-6-2Ts on pilot duties. There is a rather rare image of a Class 08/09 diesel shunter in BR blue, which would be one of the very first in this corporate scheme, and an extreme closeup shot of what appears to be a pair of Class 20s running light, though only the solebars are seen. Also, look very closely and a Class 33 in original green just creeps in to view in one shot. These shots are complimented by a later suspense scene filmed at Holborn (Kingsway) Underground station on the Central Line with 1962-stock present. The journey onboard the tube train ends at Holborn again before a chase across the footbridge at Clapham Junction ensues!! The film is loosely based on the novel Il sepolcro di carta (The Paper Tomb) by Sergio Donati.
I BELIEVE IN YOU
GB
1952
1hr 35mins
Dirs: Basil Dearden and Michael Relph
Starring: Celia Johnson and Harry Fowler
A retired Colonial Serviceman takes on the job of a probation officer which gives him a different view of London life.
This drama is based on the 1950 biographical Court Circular by Sewell Stokes and features an elevated shot of the goods yard around Brentford station. Seen from the iron footbridge that crossed the line, a large number of wagons are on display and although a steam locomotive is present, it is not identifiable.
*I CAPTURE THE CASTLE
GB
2003
1hr 57mins
Dir: Tim Fywell
Starring: Romola Garai and Bill Nighy
A teenage girl and her eccentric family survive in a castle in the 1930s
Based on the 1948 novel of the same title by Dodie Smith this film includes a lot of location work on the Isle of Man. Some scenes were filmed on the 3’ gauge Isle of Man Railway at Port St Mary station with Dübs & Co. 0-6-0T No.15 Caledonia on a rake of period stock. The loco is identifiable by the non-prototypical blue livery it carries.
*I.D.
GB
1995
1hr 47mins
Dir: Philip Davis
Starring: Reece Dinsdale and Sean Pertwee
A policeman working under cover with a gang of football hooligans becomes one himself
This film has scenes with football hooligans onboard HSTs, and an arrival at Sheffield station which also features further HST sets. The entrances to both Sheffield station and Leicester Square Underground station also feature.
*I GIVE IT A YEAR
GB
2013
1hr 37mins
Dir: Dan Mazer
Starring: Rose Byrne and Rafe Spall
A film charting the trials and tribulations of a mismatched couple and their first year of marriage
This decent romantic comedy features scenes at the end that were filmed at London St Pancras station, with some good shots of Class 373
Eurostar EMU sets. One of the power cars briefly visible is No.3230. There is also an earlier shot of Class 377 ‘Electrostar’ EMUs crossing the
Ouse Valley Viaduct, which is followed by a shot of the always lovely Rose Byrne sitting onboard one of the units.
*I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING!
GB
1945
1hr 28mins
Dirs: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring: Roger Livesey and Pamela Brown
An independent woman travels to the Hebrides to marry a wealthy old man
This classic romance features a rather surreal studio-bound train journey from London to Scotland with a dream sequence taking place. In one part, the station master’s top hat transforms into an engine chimney! Everything settles down by the time we are in Scotland though and we get one good shot of an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 on a passenger train in the West Highlands.
*I MET A MURDERER
GB
1939
1hr 19mins
Dir: Roy Kellino
Starring: James Mason and Sylvia Coleridge
A murderer on the run gets involved with a young woman novelist
This curious thriller, filmed in 1937 but not released until two years later, includes a scene with James Mason outside Cookham station on the former Maidenhead to High Wycombe line, a line now truncated at Bourne End.
*I SEE A DARK STRANGER (aka THE ADVENTURESS)
GB
1946
1hr 52mins
Dir: Frank Launder
Starring: Trevor Howard and Deborah Kerr
A young Irish woman heads to England in 1944 to spy for the Germans
This brilliant film noir spy film was released in the US as The Adventuress with a somewhat reduced running time of 1hr 38mins. Deborah Kerr’s jaunts to and from Ireland are depicted by studio-bound railway journeys, including the station scenes which appear to be detailed sets, though a number of real trains do feature. There is an excellent and quite rare shot of one of the three Great Southern Railways Class 800 4-6-0s arriving with a train at Kingsbridge station which is followed by a several external views of the station building. Kingsbridge was renamed Dublin Heuston in 1966 and has been considerably rationalised. There is a later scene filmed at an unknown country station with LMS suburban coaches pulling away from the platform, but the locomotive is out of shot. The back-projection through the carriage window on the journey gives a brief glimpse of a Southern tank loco in wartime black as the train arrives into a fairly sizeable station but sadly the view is somewhat obscured making actual identification difficult. There is also a ‘random’ shot of a GWR ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 arriving at Bristol Temple Meads on an express. The ‘Irish’ scenes were unusually filmed on the Isle of Man, which is at least in the Irish Sea! Both the electric and steam railways make a brief appearance. There is a good shot early in the film of Union Mills station at dusk, with a pair of unidentified 2-4-0 tank locos at the head of the arriving train. The station was on the now closed Peel branch of the steam railway and masquerades as ‘Glenderry’. There is also an excellent shot of Manx Electric Railway tram car No.26 at Laxey station though again the scene ‘onboard’ is actually a set. At the very end of the film there is a scene in London that is shot outside the entrance to an unknown London Underground station on the Metropolitan Line.
I SEE ICE
GB
1938
1hr 24mins
Dir: Anthony Kimmins
Starring: George Formby and Kay Walsh
The farcical adventures of a prop man with a touring ice ballet
This George Formby comedy classic is another of his films to feature good railway scenes, and although the carriage interiors and station shots are all studio sets, the ‘real’ footage is a pretty accurate account of an LMS journey. Despite the motive power changing quite a bit we get good glimpses of an ex-L&YR 2-4-2T and an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0. Keep your eyes peeled on the ‘back projection’ screen in the carriage interior scenes and at one point an engine shed with a Stanier 2-6-4T shoots past. When George Formby pulls the communication cord there is a very good shot of LMS ‘Jubilee’ Class 5XP No.5553 Canada making a stop filmed specially for the production, a shot which also appears in The Love Match and Stop Press Girl (both qv). Quite a lot of other footage was actually taken for this scene, and it can all be found on Video 125’s Steam on 35mm DVD. There is also a shot of the original London Euston station. Indeed, the only non-LMS blip during these scenes is a couple of LNER Gresley coaches which appear during a shunting scene.
*I VINTI
ITA / FRA
1953
1hr 53mins
Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring: Patrick Barr and Fay Compton
Three stories of well-off youths who commit murders
The title of this drama translates into English as ‘The Vanquished’. The film is in three parts, composing of three short stories, one French, one Italian and one English. The theatrical film was dubbed into Italian for all three episodes, although the Italian DVD offers the restored uncut trilingual version. The Italian episode was modified for censorship reasons, yet the entire film was refused a certificate by the British Board of Film Censors in 1954, and has never been released in the UK. The French episode had trouble with French censorship and was not released until 1963. The actors listed above appear in the English story. There is a scene filmed in the ticket hall of Piccadilly Circus Underground station and a scene filmed on common land with Peter Reynolds looking down into a railway cutting as a formation of 3 SUB EMUs pass by.
*I WANT WHAT I WANT
GB
1972
1hr 31mins
Dir: John Dexter
Starring: Anne Heywood and Paul Rogers
A man has a sex change operation
Based on the 1966 Geoff Brown novel of the same name, this drama features a scene at Windsor & Eton Riverside station with an SR 4 SUB EMU set in the background.
I WAS MONTY’S DOUBLE
GB
1958
1hr 39mins
Dir: John Guillermin
Starring: John Mills and Cecil Parker
Prior to the D-Day landings, an actor is hired to imitate Montgomery so as to confuse the Nazis
The film features a scene at London Liverpool Street station with John Mills arriving on a train hauled by an ex-LNER B17 Class 4-6-0. Unusually, the shot has been edited, but the complete out-take appears on Video 125’s Steam on 35mm DVD which reveals the locomotive to be none other than No.61606 Audley End. Perhaps a little odd is that the loco was repainted into LNER colours for the film. If this effort was made, then it seems strange that the shot was edited in a such a way that the loco was no longer identifiable.
IDLE ON PARADE (see IDOL ON PARADE)
IDOL ON PARADE (aka IDLE ON PARADE)
GB
1959
1hr 28mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Anthony Newley and Anne Aubrey
A rising rock ‘n’ roll star is conscripted into the Army just as he reaches the top of the music charts
This youth-orientated comedy has good opening scenes filmed at London Victoria station with Lionel Jeffries and Anne Aubrey boarding a departing 4 SUB EMU.
IF ONLY (aka THE MAN WITH RAIN IN HIS SHOES and TWICE UPON A YESTERDAY)
GB / ESP
1998
1hr 31mins
Dir: Maria Ripoll
Starring: Lena Headey and Douglas Henshall
A shambling out-of-work actor desperate to win back the affections of his ex-girlfriend, unexpectedly stumbles upon a way to turn back the clock
This romantic comedy features a scene outside the entrance to Maida Vale Underground station.
I’LL NEVER FORGET WHAT’S’ISNAME
GB
1967
1hr 37mins
Dir: Michael Winner
Starring: Oliver Reed and Orson Welles
An advertising executive rebels against society
This satire features a surreal advertising film shot on the Bluebell Railway, with a lady tied to the track as in the old ‘Perils of Pauline’ westerns. Bluebell Halt was painted white to appear as a ‘ghost’ station, with North London Railway 75 Class 0-6-0T No.2650 and the ‘Chesham’ rake similarly painted as a ‘ghost train’.
I’LL SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD
GB
2003
1hr 42mins
Dir: Mike Hodges
Starring: Clive Owen and Charlotte Rampling
An ex-gangster returns to London to discover the truth behind his brother’s death
This crime film includes a shot of a Class 319 EMU crossing a bridge somewhere in South London.
*THE IMITATION GAME
US
2014
1hr 54mins
Dir: Morten Tyldum
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley
During World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians
This American historical drama was loosely based on the 1983 biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges and features scenes at King’s Cross station with maroon-liveried BR Mk1s and much smoke and steam but no locomotives. As with other wartime dramas, Aldwych Underground station appears as an air raid shelter. There are also brief scenes filmed onboard a Mk1, but the distant aerial shot of a steam train passing through the wooded countryside looks likely to be foreign judging by its headlamp.
IMMORTALITY (see THE WISDOM OF CROCODILES)
IMPACT
GB
1963
1hr 01mins
Dir: Peter Maxwell
Starring: Conrad Phillips and George Pastell
A crime reporter is framed by a crooked nightclub owner and whilst in prison plans his revenge
This short crime thriller features good scenes filmed at Brickett Wood station on the Watford Junction-St Albans Abbey branch, though no trains feature.
*THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
GB / US
2002
1hr 37mins
Dir: Oliver Parker
Starring: Colin Firth and Rupert Everett
Two friends use the same pseudonym which causes confusion
This romantic comedy drama is based on Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy of manners play of the same name. It includes a low-level run by on the Bluebell Railway of ex-SECR Class O1 0-6-0 No.65 at the head of a train and a brief dream sequence filmed at Horsted Keynes station. A lot more railway footage was shot for the film but then cut from the completed movie. This included a scene where former BR Chairman Sir Peter Parker played a station porter helping Judi Dench get off the train. This was only a short while before his death. This cameo appearance of Mr Parker can be viewed on the additional scene featurettes available on the DVD, along with some good shots of the O1 and some footage of Judi Dench being interviewed on Platform 3 of Horsted Keynes station.
IMPOSTER (see FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT)
IMPULSE
GB
1954
1hr 20mins
Dir: Cy Enfield
Starring: Arthur Kennedy and Constance Smith
A dissatisfied American realtor living in England gives a lift to stranded woman and becomes involved in a diamond robbery
This crime drama has some scenes filmed on the Western Region. There is an excellent shot of a passenger train arriving at Taplow station hauled by an ex-GWR 5101 Class ‘Large Prairie’ 2-6-2T, but as the scene cuts to the station forecourt a train is in the platform behind hauled by a tender loco. Later, there is an equally good shot of an express passing along an embankment hauled by a BR Class 7MT ‘Britannia’ 4-6-2.
IN FADING LIGHT
GB
1989
1hr 43mins
Dir: Murray Martin
Starring: Joe Caffrey and Maureen Harold
A fishing crew are joined by the skipper’s daughter which creates sexual tension
A feature drama set in the declining fishing industry in North Shields and filmed on the 63-foot seine netter bought by Amber Productions. The actors auditioned and were trained by local fishermen. The film includes a scene at Newcastle Central station with a departing train. Although the locomotive is not visible, there are good shots of the Regional Railways-liveried Mk2 coaching stock. There is also a shot of a Tyne & Wear Metro unit at North Shields station.
*IN WHICH WE SERVE
GB
1942
1hr 55mins
Dirs: Noël Coward and David Lean
Starring: John Mills and Celia Johnson
Survivors from a sunken destroyer recall their life at sea
This patriotic war film was made during the Second World War and received the full backing of the Ministry of Information, which offered advice on what would make good propaganda and facilitated the release of military personnel. The film remains a classic example of wartime British cinema through its patriotic imagery of national unity and social cohesion within the context of the war. The film features three shots of GWR expresses, one hauled by ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 No.6008 King James II, one hauled by a ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 and one arriving at London Paddington station behind another, unidentified, ‘King’ Class 4-6-0.
INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE
GB
1968
1hr 34mins
Dir: Anthony Page
Starring: Nicol Williamson and Jill Bennett
A philandering solicitor is close to a nervous breakdown
This drama was written by John Osborne who adapted it from his own 1964 play of the same name and it includes scenes with Nicol Williamson
making a journey by train into London. He boards a rake of 4 EPB EMUs at an unknown suburban station and there are then shots of passing
4 SUB and 2 BIL EMUs on route. There are also some shots at London Waterloo station and a later scene filmed on the London Underground Central Line with 1962-built tube stock.
*INBRED
GB
2011
1hr 30mins
Dir: Alex Chandon
Starring: Jo Hartley and Seamus O’Neill
Four young offenders on community service cross paths with inbred locals from a rural Yorkshire village
This blood splashing comedy horror has a sequence whereby the young offenders are stripping abandoned railway carriages of reusable parts. There is a large collection of Mk2 vehicles in a number of liveries that include Regional Railways, InterCity, Waterman Railways, Anglia, Network SouthEast, BR blue & grey and Northern Ireland Railways. This was filmed on the Dalton Airfield Industrial Estate near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, and at least fifteen stored coaches are present. Identifiable are Mk.2A BSO No.9435; Mk.2C SO No.6400; Mk.2C Micro Buffet No.
6510; Mk.2B TSO No.5449; Mk.2B TSO No.5494 and Mk.2E TSO No.ADB977867 (a former staff instruction coach). The coaches were in store for a number of organisations and private individuals, having moved from nearby Sinderby when that site closed in 2009. Several were in a quite poor state after seven years in the open and it seems that few, if any, were in fact on track. The site at Dalton was itself also later cleared and all the coaches were removed during 2012 to Rotherham for scrapping. Apparently, we are told in the film that Mk.3 coaches are worth more than Mk.2’s yet no Mk.3’s are actually present.
*THE INCIDENT
GB
2015
1hr 34mins
Dir: Jane Linfoot
Starring: Tom Hughes and Tasha Connor
The sheltered affluent world of a successful young couple is shattered when they each decide to neglect the needs of a troubled teenage girl
This bland psychological drama features some scenes filmed at Dewsbury station in West Yorkshire but no trains feature.
*THE INCREDIBLE SARAH
GB
1976
1hr 46mins
Dir: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Glenda Jackson and Daniel Massey
A film about the life of French actress Sarah Bernhardt
‘London’ station in the film, unusual in that no particular station is specified, is in fact the main engine shed at the Didcot Railway Centre, with wooden platforms and a station ‘frontage’ added by the film company. Victorian GWR four-wheel Dean Third No.975 and GWR Dean Third Clerestory No.1941 were provided as stock and there are some very good shots of GWR ‘Manor’ Class 4-6-0 No.7808 Cookham Manor. Both the loco and carriages had additional LC&DR lettering applied and although this is a largely successful and somewhat atmospheric attempt at a recreation of a Victorian railway scene, the only real problem is that the loco was not built until 1938, fifteen years after Sarah’s death! GWR four-wheel non-vent Riding Van No.56 and GWR four-wheel non-vent Tool Van No.135 are also visible in the background of one shot. There are some additional scenes filmed onboard Victorian coaches and some indistinct views of trains at night, one crossing a viaduct, but it is not clear where these were filmed or what they depict.
*INDISCREET
GB
1958
1hr 40mins
Dir: Stanley Donen
Starring: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman
An American diplomat in London falls for an actress
This romantic comedy includes a shot of the entrance to the original London Euston station.
THE INFORMERS (aka UNDERWORLD INFORMERS)
GB
1963
1hr 45mins
Dir: Ken Annakin
Starring: Nigel Patrick and Katherine Woodville
The brother of a murder victim seeks revenge
Adapted from the 1962 novel Death of a Snout by Douglas Warner there are some good shots filmed at London Liverpool Street station with maroon-liveried Mk1s in evidence but no locomotives.
*THE INN OF SIXTH HAPPINESS
GB
1958
2hrs 38mins
Dir: Mark Robson
Starring: Ingrid Bergman and Robert Donat
An English missionary’s experience in China
This classic DeLuxe Color film tells the story of Gladys Aylward, evangelical Christian missionary to China, and is based on the 1957 book The Small Woman by Alan Burgess. Shot almost entirely on location in Snowdonia, there are excellent opening scenes at London Liverpool Street station with a number of N7 Class 0-6-2Ts present including a good shot of Class N7/1 No.69665 arriving with a train. The railway in China is actually the Longmoor Military Railway, with a fairly substantial mock-up station constructed in Longmoor Yard and one of the railway’s USA
Class 0-6-0Ts disguised as a Chinese locomotive.
*INNOCENT MEETING
GB
1958
1hr 02mins
Dir: Godfrey Grayson
Starring: Raymond Huntley and Beth Rogan
A teenager on probation is falsely accused of robbery
This crime drama has a view of a footbridge crossing the Hammersmith & City line just west of Westbourne Park station as a train of CO/CP stock passes beneath. A line of open wagons is also visible. The footbridge in question runs between Tavistock Crescent and Acklam Road.
THE INNOCENT SLEEP
GB
1996
1hr 50mins
Dir: Scott Mitchell
Starring: Rupert Graves and Annabella Sciorra
A homeless man witnesses a gangland killing and becomes a target himself
In this thriller, there is one night-time shot of a passing Class 319 EMU filmed in South London.
*THE INNOCENTS
GB
1961
1hr 40mins
Dir: Jack Clayton
Starring: Deborah Kerr and Michael Redgrave
A governess at a lonely house suspects that her charges are possessed by the dead
This supernatural gothic horror is based on the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. It includes a nice shot of a train arriving at Horsted Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway with Southern Railway ‘birdcage’ coaches visible but no locomotive. However, in the far background of one shot we do see what is possibly one of the line’s ex-SECR P Class 0-6-0Ts in the distance. This is believed to be the first occasion that the Bluebell Railway, or indeed any other preserved standard gauge line, was used in a feature film.
*INSPECTOR HORNLEIGH GOES TO IT (aka MAIL TRAIN)
GB
1941
1hr 27mins
Dir: Walter Forde
Starring: Gordon Harker and Alastair Sim
Inspector Hornleigh and Sergeant Bingham join the army in an effort to uncover a ring of German spies
This was the third and final film adaptation of the Inspector Hornleigh stories and it is the one that includes the most railway scenes. The traitor in the film makes his escape aboard a mail train, hence the US title of the film, but due to wartime restrictions most of the railway journey takes place in a studio set. However, a few stock shots are added and most of these appear to have been obtained from the 1936 GPO documentary Night Mail (qv). There is a good shot of unrebuilt LMS ‘Patriot’ Class 5XP 4-6-0 No.5513 arriving at Crewe with a mail train and a close up of the cab at departure (the 5XP power classification is visible). The night shots of passing trains meanwhile, appear to show a Continental loco!
*INSPECTOR HORNLEIGH ON HOLIDAY
GB
1941
1hr 30mins
Dir: Walter Forde
Starring: Gordon Harker and Alastair Sim
During a holiday by the sea Inspector Hornleigh and Sergeant Bingham grow bored and turn their hand to investigating a local crime
The second of the three Inspector Hornleigh films features a stock shot of an LMS express leaving a tunnel hauled by an ex-LNWR ‘Claughton’ Class 4-6-0. Close investigation reveals this to be none other than the LNWR’s memorial loco No.5964 Patriot, captured commonly enough on camera but a rare loco on film. The number is not visible, the loco is identifiable through its distinctively shaped brass nameplate.
THE INTERNECINE PROJECT
GB
1974
1hr 29mins
Dir: Ken Hughes
Starring: James Coburn and Lee Grant
A professor works for a politician to eradicate people who would spoil his career
This espionage thriller includes a scene filmed on the concourse of London Marylebone station.
*THE INTERRUPTED JOURNEY
GB
1949
1hr 20mins
Dir: Daniel Birt
Starring: Richard Todd and Valerie Hobson
An author runs off with another man’s wife and causes tragedy
An integral part of the plot of this film noir thriller has the eloping couple head off by train with the author having second thoughts on the ensuing journey. Eager to make his escape, he pulls the communication cord and flees from the train across fields to his nearby home. However, as the train is being examined it is run into by another train. Most of the train scenes were filmed in the studio, with the crash scene using models, but the aftermath was filmed over a few nights on the Longmoor Military Railway using a couple of Ambulance coaches painted up on one side for the cameras and one of Longmoor’s resident ex-GWR 2301 Class ‘Dean Goods’ 0-6-0s. This story bears a tragic resemblance to the Winsford rail crash only the year before in which 24 people were killed in remarkably similar circumstances.
INTIMACY
GB
2001
1hr 59mins
Dir: Patrice Chéreau
Starring: Mark Rylance and Kerry Fox
A failed London musician has a wordless and loveless affair with a mysterious woman
This erotic romantic drama features a scene on the London Underground at Camden Town station with Northern Line 1995-built tube stock, together with a shot of a passing Class 455 EMU, No.5712, somewhere in South London.
*INTO THE WEST
IRE
1992
1hr 37mins
Dir: Mike Newell
Starring: Gabriel Byrne and Ellen Barkin
Two children are given a horse by their grandfather but after it is taken from them, the two young boys set out to find it
This successful and quite charming Irish family fantasy adventure features a number of good railway scenes which involve CIE General Motors 141 Class locos. The first shows Rúaidhrí Conroy hurrying through a railway yard at night with a bag of horse feed and nearly colliding head on with loco No.164. There is an unusual low angle shot of the front of the loco, which is at the head of a short, mixed rake of wagons, that contains a van where the children have hidden their horse. This initial scene in the yard was believed to have been filmed in the sidings at Cabra Cement Works. The second scene a little later shows the train stabled inside Phoenix Park Tunnel (754 yards), on the connecting line between Dublin’s Heuston and Connolly stations. The wrought iron bridge which takes the line over the River Liffey is clearly visible in some shots and at track level, whilst the going away shot of the train gives an excellent view of the Irish Rail brake van on the rear. There is then one final establishing shot of the horse being ridden over the River Liffey bridge as viewed from above the southern portal of the tunnel, and the connecting junction with the yard at the approach to Dublin Heuston station is visible in the background. During this railway sequence, there is a good close up shot of another 141 Class loco No.172 hauling a freight, probably again filmed in Cabra yard. However, it isn’t all GM-related as earlier in the film there is a shot of a pair of DART EMUs crossing open wasteland on a bridge.
INVISIBLE CREATURE (see THE HOUSE IN MARSH ROAD)
*THE IPCRESS FILE
GB
1965
1hr 49mins
Dir: Sidney Furie
Starring: Michael Caine and Nigel Green
An intelligence man attempts to trace a missing scientist
Based on Len Deighton’s 1962 novel of the same name, this famous espionage film features an opening scene whereby the scientist disappears from a train leaving London. This scene was filmed at Marylebone station with a steam-hauled service departing. The rolling stock is made up of BR maroon-liveried Mk1s, with vehicle No.25430 prominent, and although the loco is not completely identifiable due to the way in which it is edited, it looks to be an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0. The film was the first of a trio of Harry Palmer spy features based on Len Deighton’s novels, the last being Billion Dollar Brain (1967 – qv).
*THE IRON MAIDEN (aka SWINGING MAIDEN)
GB
1962
1hr 38mins
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Michael Craig and Anne Helm
An aircraft designer’s main passion is his traction engine called ‘The Iron Maiden’
This is a truly delightful film, with plenty to interest the transport enthusiast. It was produced by the same team that made the Carry On films and was widely perceived as an attempt to repeat the success of the film Genevieve (qv), with traction engines in place of vintage cars. It has been unofficially called ‘Carry On Genevieve’ as a result, though it should be noted that the film Genevieve was not produced by the Carry On team. The main character works as an aircraft designer for Handley Page and there are some very good shots of a Victor bomber at Radlett Aerodrome. In the background of one scene there is a clear view of Class 127 DMUs passing on the Midland Main Line. In addition to this, some early scenes were filmed at Southampton Western Docks with some good shots of the eastern end of Passenger & Goods Sheds No’s.106 and 107 with the rear of a boat train standing outside the former (as well as the United States Lines ocean liner SS United States).
ISN’T LIFE WONDERFUL!
GB
1953
1hr 23mins
Dir: Harold French
Starring: Cecil Parker and Eileen Herlie
A drunken uncle manages to reconcile a lover’s quarrel
This film features a very rare shot of a train on the Princetown branch on Dartmoor. This was three years before the branch closed and the train is hauled by an ex-GWR 4500-series 2-6-2T. There are also some slightly more familiar shots of a train arriving at Cole Green station on the Welwyn Garden City-Hertford line though in this instance we do not see the loco, only the carriages.
*IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY
GB
1947
1hr 32mins
Dir: Robert Hamer
Starring: Googie Withers and John McCallum
An escaped convict takes refuge in the home of a former lover
This famous Ealing drama set in post-war East End London has some good railway scenes, with the railway dominating the background throughout the film. John McCallum crosses a four-track railway at the beginning of the film having escaped from the nick, but it is not known where this scene was filmed. An Oerlikon EMU can be seen passing over Hartland Road between Camden Road and Kentish Town West stations and in another shot at dusk, a steam-hauled freight can be seen passing over the same street (but a different bridge). The next road up is Clarence Way, and a number of freight trains are viewed passing over the road bridge at the end of the terraced houses. However, these have been edited in such a way that the locos hauling the trains are not visible. There is a good shot of LMS Stanier Class 5P4F 2-6-0 No.2974 passing over an unknown level crossing with a freight but the main scene is a chase sequence at the film’s climax, which was filmed in Temple Mills marshalling yard near Stratford. The chase sees John McCallum pursued by police led by Jack Warner, which includes a superbly edited and choreographed cat-and-mouse sequence with both characters narrowly avoiding moving trains and shunted wagons. The best bit sees McCallum emerge from beneath a rake of wagons only to narrowly miss being run down by an ex-LNER J39 Class 0-6-0. The worst bit, by today’s standards anyway, is some comically inept model work in the scene where McCallum and Warner find themselves in separate wagons of a train being pushed over the hump. As the wagons roll down the other side and split their separate ways there are a couple of stick figures standing in the wagons that supposedly represent the actors. There are, however, plenty of locos on view in this part of the film with the stars of the show being J67 Class
0-6-0Ts No.8591 and 8607 which are seen shunting wagons about. The wagons themselves are a fascinating collection of period pieces and J69 Class 0-6-0Ts and a J52 Class 0-6-0ST are also visible. The entrance to ‘Whitechapel’ station at the beginning is a set, as the station never had a brick entrance as shown.
*IT HAPPENED HERE
GB
1964
1hr 37mins
Dirs: Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo
Starring: Sebastian Shaw and Pauline Murray
A film portraying possible events had Germany successfully invaded Britain
It Happened Here is set in an alternate history and the film’s largely amateur production took some eight years. It is sometimes referred to by its
tagline It Happened Here: The Story of Hitler’s England and it includes a number of railway snapshots. An early scene depicts a steam-hauled train skirting the banks of an estuary, but it is too far off to identify. There is a close up three-quarter shot of the cab of an ex-LNER 4-6-0 pulling away from a stand and a shot of the old London Euston just prior to the station’s rebuilding, but no trains are visible. There is a shot of the entrance to the old Holborn Viaduct station and a scene filmed on the London Underground at Edgware station with German soldiers boarding a 1938-built tube stock train. There is a good shot of the entrance to Hatch End station and a final scene with Pauline Murray travelling in what looks to be the compartment of a Mk1 coach. Interestingly, the close up three-quarter shot of the LNER cab also appeared in the film Night Train to Paris (qv), released in the same year, but was in fact stock footage from the 1956 BTF film Link Span. Also, look out for the LNER goods lorry seen in one shot filmed at a bus depot!!
*IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN TO A VET (aka ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL)
GB
1976
1hr 33mins
Dir: Eric Till
Starring: John Alderton and Colin Blakely
Adventures of the Yorkshire vet James Herriot before the Second World War
This was the sequel to All Creatures Great and Small (qv) and although having the same title as James Herriot’s second novel, the film is actually based on his third and fourth novels, Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness. These books were released in the US as a compilation volume titled All Things Bright and Beautiful, the film’s alternate US title. The film has some good scenes that were shot at Oakworth station on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway with ex-LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 No.43924 on a train (authentically appearing as LMS No.3924 in the film).
IT TAKES A THIEF (see THE CHALLENGE)
*IT’S A GRAND LIFE
GB
1953
1hr 42mins
Dir: John Blakeley
Starring: Frank Randle and Diana Dors
An accident prone, army private, attempts to rescue a Women’s Royal Army Corps Corporal from sexual harassment
This unusual comedy burlesque includes a couple of good railway shots filmed in the north west though most are rather indiscernible. During
the opening credits there are short local trains passing, one hauled by an ex-LMS 2P Class 4-4-0 and the other by an ex-LMS 2-6-4T, plus a shadowy, obscured shot, of a local train arriving at Baguley station behind another small LMS tank. Baguley was located on the former Cheshire Lines Committee route between Stockport and Glazebrook and closed in 1964, although the line is still open. Some shots of the station platforms and entrance then follow. Later in the film there is a random stock shot of an express hauled by an ex-LMS ‘Jubilee’ Class 4-6-0 passing through the curved approach to unknown station.
*IT’S A GREAT DAY!
GB
1955
1hr 11mins
Dir: John Warrington
Starring: Ruth Dunning and Sidney James
A builder, having problems with his local council in getting supplies to complete his housing estate, turns to local criminals for help instead
This fun comedy was a spin-off of the popular soap The Grove Family and includes a passing shot of a District Line Underground train formed of
London Transport R stock. This looks like it was probably filmed on the section of line between Ravenscourt Park and Stamford Brook stations.
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE
GB
1956
1hr 36mins
Dir: Michael McCarthy
Starring: Phyllis Calvert and Patrick Barr
An ordinary housewife unsuspectingly writes a hit film script, but then cannot produce another without being around her dysfunctional family
This comedy drama was based on the 1952 stage play of the same name by Felicity Douglas. It features a shot of the frontage to St John’s Wood
Underground station.
*IT’S NOT CRICKET
GB
1949
1hr 17mins
Dirs: Alfred Roome and Roy Rich
Starring: Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne
Kicked out of Army Intelligence, a pair of upper class twits set up as private detectives
This good, fast-paced, comedy is one of the most highly regarded of the period and has a very strong cast for what was essentially a low-budget B
movie. It features early scenes filmed at a port with the central characters boarding a boat train to London. It is not known exactly where this was filmed, but it isn’t ‘Folkestone Harbour’ as denoted by a signboard in the background of one shot. Some of the coaching stock present is the Continental Stock, built by the Southern Railway to a SECR design. The coaches had matchboard lower sides, Pullman gangways and buckeye couplers, as well as inward opening end doors, and some lasted in traffic into the 1960s. In the background to one shot, a rake of Southern Railway suburban stock is also visible.
*IT’S THAT MAN AGAIN
GB
1943
1hr 24mins
Dir: Walter Forde
Starring: Tommy Handley and Greta Gynt
A local mayor, who is also a con man, gambles municipal treasury funds in a poker game and wins a rundown theatre
This film was based on the popular wartime ITMA (It’s That Man Again) radio show and features a railway journey as Tommy Handley heads to London. This is basically made up of Handley sitting in a studio mock-up of a corridor carriage with back projection of passing scenery through the window. No locomotives appear in this sequence but a fascinating collection of bygone rolling stock passes by in the form of various LMS wagons, vans, open planks, a four-wheel bolster, a brake van and a coach, which can all be seen in the yards. There is initial confusion with the back projection in this sequence which is passing from right to left at the start of the journey but then goes from left to right after Mrs Mopp enters the train. This apparent reversal in direction is easily explained, however, because Mrs Mopp, played by Dorothy Summers, enters the carriage from the outside and then leaves via the corridor!
J
*JACK & SARAH
GB / FRA
1995
1hr 50mins
Dir: Tim Sullivan
Starring: Richard E. Grant and Samantha Mathis
After his wife dies during childbirth a lawyer struggles to bring up his baby daughter alone
The very opening credit scene in this romantic comedy features a shot of two pairs of original P86/P89 Docklands Light Railway units passing at an unknown location. Perhaps the only film that opens with shots of Docklands Light Railway trains.
JACKPOT
GB
1960
1hr 11mins
Dir: Montgomery Tully
Starring: William Hartnell and Betty McDowell
When a safe at a club is robbed, the police and the owner of the club want to track down the robber, but for very different reasons
This crime drama has a scene filmed outside the entrance to Arsenal Underground station.
JACQUELINE
GB
1956
1hr 29mins
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: John Gregson and Kathleen Ryan
The struggles of a Belfast family after the father loses his job in the shipyards
Based on the 1954 Catherine Cookson novel The Grand Man, this drama is set on location in Belfast and there is one good shot of an industrial saddle tank in one of the shipyards.
*JASON BOURNE
US
2016
2hr 03mins
Dir: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon and Julia Stiles
Jason Bourne, now remembering who he truly is, tries to uncover hidden truths about his past
This action thriller is the fifth film in the Bourne film series and is the direct sequel to the third movie The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) (qv). The film features a scene at Woolwich Arsenal DLR station, transformed into ‘Athens’ for the film complete with plenty of Greek signage! An arriving formation of DLR stock has B07 set 112 at the front complete with spurious ‘Athens Metro’ branding. There is also an aerial view of a Eurostar passing through the Kent countryside, followed by a scene with Matt Damon onboard.
JE PLAIDE NON COUPABLE (see GUUILTY?)
THE JEALOUS GOD
GB
2005
1hr 35mins
Dir: Steven Woodcock
Starring: Jason Merrells and Denise Welch
A Catholic schoolteacher falls in love while preparing to become a priest
This 1960s set feature film, based on the 1964 novel of the same name by John Braine, features some quite extensive filming on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Keighley station is particularly prominent along with ex-LMS Class 8F 2-8-0 No.48431, BR Ivatt Class 2MT 2-6-2T No.41241 and the line’s resident Class 108 DMU. The latter is a pleasing touch and shows to good effect the 1960s transition from steam to diesel. Most interesting perhaps is the shot of BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.80002, seen working a passenger service on someone’s television
screen!
JEANNIE (aka GIRL IN DISTRESS)
GB
1941
1hr 41mins
Dir: Harold French
Starring: Barbara Mullen and Michael Redgrave
A Scottish girl comes into money and goes to Europe
Barbara Mullen’s journey to the Continent in this romantic comedy is depicted by a shot of Southern Railway ‘King Arthur’ Class N15 4-6-0
No.771 Sir Sagramore arriving with a train at Dover Marine station. By pure coincidence, this same locomotive appeared in the 1943 movie The
Gentle Sex (qv).
*JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM
IND
2007
2hrs 12mins
Dir: Shaad Ali
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan and Preity Zinta
Caught together in an overcrowded café, two strangers tell each other love stories to kill time
A good percentage of this Indian comedy was filmed at Waterloo and although most of the action takes place in The Reef Café on the mezzanine level there are other views of the station, with some elaborate dance sequences on the platforms and concourse. ‘Desiro’ EMUs and a Eurostar set are visible in the background to a number of scenes as well as a rare glimpse of some Class 442 ‘Wessex Electric’s’ at the very end. Also, in one shot, a Class 465 ‘Networker’ EMU passes over the viaduct outside the station on its way in to Charing Cross. There is a good close up view of Class 444 ‘Desiro’ No.444005 but other ‘Desiro’s’ that are identifiable include 444001 and 444028 as well as Class 450 No.450064. The choice of a station as the setting makes for a refreshing change, the only problem is that the characters appear to have got their geography all wrong. First, they are awaiting an arrival of a train from Birmingham, then one from Manchester! Either way, they should of course be at Euston and not Waterloo. Not all the action takes place at the station and perhaps surprisingly there are other railway scenes of note. There is a rather random going away shot of a steam-hauled train of BR Mk.1s somewhere on a preserved line plus a shot of the frontage to Southall station. The title of the film roughly translates as ‘sway this way’ but really means any kind of dance or swing movement.
*JIGSAW
GB
1962
1hr 47mins
Dir: Val Guest
Starring: Jack Warner and Moira Redmond
Brighton police track down a murderer
This atmospheric crime drama filmed around Brighton and Hove is based on the novel Sleep Long, My Love by Hillary Waugh. Near the start of the film there is a curious close up shot of the smokebox and chimney of ex-LBSCR Class E4 0-6-2T No.32474 and a more traditional shot of a passing train hauled by a BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T. There are also scenes filmed at both Brighton and Lewes stations with a pre-war SR EMU departing from the latter. There is also a brief scene that is filmed onboard an SR EMU which stops at East Croydon. This could be a studio-reconstruction with ‘back projection’ but this appears unlikely as the scene looks authentic and too complete.
*THE JIGSAW MAN
GB
1984
1hr 34mins
Dir: Terence Young
Starring: Michael Caine and Robert Powell
A British traitor in Moscow returns home as a double agent
This espionage film was based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Dorothea Bennett and was inspired by the story of Kim Philby. It features a shot outside Horsley station on the Effingham Junction – Guildford line with a Class 423 4 VEP EMU arriving in the background. There is also a night scene on the bank of the River Thames with Hungerford Bridge in the background. An EMU passes across but it is too dark to otherwise discern.
JOANNA
GB
1968
1hr 48mins
Dir: Michael Sarne
Starring: Geneviève Waïte and Donald Sutherland
An art student in London has a romantic fling with her teacher
The opening scene in this drama has Geneviève Waïte arriving at London Paddington station on a train hauled by a Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel- hydraulic. There is a clear shot of a Class 35 ‘Hymek’ diesel-hydraulic alongside, and a Class 117 DMU and a Class 22 diesel-hydraulic are also just visible. The Class 22 is a particularly rare machine to find in a feature film, there not being much footage of these relatively short-lived machines. The film’s ending features a big song-and dance-performance on the platforms of Paddington with plenty of Mk1 coaches visible but also an arriving train hauled by another Class 52 ‘Western’.
*JOEY BOY
GB
1965
1hr 31mins
Dir: Frank Launder
Starring: Harry H. Corbett and Stanley Baxter
A gang of London Spivs are offered a choice between prison and a tour of duty with the British Army where they put their unique talents to work
This comedy war film features a night shot of an express passing Watford Junction, hauled by an unrebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0, taken as stock footage from Brief Encounter (1945) (qv).
*JOHN AND JULIE
GB
1955
1hr 22mins
Dir: William Fairchild
Starring: Colin Gibson and Leslie Dudley
Two children run away from home to see the 1953 Coronation in London
This colourful comedy film is interspersed with actual footage from the day of the Coronation yet it also includes some excellent Eastmancolor
railway scenes. Near the start there is a good shot of ex-Southern Railway streamlined ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 No.34019 Bideford leaving Southampton Ocean Terminal with a boat train. The children’s journey takes them initially to Cheddington station (referred to as ‘Minster’ in the film) and there is an unusual shot of the back of the main line platforms as seen from the surrounding fields. A distant express is approaching on its way to Bletchley and the north, but it is too far away to positively identify the loco at the helm. It should be noted that the young boy runaway, like most children of his age, is a keen trainspotter and when travelling on a service he identifies the loco hauling his train as a ‘County’. The ticket inspector corrects him and says it is a ‘King’. They are both wrong, it is an A3 Class 4-6-2! This is confirmed by a close-up shot of an A3-hauled express passing on what is believed to be the ex-GW&GC Joint. The scenes where the children are questioned for travelling without a ticket were filmed at High Wycombe station, with ‘blood & custard’ coaching stock pulling out in one view, and there is a shot of an express passing through the countryside hauled by an ex-LMS ‘Jubilee’ Class 6P 4-6-0. The railway scenes end with a final shot of an ex-SR ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 arriving with an express at London Waterloo station but the carriages in the platform scenes which follow are a studio set, as vehicle number AL·10451 is entirely made up.
*JOHNNY NOBODY
GB
1961
1hr 28mins
Dir: Nigel Patrick
Starring: Nigel Patrick and Yvonne Mitchell
An atheist upsets the inhabitants of the village in which he has retired and dares God to strike him dead
This British drama was filmed entirely in Ireland and was based on the story The Trial of Johnny Nobody by Albert Z. Carr. The film has a railway journey towards the end which features truly excellent shots of a passenger train hauled by a CIE A Class Metro-Vick in as-built condition. However, the white numerals on the all-over silver livery make the identity almost impossible to see in a black and white movie, though in one shot it looks like it could possibly be loco A12. The locos were initially fitted with eight-cylinder two-stroke, port-controlled Crossley engines and the film allows one to hear what these 1,200hp engines sounded like prior to the entire class undergoing refurbishment. Noisy is the answer, and the warning horn sounds like an electronic buzzer! The train was filmed on the Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow Railway with Carrickmines station featuring prominently in several scenes. Opened in 1854, Carrickmines was on the line from Dublin Harcourt Street station to Dundrum, Sandyford and Bray. It closed in 1958 so all in all this is a unique glimpse of the past. The railway journey ends at Westland Row station in Dublin, renamed Dublin Pearse in 1966. There are also scenes filmed onboard the train, whilst the shots of Nigel Patrick clinging to the outside of a carriage whilst in motion are quite exhilarating. This is a very, very good film, with a well-constructed plot, and let’s not forget that it features the always beautiful and ever redoubtable Yvonne Mitchell.
JOHNNY ON THE SPOT
GB
1954
1hr 12mins
Dir: Maclean Rogers
Starring: Hugh McDermott and Jean Lodge
A framed ex-convict struggles to clear his name
This crime film features a scene that was shot on Radlett station.
JOHNNY, YOU’RE WANTED
GB
1956
1hr 10mins
Dir: Vernon Sewell
Starring: John Slater and Alfred Marks
A long-distance lorry driver returning to London gives a lift to a woman who later turns up dead
This British crime B-movie features several railway shots. There is a train journey centred on a Southern Railway station and an express hauled by a ‘Merchant Navy’ Class 4-6-2 passes through. However, the shots were filmed at night and identification is very difficult, so it is not known where these scenes were filmed. It was not Otterbourne as a sign suggests because the Hampshire village never had a railway station! There is also an earlier shot of the frontage to Bayswater Underground station.
*THE JOKERS
GB
1967
1hr 34mins
Dir: Michael Winner
Starring: Oliver Reed and Michael Crawford
Two brothers plan to steal, borrow and then replace the Crown Jewels
This intelligent ‘Swinging London’ comedy features a good opening scene filmed at London Waterloo station. Plenty of coaching stock is visible, and a green Class 33 diesel and a Class 73 electro-diesel in early blue livery are at the bufferstops.
THE JONAH MAN (aka THE BEWITCHED TRAVELLER and THE TRAVELLER BEWITCHED)
GB
1904
3 mins
Dirs: Cecil M. Hepworth and Lewin Fitzhamon
Starring: Actors unknown
A man preparing for a trip encounters a series of mysterious problems when everything around him starts to disappear
This short early trick film shows technique that is quite good for such an early movie, and it is pretty amusing to watch. The visual tricks are also done in a slightly different style than was usual for features of this kind, making it something of an interesting curiosity from the technical standpoint. At the time, the usual technique in making this kind of comedy feature was to use simple stop-motion, so that an object appeared in one frame and was completely absent from the next. These film-makers tried something different and more labour-intensive, combining stop-motion with a double exposure technique that makes various objects seem to fade in and fade out, sometimes simultaneously. The effect is rather
interesting and in a couple of the sequences it works rather well. The movie features a scene at Walton-on-Thames station with a train made up
of LSWR suburban coaches and a passing express hauled by a Drummond 4-4-0. Both disappear in front of the viewers very eyes! The film was
released in the US as The Bewitched Traveller, a simple reversal of the film’s alternate British title. The railway footage is available on Video 125’s Trains from the Arc’ DVD.
A JOURNEY FOR JEREMY
GB
1949
34 mins
Dir: James Hill
Starring: Robin Netscher and Audrey Manning
A young trainspotter dreams of becoming an engine driver
All the railway material for this very pleasant film was shot on the old LMS network. There are scenes at Polmadie Depot in Glasgow and a shot of the stock for the ‘Midday Scot’ arriving into Glasgow Central station behind ex-Caledonian Railway ‘439’ Class 0-4-4T No.15224. The main star of the film is ex-LMS ‘Coronation’ Class 4-6-2 No.6253 City of St Albans still in LMS livery. Jeremy drives the loco all the way from Glasgow through Carlisle and Crewe to London Euston, and the ‘Coronation’ is the same locomotive used throughout, unusual yet admirable consistency. It is an absolute certainty that other locomotives feature in the film, but little else is known about this short little wonder.
*JOURNEY TOGETHER
GB
1945
1hr 35mins
Dir: John Boulting
Starring: Richard Attenborough and Jack Watling
RAF aircrew cadets receive instruction ahead of their first bombing mission
Produced by the RAF Film Production Unit, this war drama features a single shot of a passing LNER express hauled by a V2 Class 2-6-2.
*JUDE
GB
1996
2hrs 03mins
Dir: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Christopher Eccleston and Kate Winslet
A rural labourer dreams of becoming a teacher
This gritty period drama set in Victorian England is based on Thomas Hardy’s novel Jude the Obscure. It features a period train filmed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway with coaches from the Vintage Carriages Trust hauled by LMS Class 3F ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T No.47279. However, some interior carriage scenes were also filmed on the Kent & East Sussex Railway.
*JUGGERNAUT
GB
1974
1hr 49mins
Dir: Richard Lester
Starring: Richard Harris and David Hemmings
A mad bomber threatens to blow up an ocean liner called the SS Britannic
This suspense thriller features one scene filmed on the concourse of London Waterloo station though no trains are visible.
*JUMPING FOR JOY
GB
1956
1hr 31mins
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Starring: Frankie Howerd and Stanley Holloway
A sacked dog track attendant acquires his own greyhound to race
One of the quirks of this comedy is that Stanley Holloway lives in a railway carriage in scenes reminiscent of The Titfield Thunderbolt. A group of crooks sabotage the coach by pushing it onto a main line where it is demolished by a passing express. Most of these scenes appear to use models and studio reconstructions but there is one shot of an ex-GWR coach slotted in, No. W2342W. The coach is decorated with window boxes and is attached to a GWR ‘Toad’ brake van at the rear of a goods train. The crooks overpower the guard and then uncouple the coach mid journey, and this sequence of events sees good shots of the coach passing the camera coupled to the rear of a train of vans, but the locomotive is out of shot. Filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway, the detached coach comes to a stand only to be demolished by the express. This uses models, and an unrealistic explosion, with one shot of a GWR express hauled by a ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 slotted in. The coach which acts as Stanley Holloway’s home is undoubtedly a studio-set but a real coach, the one listed above, does appear to be used in certain shots. In one particular scene for instance, where Frankie Howerd comes to visit, several 16T mineral wagons are visible behind him.
*JUNGLE STREET (aka JUNGLE STREET GIRLS)
GB
1960
1hr 29mins
Dir: Charles Saunders
Starring: David McCallum and Jill Ireland
After accidentally killing an old man during a robbery, a mugger is blackmailed by a witness
This crime drama features a shot of the frontage to St Margarets station.
JUNGLE STREET GIRLS (see JUNGLE STREET)
JUST ASK FOR DIAMOND
GB
1988
1hr 30mins
Dir: Stephen Bayly
Starring: Colin Dale and Bill Paterson
A pair of brothers are paid to take care of a confectionery box, but soon come under pressure from various people seeking its contents
This comedy crime movie features a scene filmed at London St Pancras station with an HST set visible in the background.
K
*KATE PLUS TEN (aka QUEEN OF CRIME)
GB
1938
1hr 21mins
Dir: Reginald Denham
Starring: Jack Hulbert and Genevieve Tobin
A police inspector trails the female leader of a bullion gang
Based on the 1917 Edgar Wallace novel of the same name, this unfairly neglected thriller features some excellent railway footage in its final half-hour as the gang steal the train for its gold bullion van. The scene in which the gold is offloaded from a ship at ‘Seahampton Docks’ was filmed at Brentford Docks at night and a GWR Special Directors Saloon coach and four-wheeled van can be seen. The railway chase sequences were filmed on the Limpley Stoke-Camerton branch and the Westbury-Bath line, locations that have been used in a number of other films. The scene with the train smashing through the level crossing was filmed at Freshford Halt, though the crossing itself was a mock-up, and the scene where Jack Hulbert brings the train to a stand at a level crossing, this time to halt the gangs progress, used the real level crossing close to Camerton station. The location where the steam locomotive crashes through wooden shed doors was filmed at a closed colliery in the Somerset coalfield. The star of all these scenes (as well as the pre-credit sequence) was GWR ‘4300’ Class 2-6-0 No.4364 (with its ‘Great Western’ tender lettering painted out) but a couple of real rarities crop up in the shots of the police swarming out of a train at Limpley Stoke station. The train pulls in behind a GWR ‘Bulldog’ Class 4-4-0, a rare beast indeed for a feature film, but an even rarer loco appears in the continuity error which follows. As the police head down the platform ramp evidence that the scenes were filmed on separate nights is revealed by the appearance of a 3000 Class 2-8-0 at the head of the train! Built by the Railway Operating Division (ROD) of the Royal Engineers for use in the First World War and based on the Great Central Railway’s Robinson designed 8K Class 2-8-0s, 100 RODs were purchased in two separate batches by the Great Western Railway and less than half (45) survived to enter BR ownership in 1948. Pictures of these locos in Great Western use are rather sparse so an appearance of one in this film is quite exceptional.
*KEEP IT CLEAN
GB
1956
1hr 15mins
Dir: David Paltenghi
Starring: Ronald Shiner and Diane Hart
A salesman tries to promote his amazing vacuum cleaner
This pretty weak comedy features a scene in the West London suburbs with District Line R stock passing.
*KEEP THE ASPIDISTRA FLYING (aka A MERRY WAR)
GB
1997
1hr 41mins
Dir: Robert Bierman
Starring: Richard E. Grant and Helena Bonham Carter
In 1930s London a successful advertising copywriter gives up his job to become a poet
This successful comedy romance based on George Orwell’s 1936 novel of the same name features a couple of scenes filmed at London St Pancras station though no trains are involved.
KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED (see TO CATCH ME A SPY)
*KEEPING MUM
GB
2005
1hr 43mins
Dir: Niall Johnson
Starring: Rowan Atkinson and Maggie Smith
A pastor preoccupied with writing the perfect sermon fails to realize that his family life is falling apart
This stunning black comedy features good opening scenic shots filmed on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway with a train hauled by ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.45407. The arrest scene was filmed at Pickering station and the scene with the car going over a small bridge with the train going over another was filmed at a location just outside Goathland. An alternate opening scene was filmed on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway with GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T No.5552 arriving at Bodmin General. This excellent atmospheric shot filmed on a very wet day can be found in the additional features menu on the DVD. One coach is Mk.1 Brake Corridor Second No.34627 and just visible in the background as the 2-6-2T draws into the platform is Class 08 0-6-0 diesel shunter No.08444. The reason for the Bodmin & Wenford Railway appearing is because the main village in the film was the nearby St Michael Penkevil. Some additional shots of No.45407 can also be found in the outtake material.
*KES
GB
1969
1hr 52mins
Dir: Ken Loach
Starring: David Bradley and Colin Welland
In the industrial north, a boy learns about life through the death of his pet Kestrel
This drama is based on the 1968 novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by Barry Hines. Filmed on location in and around Barnsley there is a shot
in one of the collieries in the area and an industrial saddle tank is prominent in the yard. The location of this scene is Skiers Spring Colliery, near Wombwell, which closed in 1979, and the loco is one of the two Hudswell Clarke & Co. 0-4-0STs used at the site until 1973.
*THE KEY
GB
1958
2hrs 14mins
Dir: Carol Reed
Starring: Trevor Howard and Sophia Loren
During World War II, an American salvage tug captain becomes involved with a beautiful Swiss-Italian woman after being given the key to a flat
This war film is set in 1941 during the Battle of the Atlantic and it was based on the 1951 novel Stella by Jan de Hartog (later republished as The Distant Shore and The Key). At the end of the film there are some good night scenes shot at the original Henley-on-Thames station, with a train pulling out and an excellent view of ex-GWR ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 No.4965 Rood Ashton Hall running out tender first having been shunt released, a loco that is now happily preserved. Meanwhile, the docks in the film used Portland Harbour and in the opening shots an industrial saddle tank can be seen propelling wagons on the dockside. In another scene towards the end there is a better glimpse of a diminutive industrial saddle tank loco in the background, possibly the same one seen at the beginning.
THE KEY MAN (aka LIFE AT STAKE)
GB
1957
1hr 03mins
Dir: Montgomery Tully
Starring: Lee Patterson and Hy Hazell
A DJ reconstructs a criminal case for his radio show, only to become a target for the criminal involved
This short and sweet B-movie features a shot of the street level entrance to Aldwych Underground station, still quite rare given the amount of filming that has taken place down below.
*KHARTOUM
GB
1966
2hrs 14mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier
The last years of British General Charles Gordon
During this epic adventure, there is a scene where General Gordon meets with Prime Minister William Gladstone, which was filmed on the Bluebell Railway at Horsted Keynes station with North London Railway 75 Class 0-6-0T No.2650 on the ‘Chesham’ stock. The film also includes scenes on London Marylebone station but without any trains.
A KID FOR TWO FARTHINGS
GB
1955
1hr 36mins
Dir: Carol Reed
Starring: Celia Johnson and David Kossoff
In the busy wholesale-retail world of London’s East End everyone, it seems, has unattainable dreams
Scenes in this quite tragic family drama were filmed around Vallence Road, Bethnal Green, and visible in some shots are the viaduct arches with the signalbox above. No trains feature however. The screenplay was adapted by Wolf Mankowitz from his own 1953 novel of the same name.
*KiDULTHOOD
GB
2006
1hr 31mins
Dir: Menhaj Huda
Starring: Noel Clarke and Adam Deacon
The troubled lives of teenagers in West London
Early in this drama there is a semi-distant view of LT C stock visible from a balcony of a block of flats and there is a later scene filmed at Royal Oak Underground station, with more C stock visible along with a very brief glimpse of a Class 180 DMU and a Class 332 ‘Heathrow Express’ EMU on the approach to London Paddington. There is also a scene at Ladbroke Grove Underground station with C stock again present and a shot of the frontage to Marble Arch Underground station. The film was the prequel to Adulthood (qv).
KILLING DAD (OR HOW TO LOVE YOUR MOTHER)
GB
1990
1hr 29mins
Dir: Michael Austin
Starring: Richard E. Grant and Denholm Elliott
When an errant father returns to his family his son decides to kill him
This comedy has a number of railway scenes, but the continuity is rather alarming and is a comedy in its own right. Richard E. Grant boards a Class 313 EMU at London King’s Cross station for a train to Southend (!) as his mother bids him goodbye. From one angle, they are in the suburban platforms with another Class 313 EMU in an adjacent platform, only for the scene to change to the main station with an HST behind his mum! The dodgy scenes continue with Grant’s journey to Southend depicted with shots of Class 455 Southern Region 3rd rail EMUs (there had of course been overhead wires at King’s Cross), whilst the interior shots were most alarmingly filmed onboard a Class 142 ‘Pacer’ DMU! There are, however, some good clear shots of the 3’ gauge Southend Pier Railway.
*KILLING ME SOFTLY
GB / US
2002
1hr 40mins
Dir: Kaige Chen
Starring: Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes
A woman becomes dangerously involved with a mysterious celebrity mountaineer
This erotic and passionate drama is based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Nicci French. It includes a number of scenes on the London Underground, namely the Waterloo & City Line platforms at Waterloo with unrefurbished 1992-built tube stock and the Northern Line terminus at High Barnet with 1995-built tube stock. There are also shots onboard the tube trains. The concourse of Marylebone BR station makes a brief appearance and the final scene takes place on the escalators of Canary Wharf Underground station though they are representing the escalators of an international airport.
*A KIND OF LOVING
GB
1962
1hr 52mins
Dir: John Schlesinger
Starring: Alan Bates and June Ritchie
A young man is forced into marriage and subsequent life living with his mother-in-law
This classic ‘kitchen sink’ drama is based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Stan Barstow. Filmed on location in the north west of England it features a good number of atmospheric shots around Bolton and Oldham. These include two, separate, ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s running light through an unknown station at night and despite the locations mentioned, the suggestion has been made that this is Carnforth. There is also a shot of a freight hauled by what appears to be an ex-LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 taken from Sparrows Park at the rear of the Parish Church of St. Michael, Macclesfield.
*KING RALPH
US
1991
1hr 37mins
Dir: David S. Ward
Starring: John Goodman and Camille Coduri
After the entire British Royal Family is electrocuted in a freak accident, an American casino pianist becomes heir to the throne
This typical US comedy was not a big success, but it does feature a good shot of a ‘Royal Train’ arriving at London St Pancras station behind a
very clean InterCity Class 47/8, No.47844 with mock ‘Royal Crests’ beneath the cabside windows. The nose carried a large shield-like headboard
draped with the flags of Finland and the UK. The train was formed of InterCity Mk1’s and Royal Mail TPO’s are in the adjacent centre siding.
*KINKY BOOTS
GB / US
2005
1hr 46mins
Dir: Julian Jarrold
Starring: Joel Edgerton and Chiwetel Ejiofor
An ailing shoe manufacturer hires a drag queen to design glamorous boots
This comedy-drama features a scene at Wellingborough station, with an HST set passing in close-up. The train appears to be two, cut into one. The lead power car and first couple of coaches are in Midland Mainline metallic blue and white but they are then followed by an original Midland Mainline teal green and grey-liveried power car on the rear (it isn’t the same train as only about three coaches pass). Wellingborough station masquerades as ‘Northampton’, a town closely associated to Northamptonshire’s shoe-making industry, but why Northampton station itself wasn’t used is anyone’s guess. Most unusually, the same shot is repeated a little later in the film!
*THE KISS IN THE TUNNEL
GB
1898
1min
Dir: George Albert Smith
Starring: George Albert Smith and Laura Bayley
A young man kisses a girl on a train journey
One of the very first surviving story films to feature a railway element The Kiss in the Tunnel is a short silent comedy film, produced and directed by George Albert Smith, showing a couple sharing a brief kiss as their train passes through a tunnel, which is said to mark the beginnings of narrative editing. The director, according to Michael Brooke of BFI Screenonline, ‘felt that some extra spice was called for’ in the then-popular ‘phantom ride’ genre, which featured shots taken from the front of a moving train, ‘and devised a shot showing a brief, almost furtive moment of passion between two passengers, taking advantage of the brief onset of darkness’. Just this middle shot was offered by The Warwick Trading Company to exhibitors who were advised ‘to splice it into train footage’, such as Cecil Hepworth’s View from an Engine Front – Train Leaving Tunnel (1899), ‘that they almost certainly would own from previous programmes’. This insertion of a single shot into another film indicates, according to film historian Frank Gray, ‘a new understanding of continuity film editing’ which ‘would have a profound impact on the development of editing strategies and become a dominant practice’. ‘Phantom rides’ or ‘panoramas’ were an early genre of film popular in Britain and the US at the end of the 19th century. There were a good number produced but they don’t really fall into the category of this A-Z of feature films, mainly due to their lack of character actors and story, being no more than ‘rolling pictures’, but their historic value is worth recording here. Screenings of The Haverstraw Tunnel (1897) in London in October of that year proved to be an instant success with a reviewer in The Era writing that, ‘A more exciting and sensational piece of realism has never been presented to an audience’. Starting the following year, Mutoscope’s British subsidiary filmed and released their own phantom rides, including Conway Castle – Panoramic View of Conway on the L. & N.W. Railway (1898) and Through Chee Tor Tunnel in Derbyshire – Midland Railway, as did rival companies such as the Warwick Trading Company. The phantom ride genre contributed to the emergence of longer film as distributors grouped their films together to form single journeys, such as the Warwick Trading Company’s View from an Engine Front – Through Morthoe (1898) and View from an Engine Front – Ilfracombe Incline (1898) which were made available together as a single continuous length of film. Concurrent technological developments resulted in the Warwick Trading Company’s 12-minute epic Dalmeny to Dunfermline, Scotland, via the Firth of Forth Bridge (1899), billed as ‘the longest, most picturesque and interesting Cinematograph film ever produced’. This was of course an early driver’s eye view. George Albert Smith’s The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899) was a single shot of a couple sharing a brief kiss as their train passes through a tunnel, that was produced to be spliced into existing ‘phantom ride’ footage. Regarding the film itself, BFI Screenonline reviewer Michael Brooke points out that ‘the lighting here is totally unrealistic, we can see everything that’s going on and no attempt has been made at realism in the setting’. The carriage interior was in fact filmed outside Smith’s property in St Ann’s Wells Gardens in Hove, in natural sunlight, using a very crudely painted backdrop. The ‘floor’ was decorated with various props: luggage, parasols and so on, though the camera has been made to sway slightly from side to side to create the illusion of movement. This highlights the main problem with these type of ‘silent shorts’ in that their value lies more in their historical novelty rather than their entertainment. In this film, there is ‘phantom ride’ footage on the approach to Shillamill Tunnel (605 yards), located between Bere Alston and Tavistock North on the LSWR’s Okehampton-Plymouth ‘main line’. As we approach the tunnel, an LSWR 0-4-4T dashes past in the opposite direction on a passenger service. After the kiss takes place we emerge from the other end of the tunnel.
*THE KISS IN THE TUNNEL
GB
1898
1min
Dir: Unknown
Starring: Actors unknown
A young man takes a liberty during a train journey
This was an almost exact copy of the film above, remade under the same title by Bamforth and Company of Holmfirth the same year, although they, according to Michael Brooke of BFI Screenonline, ‘adopted a rather less stylised and noticeably more passionate approach to the brief encounter of the title’. Understandably for a Yorkshire-based company the railway footage is somewhat different. An unidentified tank engine hauls a L&YR train into Queensbury Tunnel which at 1 mile 741 yards was the fourth longest tunnel in West Yorkshire. Located on the Great Northern Railway’s Bradford-Halifax route it closed in 1963. After the kiss, we see a Midland Railway Johnson 4-4-0 arriving at Monsal Dale station in the Peak District, some considerable distance from Queensbury. Again, the carriage interior is a mock-up, filmed in a glass roofed studio with a simple set and the minimum of props. Although the actors are unknown, the young man was a member of the Bamforth family and the lady worked in the packing department of the Lantern Slide Factory. In 1898, the kiss and cuddle was hot stuff indeed!! Both these versions of The Kiss
in the Tunnel can be found on Video 125’s Trains from the Arc’ DVD, though they can also be located on many websites.
KNAVE OF HEARTS (aka LOVERS, HAPPY LOVERS!, LOVER BOY and MONSIEUR RIPOIS)
FRA / GB
1954
1hr 40mins
Dir: René Clément
Starring: Gérard Philipe and Valerie Hobson
The adventures of a French philanderer in London
This comedy drama features some shots of the frontage to London Charing Cross station, along with a scene filmed at the former Aldwych branch platform of Holborn Underground station with 1923 ‘Standard’ stock working a Piccadilly Line service to Uxbridge. In France, the film was released as Monsieur Ripois (it being based on the 1950 novel Monsieur Ripois et la Némésis by Louis Hémon). In the United States it was originally released as Lovers, Happy Lovers! then confusingly re-released as Lover Boy.
*KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOUR
GB
1937
1hr 47mins
Dir: Jacques Feyder
Starring: Robert Donat and Marlene Dietrich
A countess is helped to escape from the Russian Revolution by a British translator
This historical drama often styled as Knight without Armor has some rather unusual railway scenes. This was the production for which a railway was specially built in the grounds of Denham Studios, with two ex-LNER J15 Class 0-6-0s, Nos.7541 and 7835, purchased by London Films and made to look like Russian locomotives together with some stock. The Denham scenes are most easily identifiable in the closing minutes though some earlier shots were filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway and in doing so, became one of the first feature films to use the Hampshire line. The J15s survived at Denham during the war before being sold to the Ministry of Defence and the tender of one very briefly appeared in South Riding (qv), probably by accident.
*KNOCK ON WOOD
US
1954
1hr 43mins
Dirs: Norman Panama and Melvin Frank
Starring: Danny Kaye and Mai Zetterling
Secret plans are hidden inside a ventriloquist’s dummy
This US comedy includes a scene at London Waterloo and a SR 4 SUB EMU is visible.
*THE KRAYS
GB
1990
1hr 59mins
Dir: Peter Medak
Starring: Gary Kemp and Martin Kemp
The lives of the gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray
This drama features a scene on the London Underground, with families sheltering from the Blitz. This was filmed at Aldwych station, though it masqueraded as ‘Bethnal Green’, the nearest tube station to the Krays East End London home.
L
LA RAGAZZA CON LA PISTOLA (see THE GIRL WITH A PISTOL)
LADY GODIVA RIDES AGAIN (aka BIKINI BABY)
GB
1951
1hr 30mins
Dir: Frank Launder
Starring: Pauline Stroud and Stanley Holloway
A small town girl’s rise and fall as a movie star
This comedy film features a number of railway scenes. Firstly, there is a platform shot of a deserted main line station, sadly not known, and a later scene at another unknown station with a train arriving behind Southern Railway L1 Class 4-4-0 No.31754. There is also a departure scene at London Marylebone station and although no locomotive is visible there are good shots of some Gresley coaches.
LADY IN DISTRESS (see A WINDOW IN LONDON)
A LADY SURRENDERS (see LOVE STORY)
*THE LADY VANISHES
GB
1938
1hr 37mins
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave
An old lady disappears from a Switzerland-London express, and two British travellers investigate
This Hitchcock classic is based on the 1936 novel The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White and is often classed as one of his best films. The story behind this thriller sees a beautiful English tourist disappear from a train journey across Continental Europe. Most of the railway footage in this film therefore surrounds European railways, with stock footage of Continental trains slotted in amongst some studio work and dodgy model shots. There is, however, one good shot of a British train that appears towards the end of the film. This shot depicts a SR ‘Schools’ V Class 4-4-0 arriving at London Victoria at the head of a boat train.
THE LADY WITH A LAMP
GB
1951
1hr 40mins
Dir: Herbert Wilcox
Starring: Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding
A film depicting the life of Florence Nightingale and her work with wounded British soldiers during the Crimean War
This historical film has some excellent shots of the vintage Liverpool & Manchester Railway 0-4-2 Lion arriving at Cole Green station on the Welwyn Garden City-Hertford line with a rake of replica L&MR 1st Class four-wheelers, a great piece of period filming by the production company. Hatfield shed provided a footplate crew who were then given period costumes to wear, and Lion had to have her wheel flanges specially re-profiled for the occasion. Two additional points of interest are worth mentioning. Cole Green station closed the year this film was produced, though the route stayed open for freight until 1962, and it appeared again two years later in the film Isn’t Life Wonderful! (qv). Lion meanwhile was becoming quite a celebrity. It had been used in Victoria the Great (1937) (qv), another Neagle/Wilcox production, and the following year went on to achieve real stardom in the Ealing comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt (qv). There is even brief stock footage of the loco in the 2002 movie 24 Hour Party People (qv).
*THE LADYKILLERS
GB
1955
1hr 37mins
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick
Starring: Alec Guinness and Katie Johnson
A gang of robbers use an old lady’s house as cover but she outwits them
This classic black comedy from Ealing Studios ranks alongside The Titfield Thunderbolt as its most famous railway film. However, whereas ‘Titfield’ epitomises the rural branch line, ‘Ladykillers’ is soaked in the atmosphere of smoky tunnels, goods yards and built-up approaches to main line termini. Also, unlike ‘Titfield’, the railway only plays a backdrop to most of the film, albeit a very atmospheric backdrop, and it only dominates the proceedings for the last half-hour or so. Mrs Wilberforce’s house that the gang use was specially created for the film over the mouth of Copenhagen Tunnel (594 yards), and the freight trains which the bodies of the gang fall into are on the lines that run into and out of King’s Cross Goods Yard. The signal that hits Alec Guinness on the head during the film’s climax was specially set up for the film at the mouth of the tunnel, although the actual scene used was filmed with a replica signal constructed in the studio. Much rolling stock, both passenger and freight, is seen throughout the movie and provides a tantalising glimpse of the railway scene at the time. A number of locomotives are also visible, those identifiable include an ex-LNER J52 Class 0-6-0ST, an ex-LNER A1 Class 4-6-2 and an ex-LMS Class 3F ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T, which crosses over on the North London Line bridge with a freight. An establishing shot right at the start of the movie shows an ex-LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 running light on its way out of King’s Cross. In addition, there are also some scenes filmed within King’s Cross station itself and there is a very good shot of ex-LNER L1 Class 2-6-4T No.67800 which passes under Alec Guinness as he stands on the footbridge pretending to be a trainspotter. Unsurprisingly, the exterior of St Pancras station is visible in the background of a number of scenes.
*LAMB
GB
1986
1hr 50mins
Dir: Colin Gregg
Starring: Liam Neeson and Hugh O’Conor
A young Roman Catholic priest absconds with a boy from a harsh Irish reform school
This drama includes a scene on the concourse of London Euston station, though no trains are visible, and a scene at Warren Street Underground station, with 1972-built tube stock present. There is also a sequence filmed onboard a Mk2 coach. The film is based on the 1980 novel of the same name by Bernard MacLaverty, who also wrote the screenplay.
THE LAND GIRLS
GB
1998
1hr 51mins
Dir: David Leland
Starring: Rachel Weisz and Catherine McCormack
Events in the lives of three land girls during the Second World War
This drama is based on the 1995 book Land Girls by Angela Huth and it features some good shots filmed on the West Somerset Railway, with Crowcombe Heathfield station masquerading as ‘Bamford’. Locomotives appearing in these scenes are 4500 Class 2-6-2T No.4561 and 5700 Class 0-6-0PT No.7760.
LARCENY STREET (see SMASH AND GRAB)
*LASSIE
GB / US / FRA / IRE
2005
1hr 40mins
Dir: Charles Sturridge
Starring: Samantha Morton and Jonathan Mason
A poor mining family is forced to sell their pedigree Rough Collie dog to a Lord
In this update of the classic animal story a handful of random shots are used to depict a train journey to Scotland. These are a distant shot of an LMS Class 7P ‘Duchess’ 4-6-2 crossing a viaduct on an express, an ‘over the camera’ shot of a rebuilt Bulleid Pacific and a ‘going away’ shot of BR Mk1 coaching stock, no locomotive visible. This is the eleventh movie about Lassie but the only one that is known to feature Britain’s railways. It is based on Eric Knight’s 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home, the name of the first movie of 1943.
*THE LAST ADVENTURERS
GB
1937
1hr 15mins
Dir: Roy Kellino
Starring: Niall MacGinnis and Kay Walsh
A skipper’s daughter falls for a humble fisherman rescued by her father
This drama is largely centred on Grimsby and the North Sea trawler fleet and there is one three-quarters rear view shot taken from ground level, of a fish train leaving Grimsby docks behind LNER K3 Class 2-6-0 No.206. As it transpires this is a rare image because the loco was rebuilt by Edward Thompson in 1945 from a three-cylinder Class K3 to become the sole member of the two-cylinder LNER Class K5.
LAST HOLIDAY
GB
1950
1hr 29mins
Dir: Henry Cass
Starring: Alec Guinness and Beatrice Campbell
When an unappreciated salesman discovers that he has only weeks to live, he spends his savings on a final holiday
This low-key black comedy features a rare shot of the level crossing at Nast Hyde Halt on the Hatfield-St Albans line. Closed to passengers in 1951 the line did remain open to freight until 1968. The station house just visible on the extreme left of the shot still stands, as does the platform,
with the trackbed now forming part of a cycleway.
THE LAST JOURNEY
GB
1936
1hr 06mins
Dir: Bernard Vorhaus
Starring: Godfrey Tearle and Hugh Williams
The driver of an express train goes mad with jealousy and plans to kill all in his charge
This gripping low-budget b-movie portmanteau thriller is badly neglected having lay in obscurity for many years but frequent showings at transport film screenings and critical re-evaluation of Bernard Vorhaus’ work have led to its release on DVD and it is now seen as one of the most exciting and technically well-made railway films of the 1930s. It takes wholesale liberties with its depiction of common railway practice, comically using speeded-up camera work on occasion, and the scene where a signalman diverts a goods train into a loop, moments before it can be hit by the pursuing express has to be seen to be believed but it is none the less absolutely brilliant, and is one of the best quota-quickie films from the period. The GWR offered full use of facilities, no doubt to heighten their own public image, and the railway scenes completely dominate the entire film. An example of the lengths which the company went to are clear in the opening five minutes when there is a sequence of shots that follow a ‘shunt released’ ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 on its way light engine to the servicing facility. Actual footage of the footplate as viewed from the tender and then shots of the loco on the turntable at Ranelagh Bridge loco yard are very good, and a taste of what is to come. London Paddington dominates the early scenes, with images of other 4-6-0s departing and arriving and 0-6-0PTs on shunt duties, plus an overview of Ranelagh Bridge servicing facility with at least one 2-6-2T amongst the stabled main line power. Once the express is on its way to ‘Mulchester’ it is clear that something is very wrong as it rushes through booked stops, these scenes were filmed at West Ealing and Slough stations, though a number of shots of unknown locations feature, in addition to a scene of an express passing through Shooters Hill Cutting, between Goring and Pangbourne in the Thames Valley. Much of the action then takes place on the Reading-Basingstoke line, particularly around Bramley, filmed over a number of Sundays, and although the route was closed and given over for sole use to the film company, Reading depot were clearly not expected to provide the same loco and wagons for every weekend of filming which is why the motive power visibly changes four times. First it is a 5700-series 0-6-0
PT, then a 4300 Class 2-6-0, followed by a 2800 Class 2-8-0 and finally a 2251 Class 0-6-0. Later in the film there is some footage taken from the front of a train heading along the Dawlish sea wall, a shot of a train approaching Laira Junction, and an express hauled by ‘Hall’ coming of the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash. The final climax of the film, however, features an extremely rare location in the form of Millbay Docks station, located adjacent to Princess Royal and Millbay Piers in Plymouth. This location appears very rarely in photographs so an appearance in film is exceptional to say the least. The very opening pre-credits shot features an ‘over the camera’ run past of a 4-6-0 followed by scenes on the approach to Paddington with other 4-6-0’s obscured by the credits themselves. The GWR locomotives in the film that can be identified include ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 No.4020 Knight Commander, ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 No.4953 Pitchford Hall (now preserved), ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0’s No’s.5004 Llanstephan Castle, 5012 Berry Pomeroy Castle, 5013 Abergavenny Castle and 5022 Wigmore Castle, ‘King’ Class 4-6-0s No.6004 King George III and 6005 King George II and a very rare shot of a ‘Saint’ Class 4-6-0 No.2980 Coeur de Lion. A good number of 5700-series 0-6-0PTs can also be seen at Paddington on empty coaching stock duties. The footplate and carriage interiors are very detailed sets, made with the assistance of Swindon Works to help recreate their authenticity.
*THE LAST PAGE (aka MAN BAIT)
GB
1952
1hr 24mins
Dir: Terence Fisher
Starring: George Brent and Marguerite Chapman
The married owner of a book store becomes enmeshed in blackmail and murder
As the credits role at the start of this film noir a tram is seen crossing Westminster Bridge in what was there final year of operation. There is also a brief scene at Windsor & Eton Riverside station and a SR pre-war EMU is visible in the platforms.
*LAST PASSENGER
GB
2013
1hr 37mins
Dir: Omid Nooshin
Starring: Dougray Scott and Kara Tointon
A small group of everyday passengers trapped on a speeding train battle their warped driver who has a dark plan for everyone onboard
This modern-day suspense film centres around a train driver who is hell bent on murder suicide, and takes place on a fictitious train running between London and Tunbridge Wells. The identity of the driver and his motivations for committing a murder-suicide are left unknown throughout. The film was generally well received, with some good ‘cause and effect’ scenarios, though the completed movie doesn’t quite work and it lacks serious bite with several weak characters and even weaker links. None the less it is infinitely better than the classic ‘over-the-top’ Hollywood blockbuster and the lead characters, particularly Kara Tointon, work their roles nicely. The film was set onboard two Class 421 4 CIG EMU carriages, vehicle numbers 76747 (a DTC) and 62385 (an MBSO), from unit 1399, and painted in mock Connex livery. Despite being part of an electric train, artistic licence was taken and the carriages were portrayed as diesel powered for the purpose of the storyline. The film is presumably set when ‘slam door’ trains were still in service. The two Class 421 carriages were delivered to Shepperton Studios and mounted on off-set hydraulic rams. Instead of using the more common technique of green screen to create the illusion of movement outside the train’s windows, Nooshin designed a six-screen system of rear projection, maintaining a near 360 degree view, something only now viable with digital projectors. Some sequences, however, required a more complex combination of techniques. The ‘train surfing’ scene towards the end of the film was shot in four different locations over six months, the main bulk on Shepperton’s ‘H’ Stage, pick-ups on Pinewood’s Bond Stage, and on the Bluebell Railway, who are owners of a similar Class 423 4 VEP unit, along with background plates shot from a freight train. The Last Passenger production team visited the Kent & East Sussex Railway in November 2011 to shoot the carriage fire scenes at the end of the film. The level crossing crash scene was filmed using CGI, but the location used was Milford, in Surrey, a bit of a distance from the Hastings route on which the train was supposedly running. Milford station also appears in a later scene, masquerading as ‘Crowhurst’. The train displays Headcode 74, which on the South Eastern section would be either a Charing Cross-Gravesend or Maidstone West via Bexleyheath service, or a Victoria-Dover Western Docks via Herne Hill and Chatham service. However, in the tunnel scene, passengers trapped on the train cannot alight due to the narrowness of the tunnels preventing the doors from opening. This is clearly aimed at replicating the restricted width tunnels on the Hastings line, although they are now single track and this would not have been a problem for the passengers. Guildford station was used for several scenes and the opening credits feature a cab ride at night on the Great Western mainline passing through stations in the following order: Reading, Taplow, Twyford, Goring & Streatley, Maidenhead and Slough. HST sets pass in this sequence and a Class 165 ‘Turbo’ is seen at Reading, in the old east facing bay platform 6. There are plenty of other night scenes in the film that show the train moving around various locations. The new Reading Traincare depot, under construction at the time of filming, is notably visible in one shot but the others are largely unidentifiable, including the large station in which the runaway train passes through. The train incidentally is entirely a CGI creation as it is a three-car unit.
THE LAST YELLOW
GB
1999
1hr 33mins
Dir: Julian Farino
Starring: Mark Addy and Samantha Morton
An unemployed loser agrees to kill a low-level crook and his girlfriend for a vengeful buddy
This comedy has one scene on the London Underground featuring Circle Line C stock though it is not clear where the shot was filmed.
*LATE NIGHT SHOPPING
GB
2001
1hr 31mins
Dir: Saul Metzstein
Starring: Luke de Woolfson and Kate Ashfield
Four young friends have tedious night jobs and meet every night after work in a café
This Scottish comedy features some scenes filmed at Glasgow Central (Low Level) station on the underground section of the Glasgow suburban lines. A number of Class 303 EMUs feature and those identifiable include units 303033, 303087 and 303088.
*LATIFAH AND HIMLI’S NOMADIC UNCLE
GB
1992
14mins
Dir: Alnoor Dewshi
Starring: Sakuntala Ramanee and Venu Dhupa
Two cousins discuss culture and history whilst walking through London
This short black and white musing features one shot of an NSE-liveried Class 415 4 EPB EMU crossing Hungerford Bridge.
*THE LAVENDER HILL MOB
GB
1951
1hr 21mins
Dir: Charles Crichton
Starring: Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway
A timid bank transfer clerk schemes to get back at his employer, the Bank of England, by masterminding a foolproof heist
This classic Ealing comedy has a deservedly high reputation. The film includes a shot of a London tram crossing Westminster Bridge at night, but the scene filmed onboard the London Underground is a studio re-creation.
*LAW AND DISORDER
GB
1958
1hr 16mins
Dirs: Henry Cornelius and Charles Crichton
Starring: Michael Redgrave and Robert Morley
A crook desperately attempts to prevent his son from learning of his career
There are a couple of scenes in this comedy that were filmed at Windsor & Eton Central station. The first scene features GWR coaching stock and
although the loco is visible at the helm, it is too far off to identify. The following sequence onboard the train is a studio reconstruction with ‘back-projection’ showing through the windows and although plenty of railway paraphernalia is visible outside, no trains are seen. The final shots of the departing train at Windsor not only show coaching stock again, but also an unusual close-up three-quarters view of the smokebox of ex-GWR ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 No. 5935 Norton Hall. The film was based on the 1954 novel Smugglers’ Circuit by Denys Roberts, and direction was started by Henry Cornelius, who sadly died whilst making the film. He was replaced by Charles Crichton.
LAXDALE HALL (aka SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS)
GB
1953
1hr 17mins
Dir: John Eldridge
Starring: Ronald Squire and Kathleen Ryan
A British parliamentary delegation is sent to investigate a Scottish island that pays no road tax
This romantic comedy is based on the 1951 novel of the same name by Eric Linklater. The journey north from London is depicted with the usual stock shots from Brief Encounter (1945) (qv) – night shots of LMS expresses hauled by a ‘Royal Scot’ and a streamlined ‘Coronation Pacific’.
*LAYER CAKE
GB
2004
1hr 46mins
Dir: Matthew Vaughan
Starring: Daniel Craig and Colm Meaney
A successful cocaine dealer is given two tough assignments before his planned early retirement from the business
The screenplay for this crime thriller was adapted by J. J. Connolly from his novel of the same name, first published in 2000. There is one scene at London Paddington with Paul Orchard arriving on the Liverpool train! A pair of First Great Western HSTs are visible. The film’s title is occasionally stylised as L4YER CAKƐ, the title of the book.
LEASE OF LIFE
GB
1954
1hr 34mins
Dir: Charles Frend
Starring: Robert Donat and Adrienne Corri
With his imminent death, the parson of a small rural community reconsiders his life and what he can still do to help the community
This Ealing drama was a prestige production and it is now thought of respectfully by those who wish to understand its themes. The film is unique in the Ealing canon in having religion as its dominant theme. Few contemporary films address religion with any sense of the nuances inherent in a belief in the supernatural but this film does just that. Although set in Beverley, East Yorkshire, the railway scenes at the end were filmed at Windsor & Eton Central station, and they are particularly good because they are in colour. There are excellent shots of carmine & cream liveried mainline stock and all red suburban coaches, whilst one locomotive identifiable is BR Class 7MT ‘Britannia’ 4-6-2 No.70020 Mercury. The station masquerades as ‘Gilchester’.
*THE LEATHER BOYS
GB
1964
1hr 48mins
Dir: Sidney Furie
Starring: Dudley Sutton and Colin Campbell
A young motorcyclist gets married but soon becomes disillusioned with his wife
This drama features a number of scenes at a rubbish dump overlooking the LSWR main line close to London, possibly in the Wimbledon area, and a number of EMUs pass by but they are too indistinct to identify. In a later scene, a rebuilt Bulleid ‘Pacific’ passes on an express followed in the opposite direction by another steam-hauled train, though again the shot is too indistinct for an exact identity to be ascertained. Early in the film there are a number of other shots that show EMUs passing above the streets of Battersea (in the now redeveloped Roydon Street / Southolm Street area) and these too cannot be identified. At the end of the movie, Dudley Sutton and Colin Campbell leave the Tidal Basin Tavern in Canning Town, East London, and in the railway yard behind, a mixed freight is slowly moving past. The image is a little blurred, but the train appears to be hauled by one of the short-lived North British Locomotive Company Class 16 diesels. Only ten of these unreliable single-cab locomotives were built and all had been scrapped by the end of 1969, so this is probably the rarest diesel to appear in a British feature film. There is a possibility, however, that it could be one of the similar Class 15s, designed by British Thompson-Houston and built by the Yorkshire Engine Company. These are just as rare though in feature film and in either case, the movie contains a true gem.
LEFT RIGHT AND CENTRE
GB
1959
1hr 35mins
Dir: Sidney Gilliat
Starring: Ian Carmichael and Alastair Sim
A television personality becomes a Conservative candidate at a by-election
This satirical comedy features a number of trains. Ian Carmichael takes a journey to his constituency by train at the start of the film. He leaves London Marylebone on board Mk1 coaching stock, but no locomotive is visible. En route, the back projection through the window briefly shows a passing yard with a Stanier 2-6-4T in attendance and there is the stock shot of ex-LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 4-6-0 No.46100 Royal Scot on Bushey troughs, seen firstly in Escapade (1955 qv). The arrival scenes were filmed at Windsor & Eton Central station, masquerading as ‘Earndale’, with an ex-GWR ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 at the head of the train and a rake of GWR suburban stock in an adjacent platform with a 9400 Class 0-6-0PT at the front. Both London Marylebone and Windsor & Eton Central stations appear again on several further occasions.
*THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE
GB
1973
1hr 35mins
Dir: John Hough
Starring: Roddy McDowell and Pamela Franklin
Four people stay at a haunted house that has killed previous occupants
This British horror film is based on the 1971 American novel Hell House by Richard Matheson. It was typical of the genre at the time but was more effective than others and includes a good shot near the start of Roddy McDowell on Roydon station, Essex, with departing Class 305 EMUs. Roydon is on the Lea Valley Line between Broxbourne and Harlow Town.
LEON THE PIG FARMER
GB
1992
1hr 44mins
Dirs: Vadim Jean and Gary Sinyor
Starring: Mark Frankel and Brian Glover
A Jewish estate agent in London discovers that thanks to an artificial insemination mishap, his real father owns a pig farm in Yorkshire
This Jewish comedy features a number of shots around the Battersea area of South London with a number of EMUs featuring, namely Class 411
4 CEP and Class 421 4 CIG slam-door types though a more modern Class 319 unit is also seen. Mark Frankel’s arrival in Yorkshire takes place at Clapham station, on the Carnforth-Settle ‘Little North Western’ route with two Class 142 ‘Pacer’ DMUs, Nos.142018 and 142084, prominent.
* “LET HIM HAVE IT”
GB
1991
1hr 55mins
Dir: Peter Medak
Starring: Christopher Eccleston and Paul Reynolds
The real-life story of Derek Bentley, executed for a crime committed by another
This shockingly realistic portrayal of the Derek Bentley case features an atmospheric railway scene filmed on the East Lancashire Railway, close to Bury Castlecroft engine sheds. BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-0 No.76079 passes with a train and 4MT 4-6-0 No.75078 can be seen ‘on shed’. There are plenty of maroon-liveried BR Mk1s visible with Restaurant Miniature Buffet No.1837 prominent. The later scenes depicting period ‘Southern Railway’ signage for East Croydon station were in fact filmed in New Brighton, Merseyside.
*LET THE PEOPLE SING
GB
1942
1hr 45mins
Dir: John Baxter
Starring: Alastair Sim and Edward Rigby
The community of a small British town unite, in opposition to their local government authority, to keep their music hall open
A railway journey features prominently at the start of this comedy, but all the interior scenes are filmed on a studio set. There is, however, one
shot of a real train in the form of an express hauled by an LMS Class 4P Compound 4-4-0. Also, during the film there is a montage sequence that features footage of an express train blended in with other images and therefore not identifiable.
LET’S BE HAPPY
GB
1957
1hr 49mins
Dir: Henry Levin
Starring: Vera-Ellen and Tony Martin
An American girl from Vermont inherits a fortune and goes to Scotland
This Technicolor musical was an updated remake of Jeannie (1941), itself based on the 1940 play of the same name by Aimée Stuart. There is an
Edinburgh tram passing in the background of one of the Scottish scenes, passing the Caledonian Hotel on Lothian Street. There is also a scene aboard a boat in the Firth of Forth with excellent views of the Forth Bridge. A steam train does cross during this sequence, but it is impossible to discern otherwise.
“LET’S GET LAID!”
GB
1978
1hr 30mins
Dir: James Kenelm Clarke
Starring: Robin Askwith and Fiona Richmond
A dim-witted soldier returns to London after being demobbed at the end of the Second World War only to find himself suspected of a murder
This is a typical seventies comedy caper that has some railway scenes that were filmed on the Bluebell Railway, with interior scenes shot onboard Bulleid coaches. A couple of other shots were filmed at London Marylebone, with no trains visible, and three stock shots of 1950s Western Region expresses feature, two hauled by ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0s (one of which is No.5060 Earl of Berkeley) and one by a ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0. Not bad realism for images that supposedly represent trains at the end of the 1940s.
*LETTER TO BREZHNEV
GB
1985
1hr 34mins
Dir: Chris Bernard
Starring: Alfred Molina and Alexandra Pigg
After a night with a Russian sailor, a Liverpudlian girl writes to Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet leader, asking him if they can meet again
This romantic comedy film about working class life in contemporary Liverpool features a shot of the railway sidings at Duke Street in Birkenhead Docks, with boats in Vittoria Dock behind, but nothing railway related is present in the scene.
LIBEL
GB
1959
1hr 40mins
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Olivia de Havilland and Dirk Bogarde
A shell-shocked WWII veteran with memory problems is accused of being an impostor by a former comrade
This drama is based on the 1935 play of the same name by Edward Wooll and part of the film is made up of flashbacks to incidents in occupied France during the Second World War. However, as Dirk Bogarde and company slip through a goods yard the wagons that are visible include BR standard mineral types from the 1950s. The location for this erroneous scene is not known.
LIEUTENANT DARING AND THE PLANS OF THE MINEFIELD
GB
1912
14 mins
Dir: Henry Oceano Martinek
Starring: Percy Moran and Charles Raymond
The intrepid Lt Daring manages to arrange the capture of two foreign spies who have stolen secret plans
Lieutenant Daring (1912-14), like Lieutenant Rose (1910-1915), was an action-adventure series featuring a dashing naval hero, produced by series specialists B&C (British & Colonial). Lieutenant Daring was one of the most successful British series of the silent period, numbering 13 short episodes in total. Both Rose and Daring are naval officers whose job it is to protect the nation from foreign threat, most frequently in the form of spies or anarchists. While many of the films link this threat to concerns about the British Empire, for example Lieutenant Daring Quells a Rebellion (1912) or Lieutenant Rose R.N. and the Boxers (1911), Lieutenant Daring and the Plans of the Mine Fields concentrates on a threat from Europe, which anticipates the build-up of tension that would soon develop into the First World War. The specifics of the threat in any one episode are usually arbitrary; in this case a French spy steals a vital set of plans, interestingly by drawing them on his female assistant’s body. Most of the narrative is devoted to Daring’s pursuit of the woman and the plans. The spies make their getaway by train from London Charing Cross station and there is a good shot of them boarding a SECR 1st Class carriage. As the train pulls out an SECR F1 Class 4-4-0 is revealed with an unidentified 0-4-4T behind. There is a shot of a train passing behind SECR D Class 4-4-0 No.729, the stock for which includes a couple of early Pullmans and an odd little luggage van at the rear, another unidentified 4-4-0 on a train near Folkestone (this time with three Pullmans in the consist) and a scene at Folkestone Harbour station, with the rear end of a coach visible. The complex chase scene continues on the other side of the channel in Boulogne having made extensive and striking use of location shooting. What is most remarkable about this chase is the variety of vehicles it employs: train, motorbike (very rare for the time), horse, car, biplane (in this case an original Bristol Boxkite) and boat, and this all leads to a wonderful historic account of technology that at the time had aesthetic appeal through speed and modernity. The railway footage can be found on Video 125’s Trains from the Arc’ DVD and the footage of the Bristol Boxkite can be viewed on the Bristol Aeroplane Company website.
*THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (aka THE ADVENTURES OF COLONEL BLIMP)
GB
1943
2hrs 43mins
Dirs: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring: Roger Livesey and Deborah Kerr
A soldier survives three wars and has affairs with three women
This romantic wartime drama film is renowned for its use of Technicolor cinematography and since its re-release in the 1980s has seen it tempered by time, it is now deemed a classic, much more appreciated now than it was when first shown in 1943. The film was released in the US in 1945 in modified form as The Adventures of Colonel Blimp, or simply Colonel Blimp, and with a reduced running time of 2hrs 30mins. Its title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David Low but the story itself is original. The railway scenes are studio sets but there is one shot of a passing GWR express hauled by a ‘King’ Class 4-6-0.
LIFE AT STAKE (see THE KEY MAN)
*LIFE AT THE TOP
GB
1965
1hr 57mins
Dir: Ted Kotcheff
Starring: Laurence Harvey and Jean Simmons
Ten years after becoming a social success, a young executive finds it hard to stand face to face with himself
This drama is based on the novel Life at the Top by John Braine and is a sequel to the film Room at the Top (1959) (qv). The Yorkshire scenes feature some rare shots of Ilkley station before it was rationalised. No locomotives are seen but there are good views of maroon-liveried BR Mk1 coaches on the now closed through platforms. Coach No.26194 is one that is identifiable.
THE LIFE OF CHARLES PEACE
GB
1905
14mins
Dir: William Haggar
Starring: William Haggar and Violet Haggar
The story of Charles Peace, one of Britain’s most notorious criminals
One of the earliest references to a railway appears in this short silent crime movie. There is a brief scene filmed at an unknown station on the GWR network, recognised only by the scrolly brass door handles which were unique to the Great Western at the time. The station will almost certainly remain unidentified.
*LIKE IT IS
GB
1998
1hr 35mins
Dir: Paul Oremland
Starring: Steve Bell and Ian Rose
A boxer has a gay relationship with a young record producer
This gay-themed romance has some early scenes that were shot at night in Blackpool and these feature good shots of passing trams – namely double-deck balloons, vintage Bolton Transport No.66 and the illuminated ‘Rocketship’ tramcar. A little later in the film there is a scene filmed onboard an EMU that looks to be an NSE Class 455 and towards the end there is a shot of Docklands Light Railway units passing London Arena. There is then one final semi-distant night shot of double-deck balloon tram on Blackpool seafront.
LINK
GB
1986
1hr 43mins
Dir: Richard Franklin
Starring: Elisabeth Shue and Terence Stamp
A scientist educates primates only for one to become malevolent
This horror film about a super-intelligent yet malicious orangutan, referred to as a chimpanzee throughout, features one semi-distant shot of an HST passing through the landscape. This image is used to depict Elisabeth Shue’s journey to the scientist’s house where the main story takes place.
THE LIQUIDATOR
GB
1965
1hr 45mins
Dir: Jack Cardiff
Starring: Rod Taylor and Trevor Howard
A former war hero is enlisted by the secret service as an assassin
This thriller is based on the first of a series of Boysie Oakes novels by John Gardner, The Liquidator, published in 1964. It includes a dramatic scene whereby the assassin pushes someone under a train at a London Underground station. This was filmed at Bank on the Waterloo & City Line and there are a couple of shots of Class 487 EMUs.
LISZTOMANIA
GB
1975
1hr 43mins
Dir: Ken Russell
Starring: Roger Daltrey and Sara Kestelman
A fantasia based on the life of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt
This film is developed in part from a biography of Franz Liszt, and in part from an actual ‘kiss-and-tell’ book, Nélida, by Marie d’Agoult, about the couple’s affair. It is a surreal and oddly flamboyant movie that rather than following a straightforward narrative, presents Liszt’s life through a series of episodes. There is a bizarre scene in which a train smashes through a grand piano that has been left on a railway line. This was filmed on Freshfield Bank on the Bluebell Railway and the locomotive that demolished the dummy fibreglass piano is ex-LBSCR Class A1X ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0
T No.72 Fenchurch.
THE LITTLEST HORSE THIEVES (see ESCAPE FROM THE DARK)
*LIVE NOW, PAY LATER (aka FLIGHT OF TREASON)
GB
1962
1hr 44mins
Dir: Jay Lewis
Starring: John Gregson and Liz Fraser
An unscrupulous salesman cheats his boss, lies to his mistress and beds his customers
This fast-paced comedy features several scenes that are shot on the approach road to Elstree & Borehamwood station. The platforms are visible in the background to one shot and a diesel-hauled express passes through, but the locomotive cannot be identified. In the film, Peter Butterworth lives in the cottage located adjacent to the station where he works. When asked by Ian Hendry what life is like on British Railways, Peter replies ‘modernising boy, all diesels now, plenty of work, breakdowns all the time’!
THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS
GB
2006
1hr 37mins
Dirs: Chris Cottam and John Rankin Waddell
Starring: James Cosmo and David Leon
A mysterious boy who can tell the future arrives in a London suburb
This comedy drama includes a couple of shots of Class 365 EMUs passing through the North London suburbs.
*LOCH·NESS
GB
1996
1hr 41mins
Dir: John Henderson
Starring: Ted Danson and Joely Richardson
An American scientist takes up a post to search for the Loch Ness monster
This family drama features a shot of a Class 87 hauled express on the West Coast Main Line, used to depict Ted Danson’s journey from Scotland to London.
*LOLO
FRA
2015
1hr 37mins
Dir: Julie Delpy
Starring: Vincent Lacoste and Karin Viard
A middle-aged divorcee falls for a man but her possessive teenage son causes conflict
This well-worked and rather witty French dark comedy has a scene at the very end that was filmed at London St Pancras station, with the usual Class 373 Eurostar sets in the platforms.
*LONDINIUM (aka FOURPLAY)
GB
2001
1hr 27mins
Dir: Mike Binder
Starring: Colin Firth and Irène Jacob
The lives of a group of friends in London over a number of years
This rom-com features a number of scenes on the platforms of London Waterloo station with a variety of units visible including Class 455 EMUs, Class 159 DMUs and Class 423 4 VEP EMU No.3427 (identifiable through MBSO vehicle No.62184). There is also a scene filmed outside Knightsbridge Underground station.
*LONDON BELONGS TO ME (aka DULCIMER STREET)
GB
1948
1hr 52mins
Dir: Sidney Gilliat
Starring: Richard Attenborough and Fay Compton
When a young man is wrongfully arrested on a murder charge his friends rally around to help him
This drama was based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Norman Collins and should not be confused with the seven-part mini-series made by Thames Television and shown in 1977. The book was released in the US as Dulcimer Street, hence the alternate title of the film. Some trams make appearances in the many London street scenes.
*LONDON BOULEVARD
GB / US
2010
1hr 43mins
Dir: William Monahan
Starring: Colin Farrell and Anna Friel
An ex-con falls in love with a reclusive young movie star and finds himself in a duel with a vicious gangster
This independent crime noir is based on Ken Bruen’s 2001 novel of the same name and features quite a few brief glimpses of railways. There is a short scene filmed outside the entrance to Oval Underground station and a shot of Colin Farrell walking along Bramley Road, W10. As he passes beneath the Hammersmith & City Line viaduct, a train of LT C stock passes overhead. There is a scene filmed at night on the South Bank with a Class 465 ‘Networker’ EMU passing over the Thames on Hungerford Bridge, and finally a view of the Lambeth skyline with a middle distant shot of a passing Class 450 ‘Desiro’ EMU.
*LONDON HAS FALLEN
US
2016
1hr 39mins
Dir: Babak Najafi
Starring: Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman
In London for the Prime Minister’s funeral, a US secret service agent discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders
This typically over dramatic US action thriller has a shoot-out scene on the closed former Jubilee Line platforms at Charing Cross Underground station, with 1996-built tube stock present. The surface building seen is in fact that of Moorgate, with the signage amended convincingly to read Charing Cross. Earlier in the film there is an additional shot of another 1996 stock train leaving an unknown Underground station. There are plenty of aerial shots of London throughout the film and visible in these are Charing Cross and Waterloo stations as well as Grosvenor Bridge, with a formation of Class 375 ‘Electrostar’ EMUs crossing.
*LONDON KILLS ME
GB
1991
1hr 47mins
Dir: Hanif Kureishi
Starring: Justin Chadwick and Fiona Shaw
A drug pusher can take a job as a waiter so long as he gets a decent pair of shoes
This drama features a number of railway scenes, the first of which sees the characters boarding an NSE slam door unit at an unknown London terminus. This is then followed by the same crowd leaving Goring and Streatley station in the Thames Valley with a Class 117 DMU departing in the background. In a final scene towards the end, Steven Mackintosh is onboard a Southern Region ‘slam door’ electric unit at London Waterloo (identified from the station announcement) followed by a very good shot of Class 421 4 CIG EMU No.1762 departing Portsmouth Harbour station.
LONDON MELODY (aka LOOK OUT FOR LOVE)
GB
1937
1hr 15mins
Dir: Herbert Wilcox
Starring: Anna Neagle and Tullio Carminati
A diplomat falls for a London dancer
This musical drama features a shot of a passing Southern Railway express hauled by a ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0, and a tram appears in one of the London street scenes.
*LONDON TO BRIGHTON
GB
2006
1hr 25mins
Dir: Paul Andrew Williams
Starring: Georgia Groome and Lorraine Stanley
A prostitute and a young girl flee to Brighton after killing a London client
This drama has scenes filmed at London Waterloo, Brighton and London Victoria stations, with a Class 460 ‘Gatwick Express’ EMU and a pair of Class 455 EMUs, one of which is No.455808, visible at the latter. The journey to Brighton features a shot of a pair of Class 319 EMUs passing but the interior scenes are filmed onboard Mk1 coaching stock on the Bluebell Railway. The film had been inspired by Royalty (qv).
THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER
GB
1962
1hr 44mins
Dir: Tony Richardson
Starring: Tom Courtenay and Michael Redgrave
A young offender takes part in a long distance race which gives him a chance to think back on his life
This sporting drama is based on the short story of the same name by Alan Sillitoe, which was published in 1959. One scene depicts Tom Courtenay and his friends walking and talking on a hillside on the western edge of Whyteleafe Recreation Ground and a BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T passes below on a local passenger train. In the next scene, the characters have wandered five minutes across to the northern edge of Riddlesdown Quarry with a view overlooking Riddlesdown Viaduct. There is also a scene that is filmed at night on an unknown station, possibly in the Nottingham area.
*THE LONG ARM (aka THE THIRD KEY)
GB
1956
1hr 36mins
Dir: George Frend
Starring: Jack Hawkins and Dorothy Alison
A Scotland Yard superintendent investigates a series of robberies
This crime film involves some railway scenes that include a night journey sequence filmed on the Western Region. The train arrives at ‘Birmingham’ and both Jack Hawkins and John Stratton leave the train to make a phone call. It is not known at which station this was filmed, but it is quite substantial. There is a previous earlier daytime scene filmed at another unknown Western Region station and it is assumed that they are one and the same. Finally, there is a good daytime shot of a BR Standard Class 7MT ‘Britannia’ 4-6-2 bringing an express down Camden Bank on its way into London Euston and an indistinct shot of a steam locomotive passing Royal Festival Hall at night.
*THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY
GB
1980
1hr 54mins
Dir: John Mackenzie
Starring: Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren
An old-fashioned London gangster is aspiring to become a legitimate businessman but faces reprisals from competition
This gangster film features an establishing shot of London Paddington station with plenty of Mk2 coaching stock, a Class 47 and a Class 117 DMU present. A coffin is unloaded from Mk1 full-brake No.81432 at platform 8 and as the camera pans back, another Class 47 is visible at the helm.
*THE LONG MEMORY
GB
1953
1hr 36mins
Dir: Robert Hamer
Starring: John Mills and Elizabeth Sellars
After a long jail term for a crime he did not commit, a man is torn between revenge or making a new life for himself
Based on the 1951 novel of the same name by Howard Clewes, this bleak film noir features some early scenes at London Waterloo station. Plenty of trains are visible in these establishing shots but the only recognisable item is an unrebuilt Bulleid ‘Pacific’ at the bufferstops. There are some later scenes on the concourse of the station and, quite unusually, the station frontage is also depicted. There then follows a scene on the platform of the Waterloo & City Line with Elizabeth Sellars attempting to throw herself under an arriving Class 487 unit. The film sees John Mills living on a disused barge in the Medway Estuary around Stangate Creek and Iwade and in a couple of scenes an old grounded compartment coach is in use as a residence.
*LOOK BACK IN ANGER
GB
1959
1hr 38mins
Dir: Tony Richardson
Starring: Richard Burton and Claire Bloom
An angry young man with a grudge against life has a fling with his wife’s best friend – though they hate each other
An adaptation of the famous John Osbourne play of the same name, this film started the depressing ‘kitchen-sink’ film cycle and makes good use of some urban railway locations. The opening shots looking out over the rooftops of Holloway have distant passing steam-hauled expresses and there is a scene with Richard Burton standing on the now closed main line platforms of Willesden Junction (Low Level) station with a rake of maroon-liveried Mk1s departing. The most vivid and atmospheric scenes are, however, reserved for the final ten minutes or so of the film as Richard Burton, and the ever-delectable Claire Bloom, part at a busy railway station at night. This was the original Dalston Junction, with some excellent shots of ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.45027. The smoke, steam, and personal friction between the characters (though it is too much to believe that they were really lovers) makes this a somewhat sourer version of Brief Encounter (qv).
LOOK OUT FOR LOVE (see LONDON MELODY)
*LOOK UP AND LAUGH
GB
1935
1hr 20mins
Dir: Basil Dean
Starring: Gracie Fields and Douglas Wakefield
Market stallholders defy a chain store
There is an interesting sequence towards the end of this very funny comedy film where Gracie Fields is aloft over the town in a Cierva C.30A autogyro. At one point, she and Huntley Wright fly over a railway yard and then along a railway line, and narrowly miss a GWR ‘Large Prairie’ 2-6-2T on a local train. This of course did not actually take place, and the sequence uses a combination of studio filming and back-projection cut into actual footage of the autogyro. None the less, despite looking obviously dated and cheap by today’s standards, it is still an amusing and quite clever sequence. The location of the railway sites is not recorded. The footage of the autogyro meanwhile is rare in itself.
*LOOKS AND SMILES
GB
1981
1hr 44mins
Dir: Ken Loach
Starring: Graham Green and Carolyn Nicholson
In a depressed town in the north of England, a well-meaning school leaver looks for work whilst drawing dole
This gritty drama was filmed in black and white entirely on location in Sheffield. The opening credit shot as the titles begin to role shows Brown
Bayley Steelworks in Darnall, with the former London and North Eastern Railway line run snaking alongside and the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal adjacent to the right of the tracks. No trains are seen but it is an interesting glimpse of an industrial landscape since redeveloped. The railway and canal are still extant, but the steelworks were replaced by the Don Valley Stadium which itself was demolished in 2014.
*LOST (aka TEARS FOR SIMON)
GB
1956
1hr 29mins
Dir: Guy Green
Starring: David Farrar and Julia Arnall
A US couple’s young child is apparently stolen and the police trail for evidence
This realistic crime drama uses a lot of outdoor locations including a scene filmed close to ‘South Croydon’ signal box. A number of passing Southern Region EMUs, including a 4 SUB working Headcode 42, are visible. There is a problem with this, however, South Croydon is on the former Central Section of BR’s Southern Region and Headcode 42 was Victoria-Brighton via the Quarry Line (special workings). 4 SUBs never worked this route and stayed instead on the South Eastern section where Headcode 42 is Charing Cross-Sidcup-Gillingham (not via Lewisham). Therefore, the signal box is not South Croydon, but another masquerading instead. There is a viaduct on the adjacent line that brings another line down behind the signalbox but the exact location is unclear. It could possibly be in the Bricklayers Arms/Bermondsey area.
LOST DAUGHTER (see PORTRAIT FROM LIFE)
*LOVE ACTUALLY
GB
2003
2hrs 16mins
Dir: Richard Curtis
Starring: Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson
Various stories of love in the weeks leading up to Christmas
This popular and successful romantic comedy includes a scene filmed on the escalators of Canary Wharf Underground station.
*LOVE + HATE
GB
2005
1hr 26mins
Dir: Dominic Savage
Starring: Dean Andrews and Samina Awan
A racist white boy finds himself falling for a young Muslim girl
This modern love story set across the racial divide of Blackburn has some good shots of the station near the end and a number of contemporary DMUs feature. A Class 150/1 ‘Sprinter’ No.150147 is visible along with a couple of Class 142 ‘Pacer’s’, including No.142064. Note the shot of a Class 142 leaving the station which is then played in reverse so that it is approaching the station with its tail lights on!
*LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS
GB / FRA
2006
1hr 30mins
Dir: Alek Keshishian
Starring: Matthew Rhys and Catherine Tate
An American intern at U.K. Vogue helps her friends find love
This romantic comedy includes a scene towards the end that was filmed at Charing Cross Underground on the Jubilee Line, masquerading as Bank on the Northern Line. 1996-built tube stock is present in the platform.
LOVE, LIFE AND LAUGHTER
GB
1934
1hr 23mins
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Starring: Gracie Fields and John Loder
The daughter of an English publican falls in love with the visiting Prince of Granau
This comedy drama features a shot of a boat train arriving at London Victoria behind ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 No.861 Lord Anson.
*THE LOVE LOTTERY
GB
1954
1hr 29mins
Dir: Charles Crichton
Starring: David Niven and Peggy Cummins
A British film star is persuaded to offer himself in a lottery in the hope of finding a wife
This Ealing comedy features a couple of shots of passing express trains. One is hauled by a de-streamlined ex-LMS ‘Duchess’ Class 7P 4-6-2 and the other by a GWR 4-6-0. The scenes are filmed day for night, or at least at dusk, and though the images are not entirely clear, it is possible to work out that the Duchess still features its sloping smokebox.
*THE LOVE MATCH
GB
1955
1hr 25mins
Dir: David Paltenghi
Starring: Arthur Askey and Thora Hird
Two football-mad footplatemen are desperate to get back in time to see a match
This classic comedy was based on the 1953 play of the same name by Glenn Melvyn, who plays Askey’s firemen in the film. A Television spin-off series, Love and Kisses, appeared later in 1955. The now rather neglected comedy is set in Lancashire and sees Askey playing the part of an engine driver and as a result trains are central to the plot in the same way that they are in The Railway Children. The opening scenes feature Askey and Melvyn racing their freight train home so that they can get to a football match in time. This uses a lot of ‘phantom ride’ shots, including entering a smoke-filled tunnel, passing a station and a signal box, though the locations are not known. The freight is made up of an ex-LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 with a rake of mixed wagons – a speeded up shot repeated three times. The shed scenes were filmed at Newton Heath depot, Manchester, with a fine shot of ex-LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 No.44543 on the turntable. Many open coal wagons are visible, as well as Tool Van No.DM395097 but it should be noted that Askey is adopting the wrong method of working the turntable, pulling the lever rather than pushing. Askey and Melvyn then mount a motorbike and ride it through the shed. There are three ex-LMS Class 8F 2-8-0s in the yard in the background, one of which is No.48365, and a WD ‘Austerity’ 2-8-0 is visible inside the shed. After this, the errant pair then sneak into the back of a football ground, probably Burnden Park, via the adjacent railway line and an ex-LMS Class 2P 4-4-0 passes on a passenger train. Not all the film was shot in Lancashire, however, as in one scene where Askey leaves the family home with Melvyn, a GWR signal box is seen in the background with an ex-GWR tender loco passing. This was filmed from The Crescent in Southall. There is also a stock-shot from Brief Encounter of an unrebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0 passing Watford Junction, and a couple more shed scenes feature later on, with 4F No.44543 visible once again along with a Stanier 2-6-4T and another WD ‘Austerity’ 2-8-0. At ‘Milford Junction’ shed, almost certainly Newton Heath again, there is the back end of an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 and a departmental coach visible. The climax of the film is a wonderfully enjoyable farce. Askey is keen to get to a match on which he has bet money and ties an ‘explosives’ sheet over one of the wagons of his freight so as to get a clear run from the signalmen who think his train is a dangerous runaway. No.44543 is again the locomotive and there are a number of repeated passing shots on a line somewhere in the north west, a station run through, and an apparently random shot of an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 on a passenger train entering a tunnel, a shot also seen in reverse. In fact, this sequence uses a number of stock shots – several of LMS ‘Jubilee’ Class 5XP No.5553 Canada making its emergency stop for the 1938 film I See Ice (qv), and a close up of an LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 on a passenger service. The final shots of the 4F, No.44543 arriving behind the football ground by a signal box, were filmed at Burnden Park, the then home of Bolton Wanderers FC. There is an interesting epilogue to all this. Having been told by management that he will never drive a train again, Askey proves them wrong, grinning at the audience whilst in charge of a miniature railway. The train is made up of a Bassett-Lowke steam locomotive with two open carriages and was believed to have been filmed at Ruislip Lido. Four years later Newton Heath shed would appear in a 21-minute short documentary by the British Film Institute. Filmed in 1959, Enginemen told the story of the men working at the locomotive sheds at Newton Heath and the impact on their jobs of the arrival of the diesel engine.
*LOVE ON THE DOLE
GB
1941
1hr 34mins
Dir: John Baxter
Starring: Clifford Evans and Deborah Kerr
Life among cotton workers of a Lancashire mill town during the depression of the 1930s
This realistic drama was adapted from the 1933 novel of the same name by Walter Greenwood and features a number of interesting railway scenes. The first shows a small industrial 0-4-0ST hauling LMS coal wagons in a colliery followed by a ‘going away’ shot at night of an unidentifiable express train passing through a cutting. There are then good scenes in Blackpool that include an excellent shot of LMS Class 4P ‘Compound’ 4-4-0 No.1195 arriving with an excursion train at Blackpool Central station, a distant view of a double-deck tram and a closer shot of three illuminated trams at night; the ‘Gondola’ tram, the ‘Lifeboat’ tram and the ‘Progress’ tram. There is also a decent shot of the Pleasure Beach miniature railway which features a 21-inch gauge Hudswell Clarke steam outline diesel-hydraulic locomotive on a rake of open carriages packed full of passengers. The Blackpool Pleasure Beach Express can also be seen in the 1934 Gracie Fields musical Sing As We Go (qv). There is also one further scene of an industrial factory site with a rake of open wagons present.
*LOVE ON WHEELS
GB
1932
1hr 26mins
Dir: Victor Saville
Starring: Jack Hulbert and Leonora Corbett
A department store assistant tries to improve the company’s publicity
A montage sequence near the start of this musical comedy includes a scene at London Waterloo station with an SR 3 SUB EMU and a small tank loco visible. There are also some shots of London ‘Metropolitan’ trams. The entrance to ‘Duchess Street’ Underground station is a set.
THE LOVE RACE
GB
1931
1hr 21mins
Dirs: Lupino Lane and Pat Morton
Starring: Stanley Lupino and Dorothy Boyd
Two car firms have a bitter rivalry
This comedy features a scene filmed at Redbourn station on the Harpenden-Hemel Hempstead line but sadly no trains feature. This is a very rare shot indeed as the station closed to passengers on the 16th June 1947, though the line stayed open for freight until 1964.
LOVE STORY (aka A LADY SURRENDERS)
GB
1944
1hr 53mins
Dir: Leslie Arliss
Starring: Margaret Lockwood and Stewart Granger
In Cornwall, a half-blind airman falls for an ailing pianist
This famous wartime weepy is based on the short story of the same name by J.W. Drawbell. There is one railway shot, a hilltop view of St. Ives station in Cornwall with a 4500 Class 2-6-2T and train in the platform. Unfortunately, the ‘departure’ scene takes place in the studio.
LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR
GB
1973
1hr 25mins
Dir: John Robins
Starring: Jack Smethurst and Kate Williams
Racial disharmony between two sets of neighbours
This comedy film was a spin-off from the 1970s Television sitcom of the same name. In one scene two of the characters take a river trip along
the Thames and the boat passes beneath St Paul’s Bridge (or Blackfriars Railway Bridge). Blackfriars station can be seen in the background, but no trains are visible.
THE LOVERS!
GB
1973
1hr 28mins
Dir: Herbert Wise
Starring: Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox
An awkward British bank clerk’s girlfriend wants to wait until they are married
This big-screen version of the TV sit-com about the ups-and-downs of a young courting couple’s relationship is now largely forgotten. It features one scene shot in the booking hall and concourse of Manchester Victoria station, but no trains are visible.
THE LOVES OF JOANNA GODDEN
GB
1947
1hr 29mins
Dir: Charles Frend
Starring: Googie Withers and John McCallum
In Edwardian Britain, a young woman has three suitors who seek her hand in marriage
This historical drama is based on the 1921 novel Joanna Godden by Sheila Kaye-Smith. Ealing Studios shot much of the film on location on
Romney Marsh and there are a couple of shots of the New Romney branch line from Appledore. Interestingly, a locomotive was borrowed from the Kent & East Sussex Light Railway for filming. This was ex-LBSCR Class A1X ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No.3, suitably lettered SE&CR for the film. Some coaches were also requested from the Kent & East Sussex but, for one reason or another, these failed to materialise and a couple of ex-SECR coaches owned by the Southern Railway were used instead. There are two shots of the train in the film, one of it en route along the branch and one of it arriving at Lydd Town station, the first of these shots later appeared in the 1953 film 36 Hours (qv).
LOVER BOY (see KNAVE OF HEARTS)
LOVERS, HAPPY LOVERS! (see KNAVE OF HEARTS)
LUCKY JIM
GB
1957
1hr 35mins
Dir: John Boulting
Starring: Ian Carmichael and Hugh Griffith
Mishaps of a lecturer at a provincial university
This comedy is an adaptation of the 1954 novel of the same name by Kingsley Amis. Ian Carmichael races to a railway station at the climax of the film. This station was Cowley, the intermediate station on the West Drayton-Uxbridge Vine Street branch, and a 4500-series 2-6-2T is seen on an arriving train. The departure shots, however, are at Bushey station on the West Coast main line, though the changeover is remarkably
seamless!
THE LUCKY MASCOT (see THE BRASS MONKEY)
THE LUCKY NUMBER
GB
1932
1hr 12mins
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Clifford Molleson and Gordon Harker
A professional footballer attempts to recover a winning pools ticket
This film features two shots of passing LMS expresses, one hauled by a ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 and one by a Class 4P ‘Compound’ 4-4-0.
*LUNCH HOUR
GB
1961
1hr 04mins
Dir: James Hill
Starring: Robert Stephens and Shirley Anne Field
An art designer and a married executive attempt to have an affair during their lunch hours, but are continually interrupted
This amusing little gem, based on a one-act play by John Mortimer, includes a brief shot of the entrance to Temple Underground station, which is then followed by an even briefer shot of a District Line R stock train leaving the southbound platform of Notting Hill Gate station. There is also a scene with Shirley Anne Field onboard a suburban DMU, but as no exterior shots appear it is impossible to tell where this was filmed. The frontage of King’s Cross station just creeps into the background of two shots and the opening credits appear over images of rolling track.
M
MA FEMME EST UNE ACTRICE (see MY WIFE IS AN ACTRESS)
*THE MACKINTOSH MAN
GB / US
1973
1hr 38mins
Dir: John Huston
Starring: Paul Newman and Dominique Sanda
A government agent posing as a diamond thief is sent to jail to catch a gang that has been arranging escapes from prison for wealthy criminals
This Anglo-American cold war spy thriller is based on the 1971 novel The Freedom Trap by Desmond Bagley. The film features a scene at Bank station on the Waterloo & City Line with 1940-built Class 487 units, two vehicles of which are numbers 72 and 73. There is a good night shot of a BR green-liveried Class 127 DMU arriving at an unknown Midland Main Line station with a train for Bedford. The station frontage is also shown.
MAD ABOUT MEN
GB
1954
1hr 30mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Glynis Johns and Donald Sinden
A flirtatious mermaid swaps places with a schoolteacher who has gone on holiday
Despite the six-year gap and the film’s poor attempt at trying to emulate the charming original, Mad About Men is in fact the sequel to Miranda (qv). Like the first film it features some good railway shots, though unlike Miranda the continuity is a little hit and miss. Produced in Technicolor, there are some good colour shots of London Paddington near the start of the film as Glynis Johns begins her journey to Cornwall, but although the train starts out as an express hauled by a ‘King’ Class 4-6-0, it changes mid-journey into a local stopper. Despite this error there is a good shot of a Fairburn 2-6-4T pulling into Seer Green and Jordans station on the GW & GC Joint in Buckinghamshire. At least the final railway scene is in Cornwall, a nice lineside view of a 4500 Class 2-6-2T with a train on the Looe branch.
MAD COWS
GB
1999
1hr 30mins
Dir: Sara Sugarman
Starring: Anna Friel and Joanna Lumley
A single mother’s postnatal state leads her on a race to save her child and her sanity
This comedy features one scene on the Docklands Light Railway with two-car B90 set 26 at ‘Isle of Dogs’ station, which is in reality East India station.
MAD DOGS
GB
2002
1hr 31mins
Dir: Ahmed A. Jamal
Starring: Paul Barber and Jonathan Pryce
A schizophrenic is haunted by beings telling him that the world will end
This sci-fi movie with a different slant includes a surprising amount of footage on the London Underground. Stations included in these scenes are Charing Cross, Elephant & Castle, Embankment, Leicester Square, the Waterloo & City Line platforms at Bank, and a ghostly scene filmed at Aldwych. The trains are formed of both 1972 and 1990s-built tube stock. There is also a scene filmed on the concourse of Charing Cross main line station.
MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN (aka SHAMELESS)
GB
1995
1hr 37mins
Dir: Henry Cole
Starring: Elizabeth Hurley and Claire Bloom
An aristocratic drug addict is pursued by the criminal underworld
This thriller features a shot overlooking the railway lines at Royal Mint Street Junction, close to London Fenchurch Street, and a pair of Class 312 EMU’s pass. The trackbed and viaduct of the former route to Haydon Square goods depot (closed in 1962) is visible in the foreground. There is also a shot of the frontage of Sloane Square Underground station. The movie should not be confused with the 1971 American documentary film of the same name, a result of which saw this 1995 production released in the US as Shameless.
MADE
GB
1972
1hr 41mins
Dir: John Mackenzie
Starring: Carol White and Roy Harper
A young single mother has affairs with a priest and an insecure rock star
This gritty drama is based on the novel No One Was Saved by Howard Barker. The film features a railway journey supposedly heading to Brighton and although there is a scene filmed outside Brighton station, the railway journey was filmed on the Western Region with a rake of Mk1 coaches. Although the locomotive powering the train is not seen there is a brief glimpse of a Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic heading past with an express in the opposite direction. The station that the train passes through is believed to be Thatcham, on the Berks & Hants line.
*MADE IN HEAVEN
GB
1952
1hr 30mins
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Starring: David Tomlinson and Petula Clark
Married couples compete for the Dunmow flitch
This Technicolor comedy features a number of scenes filmed at Datchet station, which masquerades as ‘Gt Dunmow’. Southern Railway 2 NOL EMU No.1854 is seen arriving in one shot. The carriage interior scene, and that of Victoria station concourse, are studio sets.
*THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN
GB
1969
1hr 32mins
Dir: Joseph McGrath
Starring: Peter Sellers and Richard Starkey
The richest man in the world shows how people will do anything for money
This surreal satire may have been typical of the period but like the others it has not aged well. Loosely based on the 1959 comic novel of the same name by US author Terry Southern the film does at least feature a good railway scene. Filmed on the Twyford – Henley-on-Thames branch with Class 47 No.1648 and Mk1 coaches, aboard which Peter Sellers has a board room, a surreal sequence takes place during which some stock shots of a ‘Blue Pullman’ DMU are slotted in. The scene where Peter Sellers buys a hotdog was filmed at Henley station and the station where he and Richard Starkey disembark is Wargrave, posing as ‘Auchengillan’. Two of the Mk1 coaches are Nos.4415 and 14000.
*THE MAGNET
GB
1950
1hr 19mins
Dir: Charles Frend
Starring: Stephen Murray and Kay Walsh
A boy steals a powerful magnet from a younger boy, but it gets him into all sorts of trouble
This overlooked Ealing comedy with the fabulous Kay Walsh, was largely filmed on location in Liverpool and there is a good shot of a refurbished Liverpool Overhead Railway train arriving at an unknown station. The scene ‘onboard’ the train used a studio set with back-projection, along with a recreated station called ‘Canada’. This is referred to as Canada Dock in the film, which was a real station on the LOR system. A number of trams can be glimpsed in the background of one Liverpool street scene outside the Liver Building, and an LOR train passes by in the background of another shot. Finally, some wagons are on display in a brief scene filmed somewhere in the docks. It should be noted that there is a picture of a GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 on the sea wall at Horse Cove, Dawlish, hanging above the fireplace in the boy’s house!
*THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN DEADLY SINS
GB
1971
1hr 47mins
Dir: Graham Stark
Starring: Harry H Corbett and Cheryl Kennedy
A collection of comedy sketches based on the seven deadly sins
The title of this comedy is a conflation of The Magnificent Seven and the seven deadly sins. It comprises a sequence of seven sketches, each representing a sin, and written by an array of British comedy-writing talent. Probably everyone who was famous in late-1960s British comedy took part, with the result being a wonderful star-studded cast. The sketches are linked by animation sequences and the fourth sketch, ‘Lust’, is more or less a one man play with Harry H Corbett taking the part of the rather sad Ambrose Twombly, ‘the fastest lighter on the Bakerloo’. It is largely filmed on the London Underground and despite the character reference, appears to have been shot on the Central Line with 1959-built tube stock. This segment, along with the fifth sketch ‘Pride’, had originally been television plays in the 1961 series Comedy Playhouse.
*THE MAGNIFICENT TWO
GB
1967
1hr 40mins
Dir: Cliff Owen
Starring: Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise
A travelling salesman in Latin America is persuaded to pose as a rebel leader
This was the third and final film of the comedy duo’s trio and is often considered to be the best. The opening scenes depict Morecambe and Wise travelling on a train in Latin America. This is in fact a thinly disguised War Department Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST with dummy headlight and cow-catcher hauling non-corridor suburban coaches on the Longmoor Military Railway. There is a clever attempt to superimpose a mountain backcloth in one distant shot of the train and the station where the comedians get off is an extensively dressed Longmoor Downs, masquerading as ‘Campo Grande’.
MAHLER
GB
1974
1hr 55mins
Dir: Ken Russell
Starring: Robert Powell and Georgina Hale
A film exploring the music and life of the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler
Most of this biographical film is made up of flashbacks, some of which are surrealistic and nightmarish, taking place as Mahler and his wife Alma (played by Georgina Hale) take a train journey from Bavaria to Vienna. Most of these scenes were filmed on the Bluebell Railway and made use of Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes stations. BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 No.75027 is in evidence but is hardly a typical Austrian loco from the 1920s! The station nameboards were changed to such exotic places as ‘Lambach’ and ‘Vocklabruck’ but even odder is the scene at the end of the film. This was shot at London Marylebone with BR blue-liveried Class 115 DMUs in attendance!
MAID FOR MURDER (see SHE’LL HAVE TO GO)
MAIL TRAIN (see INSPECTOR HORNLEIGH GOES TO IT)
*MAKE ME AN OFFER!
GB
1954
1hr 28mins
Dir: Cyril Frankel
Starring: Peter Finch and Adrienne Corri
An antiques dealer dreams of owning a precious vase
This technicolor comedy has one scene in which Peter Finch heads to an auction by train. His journey from London Marylebone includes an establishing shot of the station platforms and a good shot of an express hauled by an ex-LNER Class A3 4-6-2 but the actual platform scenes with carriage interiors are a studio set.
MAN ABOUT THE HOUSE
GB
1974
1hr 30mins
Dir: John Robins
Starring: Richard O’Sullivan and Paula Wilcox
Tenants and their landlords join forces against an unscrupulous developer to prevent their terrace from being redeveloped
This big-screen version of the successful TV comedy series features one scene outside Maida Vale Underground station.
MAN AT THE TOP
GB
1973
1hr 32mins
Dir: Mike Vardy
Starring: Kenneth Haigh and Nanette Newman
An executive finds his firm is marketing an unsafe drug
This drama was spun off from the television series Man at the Top which itself was inspired by the 1959 film Room at the Top (qv) and its sequel
Life at the Top (qv). However, it was not deemed a success, mainly because the cast was entirely different to the original films, Laurence Harvey for instance, who had starred in the first two films, died the year that this movie came out. Social attitudes had also changed and the ‘kitchen-sink’ reality of the earlier duo was replaced by a more modern outlook on life where success was seen as easily achievable. There is one sequence in this film that is at least a little unusual. Shot from a car on the M1 motorway close to Mill Hill Broadway, a pair of Class 25 diesels on a freight pass by on the adjacent Midland Main Line.
MAN BAIT (see THE LAST PAGE)
MAN DETAINED
GB
1961
59mins
Dir: Robert Tronson
Starring: Bernard Archard and Elvi Hale
The police track down a London crook
One of a series of second feature films based on Edgar Wallace novels, released between 1960 and 1965 in British cinemas. The films were later sold to American TV and screened there as The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (1960). This lively little number features a climax where the villain is pursued by police through a railway freight yard and is killed by a train. Filmed somewhere on the Southern Region in South London, the deadly locomotive appears to be an ex-SECR C Class 0-6-0 and there are a lot of mineral, plank and covered wagons on display, as well as some Southern CCT parcels vans and PMVs. There is an earlier scene filmed in a garage scrapyard in London and a GWR signal box can be seen on an embankment in the background. This may be a box on the West London Line, but its exact identity is not known.
MAN DETAINED (see THE DARK MAN)
THE MAN FROM MOROCCO
GB
1945
1hr 56mins
Dir: Mutz Greenbaum
Starring: Anton Walbrook and Margaretta Scott
A group of men who have spent two years in an internment camp are sent by the Vichy Government to build a railway in the Sahara
This World War II action adventure was of course filmed in the UK and, like Undercover 1943 (qv), has a surprising amount of location work for a wartime production. The Sahara railway building scenes were filmed somewhere on the GWR with a disguised 5700-series 0-6-0PT on what is supposed to be a construction train. The loco is numbered ‘906’ and has the lettering ‘ETAT’ on its tank-sides for the film. The word ‘etat’ is French for ‘state’.
THE MAN FROM NOWHERE
GB
1975
59 mins
Dir: James Hill
Starring: Sarah Hollis Andrews and Ronald Adam
In 1860, a young orphaned girl is sent to live with her uncle, but she is troubled by a shadowy figure who appears and disappears
This short drama mystery from the Children’s Film Foundation is actually pretty effective. It also features excellent opening scenes on the Kent & East Sussex Railway at Tenterden Town station. A train arrives behind ex-LBSCR AIX Class ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No.3 Bodiam. As it departs, there is a glimpse in the background of unrestored Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST W/No.1955 of 1917. It later became the line’s No.14 Charwelton and is seen working in the 1995 film Cold Comfort Farm (qv).
MAN FROM TANGIER (aka THUNDER OVER TANGIER)
GB
1957
1hr 07mins
Dir: Lance Comfort
Starring: Robert Hutton and Lisa Gastoni
A criminal flees from Tangier to London with forged money plates
This crime film has some excellent opening scenes at London Victoria station which includes a shot of the exterior. Though no trains are visible,
these scenes are very atmospheric. Curiously, a shot of the concourse of London Waterloo also features in an intriguing continuity slip.
MAN IN A COCKED HAT (see CARLTON-BROWNE OF THE F.O.)
MAN IN HIDING (see MANTRAP)
THE MAN IN THE MIRROR
GB
1936
1hr 11mins
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Starring: Edward Everett Horton and Genevieve Tobin
A withdrawn and mild-mannered man is surprised when his reflection in the mirror comes to life
This neat little comedy features a brief but rare image of an ex-LBSCR Billinton B4 Class 4-4-0 on a passing express.
MAN IN THE MOON
GB
1960
1hr 38mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Kenneth More and Shirley Anne Field
A super-fit civilian is chosen to become the first British astronaut
This comedy features some good shots filmed at Denham station with ex-LMS Fairburn Class 4MT 2-6-4Ts on local trains and ex-GWR ‘King’ Class 4-6-0s on expresses.
*THE MAN IN THE ROAD
GB
1956
1hr 23mins
Dir: Lance Comfort
Starring: Derek Farr and Ella Raines
A brilliant scientist suffering from amnesia is hunted by Communist agents in search of a secret formula
This fast-paced thriller was based on a popular contemporary novel He Was Found in the Road by Anthony Armstrong. It features a shot of an
ex-LNER Class A3 4-6-2 on an express and a good shot filmed at Seer Green and Jordans station with an ex-LMS Fairburn Class 4MT 2-6-4T arriving on a local stopper.
THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT
GB
1951
1hr 25mins
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick
Starring: Alec Guinness and Joan Greenwood
A scientist develops a suit that cannot be destroyed or get dirty
This science-fiction satirical comedy film made by Ealing Studios has become a classic and features a good chase sequence near the end that features a railway. Alec Guinness attempts to buy a ticket at ‘Wellsborough’ station and heads over the footbridge when his pursuers arrive. This was filmed at Brimsdown station, near Enfield on the Lea Valley line, and an ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 is in the platform. The opening scene meanwhile features a panoramic view of a foundry and no fewer than five industrial 0-4-0STs are visible amongst the wagons on site. It is possible that this is Burnley, as the viaduct in the town features prominently in one scene which follows. There is also a sequence that was filmed at Stonebridge Park Underground station.
*THE MAN WHO CHANGED HIS MIND (aka THE BRAINSNATCHER and THE MAN WHO LIVED AGAIN)
GB
1936
1hr 06mins
Dir: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Boris Karloff and Anna Lee
A scientist experiments with brain transplants
This early science fiction horror film has a shot of an express hauled by an ex-Great Central Railway locomotive with top-feed apparatus. Sadly, this is a night shot, so the rare locomotive is not identifiable.
THE MAN WHO LIVED AGAIN (see THE MAN WHO CHANGED HIS MIND)
THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS
GB
1956
1hr 43mins
Dir: Ronald Neame
Starring: Clifton Webb and Stephen Boyd
In 1943, the British secret service fool the Germans by using a dead man with fake documents
This Second World War film, based on the 1953 book of the same name by Lt. Cmdr. Ewen Montagu, dramatizes actual events. It is about Operation Mincemeat, a 1943 British Intelligence plan to deceive the Axis powers into thinking Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, would take place elsewhere. It includes a shot of the Praed Street ‘entrance’ to London Paddington station but no trains are visible.
THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T TALK
GB
1958
1hr 37mins
Dir: Herbert Wilcox
Starring: Anthony Quayle and Anna Neagle
A QC has to defend a man on a murder charge who cannot reveal top secret information
This courtroom drama features a scene depicting a secret meeting on the Circle/District Line platforms of London Victoria Underground station with some good shots of District Line R stock trains.
THE MAN WITH RAIN IN HIS SHOES (see IF ONLY)
THE MAN WITH THE GREEN CARNATION (see THE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE)
*MAN UP
GB / FRA
2015
1hr 28mins
Dir: Ben Palmer
Starring: Simon Pegg and Harriet Walter
In a fit of rage, a woman takes the part of another woman’s blind date, with unexpected consequences
This romantic comedy has some good railway scenes early on. These open with Lake Bell arriving on foot at Godalming station in the Wey Valley in Surrey, which is curiously masquerading as Brockenhurst of all places! There is a good opening shot of the hugely attractive station building but the platform shots, which include an excellent one of Class 444 ‘Desiro’ EMU No.444038 South Western Railway arriving, used Liphook station just to confuse matters further. There are scenes filmed onboard a Class 444 unit and then some very good scenes at London Waterloo station, with plenty of South West Trains units present including a Class 159 DMU arriving, more Class 444 Desiro’s one of which is No.444009, and other EMU’s in the form of Classes 450, 455, 456 and 458, the latter being one of the few remaining prior to rebuild. There are also a couple of middle distance shots of Hungerford Bridge with Class 465 ‘Networker’ EMUs crossing.
MANDY (aka CRASH OF SILENCE and THE STORY OF MANDY)
GB
1952
1hr 33mins
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick
Starring: Jack Hawkins and Phyllis Calvert
A deaf and mute girl is sent to a special school by her struggling parents
This famous post-war Ealing drama is based on the 1946 novel The Day Is Ours by Hilda Lewis and includes a shot of London Euston station pre-rebuild though no trains are visible. There is also a stock shot from Brief Encounter (qv) of a ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0 on an express at Watford Junction.
*MANTRAP (aka MAN IN HIDING)
GB
1953
1hr 13mins
Dir: Terence Fisher
Starring: Paul Henreid and Kieron Moore
A doctor tries to help a man wrongly convicted of murder
This crime drama film was based on the 1952 novel Queen in Danger by Elleston Trevor. It features a chase scene through an unknown goods yard with some open plank wagons visible and a scene outside St. John’s Wood Underground station.
*MARRIED/UNMARRIED
GB
2001
1hr 42mins
Dir: Noli
Starring: Gina Bellman and Ben Daniels
Obsession and doubt control four friends’ relationships
This fiesty drama starring the ever-gorgeous Gina Bellman has a very erotic scene filmed onboard a Docklands Light Railway P86/P89 unit, as well as a shot of Shadwell DLR station.
*MARTHA – MEET FRANK, DANIEL AND LAURENCE (aka THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU)
GB
1998
1hr 28mins
Dir: Nick Hamm
Starring: Rufus Sewell and Monica Potter
Three men in London fall for the same American girl
This underrated romantic comedy was filmed using many London locations and there are a couple of railway shots. A pair of Docklands Light Railway units are seen crossing a bridge in one scene and there is a very distant shot of a Class 47-hauled Freightliner crossing Chelsea Bridge over the River Thames.
THE MATCH (aka THE BEAUTIFUL GAME)
GB
1999
1hr 35mins
Dir: Mick Davis
Starring: Isla Blair and Max Beesley
Two pub football teams meet for their 100th fixture with the losers agreeing to close their business
This romantic comedy features a shot of a GNER-liveried HST arriving at Berwick-upon-Tweed station.
A MATTER OF MURDER
GB
1949
59mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: John Barry and Maureen Riscoe
A mild-mannered bank clerk is persuaded by his nagging, gold digging girlfriend to embezzle money
This crime thriller B movie has a scene filmed at London Paddington station.
*MAURICE
GB
1987
2hrs 20mins
Dir: James Ivory
Starring: James Wilby and Hugh Grant
The life of a Cambridge homosexual in the early 20th century
This romantic drama film is based on the 1971 novel of the same name by E. M. Forster and features several scenes filmed at Horsted Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway. In one of these scenes, a train formed of period Southern Railway coaching stock is seen departing but due to the angle of filming, the locomotive at the front of the train is not clear. A close look at the image suggests that it could possibly be ex-LSWR Class B4 0-4-0T No.30096 Normandy. There is also a scene filmed onboard the carriages at night.
*McVICAR
GB
1980
1hr 48mins
Dir: Tom Clegg
Starring: Roger Daltrey and Cheryl Campbell
The true story of escaped convict John McVicar
This drama was based on the non-fiction book McVicar by Himself, written by John McVicar describing several months of his experiences in prison. It features a couple of good railway scenes whilst he is on the run in the second half of the film. In a shot filmed at dusk, Roger Daltrey is making his way down a two-track railway line where he hides from a passing 07-series Plasser & Theurer track machine. This was believed filmed at the Maidenhead end of the Marlow branch, but this is not confirmed. Interestingly, the track machine is carrying a sticker in the window that reads ‘Captain America’s Team Racing’! Later, he makes a den behind an advertising hoarding next to a railway bridge. The location of this was Norden Road, Maidenhead, and a Class 50 is seen passing with an express formed of Mk2 coaching stock. There is also a shot of the frontage of St Pancras station. Both the track machine and the Class 50 are rare for a feature film.
*MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN
GB
1979
1hr 48mins
Dir: Peter Brook
Starring: Dragan Maksimović and Terence Stamp
The life of Greek-Armenian mystic George Ivanovich Gurdjieff
This biographical drama is based on the book of the same name by G. I. Gurdjieff, first published in English in 1963. Although largely shot on location in Afghanistan there are a handful of English scenes one of which, most unusually, is set in a railway works. This was filmed at the Didcot Railway Centre with actors and members of the Great Western Society working on the frames of GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 No.5051 Drysllwyn Castle. A number of other locomotives are briefly visible in the background of a general view of the shed.
MELBA
GB
1953
1hr 52mins
Dir: Lewis Milestone
Starring: Patrice Munsel and Robert Morley
The life of Australian-born soprano Dame Nellie Melba
This musical biopic includes a scene filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway.
MELODY (aka S.W.A.L.K.)
GB
1971
1hr 43mins
Dir: Waris Hussein
Starring: Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde
An 11-year old boy falls in love with a girl
This romantic story is told through the viewpoint of the children, the adults playing only supporting roles. Its alternative UK title S.W.A.L.K.
refers to a message traditionally written on the envelopes of love letters, standing for Sealed With A Loving Kiss. There are a good number of railway shots throughout the film, most of which was set in South London. The viaduct section around the Nine Elms / Battersea / Clapham area features prominently but surprisingly few trains are seen – only a 4 SUB EMU is visible in one shot though an elevated signalbox can be seen more regularly in the background. In another scene filmed in Musgrave Crescent, Parsons Green, a train of LT CP stock can be seen stabled in sidings adjacent to the District Line The two main characters make their escape at the end of the film on a hand pump trolley, the sequence being mostly shot in the abandoned sidings around Nine Elms Freight Yard and the elevated signalbox visible in this sequence is Loco Junction Box, which controlled movements towards Waterloo, and in to and out of the Goods Yard and the Motive Power Depot on the other side of the main lines. Despite this, however, the final shot shows the pair ‘pumping’ down a rural single track branch, the location of which is not known. When the characters go to the seaside earlier in the film there is a good shot of a Class 33/1 ‘push-pull’ diesel arriving at Weymouth station with a Class 491 4 TC set. As a result, the final branch line scene could have been filmed in the Dorset area. Another railway feature of the Dorset town is visible in several shots, that in the form of the old Backwater Viaduct that until 1965, took the Portland Branch across Radipole Lake.
A MERRY WAR (see KEEP THE ASPIDISTRA FLYING)
METROLAND
GB
1997
1hr 45mins
Dir: Philip Saville
Starring: Christian Bale and Emily Watson
When his friend returns from Paris after ten years, a calm advertising executive begins to question his life
This comedy-drama is based on the 1980 novel of the same name by Julian Barnes. As its title suggests this film has the Metropolitan Railway
very much as a backcloth to the action, despite part of it being filmed in Paris. Amersham station was used for some scenes, particularly a flashback sequence set in the 1960s for which vintage Metropolitan-Vickers-built Metropolitan Railway electric locomotive No.12 Sarah Siddons was used with 4-TC stock. There is a low-level run-by shot of the train and several scenes filmed inside the TC’s. The film producers seemed unusually interested in providing accurate history for the film, the name of which refers to the marketing name coined in 1915 to promote the Metropolitan Railway’s commuter belt, the very area in which part of the film was shot. The word Metro–Land (originally with a hyphen) was used as an advertising slogan adopted by the Metropolitan Railway. It was designed to encourage travellers like the young John Betjeman to spend their leisure hours in the area served by the railway. An unlikely alliance between the advertising slogan and the future poet laureate ensured that Metroland came to symbolise the suburbs that sprang up in the first half of the twentieth century along the lines of the Metropolitan Railway, to accommodate the desires of middle-class commuters to own a house with a garden. An interesting moment in the film involves Christian Bale meeting a retired commuter who, during their conversation together, gives an accurate potted history of the Metropolitan and Great Central Railways. This makes for a refreshing change when one considers that this is a feature film and not a documentary. For contemporary scenes, the film-makers used ‘C’ and ‘A60’ type stock for lineside run-bys on the Metropolitan Line and some very unusual rolling images taken from a camera mounted on the front of a train and placed just above the centre 4th rail. Curiously, a theatrical release poster for the film appears to show Mk1 stock at a station superimposed over an image of the London Underground map.
*MICHAEL COLLINS
GB / IRE / FRA
1996
2hrs 13mins
Dir: Neil Jordan
Starring: Liam Neeson and Aidan Quinn
The life of the Irish Republican leader Michael Collins
This controversial historical biopic features a number of shots of the RPSI-owned K2 Class 2-6-0 No.461 and S Class 4-4-0 No.171 Slieve Gullion on trains of historic rolling stock. Locations used for filming included Dublin Pearse and Rush and Lusk stations. The railway shots include a couple of decent run-bys of 461 and its train including a particularly good shot of it crossing Laytown bridge over the River Nanny, the elegant cast-iron structure also being seen in The Crying Game (1992-qv). As a footnote, the set for the film was built on the grounds of the old Grangegorman Hospital in Dublin. It took 17 weeks to build the massive set, the largest ever built for a film in Ireland. Full-sized replicas of the facades of the General Post Office and the Mansion House as they appeared during the period 1916-1922, including the Easter Rising and Civil War damage, were constructed. Overhead lines, tram-tracks and cobble stones were made and put in place to add to the authenticity, though the tram-cars are rather anachronistic as the type depicted did not appear until a year after Collins’ death. In one scene, two Dublin United Tramways Corporation ‘trams’ pass in opposite directions. Neither has its trolley pole in contact with the overhead electrical wiring thus giving away their true identity as fake builds with a petrol engine.
*THE MIDNIGHT MAIL
GB
1915
9 mins
Dir: Warwick Buckland
Starring: Actors unknown
A house maid signals Morse code to her engine driver sweetheart as he passes with the Midnight Mail, warning him of a burglary at his house
This wonderful Hepworth production was pretty standard of the silent films of the time, but it is an enjoyable little romp with a couple of very good railway scenes. The first shows a good clear shot of an LSWR suburban train arriving at an unknown station behind A12 Class 0-4-2 No. 553. The second scene shows a similar train arriving at London Road (Guildford) in a rear three-quarters view shot. As this train pulls out, every single window has a face looking out. Film production was clearly still a novelty at the time. Both these scenes are interspersed with actual shots of an engine footplate crew, as filmed from a tender mounted camera.
*THE MIGHTY CELT
GB
2005
1hr 22mins
Dir: Pearse Elliott
Starring: Robert Carlyle and Gillian Anderson
A young Irish boy trains a greyhound that others class as a no hoper
There is one scene in this Irish drama that has Robert Carlyle and Gillian Anderson talking next to the River Largan in Belfast and an NIR two-car Class 80 DEMU crosses over Dargan Bridge in the background.
*MILLIONS
GB
2005
1hr 38mins
Dir: Danny Boyle
Starring: Axel Etal and Lewis McGibbon
Two young boys find a million pounds in stolen cash and must use it before the adoption of the euro makes the cash redundant
This comedy-drama has some really good contemporary railway scenes. The two young lads, played by Axel Etal and Lewis McGibbon, live with
their dad close to a railway line, and there are a huge number of time-lapsed abstract shots of passing traffic on the West Coast Main Line including: Class 87 and Class 90 electric hauled passenger services, a rare glimpse of a passenger service hauled by two-tone green heritage liveried Class 47 No.47851 Traction Magazine with the DVT behind, HST’s, a Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ EMU, a Class 220 ‘Voyager ‘DEMU, a Class 37 hauled freight consisting of covered car carriers and a Class 90-hauled Freightliner. Other passing trains include a Class 66 hauled freight consisting of Ferrywagons and a distant shot of a two-car Class 150/1 DMU. The opening sequence has the boys cycling beneath a railway viaduct as a Freightliner and an HST pass overhead. The sequence involving the robbery of a mail train used a rake of three GUV parcels vans top-and-tailed by a pair of Class 37 diesels, No’s.37669 and 37695. These scenes were filmed at Liverpool Lime Street station and on the preserved East Lancashire Railway. Another Class 90 and a Class 156 ‘Sprinter’ DMU are discernible in the scenes at Lime Street station.
*MILLIONS LIKE US
GB
1943
1hr 43mins
Dirs: Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat
Starring: Patricia Roc and Gordon Jackson
Experiences of a wartime family
This propaganda film showing life in a wartime aircraft factory in documentary detail contains a number of railway shots throughout the story. The two major ones are both LMS. The first shows a ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 arriving at an unknown station, called ‘Stockford’ in the film, whilst the second is a good shot of actual wartime workers making their way along the platforms of Cold Meece station with Stanier Class 4P
2-cylinder 2-6-4T No.2490 reversing. Cold Meece railway station was a short-lived station built during the Second World War by the LMS to serve ROF Swynnerton. The Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) already had an extensive rail network served from the West Coast main line between Crewe and Stafford but the LMS chose to build a new branch line running to the site from the North Staffordshire Railway line between Stone and Norton Bridge, so as not to conflict with the extensive freight requirements that already ran on the current branch. The new branch line, which was double track throughout, ran for just under two miles from Swinnerton Junction to Cold Meece station. The station had four lengthy platforms and although advertised in the working timetable, it was a non-public station and had no freight facilities. The station opened on 10th August 1941 and the factory closed in May 1958. Although the last scheduled train ran in June 1958, the station did not officially close until 3rd August 1959 with a life of almost eighteen years. There is also a second brief shot of crowds leaving Cold Meece, and the smokebox of a locomotive is just passing out of shot. There are other railway scenes early on in the film, but most are indistinct. At the beginning, there is a montage sequence that has an unidentified express mixed in with footage of buses and an establishing shot of London Waterloo station with what appears to be an SR 2-6-0 at the buffer stops alongside a pre-war EMU. There are then shots of an express pulling away from a station and a steam train crossing a bridge but as both are filmed at night it is impossible to discern the locomotives or locations. There is then one further decent shot of a passing express hauled by an LNER Class B17 4-6-0, but the station departure scenes and carriage interiors are sets.
*MIKE BASSETT ENGLAND MANAGER
GB
2001
1hr 29mins
Dir: Steve Barron
Starring: Ricky Tomlinson and Amanda Redman
An inept and old-fashioned manager takes over the role as the England national coach in a bid to win the World Cup
This satirical comedy mockumentary style film features one railway scene quite early on, with a GNER HST set arriving at Peterborough station. The only slight error is that Mike is said to be ‘catching the train to London’. The HST set is heading north. There is also a scene which follows that has Mike Bassett being interviewed onboard the train.
THE MIND BENDERS
GB
1963
1hr 49mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Dirk Bogarde and Mary Ure
A scientist undergoes sensory deprivation experiments that work too well
This thriller is based on the novel of the same name by James Kennaway, published the same year as the film was produced. The beginning of the
film features some shots at London Paddington station with ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 No.6015 King Richard III leaving on an express. This is then
followed by a scene where a scientist throws himself out of a moving train at night. This involves an excellent shot of ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 No.5056 Earl of Powis making an emergency break application at an unknown location, and some studio work of the actual ‘detrainment’. There
are also a couple of ubiquitous stock shots of expresses passing Watford Junction, taken from Brief Encounter (qv).
*THE MIND OF MR. SOAMES
GB / US
1970
1hr 32mins
Dir: Alan Cooke
Starring: Terence Stamp and Robert Vaughn
A man who has been in a coma for 30 years is revived
This scientific drama is based on Charles Eric Maine’s 1961 novel of the same name and features a three-car Class 117 DMU arriving at Bourne
End in its final year of operation as a through station. A blue & grey Mk.1 coach is visible in the old Marlow bay platform. There are then scenes filmed onboard the DMU and another lineside shot of a similar unit coming to an emergency stop on a single track line, almost certainly the Maidenhead-High Wycombe line. In the film, Bourne End masquerades as ‘Tilfield East’.
THE MINIVER STORY
US
1950
1hr 44mins
Dir: Henry Potter
Starring: Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon
The Second World War is over, and the Miniver family are trying to keep themselves together in post-War Britain
This drama was the sequel to Mrs. Miniver (qv) and features some shots of London Waterloo station with 3 SUB EMUs visible. When Greer Garson takes a journey by train, it is entirely studio-bound, but back projection through the ‘window’ depicts scenes on the Euston-Watford Junction section of the West Coast Main Line and a rake of 1924-built tube stock passes at one point. There are also scenes filmed on the Marlow branch line.
*MIRANDA
GB
1948
1hr 20mins
Dir: Ken Annakin
Starring: Glynis Johns and Griffith Jones
A doctor on holiday in Cornwall falls in love with a mermaid
This rather charming light comedy was adapted from a play of the same name by Peter Blackmore. It features a very rare shot of a GWR 5400-series 0-6-0PT with auto-coach calling at Golant station on the now freight only Lostwithiel-Fowey branch in Cornwall. There is another shot of a similar train, probably also filmed on the Fowey branch, and a shot of an unidentified GWR 4-6-0 crossing Moorswater Viaduct on an express. There are also some scenes filmed at London Paddington station though no trains are visible. The film was followed six-years later by Mad About
Men (qv) and although Glynis Johns and Margaret Rutherford reprised their roles for this sequel it was not a success.
*MISS LONDON LTD.
GB
1943
1hr 39mins
Dir: Val Guest
Starring: Arthur Askey and Evelyn Dall
A glamorous young American arrives in London to take over her half of her late father’s personal escort service
This popular wartime comedy musical has an opening scene filmed at London Waterloo with Anne Shelton singing “The 8.50 Choo Choo For Waterloo Choo”. The station platforms, concourse and carriages all appear to be studio sets, but there is an opening shot of the bufferstops, and a number of EMUs and several steam locos are present. There is also a shot of the station frontage which is surprisingly rare in feature film.
*MISS POTTER
US / GB
2006
1hr 32mins
Dir: Chris Noonan
Starring: Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor
The life of children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter
This popular biographical film has one scene that was shot at Horsted Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway with a train departing that is hauled by ex-SR Maunsell U Class 2-6-0 No.1638. To recognise Miss Potter’s Lake District connections the locomotive has spurious ‘NORTHERN’ lettering on its tender. There are various items of rolling stock visible in what is a very wet and atmospheric scene. The viaduct seen twice in the film is Arten Gill Viaduct on the Settle-Carlisle Railway line though the steam trains crossing it are entirely a CGI creation.
*MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
US
1996
1hr 50mins
Dir: Brian de Palma
Starring: Tom Cruise and Vanessa Redgrave
A secret agent is determined to find the killer of his colleagues
This action spy film was based on the popular television series of the same name and despite it being a ludicrous Hollywood remake, it proved to
be another Hollywood blockbuster. There is a very comical railway sequence in the final half-hour where Tom Cruise has to foil an attack on the French TGV heading through the Channel Tunnel (?). Viewers might notice something very strange about the TGV in that it is speeding along without any overhead wires and with Tom Cruise on the roof! The real story is a fascinating one that illustrates just how far movie-making techniques have progressed since the early silent days. A pair of Class 33/1 diesels with a Class 491 4 TC set were filmed from a helicopter on the ex-Glasgow & South Western Railway’s Carlisle-Glasgow route via Dumfries. A computerised image of a TGV was then superimposed over the British train during production. A giveaway to the location is that at one point the train passes over Ballochmyle Viaduct, four miles north west of Auchinleck. The Class 33’s were also used for some ‘phantom ride’ shots with some strategically placed front end cameras providing a view of the road ahead. There are some more conventional scenes filmed on the concourse of London Liverpool Street station with some additional shots of the separate street entrance to the London Underground across the road from the main line terminus.
*MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION
US
2015
2hrs 11mins
Dir: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson
On the run from the CIA, Ethan Hunt tries to prove the existence of the Syndicate, a mysterious international terrorist consortium
This was the fifth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series and it features a lengthy scene filmed at London King’s Cross station. The production team set up a whole set in the station, so it actually looks much different in the movie, but the platforms are clearly visible in the background as well as a couple of brief glimpses of HST power cars. Showing the efforts that the production team went to, one power car has been manipulated with computer graphics and incorporates an extremely pointed wedge-shaped nose. The earlier scene at night of the ‘Vienna Houseboats’ actually used the River Lea Navigation in Bromley-by-Bow, and an LU District Line train is seen crossing the girder bridge over the river.
MISTER FOE (see HALLAM FOE)
MISTER V (see “PIMPERNEL” SMITH)
*MONA LISA
GB
1986
1hrs 44mins
Dir: Neil Jordan
Starring: Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson
An ex-con is given the job as a chauffeur to a high-class prostitute
This mystery drama features one scene with Bob Hoskins standing at Lombard Wharf on the banks of the River Thames and a three-car Class 119 DMU crosses behind on Chelsea Bridge, the only known appearance of one in film. There is also a distant view of a high-rise block of flats with what looks to be a train formed of London Transport D stock passing through the landscape. One point of interest is that the so-called King’s Cross ‘red light’ area is in fact the old Pindar Street road bridge that crossed the northern end of Liverpool Street station, and which has now been completely removed following the station’s redevelopment. In one elevated shot, the platforms of the station can be made out, but no trains are visible. Finally, a scene is filmed in Pancras Road, and part of St Pancras station forms the backdrop.
MONSIEUR RIPOIS (see KNAVE OF HEARTS)
*THE MONSTER OF HIGHGATE PONDS
GB
1961
59mins
Dir: Alberto Cavalcanti
Starring: Michael Wade and Rachel Clay
Three young friends acquire a giant egg which hatches out into an amiable monster
Scenes towards the end of this Children’s Film Foundation production were shot around the Regent’s Canal with some North London Line traffic
getting into shot. There is a rare image of a pair of Class 20s running light, then a steam loco runs light bunker first. Though it is obscured by a
wall it is clearly a large tank engine. Finally, in a scene viewed from Torbay Street in Camden, there is a much clearer view of a freight of vans passing that is hauled by an ex-LMS Class 3F ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T. The level crossing at Gate 19 of the Port of London’s King George V Dock is also seen in one shot at the very end.
*MONSTER OF TERROR (aka DIE, MONSTER, DIE!)
US / GB
1965
1hr 20mins
Dir: Daniel Haller
Starring: Boris Karloff and Freda Jackson
A young man visits his fiancée’s estate only to discover that the plants in the greenhouse have taken on gigantic proportions
This dreadful horror film is a loose adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s story The Colour Out of Space. It was shot under the working title The House
at the End of the World but was released in the UK as Monster of Terror and in the US as Die, Monster, Die! The opening scenes in the film feature some very good colour shots of BR Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No.41287 arriving at Baynards station in Surrey with a train of three green-liveried Mk.1 coaches. This was filmed shortly before the station’s closure on 14th June 1965 and the goods traffic had already ceased three years prior. An air of desolation is readily apparent from these scenes, not helped by the winter weather. The station was renamed ‘Arkham’ for the film and there are equally good shots of the level crossing and signal box for what was its final appearance in a feature film.
*A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY
GB
1987
1hr 36mins
Dir: Pat O’Connor
Starring: Colin Firth and Kenneth Branagh
Two men recover from the First World War in rural Yorkshire
This drama is an adaptation of the 1980 novel of the same name by J. L. Carr and is set in Yorkshire in 1920. It aptly makes good use of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for various scenes but less accurate is the motive power. The first locomotive in these scenes is GWR 5600 Class 0-6-2T No.6619, a locomotive not built until 1928 and although preserved on the NYMR would never have been seen in the area whilst in service. It is also painted in 1950s BR black. The second locomotive is LNER K3 Class 2-6-0 No.2005, a locomotive not built until 1949. These inaccurate scenes were filmed at Levisham station and Newtondale Halt.
MORGAN (see MORGAN – A SUITABLE CASE FOR TREATMENT)
MORGAN – A SUITABLE CASE FOR TREATMENT (aka MORGAN!)
GB
1966
1hr 37mins
Dir: Karel Reisz
Starring: David Warner and Vanessa Redgrave
A half-mad artist drives his wife to distraction
The screenplay for this comedy was adapted by David Mercer, based on his BBC television play A Suitable Case for Treatment (1962). The film includes some fantasy scenes of cowboys riding through railway sidings which were filmed in Chelsea Basin Goods Yard. A number of BR mineral wagons can be seen, along with a rail mounted steam crane and an ex-GWR ‘Toad’ brake van. In the background of a couple of shots is
a Class 08 diesel shunter, not the commonest of locomotives in feature film. There is also a shot filmed at the entrance to Notting Hill Gate
Underground station.
*MORNING CALL (aka THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. MANNING)
GB
1957
1hr 15mins
Dir: Arthur Crabtree
Starring: Greta Gynt and Ron Randell
A rich and successful Doctor is called out in the middle of the night to visit a private patient but never returns home
This crime thriller features some scenes at London Paddington station with a good shot of a train leaving Platform 1 behind ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 No.7007 Great Western. Another locomotive is at the head of a train in the adjacent platform and although only the tender is visible, it would appear to be a King judging by its size. The train journey that follows consists of the usual interior mock ups interspersed with footplate shots and two run-bys, one of an express hauled by an ex-LNER A2 Class 4-6-2 and one of a short van train hauled by an ex-GWR 4300-series 2-6-0!
*THE MOTHER
GB
2003
1hr 52mins
Dir: Roger Michell
Starring: Anne Reid and Daniel Craig
A recently widowed older woman begins a relationship with a young builder that has disastrous consequences
This drama has a number of random railway shots. Towards the beginning and the end there are scenes filmed onboard Mk2 air-cons, and in one shot, Kings Langley station is briefly glimpsed through the window with a passing Class 321 EMU (this scene depicts the couple travelling to London though the view is of the country end of King’s Langley station, i.e. the train is travelling away from the capital). There is a shot of LT C stock passing over the entrance to Goldhawk Road Underground station on the Hammersmith & City Line and several brief shots of London Euston, though no trains feature. Later, in one scene filmed at the house that forms the centre-piece of the story, a pair of Class 455 EMUs pass by in the background running behind the fence at the bottom of the garden.
*MR BEAN’S HOLIDAY
GB
2007
1hr 25mins
Dir: Steve Bendelack
Starring: Rowan Atkinson and Emma de Caunes
Mr Bean wins a holiday to Cannes which becomes disaster strewn
This family comedy was the second film based on the television series Mr. Bean, following on from the 1997 film Bean (qv). Mr Bean takes a Eurostar from England to France, but the shots of the Class 373 EMU sets are, however, all on the French side of the Channel including some at Paris Gare du Nord. There is also a brief scene filmed onboard one of the sets.
*MR. HOLMES
GB / US
2015
1hr 44mins
Dir: Bill Condon
Starring: Ian McKellen and Laura Linney
A 93-year old Sherlock Holmes struggles to recall the details of his final case because his mind is slowly deteriorating
This mystery is based on Mitch Cullin’s 2005 novel A Slight Trick of the Mind, a US portrait of Sherlock Holmes in old age that bears little resemblance to the Arthur Conan Doyle novels known to all. Despite this and the fact that it lacks Baker Street bite, concentrating as it does on the fleeting musings of Mr. Holmes, the film is a pleasant delight, with Ian McKellen excelling in his portrayal of an ailing Holmes. It features the usual period scenes filmed on the Bluebell Railway, with Horsted Keynes and Sheffield Park stations featuring. Vintage Southern Railway coaching stock and more modern BR ‘blood and custard’ liveried Mk1’s are present in these scenes, along with ex-GWR 5600 Class 0-6-2T No. 5643, visible in the background of the scene at Sheffield Park. The opening aerial views, however, feature some rather good shots of ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black 5’ 4-6-0 No.44767 George Stephenson with maroon Mk1s on the North Norfolk Railway. Horsted Keynes masquerades as ‘Cuckmere Haven’. The Japanese station in the film meanwhile is portrayed by Tilbury Riverside, closed in 1992 but still intact and in use as an Arts Centre. The station building appears with much additional furniture and signage though the trains beyond the barriers are a CGI creation.
MR LORD SAYS NO (see THE HAPPY FAMILY)
MR. LOVE
GB
1985
1hr 31mins
Dir: Roy Battersby
Starring: Barry Jackson and Margaret Tyzack
An elderly mild-mannered gardener develops a reputation as a ladies’ man
This comedy features two unusual railways. The first is the 15” gauge Lakeside Miniature Railway in Southport with Princess Anne on a train of
open-top carriages. The loco is a Class 52 ‘Western’ style diesel-hydraulic built by Severn Lamb in 1971. There are also several shots of the old 1’ 11 ½” gauge Southport Pier Train, the locomotive of which was a rather square diesel built by Severn Lamb in 1973 and named English Rose.
MR. REEDER IN ROOM 13 (aka MYSTERY OF ROOM 13)
GB
1938
1hr 18mins
Dir: Norman Lee
Starring: Gibb McLaughlin and Sally Gray
Mr Reeder is called in by the Bank of England to investigate a gang of forgers
This crime film was based on the first J. G. Reeder book, Room 13, by Edgar Wallace and was released in the US in 1941 as Mystery of Room
13. It features a night shot of an express on the Midland Main Line which appears to double-headed by an LMS ‘Compound’ 4-4-0 and a ‘Jubilee’
Class 4-6-0.
MR. TOAD’S WILD RIDE (see THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS)
*MR. TURNER
GB
2014
2hrs 30mins
Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: Timothy Spall and Dorothy Atkinson
A film charting the last 25 years of the life of the English artist J.M.W. Turner
This biographical drama features one contemporary railway scene whereby Mr Turner watches an early steam locomotive thundering along and is inspired to paint ‘Rain Steam and Speed’, though it was not the actual subject of the painting and nor was it claimed to be. This used the working replica of Robert Stephenson’s 1830-built Liverpool & Manchester Railway 2-2-0 locomotive No.9 Planet from the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, complete with open carriages and period footplate crew. It was filmed on the Llangollen Railway because it crucially ran east-west. Director Mike Leigh wanted the sun setting behind the train so as to replicate the conditions Turner had painted and had only one chance to get the shot right because the train had to be returned the next day. That night luck prevailed and there was a glowing sunset and the evocative scene in the film works rather well.
MRS. BROWN, YOU’VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER
GB
1968
1hr 35mins
Dir: Saul Swimmer
Starring: Peter Noone and Stanley Holloway
A pop group train a pet greyhound
This musical comedy showcases the rock band Herman’s Hermits, and is their second and final feature film, following Hold On! in 1966. Midway through the film Herman’s Hermits take a train journey to London from Manchester though in reality Manchester does not feature at all as the railway scenes were all filmed at London King’s Cross. Plenty of blue & grey and maroon-liveried Mk1s are visible in the initial scenes and the departing train shown later is formed of maroon Mk1s but the locomotive is not visible. However, in the background the station’s stabling point can be seen and a couple of green Class 31s and a 47 are ‘on shed’. St Pancras station appears in the background of one scene and the journey to London is initially depicted by an ‘over the camera’ shot of a Class 86.
*MRS. MINIVER
US
1942
2hrs 14mins
Dir: William Wyler
Starring: Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon
An English housewife’s experiences during the Second World War
This romantic war drama was based on the 1940 novel of the same name by Jan Struther. Although it was a Hollywood depiction of the ‘home
front’ in wartime Britain it was genuinely well received. Amid all the studio sets there is one real shot of a British train in the form of footage of a
GWR ‘Large Prairie’ 2-6-2T arriving at an unknown station with a passenger train. The film was followed eight years later by The Miniver Story
(qv) which was not as well received despite both Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon reprising their roles.
MUD (see THE STICK UP)
*MUJHSE DOSTI KAROGE!
IND
2002
2hrs 29mins
Dir: Kunal Kohli
Starring: Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor
A young man in England who regularly mails his childhood sweetheart in India is unaware that the replies he receives are written by another girl
The title of this Indian Hindi romantic drama translates as ‘Will you be my friend?’. The film features a couple of shots of Canary Wharf Underground station and a couple of brief scenes filmed onboard a 1996-built Jubilee Line train. There is also a shot of the frontage to Charing Cross station.
MURDER AT THE BASKERVILLES (see SILVER BLAZE)
MURDER BY THE BOOK (see NO TRACE)
MURDER CAN BE DEADLY (see THE PAINTED SMILE)
*MURDER SHE SAID
GB
1961
1hr 27mins
Dir: George Pollock
Starring: Margaret Rutherford and Arthur Kennedy
Whilst traveling by rail, Miss Marple witnesses the strangling of a young woman in the carriage of an overtaking train
This murder mystery film was based on the novel 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie. MGM made three sequels, Murder at the Gallop,
Murder Most Foul and Murder Ahoy!, all with Rutherford starring as Christie’s famed amateur sleuth, though this first film was the only one to feature any railway material. This is quite understandable given the story, and although most footage is made up of standard stock shots there is one, real rarity. The opening scenes were filmed at London Paddington with general shots of the platforms and a 9400-series 0-6-0PT, a large
2-6-2T, and a Class 117 DMU are visible. Most of the coaching stock appears to be ‘blood & custard’ liveried BR Mk1’s. There then follows a close up of 9400 Class 0-6-0PT No.9410 at the buffer stops before Margaret Rutherford gets on the train. After this there is a change of station as there follows a number of stock shots that were originally filmed for the 1948 movie Train of Events (qv) of trains leaving London Euston. One is just a ground level shot of the wheels and motion of what appears to be an ex-LMS ‘Duchess’ Class 8P 4-6-2 along with coach bogies, but the other shots show an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 and a ‘Jubilee’ Class 6P 4-6-0. There is then a shot of another ‘Jubilee’ with an express, this time on Bushey troughs, before the important scene where Miss Marple witnesses the murder. This starts off with a good shot on the West Coast Main Line of a clean BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T on a local passenger being overtaken by an express that may be hauled by another ‘Jubilee’, though as it passes behind it is largely obscured. Curiously, this overtaking train is then depicted by a mixture of studio filming of a carriage interior set with back projection footage shown through Miss Marple’s carriage ‘window’. The loco of the overtaking train has become GWR 2251 Class 0-6-0 No. 2221 but note that the loco passes in reverse as identified through the backwards reading cabside numberplate! There is then another shot of an LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 on an express on the West Coast Main Line. Other railway shots appear throughout the film which were largely shot back on the Western Region near Taplow on the GWML. What looks to be a ‘King’ Class
4-6-0 on an express passes on an embankment as Miss Marple searches the line for clues, and then two pairs of three-car Class 117 DMUs and a ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 pass over a bridge as she arrives at Ackenthorpe Hall, which adjoins the railway line. Although Ackenthorpe Hall was really Radnor Hall near Elstree, the entrance gates and road bridge under the railway used Amerden Lane, Taplow. There is then a long shot of a ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 passing as Miss Marple pretends to play golf near a railway embankment followed by a real rarity in the form of North British-built
D600-series ‘Warship’ No. D603 Conquest passing on another express. This is in fact the best shot in the film and it is a true gem as it is so far the
only known appearance of one of these short-lived diesel-hydraulic locomotives in a feature film. Only five were ever built and all were withdrawn in 1967. In an age where steam was fast declining it seems odd that the camera crew should film a diesel-hauled express. It would be nice to think that they realised its significance though it still seems odd that it was retained when a shot of yet another ‘King’ would have sufficed. We can be thankful that it was. There is then one final shot at the end of another ‘King’ Class 4-6-0.
*MY AIN FOLK
GB
1973
55 mins
Dir: Bill Douglas
Starring: Stephen Archibald and Helena Gloag
Having been left to fend for himself, a young boy’s hardship continues
The second part of Bill Douglas’ biographic drama features a scene where Douglas’ Grandfather is standing on a railway contemplating suicide. A train of 16T minerals passes on an adjacent line hauled by N.C.B. No.17 WEST AYR AREA, Andrew Barclay 0-6-0T No.1338 of 1913. It is not known exactly where this was filmed, but it is probably on the former NCB system at Waterside in Ayrshire. Staying in service until 1977, the loco is now preserved. The trilogy began with My Childhood and ended with My Way Home (both qv). ‘Ain’ incidentally is Scottish dialect for ‘own’.
MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE
GB
1985
1hr 37mins
Dir: Stephen Frears
Starring: Daniel Day Lewis and Saeed Jaffrey
An ambitious Pakistani and his white boyfriend strive for success and hope, when they open up a glamorous laundromat
This comedy-drama features some scenes overlooking Queenstown Road (Battersea) station with good shots of passing EMUs contemporary at
the time, namely Class 455s and Class 421 express slam-door sets. However, a named Class 33 diesel on a train of Mk1 coaches is also seen. This is either 33008 Eastleigh or 33052 Ashford, the only two members of the Class that carried short names without crests at the time of filming.
There is also a scene filmed inside a flat overlooking London Victoria station with a number of electric units visible in the platforms.
*MY BROTHER JONATHAN
GB
1948
1hr 42mins
Dir: Harold French
Starring: Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray
An English doctor and his second wife raise the son of his brother killed in World War I
This drama includes a scene filmed at Aston Rowant station on the Watlington branch though no train is present. There are also several scenes filmed at an industrial foundry with a number of open wagons visible in the yard.
*MY BROTHER’S KEEPER
GB
1948
1hr 36mins
Dir: Alfred Roome
Starring: Jack Warner and George Cole
Two convicts escape handcuffed together, but one is innocent
This well-regarded film, with a reputation as a tight, tense and fast-moving thriller, features some good action sequences filmed on the Watlington branch, and again at Aston Rowant station. A number of GWR 5700 Class 0-6-0PTs are seen, one of which is working a mixed freight. Aston Rowant station was to appear in four feature films in five years: The Captive Heart (1946), My Brother Jonathan (1948), My Brother’s Keeper (1948) and Portrait of Clare (1950) all qv. Excerpts of all these films can be found at The Watlington Branch Line YouTube Playlist. The station closed to passengers in 1957 and to goods in 1961.
*MY CHILDHOOD
GB
1972
46 mins
Dir: Bill Douglas
Starring: Stephen Archibald and Jean Taylor Smith
A young eight-year old boy struggles with family hardship
This was the first part of Bill Douglas’ influential trilogy harking back to his impoverished upbringing in ’40s and ’50s Scotland. It was grim, it
was hard hitting and depressing, but it has proved to become quite unique. This first part features two sequences centred on a footbridge that takes a footpath running between Newcraighall and Brunstone over the now lifted line between Niddrie Junction West and Monktonhall Junction. In both scenes, an industrial saddle tank working hard on a short coal train passes beneath the bridge on its way, presumably, from Newcraighall Colliery, which closed in 1968. Looking at the footage it would appear to be an Andrew Barclay and Sons Ltd. 0-4-0. The film was followed by My Ain Folk (qv).
MY SUMMER OF LOVE
GB
2004
1hr 26mins
Dir: Pawel Pawlikowski
Starring: Natalie Press and Paddy Considine
A film exploring the relationship between two young women from different classes and social backgrounds
This drama is based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Helen Cross and was filmed in an around Todmorden, West Yorkshire. There are two shots of passing Class 158 ‘Sprinter’ DMUs on Trans-Pennine services, one a two-car and the other a three-car set.
*MY WAY HOME
GB
1978
1hr 08mins
Dir: Bill Douglas
Starring: Stephen Archibald and Jesse Combe
With no hope on the horizon, a young lad is conscripted into the RAF, where he unexpectedly finds freedom and friendship
This was the third and final instalment of Bill Douglas’ trilogy about his early life, but it featured nothing railway related except for a stock shot of
the railway lines at Clapham Junction without any trains! The film was preceded by My Childhood in 1972 and My Ain Folk in 1973 (both qv).
*MY WIFE IS AN ACTRESS (aka MA FEMME EST UNE ACTRICE)
FRA
2001
1hr 35mins
Dir: Yvan Attal
Starring: Terence Stamp and Charlotte Gainsbourg
A sports journalist becomes obsessively jealous when his actress wife gets a part in a movie with an attractive older co-star
This French romantic comedy drama has some brief high-speed track level run-bys of Class 373 ‘Eurostar’ EMU sets on the French side, though they look to be the same shots repeated. There are also a couple of brief scenes filmed onboard a Eurostar and a short scene filmed on the concourse of London Waterloo International. However, much later there is an excellent shot of a Eurostar passing Factory Junction, Wandsworth, and an equally good middle distance shot of one streaking through the French countryside.
*MYSTERIES OF LONDON
GB
1915
49mins
Dir: A. E. Coleby
Starring: Wingold Lawrence and Flora Morris
A woman loses both her parents when only young and once grown up she falls in with a bad crowd
This three-part silent melodrama has been released through the National Film Archive Collection. The film’s main historical point of interest lies in the still recognisable central London locations, but Dutch intertitles and copious amounts of heavy print damage suggest we are lucky that any part of the film survives at all. As with most silent filmmakers and their films, the majority of output has been lost. The frontage to Charing Cross station appears in both Parts Two and Three of the film, whilst a tram can also just be made out in the background to one of the final street scenes in Part Three. The film’s Dutch title was De Geheimen van Londen (The Secrets of London).
MYSTERY IN ROOM 13 (see MR. REEDER IN ROOM 13)
*MYSTERY JUNCTION
GB
1951
1hr 05mins
Dir: Michael McCarthy
Starring: Sydney Tafler and Barbara Murray
A famous thriller writer narrates a crime story for a fellow passenger whilst onboard a train journey
Despite the promising theme, virtually all of this suspenseful little B-movie was filmed on a studio set. There are a few stock shots of an unknown snowbound country station, which is probably newsreel footage of the 1947 winter, and one single night shot of a streamlined SR ‘Merchant Navy’ Class 4-6-2 at the start, but after this, the film doesn’t leave the soundstage floor! Shame really, as it is rather good.
N
*THE NAKED RUNNER
GB
1967
1hr 41mins
Dir: Sidney Furie
Starring: Frank Sinatra and Peter Vaughan
An American businessman is unwittingly duped into killing a spy
This unsuccessful British espionage film features a background story whereby a defecting spy is taking a train journey to Russia across Europe. The part of the journey from France to Frankfurt actually uses the Bluebell Railway (!) with one of the line’s ex-LBSCR Class AIX ‘Terrier’
0-6-0Ts and ex-GWR ‘Dukedog’ 4-4-0 No.3217 working trains. Stations used appear to be Kingscote and Horsted Keynes. There is also a shot of an express on the Southern Region hauled by one of the Bulleid ‘Pacific’s’ in their last year of operation, and the wheels and motion of a passing train that is possibly hauled by A3 ‘Pacific’ ‘Flying Scotsman’. All rather odd given the context of the film. The movie was based on Francis Clifford’s 1966 novel of the same name.
*THE NAVIGATORS
GB
2001
1hr 36mins
Dir: Ken Loach
Starring: Dean Andrews and Thomas Craig
Five railway workers in a Yorkshire depot are affected by the privatisation of British Rail in 1995
A film about railwaymen! The Navigators was inspired by the failure of the Connex South Central and the Connex South Eastern franchises, both lost because of poor service. The film takes its name from the ‘navvies’ (or ‘navvys’), the manual labourers that built Britain’s rail system in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The name was shortened from ‘navigator’ as most of the labourers had built the canal navigations before moving on to undertake railway work. The opening scene features a near-miss incident filmed on the Great Central Railway using Class 25 No.25265 and the ‘Windcutter’ rake of wagons. Most of the film, however, was shot in the yards at Balby, Doncaster, and there is a whole multitude of stock on display. There is a glimpse of the now closed Doncaster Carr loco depot with a pair of Class 37’s (likely 37252 along with 37209 in BR large-logo blue) and a withdrawn Class 47 in the scrap line, along with OHLE coaches, rail-carrying wagons and a 07-series Plasser & Theurer track machine. A yard derailment uses withdrawn Class 47 No.47348 as a prop along with a rake of stored PGA hopper wagons, and the front end of a Class 08 and a Class 66 creep into view during this sequence. When the track gang are working on the lines, Class 56 No.56073 Tremorfa Steelworks passes light engine, and in another scene filmed on the Great Central Railway this time at Rothley, a green Class 127 DMU passes. Perhaps the most unusual sequence is when the gang watch a training video provided by the new company, outlining their aspirations towards the ‘customer’. A huge amount of trains feature on this video, but all are very short, brief glimpses. These include an InterCity and a Res Class 47, a Loadhaul Class 56, a Class 08 shunter, HSTs, Class 91s, a pair of Class 158 DMUs and a Class 320/321 EMU. The character Mick, played by Thomas Craig, lives in a flat in Sheffield that overlooks the railway and in one shot there is a brief glimpse through a window of a Class 156 ‘Sprinter’ DMU crossing a viaduct in the background. Finally, look out for a real rarity. In one scene Mick arrives at the yard in Doncaster and through the windscreen of his car there is a glimpse of a Class 08 shunter lurking amongst all the wagons. This is the former Tinsley depot celebrity shunter No.08879, identifiable through its unique turquoise and black livery. In the final night-time scene filmed at an overbridge on the Great Central Railway, an unidentified diesel loco is moving off in the distance, but its exact identity is unclear. The film had the working subtitle ‘stories from the trackside’ but despite all of the railway content, the remainder lacks bite. The story is quite clear. It becomes all too apparent that the new dynamic, forward thrusting, modern thinking railway is a complete shambles with cost-cutting and agency staff under mining the ‘old guard’, but it isn’t one of Ken Loach’s better films, and the story never quite gets away from the one-sided nature of the script. Workers are all represented as jovial, hardworking types, put down by their bosses who only care about money. The latter may well be true, but the way the workers constantly joke makes them look too good, and the film has far too much sympathy for them when the wider picture needed to be portrayed. Nonetheless, it was a brave film at the time, and Loach’s foray into the privatization of the British Railway system and its devastating effects on its workers is still a worthy cause to champion.
NAVY HEROES (see THE BLUE PETER)
*NEAREST AND DEAREST
GB
1972
1hr 26mins
Dir: John Robins
Starring: Hylda Baker and Jimmy Jewel
A feuding brother and sister struggle to keep a decrepit pickle factory afloat
This comedy film was a spin-off of the long running television series of the same name though it failed to attract the same interest. A lot of it was filmed in Blackpool and as a result there are trams in a few scenes which include a Boat type, a double-deck Balloon and a Brush single car.
*NEARLY A NASTY ACCIDENT
GB
1961
1hr 26mins
Dir: Don Chaffey
Starring: Kenneth Connor and Jimmy Edwards
Adventures of an accident-prone aircraftman
This comedy features a railway journey sequence filmed on the Marlow branch where Kenneth Connor attempts to fix the train’s faulty steam heat
supply but only succeeds in flooding the carriages in steam! Marlow station appears in the early shots along with BR suburban coaching stock but no locomotive is visible. There is an interesting scene where Group Captain Kingsley (played by Jimmy Edwards) telephones his RAF base after being left behind at an unpronounceable station. A large station nameboard proudly displaying ‘Llangollyponrhynffegawddy – ap – Clywrtydd’ is seen and behind the nameboard is what appears to be the old engine shed at Marlow. There is also one stock shot of a GWR express hauled by a ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 and a scene of a train arriving at Gerrards Cross station but again with no locomotive visible.
*NEVER LET GO
GB
1960
1hr 30mins
Dir: John Guillermin
Starring: Richard Todd and Peter Sellers
A travelling salesman seeks his stolen car and the gangland boss responsible
This thriller features a couple of quite rare shots in the form of a transfer freight heading along the West London Line behind an ex-SR W Class
2-6-4T, and an Oerlikon EMU passing on a viaduct above a garage at the ‘Y’ junction of the North London Railway between Leyburn Road and Torbay Street in Camden.
NEVER LOOK BACK
GB
1952
1hr 13mins
Dir: Francis Searle
Starring: Rosamund John and Guy Middleton
A lady barrister defends an old flame on a murder charge
This intriguing thriller has some scenes near the end which are filmed at London Victoria station. The frontage and the concourse are seen but no trains are visible.
*NEVER TOO YOUNG TO ROCK
GB
1976
1hr 39mins
Dir: Dennis Abey
Starring: Peter Denyer and Sheila Steafel
When pop music is banned from television, a man and his assistant take to the road in search of groups to play at a concert
This bizarre musical features one rather odd scene whereby a driver parks a van on a level crossing with the aim of it being destroyed by a passing train. What actually happens is that a hand pump trolley approaches and then, to the amazement of the van driver, passes right through the vehicle. It is not known where this scene was filmed, and the steam locomotive noises only add to its surreal nature. The film is unbearably poor and so badly acted as to be almost totally unwatchable, but then come the last 20 minutes and they are worth the wait. Three bands (The Rubettes, Mud and The Glitter Band) each perform two of their hits on stage and here the photography and the editing are pretty much perfect.
THE NEXT MAN (aka THE ARAB CONSPIRACY and DOUBLE HIT)
US
1976
1hr 48mins
Dir: Richard C Sarafian
Starring: Sean Connery and Cornelia Sharpe
An Arab diplomat becomes a target for a series of ingeniously conceived assassination attempts as he attempts to make peace with Israel
This American political action thriller was filmed on location in a number of different countries, including Ireland. One scene features a view from inside a Rolls-Royce as it is driving down Station Road, Killiney, and a train is running along the seafront between the road and Killiney Bay. The car follows the train for a short while and although there are good shots of the CIE coaching stock, the locomotive at the head is not visible.
*(THE) NEXT OF KIN
GB
1942
1hr 42mins
Dir: Thorold Dickenson
Starring: Mervyn Johns and Nova Pilbeam
A commando raid is jeopardised by careless talk
This propaganda film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government propaganda message that “Careless talk costs lives”. After being taken on by Ealing Studios, the project was expanded and given a successful commercial release. After the war and up until at least the mid-1960s, services in British Commonwealth countries continued to use The Next of Kin as part of security training. The film is sometimes referred to as Next of Kin without the definite article. There are a number of railway journey sequences in this film that take place entirely in the studio with just one stock shot of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 on an express in the Lune Gorge.
A NICE GIRL LIKE ME
GB
1969
1hr 30mins
Dir: Desmond Davis
Starring: Barbara Ferris and Harry Andrews
A young girl sets off to see the world but keeps getting pregnant
Based on the 1959 novel Marry at Leisure by Anne Piper this comedy includes a scene filmed at London St Pancras station with Mk1 coaches and a Class 45 diesel visible. There is also a scene at Bourne End station with Barbara Ferris boarding a departing Class 117 DMU.
*NIGHT AND THE CITY
GB
1950
1hr 41mins
Dir: Jules Dassin
Starring: Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney
An ambitious American hustler is pursued by the London criminal underworld
This film noir is based on the 1938 Gerald Kersh novel of the same name and features some night shots of London trams.
NIGHT BOAT TO DUBLIN
GB
1946
1hr 40mins
Dir: Lawrence Huntington
Starring: Robert Newton and Muriel Pavlow
The allies plan to rescue a Swedish atomic scientist from under the noses of the Nazis
The London Euston ‘station’ scenes in this thriller are studio sets but there are some real station shots at London Waterloo with a departing Southern Railway train and an 0-4-4T partially obscured by crowds on the platform.
*NIGHT FERRY
GB
1976
58 mins
Dir: David Eady
Starring: Bernard Cribbins and Carole Rousseau
Children club together to foil a master criminal’s intention to smuggle a priceless Egyptian sarcophagus out of the country
This Children’s Film Foundation family crime drama has a railway background throughout that can roughly be split into four sections. The opening scenes take place in Temple Mills Marshalling Yard in East London, and a huge amount of wagon types can be seen in what was still a working hump yard. A child has illegally entered the yard to find his model airplane and is then chased by a couple of shunting staff. The chase is surprisingly well worked, with both the child and railway staff dodging in and out of moving wagons and stabled rakes of stock, the chase culminating in an injury to a shunter as he suffers an accident. Visible in this sequence are a whole myriad of mineral wagons, other open types, plenty of box vans and a couple of four-wheel oil tanks. In two shots, a pair of Class 08s are shunting the hump and in one of these, a train behind departs with a Class 47 on the front. The second section, which covers the majority of the film, was shot in the streets around South West London. A slight continuity slip sees the boy leave the Temple Mills Yard only to then walk down an embankment adjacent to the South West mainline out of Waterloo. This was filmed in Shellwood Road, Battersea, and Class 421 4 CIG EMUs are passing by at the top of the embankment. Other shots in this sequence were filmed from Culvert Road, Culvert Place, Knowsley Road, Sabine Road, Eversleigh Road and Dorothy Road, again all in Battersea, with Class 411 4 CEP, Class 421 4 CIG, Class 423 4 VEP, a Class 420 4 BIG and older Class 405 4 SUB EMUs passing. One SUB is set No.4719 working Headcode 06, Victoria-West Croydon via Streatham Hill and Crystal Palace. It isn’t all EMUs though as in one shot a rarity in the form of a Class 73 electro-diesel with a breakdown train crawls by in the background. The third part of the film centres around Bernard Cribbins using Clapham station (renamed Clapham High Street in 1989) and there are some very good shots of the station and a passing train formed of a Class 416 2-car EPB working a ten-car formation with a 4 CEP and a 4 VEP. There are also excellent shots of 2-EPBs calling at the station on Headcode 22, one of which is unit No.5667. There are also brief scenes filmed onboard an EPB. The fourth and final section of the film centres around the train of its title, the Night Ferry, from London Victoria to the Continent, and the gay abandon at which the children stow away onboard is alarming in the extreme! The scenes at London Victoria give an excellent glimpse of the famous Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits sleeping coaches, as well as a 4 CIG unit. The initial scene however produces something very rare. The coaches are being drawn into the platform by a Class 74 electro-diesel with Headcode 75, Victoria-Dover Marine via the Catford Loop and Chatham. In fact, the shots at Victoria give glimpses of some rather overlooked areas of the station such as the eastern side entrance on Terminus Place and the former Sealink booking office close to Platform 2, the Night Ferry’s usual departure platform. The journey to Dover is depicted by a couple of passing night shots of ‘the Ferry’ hauled by a Class 73, but badly dubbed to sound like a Class 47-hauled express (!) There is another passing night shot of a Class 74 and one of Class 411 CEPs. Throughout this sequence there are scenes filmed onboard the Night Ferry and onboard Class 411 EMUs. The final scenes take place at Dover Marine (renamed Dover Western Docks in 1979) and there are some excellent shots of the station, plus a very good shot of the train arriving behind another Class 73. Several Class 411 4 CEP EMUs also feature in these scenes, including Unit No.7171, and the rear coach of a train of Mk.1s. All the trains in these night shots feature Headcode 46, London Victoria-Dover Marine via Herne Hill and Orpington. The Night Ferry ceased operation in 1980 and Dover Western Docks station closed in 1994. Until the introduction of Eurostar services in 1994, the Night Ferry had been the only through passenger train between Great Britain and Continental Europe. The Night Ferry was remarkably romantic. The whole train was conveyed across the Channel between Dover and Dunkirk lashed inside the hold of a BR-owned ferry, and the reason behind a lifebuoy being provided in each carriage compartment. The Continental-style coaches complete with slumbering passengers made for a remarkable sight each day they ran but romance alone could not keep the train going. Once the airlines had taken much of the train’s clientele away, it was put out of its misery, running for the last time on 1st November 1980.
*NIGHT MAIL
GB
1936
24 mins
Dirs: Harry Watt and Basil Wright
Starring: Staff of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the General Post Office
A film documenting the way the post was distributed by train in the 1930s
Night Mail is a documentary film about a London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) express mail train from London to Scotland, produced by the GPO Film Unit. The film ends with a ‘verse commentary’ by W. H. Auden, his now classic Night Mail poem written for existing footage. Benjamin Britten scored the film, which was narrated by John Grierson and Stuart Legg. This was the first film ever to be called a documentary, a word invented by John Grierson. The locomotive featured in the film was parallel- boilered unrebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 No.6115 Scots Guardsman, built in 1927, a locomotive that is now preserved. The film would not normally qualify for such an A-Z but it has become a classic of its own kind, much imitated by adverts and modern film shorts. Night Mail is widely considered a masterpiece of the British Documentary Film Movement and documents the way the post was distributed by train in the 1930s, focussing on the so-called Postal Special train, a train dedicated only to carrying the post and with no members of the public, travelling on the mainline route from Euston station, London to Glasgow, Scotland and on to Edinburgh and then Aberdeen. There were 40 members of the GPO, or Travelling Post Office sorting personnel, onboard. External shots include many of the train itself passing at speed down the tracks with some interesting aerial views. Although most of the interior shots of the sorting van were actually shot in a studio, as it was the GPO Film Unit Studios at Blackheath accurate recreations of the van interiors could be relied upon. These ‘vans’ were then gently rocked, and the staff requested to walk with a distinctive gait so as to give the illusion of movement. Much actual footage was blended in with these sets though, particularly in the pick up and drop off of mail bags at speed by the specially designed ‘hook and net’ mechanisms on the side of the mail vans. As recited in the film, the poem’s rhythm imitates the train’s wheels as they clatter over track sections, beginning slowly but picking up speed so that by the time of the penultimate verse the narrator is at a breathless pace. As the train slows toward its destination the final verse is more sedate. Night Mail’s significance is due to a combination of its aesthetic, commercial and nostalgic success and several sections have been used as stock footage in other films. Although the star of the show is No.6115 Scots Guardsman a number of other locomotives are seen in the footage filmed at Crewe namely LMS Class 4P ‘Compound’ 4-4-0 No.1078, unrebuilt LMS ‘Patriot’ Class 5XP 4-6-0 No.5513, an LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 and two shots of LMS Class 5MT ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 No.2933. The film ends with a shot of many locomotives stabled at an unidentified shed with the camera focusing in on another unrebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0, No.6108 Seaforth Highlander, which is being cleaned by shed staff. The arrival at Crewe of ‘Patriot’ Class No.5513 and shots of the departure of the mail from Crewe are used in the 1941 movie Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (qv). The stations at London Euston and Bletchley also feature and London Broad Street ‘doubled’ for Crewe in one or two night shots. Several unknown stations appear throughout the early sequence but the station at which the local train is shunted clear took place at Cheddington, possibly in the former Aylesbury branch platform. Although the film is not without process errors, the most noticeable of which is the arrival of the same ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 at Crewe twice in the space of five minutes and the change of traction from the ‘Royal Scot’ to a ‘Black Five’ after Crewe, it is perhaps a little churlish to comment on these too much and they should not detract in any way from a film that is now well over 80 years old. The 13 minute booked stop at Crewe was particularly well handled and much enjoyment can still be gained by watching ‘the Night Mail crossing the border bringing the cheque and the postal order’.
*NIGHT OF THE DEMON (aka CURSE OF THE DEMON)
GB
1957
1hr 35mins
Dir: Jacques Tourneur
Starring: Niall MacGinnis and Peggy Cummins
A reporter finds himself cursed by an occultist with the ability to summon a demon
This classic early horror is much respected today amongst followers of the genre and it has a memorable final sequence in which the occultist,
played by Niall MacGinnis, has his curse thrown back at him. He leaps from a train and then gets run down by another as the demon bears down
on him. These scenes were filmed at Brickett Wood station on the Watford Junction-St Albans Abbey branch and a couple of ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s were used for these scenes, one of which is No.45324. There are some very good shots of these in the film’s final moments, although a model was clearly used for one distant shot. Prior to this conclusion there are shots of Watford Junction station, which masqueraded as ‘Clayham Junction’, whilst the station signage at Brickett Wood was amended to read ‘Exton Wood’. The film was an adaptation of the 1911 M. R. James story Casting the Runes and to accelerate the pace, the film was trimmed down to 83 minutes and retitled Curse of the Demon in the US.
*A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
GB
1958
2hrs 03mins
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Kenneth More and Honor Blackman
The RMS Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage with huge loss of life
A Night to Remember is a drama film adaptation of Walter Lord’s eponymous 1955 book, which recounts the final night of the RMS Titanic.
Among the many films about the Titanic, A Night to Remember has long been regarded as the high point by Titanic historians and survivors alike for its accuracy, despite its modest production values. The production team used blueprints of the ship to create the sets accurately, while Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall and ex-Cunard Commodore Harry Grattidge both worked as technical advisors on the film. At the very beginning of the film, a train journey from Liverpool to Southampton is quite accurately depicted by a superb vintage tracking shot of an LNWR express hauled by a ‘Precursor’ Class 4-4-0, on the line between Berkhamsted and Tring. A tracking shot is one that is filmed from the rear of a preceding train and this shot, entitled ‘Racing the L & N. W. Scotch Express’, also appears in Video 125’s Trains from the Arc’ DVD. The carriage interior is a set.
*NIGHT TRAIN
GB
1998
1hr 32mins
Dir: John Lynch
Starring: John Hurt and Brenda Blethyn
An ex-convict forms a relationship with a lonely woman at a Dublin boarding house
This good Irish romantic thriller should not be confused with several other films that have used this title, including an American movie that came out the following year. Near the beginning of this film there is a shot of a pair of CIE ‘Dart’ EMUs crossing Amiens Street bridge outside Dublin Connolly station and a scene inside Connolly itself. There are also a number of scenes filmed onboard ‘Dart’ EMUs plus a shot of the entrance to an unknown DART suburban station. A nice touch is that John Hurt plays an ex-convict with a passion for model electric trains and the Orient Express. In his attempts at starting a new life he faces the ultimate question of catching the night train, hence the title of the film, or taking charge of his life like an adult. An even nicer touch is that the ever lovely Brenda Blethyn recites the first verse of W. H. Auden’s Night Mail poem to him!
NIGHT TRAIN FOR INVERNESS
GB
1960
1hr 09mins
Dir: Ernest Morris
Starring: Norman Wooland and Jane Hylton
An ex-con kidnaps his young son and heads for Inverness not knowing that his son is diabetic and needs insulin injections to survive
This train-bound drama is now rather overlooked and despite being no more than a B-movie it is actually quite tightly written. There are good scenes at London Euston station prior to its modernisation with shots of the frontage and the platforms. Mk1 coaches are visible in these scenes but no locomotives. The journey to Inverness is then depicted by a number of shots of passing expresses which seem to have been filmed on both the West Coast and the Midland Main Lines. Locomotives that appear in these shots are three ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s, two ex-LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0s and ex-LNER V2 Class 2-6-2 No.60890. Another ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 also features in the form of No. 45003 which is seen arriving at an unknown station (described as ‘Blair Atholl’ in the film), possibly somewhere on the Midland mainline.
*NIGHT TRAIN TO PARIS
GB
1964
1hr 05mins
Dir: Robert Douglas
Starring: Leslie Nielsen and Alizia Gur
A secret agent has to prevent a vital tape from falling into the hands of the enemy
This neat little suspense film with a delightful pink pantherish jazz theme throughout features good scenes at London Victoria station of Night Ferry Wagons-Lits stock with coach No.3792 prominent. Sadly, the motive power of this once glamorous train is not visible. There then follows two erroneous shots depicting the train on its way to Dover and the Continent. The first is a stock shot of a passing night express train hauled by an ex-LMS rebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ Class 7P 4-6-0 (the ‘Royal Scots’ were reclassified from 6P in 1951) and the second is a close up three-quarter shot of the cab of an ex-LNER 4-6-0 pulling away from a stand, a clip that also appears in It Happened Here (qv). Despite these mistakes there is good footage of the train being shunted onto the night ferry itself and Wagons-Lits coach No.3801 can be seen in this sequence. The shot of the LNER locomotive cab and other Night Ferry sequences in this film were in fact taken from the 1956 BTF film Link Span. Interestingly, the DVD cover for Night Train to Paris shows an image of a train hauled by LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.5407 crossing a viaduct and the ‘LMS’ lettering on the locomotive’s tender has been removed for copyright reasons.
THE NIGHT WE GOT THE BIRD
GB
1961
1hr 22mins
Dir: Darcy Conyers
Starring: Brian Rix and Dora Bryan
A new husband believes that a talking South American Parrot is a reincarnation of his predecessor
This comedy was a follow up to the 1959 film The Night We Dropped a Clanger and is based on Basil Thomas’ play The Love Birds. The film features a scene where Brian Rix pursues the parrot to a railway station where it boards a train. Despite the station name reading ‘Brighton
North’ this is actually Chessington North and the train is made up of a formation of pre-war Southern Railway EMUs.
A NIGHTINGALE SANG IN BERKELEY SQUARE
GB
1979
1hr 42mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: David Niven and Richard Jordan
An ex-con is roped into doing a heist after he unwittingly gets a job as a maintenance man at a bank
This caper-comedy heist film features a shot of the frontage to Kew Bridge station.
*NIGHTMARE
GB
1964
1hr 23mins
Dir: Freddie Francis
Starring: David Knight and Moira Redmond
A traumatised young girl returns home from boarding school but starts to witness frightening visions
This Hammer horror is quite an effective little chiller that packs a surprising punch for a film of its age. It features a scene filmed at a snowy Wargrave station on the Henley-on-Thames branch from Twyford, but no trains feature.
*NIL BY MOUTH
GB / FRA
1997
2hrs 08mins
Dir: Gary Oldman
Starring: Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke
The lives of a dysfunctional South London family
This critically acclaimed drama features a scene onboard 1972-built tube stock on the Bakerloo Line and a scene at Elephant & Castle Underground station.
*NINA’S HEAVENLY DELIGHTS
GB
2006
1hr 34mins
Dir: Pratibha Parmar
Starring: Shelley Conn and Art Mailk
A young Indian woman returns home to Glasgow to run her late father’s curry business
Near the start of this romantic drama there is a panoramic shot of Glasgow and a GNER express is entering Central station across the Clyde. The Mk4 coaches and the DVT are visible but the Class 91 on the other end is out of shot.
*NINE
US / ITA
2009
1hr 58mins
Dir: Rob Marshall
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis and Judi Dench
A famous film director struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives as he engages in a number of dramatic relationships
This elaborate musical drama is based on Arthur Kopit’s book for the 1982 musical of the same name, but it received mixed reviews and at times is difficult to watch. It features one scene at Wansford station on the Nene Valley Railway with a train formed of the line’s Danish State Railway’s coaching stock in the platform. The station represents one in Italy and the coaches have been branded accordingly with FS (Italian State Railways) initials.
*NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR (aka 1984)
GB
1984
1hr 50mins
Dir: Michael Radford
Starring: John Hurt and Suzanna Hamilton
The squalid existence of people in a totalitarian superstate
This dystopian drama film is based upon George Orwell’s 1949 novel of the same name and should not be confused with the 1956 film version. There is a scene that is shot on the Kent & East Sussex Railway with ex-SR USA Class 0-6-0T No.30065 and a suitably bleak-looking train. The locomotive is weathered in a dull grey livery with ‘INGSOC’ (English Socialism) state plaques on the smokebox and tank sides whilst the coaching stock is rather battered and includes a number of broken windows. The loco does not carry any numeric identity.
1984 (see NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR)
*NO BLADE OF GRASS
GB / US
1970
1hr 36mins
Dir: Cornel Wilde
Starring: Nigel Davenport and Jean Wallace
When London is overwhelmed by food riots caused by a global famine, a man tries to lead his family to safety in Scotland
This apocalyptic science fiction film is an adaptation of John Christopher’s 1956 novel The Death of Grass. Although no actual trains feature there are a couple of interesting railway scenes. First, there is an ambush scene that takes place on a level crossing, filmed at Park South signal box between Barrow and Askam in Cumbria. Later, there is a scene that is shot beneath Ribblehead Viaduct on the Settle-Carlisle line, a structure that is surprisingly lacking in feature film appearances though it would later appear more prominently in Sightseers (qv).
NO LIMIT
GB
1935
1hr 20mins
Dir: Monty Banks
Starring: George Formby and Florence Desmond
A chimney sweep from Wigan dreams of winning the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy
Although George Formby had already made two moderately successful films, No Limit was the film that put him on the road to stardom. This classic musical comedy is still regarded as one of his best and funniest, featuring good songs and numerous stunts. Most of the film was shot on location on the Isle of Man and although no real trains feature, Douglas horse drawn trams are visible in a couple of scenes.
*NO LOVE FOR JOHNNIE
GB
1961
1hr 50mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Peter Finch and Mary Peach
A Labour MP faces political and personal problems
This impressive drama was based on the 1959 book of the same title by Wilfred Fienburgh and features scenes that were filmed at both London Euston and Halifax stations. Several locomotives appear in the Euston scenes, all of which are ex-LMS in origin. There is a good shot of rebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ Class 7P 4-6-0 No.46126 Royal Army Service Corps pulling away on an express and a going-away shot of a Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 leaving in the pouring rain. In addition, what appears to be a Stanier Class 4P 2-Cylinder 2-6-4T creeps into shot in one view. Euston station masquerades as ‘Earnley’ in the film and it is where Peter Finch boards the trains for ‘London’! ‘Royal Scot’ No.46126 was the main loco in the 1949 Ealing film Train of Events (qv) and the shot in this film is likely to be an unused stock shot from that earlier movie. The same shot of the
loco curiously appears twice in this film! The Halifax scenes include an overall view of the station looking south from the station approach bridge.
*NO, MY DARLING DAUGHTER
GB
1961
1hr 37mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Michael Redgrave and Juliet Mills
A tycoon’s daughter runs away with a playboy millionaire, but falls in love with the hard-working young man who brings her back
This enjoyable and well-worked comedy was based on the play Handful of Tansy by Kay Bannerman and Harold Brooke. It features a brief scene filmed at London Marylebone station with ex-LMS coaches visible, one of which is No. M 16609 M, but no locomotives appear.
NO PLACE FOR JENNIFER
GB
1950
1hr 29mins
Dir: Henry Cass
Starring: Leo Genn and Janette Scott
A young girl experiences trauma when her parent’s divorce
This touching drama includes a couple of shots of passing express trains hauled by an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 and an ex-LMS Class 6P ‘Jubilee’ Class 4-6-0 respectively. However, the frontage to London Waterloo station also features as does a scene filmed on the northbound Bakerloo Line platform of Oxford Circus Underground station. Finally, there is also a scene filmed at night outside an Eastern Region station, with former LNER teak coaches in the platform. The location is not known though it has been suggested that it could be Hitchin.
NO PLACE LIKE HOMICIDE (see WHAT A CARVE UP!)
NO SMOKING
GB
1955
1hr 13mins
Dir: Henry Cass
Starring: Reg Dixon and Belinda Lee
A village chemist invents an anti-smoking pill but receives heavy opposition to its use
This comedy was based on a play by George Moresby-White and includes a scene in which Belinda Lee gets off a train of suburban stock at
Denham station. The motive power is an ex-LNER L1 Class 2-6-4T.
NO TRACE (aka MURDER BY THE BOOK)
GB
1950
1hr 16mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Hugh Sinclair and Dinah Sheridan
A crime writer helps the police to investigate a murder he has committed
This crime film includes a scene where a couple of characters race to a railway station in a car. There is a shot from the footbridge at Taplow station of the car heading for the station entrance and what looks like a GWR ‘4300’ Class 2-6-0 is approaching with a train in the background.
NOOSE FOR A LADY
GB
1953
1hr 16mins
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Starring: Dennis Price and Rona Anderson
Believing that she is innocent, a man works against the clock to free his cousin who has been sentenced to death by hanging
This crime film is based on the 1949 novel Whispering Woman by Gerald Verner. It features a single stock footage going away shot of an ECML express approaching the still single bore Hadley Wood Tunnel at the hands of an ex-LNER A3 Pacific.
*NORA
GER / ITA / IRE / GB
2000
1hr 46mins
Dir: Pat Murphy
Starring: Ewan McGregor and Susan Lynch
A film examining the relationship between Nora Barnacle and her husband, the Irish author James Joyce
This raunchy drama is based on the Brenda Maddox biography Nora: The Real Life of Molly Bloom and includes scenes filmed at Dublin Pearse station with K2 Class 2-6-0 No.461, though the station masquerades initially as Galway. As a footnote, No.461 is the only survivor of a pair of locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock and Company in Gorton, Manchester, for the Dublin & South Eastern Railway. Withdrawn in 1962 and then stored by CIE, No.461 was presented to the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland in 1977. It has been the commonest steam loco to appear in Irish movies that require one, making appearances in Angela’s Ashes and Michael Collins amongst others (both qv).
*NORTH SEA HIJACK (aka FFOLKES and ASSAULT FORCE)
GB
1979
1hr 40mins
Dir: Andrew McLaglen
Starring: Roger Moore and James Mason
Terrorists take over British oil rigs and hold them for ransom
This action thriller was not a success though it is enjoyable, and it does feature a nice shot of Class 117 DMU set L411 arriving at an unknown Western Region station. The film was adapted by Jack Davies from his novel Esther, Ruth and Jennifer and was released in the US as ffolkes, only to be renamed Assault Force when released there on television in 1983.
NOT NOW DARLING
GB
1973
1hr 37mins
Dirs: Ray Cooney and David Croft
Starring: Leslie Philips and Cicely Courtneidge
A farce centred on a fur coat shop in Central London
This comedy was adapted from the 1967 play Not Now by John Chapman and Ray Cooney. It features an elevated shot of the frontage to Sloane Square Underground station.
*NOTES ON A SCANDAL
GB
2006
1hr 31mins
Dir: Richard Eyre
Starring: Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett
A bitter teacher befriends a colleague who has an affair with a pupil
This award-winning psychological thriller-drama was adapted from the 2003 novel of the same name by Zoë Heller. The sexual encounters between the teacher and her pupil were filmed in the yard at Southall Depot (!) and a number of Mk.1 coaches are visible. Earlier in the film there is a night shot of a Class 313 EMU passing over Gordon House Road, just east of Gospel Oak station in North West London.
NOTHING BARRED
GB
1961
1hr 21mins
Dir: Darcey Conyers
Starring: Brian Rix and Naunton Wayne
An ailing Lord plans to fake the theft of a valuable painting in order to raise capital and improve his fortunes
This comedy features a scene that is filmed on The Queen’s Walk on the South Bank in London. A number of pre-war EMU’s can be seen in the background passing over the viaduct between Waterloo East and Charing Cross stations.
NOTHING BARRED (see TWO-WAY STRETCH)
NOTHING BUT THE BEST
GB
1964
1hr 39mins
Dir: Clive Donner
Starring: Alan Bates and Denholm Elliott
A social-climber acts as an upper class ‘gentleman’ to elevate himself as well as snare the daughter of his boss
This rather good black comedy was based on the 1952 short story The Best of Everything by Stanley Ellin. It features a number of shots of the frontages to several London termini, namely Marylebone, Paddington and Waterloo, but no trains are seen.
*NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT
GB
1973
1hr 30mins
Dir: Peter Sasdy
Starring: Christopher Lee and Georgia Brown
Police begin an investigation into the suspicious deaths of trustees of an orphanage
This horror is based on the 1968 John Blackburn novel of the same name and features a shot of the frontage of Uxbridge Underground station.
*NOTHING VENTURE
GB
1948
1hr 13mins
Dir: John Baxter
Starring: Michael Aldridge and Terry Randall
Three boys set out on a venture to thwart the theft of a secret ray
This very low-budget family drama has a number of scenes filmed at Southampton’s White Star Dock prior to its redevelopment as Southampton Ocean Terminal. A boat train is standing in the terminal platform with what looks likely to be an ex-SR ‘King Arthur’ Class N15 4-6-0 at the front. There are some good scenes filmed at the docks with railway wagons also present in a number of shots. Later, there is a sequence where a van gets held up at a level crossing and a freight train passes through hauled by an ex-SR Maunsell Class S15 4-6-0 (possibly No.839). It is not known where this was filmed but it is thought to have been somewhere in West Sussex, possibly the Chichester area. In addition to these scenes there is another much subtler link to railways. In a scene near the beginning of the film, the three boys are on a hillside overlooking a valley and get themselves a glimpse of Leith Hill Tower, south west of Dorking, Surrey. In the valley below is a five-arch railway viaduct, possibly the one over the River Mole at Leatherhead given the location though this could of course be anywhere.
NOTORIOUS GENTLEMAN (see THE RAKE’S PROGRESS)
NOWHERE TO GO
GB
1958
1hr 29mins
Dir: Seth Holt
Starring: George Nader and Maggie Smith
Shunned by the criminal underworld, an escaped prisoner finds that his attempts to recover his stashed loot end in failure
This crime drama has some good railway scenes early on in the film. These consist of some atmospheric night shots filmed on the disused platforms of Kew Bridge station. The platforms are on the curve between New Kew Junction and Kew East Junction and were closed in 1940. The station remains open with platforms on the Hounslow Loop, but these derelict platforms are still extant today. Later, there is a scene filmed at
London Marylebone station with what looks to be an ex-LNER 4-6-0 lurking amongst the shadows and the coaching stock.
NUMBER SEVENTEEN
GB
1932
1hr 04mins
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: John Stuart and Anne Grey
A jewel thief reforms and helps police to track down her gang
This early Hitchcock film is based on a stage play by J. Jefferson Farjeon and although it starts rather slowly it builds up to an excellent railway chase sequence in the latter half that ends with a spectacular crash. In the story, the gang have put their money in an old house over a railway leading to the English Channel, the film’s title being derived from the house’s street number. The thieves board a night ferry goods train bound for Harwich with the intention of getting across to the Continent. The initial scenes feature some good floodlit shots of King’s Cross Goods Yard close to Copenhagen Tunnels, with LNER Class A1 4-6-2 No.2547 Doncaster on a freight and an LNER J52 Class 0-6-0ST also visible. No. 2547 becomes the train loco for most of the chase sequence with John Stuart in hot pursuit on a Greenline bus which is keeping pace! This was filmed at night on the Hertford Loop line with plenty of action involving actors jumping from wagon to wagon, filmed from an adjacent train fitted with great banks of arc lights to illuminate the entire scene. Eventually the crooks get to the cab of the A1, disable the crew, and takeover the train in order to gain time. This ends up in disaster as they lose control and end up smashing into the train ferry. As the train hits the ferry it smashes into wagons already aboard, causing them to be flung in all directions which results in the ferry breaking its moorings and beginning to sink, dropping some more wagons into the sea. This sequence involved building a massive O-gauge model of the train, ferry and terminal at the Shepherds Bush studios, and using Bassett-Lowke and Bond equipment. The result of all this was one of the most effective and quite brilliant crash scenes of its time. Although it is now obviously quite basic and outdated it does in no way detract from the excitement of the last half-hour of this sadly neglected film. After being available only in poor-quality prints for decades, the film was released in high quality DVD format in 2005. Though the opening credits confirm the picture’s title is Number Seventeen, much of the promotional material refers to it as Number 17.
NUNS ON THE RUN
GB
1990
1hr 29mins
Dir: Jonathan Lynn
Starring: Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane
Two criminals pose as nuns to avoid capture
This successful comedy features a scene overlooking the Central Line tracks close to Wood Lane and a pair of 1962-built tube sets are passing. An
early scene has Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane talking about their future alongside the Grand Union Canal off Camley Street, London NW1, and in the distant background between two gas holders is the ‘spire’ of St Pancras station. Indeed, St Pancras makes a number of unobtrusive background appearances throughout the film and the frontage to Chiswick station is also seen in a couple of shots.
O
*O LUCKY MAN!
GB
1973
2hrs 58mins
Dir: Lindsay Anderson
Starring: Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren
The life and adventures of a trainee salesman
This sprawling, surrealist musical serves as an allegory for the pitfalls of capitalism, as it follows the adventures of a young coffee salesman in Europe. Many actors play multiple roles, giving the film a stagy tone, but it is quite confusing. A number of railway scenes feature in this odd production including an aerial view of the approaches to London Paddington. London Transport C stock is visible at Royal Oak Underground station and plenty of wagons are present in Paddington Goods depot. There are also good shots of the approaches to London Cannon Street station and a number of blue-liveried EPB EMUs cam be seen. Finally, Malcolm McDowell drives over a level crossing on the way into ‘Cochranes Steel & Iron Works’. The exact location of this industrial site is not known but it has been suggested that this may be the Clay Lane entrance to Cleveland Works, now gone. If so, then this is South Bank, Teesside. There is also an elevated shot of the entrance to Tottenham Court Road Underground station.
THE OBJECT OF BEAUTY
GB / US
1991
1hr 43mins
Dir: Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Starring: John Malkovich and Andie MacDowell
A ne’er do well and his girlfriend search for a thief
This elegant and witty comedy of manners features a scene at Holborn Underground station.
OCTANE (see DOLPHINS)
*THE OCTOBER MAN
GB
1947
1hr 50mins
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: John Mills and Joan Greenwood
A man is suspected of murder but as he is recovering from a head injury he begins to doubt his innocence
This truly excellent film noir features a number of railway scenes but most of these are filmed in the studio using sets and models though they are surprisingly atmospheric, especially those of the express trains passing beneath the road bridge on which John Mills stands contemplating suicide. The scene where John Mills is chased at a station also uses a studio reconstruction, though there is a real shot of the platforms of London Paddington station in a later scene. A real train does also feature in the form of a stock shot of an LMS Class 4P ‘Compound’ 4-4-0 on a Midland mainline express and there is an indistinct view of a passing express at night at the start of the film.
*OCTOPUSSY
GB
1983
2hrs 11mins
Dir: John Glen
Starring: Roger Moore and Maud Adams
Bond is assigned the task of following a general who is stealing jewels and relics from the Soviet government
The thirteenth James Bond film features a lengthy and pretty good railway scene filmed on the Nene Valley Railway. Intensive filming took place over a number of weeks in September/October 1982 and the Nene Valley was chosen for this, and for many other films, because it is home to several items of Continental rolling stock which can run on the line because of its wider loading gauge. James Bond would return in 1995 for the filming of Goldeneye (qv). In this movie, 007 gets onboard an East German circus train which is a ‘cover’ for the bad guys. Five ex-LMS CCT vans were painted pale pink with circus ‘embellishments’ and were added to a train of Continental carriages, a couple of which were also ‘jazzed up’. The scenes where these were filmed being marshalled into a train used Wansford station (exotically renamed ‘Karl-Marx Stadt’) and the 616 yards Wansford Tunnel, which had additional lighting added to the roof. The small yellow diesel shunter used for shunting was 0-4-0DH Horsa, a Bagnall design but built at the Darlington works of Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd in 1962. The large tank engine used as the train loco was Danish DSB S Class 2-6-4T No.740, which was renumbered 62 015 for filming. Ferry Meadows station was renamed ‘Gutenfurst’ and appeared as the East German border post. One of the most spectacular sequences in the film involves a specially adapted Mercedes 250SE running along the railway tracks after the tires get torn off by a stinger device. James Bond drives the car on to the tracks in pursuit of the circus train, passing through Orton Mere station much to the astonishment of waiting passengers, but it gets hit by a train travelling in the opposite direction. This train is hauled by Swedish SJ B Class 4-6-0 No.1697, disguised as 38 243, and the collision effect was carried out by catapulting the Mercedes away with a specially built ‘air-gun’ launch close to the line just outside Wansford. It landed on a boat in the River Nene! The level crossing where Bond drives onto the track is Old Great North Road crossing at Wansford station, and the bridge over the River Nene is also visible, the same bridge from which the car is later thrown. The other level crossing seen on the line is that across Ham Lane, Ferry Meadows, but it is not known where the double track ‘level crossing’ that is close to the air force base where the circus is based was located, and it may have been a set. As well as No.740 and No.1697, Swedish SJ S Class 2-6-2T No.1178 was also used for filming and is visible in a number of scenes. In the scene where James Bond drives the Mercedes into Wansford yard, a BR blue-liveried LMS gangwayed full brake is visible, along with a small Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0 diesel shunter and a number of other foreign locomotives. These are German DB Class 80 0-6-0T No.80 014, Swedish S1 Class
2-6-4T No.1928 renumbered 74 750, and the Swedish 2-6-4T No.1178. Examples of the line’s Danish, French and Norwegian coaching stock all featured in the film and the ready use of foreign locomotives and rolling stock made for quite an effective Eastern Bloc railway. In fact, the whole railway sequence is well-conceived and is the best of the railway action of any Bond film.
*ODD MAN OUT
GB
1947
1hr 56mins
Dir: Carol Reed
Starring: James Mason and Robert Newton
A wounded Irish nationalist leader attempts to evade police following a failed robbery
This film noir is based on the 1945 novel of the same name by F. L. Green and was filmed mainly on location in the streets of Belfast. There are good views of Belfast Corporation Tram No.179 during a riot scene outside a pub and a couple more Belfast trams are visible in the background of other scenes.
OF HUMAN BONDAGE
GB
1964
1hr 40mins
Dirs: Henry Hathaway, Bryan Forbes and Kenneth Hughes
Starring: Laurence Harvey and Kim Novak
A medical student becomes obsessed with his faithless lover
This was the third screen adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham’s 1915 novel and was widely condemned at the time for its sexual content. It was filmed in Ireland and features some good shots of CIE steam in its final years of operation. Ex-Great Southern Railways J15 Class 0-6-0s dominate proceedings with some nice shots in Dublin Connolly station with class member No.187 identifiable. Another J15-hauled train appears near the end of the film, passing by on an embankment behind the characters who are attending a funeral.
*THE OFFENCE
GB
1972
1hr 52mins
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Trevor Howard and Vivien Merchant
A tough police inspector loses control with a child murder suspect
This drama is based upon the 1968 stage play This Story of Yours by John Hopkins and uses a series of flashbacks to tell the story over a twenty-year period. Some parts were filmed around South London with the Battersea and Clapham areas featuring. A large variety of Southern Region EMUs are visible including 4 SUBs, 4 EPBs and South Western Division semi-fast sets. Plenty of vintage parcels stock also appears in the foreground of one graphic scene.
*OH, DADDY!
GB
1935
1hr 17mins
Dirs: Graham Cutts and Austin Melford
Starring: Leslie Henson and Frances Day
Members of a village Purity League branch find things much livelier on a trip to London
This comedy involves a trip to London for the Puritans and shots of King’s Cross and Waterloo stations feature, with a number of steam locomotives present. Visible are two LNER A3 Class 4-6-2s, one of which is No.4472 Flying Scotsman before it was truly famous, LNER K2 Class 2-6-0 No.4664 and two Southern Railway N15 Class ‘King Arthur’ 4-6-0s, one of which is No.780 Sir Persant.
*OH, MR. PORTER!
GB
1937
1hr 25mins
Dir: Marcel Varnel
Starring: Will Hay and Graham Moffat
An inept railway worker is given the job of stationmaster at a Northern Irish halt and catches a gang of gun-runners
This brilliant comedy, seen by many as Will Hay’s finest, has proved a timeless classic. Together with The Titfield Thunderbolt (qv) it has
become everyone’s best remembered railway film. However, while ‘Titfield’ represents the Ealing tradition of gentle, nostalgic comedy with rural
England bathed in a warm summer glow, Oh, Mr. Porter! is closer to music hall knockabout humour in the typical Gainsborough tradition. The plot of Oh, Mr Porter! was loosely based on the Arnold Ridley play The Ghost Train and the title was taken from Oh! Mr Porter, a music hall song. Most of the film was shot on the recently abandoned Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway. Gainsborough had filmed The Wrecker (qv) there eight years previously and it seems highly likely that a member of the production crew remembered this fact and wished to return to this little-known line. Cliddesden station became the centrepoint of the film as ‘Buggleskelly’, a remote and ramshackle rural Northern Irish station situated on the border with the then Irish Free State. The railway map of Northern Ireland seen in the film is authentic, but the name of the town Buggleskelly has been added to the dot for Lisnaskea station, without deleting the name Lisnaskea, and the Irish border has moved east. Filming took place over a hot summer, clearly evidenced by the cast, and demolition work was in fact taking place at the station with hoardings and a wooden building having to be erected around the part demolished remains of the former one. A little-known fact is that Will Hay was almost run down and killed by a train during filming, this in the days long before health and safety was enforced! Star of the film is Gladstone, the ancient steam locomotive, actually No.2 Northiam, a 2-4-0T built by Hawthorn Leslie in 1899 and loaned by the Kent and East Sussex Railway for the film. The engine was returned to the company after completion of the contract and remained in service until 1941 when it was scrapped. The K&ESR’s fleet No.2 is visible on the bufferbeam in some scenes. For Oh, Mr Porter! the loco was modified with a tall chimney and part of its cab was cut away to allow better filming of the actors. Although Gladstone takes pride of place, two rare Southern Railway locos also appear in the film. The engine of the train that Will Hay halts at the station on his first day as station master is ex-LSWR Adams 0395 Class 0-6-0 No.3509 (built by Neilson & Co in 1885) and the engine that is hauling the express after the ‘special’ has gone is hauled by ex-LSWR Adams X6 Class
4-4-0 No.657. This was one of only 10 built in 1895, all of which had been withdrawn by 1946, so is a particularly rare gem. Both these locos have ‘Southern Railway of Northern Ireland’ on their tenders. The escape scene with the gun-runners on board uses shots filmed on the Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway and on the London South Western main line. A ‘Lord Nelson’ Class 4-6-0 is briefly glimpsed in the final scenes, and another Adams 4-4-0 appears in a run through of an engine yard (look closely and it appears twice as the scene is shot from different angles). The final crash uses the milk dock in the yard at Basingstoke. The tunnel on the ‘loop line’ was created by the film-makers in a cutting on the B&ALR. In one take, the crew of Gladstone were unable to stop in time and the locomotive crashed through the wooden doors at its entrance. Undeterred by this, the incident was incorporated into the finished film. The opening title sequence features reversed ‘phantom ride’ shots taken from the rear of a train on the approaches to Southampton Central and on other sections of the LSWR main line (the tunnel at Wallers Ash is one other possible location). According to the late railway historian John Huntley in his book Railways on Screen, ‘the editor reversed his negative at one stage in preparing the title backgrounds, causing them to come out reversed on the final print’. It isn’t all Southern though and in the first scene of Will Hay wheel-tapping, there is a very good shot of LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 No.2509 Silver Link in the platforms at Hertford North station. The A4s were very new at the time, and the four silver locos built for The Silver Jubilee titled train were especially glamourous. Obviously, someone thought an appearance by one in this film would be good publicity. Finally, a note about the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway. Running entirely through Hampshire it opened on 1st June 1901 and was the first railway to be enabled by an Order of the Light Railway Commission under the Light Railways Act of 1896. Despite its closure in January 1917, and the removal of much of the track, the line was relaid and re-opened in August 1924 largely because of pressure from local landowners, farmers and agricultural workers. Passenger services ended in 1932 but a goods service from Basingstoke as far as Bentworth and Lasham continued until 1936. The whole of the line was then dismantled, except for short stubs at either end which survived until 1967 (a 100 metre stub of the line at the Basingstoke end still survives).
*OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR
GB
1969
2hrs 24mins
Dir: Richard Attenborough
Starring: John Gielgud and Maggie Smith
A musical fantasia on the First World War
This wonderful spectacle of a film is based on the stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War!, originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play The Long Long Trail in December 1961. It has an ensemble cast and features an elaborate sequence filmed on Brighton station (masquerading as ‘Waterloo’) involving departing troops. The train is formed of two former ambulance coaches (one of which is No.649) and a ‘birdcage’ from the Longmoor Military Railway but the locomotive, preserved LSWR M7 Class 0-4-4T No.245 in LSWR pale green, is only just visible in the background of one shot. There is a later musical scene involving a miniature train on Brighton Pier that although in LB&SCR livery and in steam, is really nothing more than a glorified fairground ride, electrically operated, and with fake steam effects. The scene sees a woman wave at the train as it trundles down the pier full of troops, only for it to then disappear from view. The camera then cuts to the woman alone on a deserted Brighton station platform and some four-wheel vans and a 2 BIL EMU are visible in the background. The electrified third rail is of course entirely wrong for a film set in WW1 having not been laid until 1932, and the EMU was not introduced until 1935, but these inaccuracies should in no way detract from what is a rather moving sequence. The fairground train is seen again one final time, off tracked and covered up for the night.
O’LEARY NIGHT (see HAPPY EVER AFTER)
*OLD BILL & SON
GB
1941
1hr 36mins
Dir: Ian Dalrymple
Starring: John Mills and Morland Graham
A veteran of the First World War follows his son into the Second
This wartime comedy features an opening scene of Westminster Bridge and a couple of F1-type trams are visible.
*OMEN III THE FINAL CONFLICT
GB / US
1981
1hr 48mins
Dir: Graham Baker
Starring: Sam Neill and Lisa Harrow
Spawn of the devil Damien is now fully grown and ready to prevent the second coming of the Nazarene
This horror was the third of four instalments in The Omen series but the only one to feature anything related to Britain’s railways. The film was initially marketed as just The Final Conflict and features a scene filmed at a rural railway viaduct. This was the Treffry Viaduct across the Luxulyan Valley near St Austell in Cornwall. An interesting and historic dual-purpose railway viaduct and aqueduct, it opened in 1844 but only ever carried a horse-drawn tramway. It had ceased to be used by 1940 but the Newquay branch still passes beneath. There is also a scene filmed at the junction of Brick Lane and Pedley Street in London with the lines out of Liverpool Street visible in the cutting behind the bridge. A pair of blue-liveried Class 306 EMU’s pass through on their way out of Liverpool Street. Finally, there is a scene filmed onboard an A stock train as it arrives into Wapping station, still part of the Metropolitan Line at the time.
*ON APPROVAL
GB
1944
1hr 20mins
Dir: Clive Brook
Starring: Clive Brook and Beatrice Lillie
Two wealthy Victorian widows are courted tentatively by two impoverished British aristocrats
Based on a play of the same name by Frederick Lonsdale, the station scenes in this witty comedy are all studio sets but there is one real shot filmed from the cab of an LMS 2-6-4T on the Midland Main Line, approaching what is believed to be Luton station. Quite why this obscure shot was used to depict a train journey is anyone’s guess. The film was a remake of one from 1930 which is not believed to have featured any trains.
*ON THE BEAT
GB
1962
1hr 46mins
Dir: Robert Asher
Starring: Norman Wisdom and Jennifer Jayne
A Scotland Yard car park attendant dreams of becoming a policeman like his father
This Norman Wisdom comedy features a memorable railway scene that is now considered a classic. The sequence sees Norman Wisdom handcuffed to a suspect on the wrong side of a set of tube train doors. Obviously, a lot of this sequence uses a mix of studio filming, sets and back projection but the platform scenes are real and used the Waterloo & City Line platforms at Bank and Waterloo with Class 487 EMUs. The opening sequence showing a number of railway lines within an industrial complex is believed to be the Slough Trading Estate and there are several shots of the railway viaduct in Windsor. Situated at the end of the short branch from Slough, this structure is in the background of a number of scenes and although semaphore signals are visible no trains are seen.
*ON THE BLACK HILL
GB
1987
1hr 57mins
Dir: Andrew Grieve
Starring: Anthony Benson and Iona Banks
Twin brothers grow up on a Welsh hill farm
This drama is based upon the 1982 novel of the same name by Bruce Chatwin and covers eighty years in the lives of a pair of Welsh identical twins. It features a scene filmed on the Severn Valley Railway at Arley station with GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T No.4566 on a train.
ON THE FIDDLE (aka OPERATION SNAFU and OPERATION WAR HEAD)
GB
1961
1hr 26mins
Dir: Cyril Frankel
Starring: Alfred Lynch and Sean Connery
Two spivs make the most of their call up
This comedy was adapted from the 1961 novel Stop at a Winner by R. F. Delderfield and includes a scene filmed at Shepperton station with SR Bulleid coaches in the background. There is also a stock shot from Brief Encounter (qv) of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0 passing through Watford
Junction on an express.
*ON THE NIGHT OF THE FIRE (aka THE FUGITIVE)
GB
1939
1hr 34mins
Dir: Brian Desmond Hurst
Starring: Ralph Richardson and Diana Wynyard
A barber murders the blackmailer of his wife
This intriguing psychological thriller is filmed on location in Newcastle and is based on the 1939 F. L. Green novel of the same name. The opening scenes depict the High Level Bridge over the Tyne and a distant LNER passenger service is passing over it hauled by a tank engine.
ON THE RUN
GB
1957
59 mins
Dir: Robert Tronson
Starring: Emrys Jones and Sarah Lawson
A prisoner escapes with the help of an associate of his boss who wants to know the whereabouts of stolen bonds
This mystery drama has a scene filmed at Bookham station, with a 4 SUB EMU in the platform. The film was released in 1963 as part of The Edgar Wallace Mysteries though its original release date was 1957.
ONCE A SINNER
GB
1950
1hr 18mins
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Patricia Kirkwood and Jack Watling
A lowly bank clerk marries a good time girl, but she two-times him for her old crooked boyfriend
Near the end of this drama there is a shot of a passing express hauled by an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0.
THE ONE AND ONLY
GB
2002
1hr 31mins
Dir: Simon Cellan Jones
Starring: Justine Waddell and Richard Roxburgh
A married man falls in love with the wife of a footballer
This romantic comedy is a remake of Susanne Bier’s 1999 Danish box-office hit Den Eneste Ene. Supported by Newcastle City Council to promote a positive image of the city, the story was reset in Newcastle and Gateshead. It includes an aerial shot of a GNER Class 91-hauled ECML express and a shot on the platforms of Newcastle Central station with GNER Mk4s and a pair of Class 158 ‘Sprinter’ DMUs visible.
ONE BRIEF SUMMER
GB
1970
1hr 26mins
Dir: John Mackenzie
Starring: Clifford Evans and Felicity Gibson
A wealthy man has an affair with his daughter’s friend
This drama depicts a train departure from a station with maroon-liveried BR Mk1 stock but no locomotive visible. This is believed to be a section
of footage taken by ITC of a Class 42 ‘Warship’ diesel-hydraulic-hauled express departing Chippenham station, the full take of which appears in
Video 125s Diesels & Electrics on 35mm DVD and similar shots also in The Vulture (1967) (qv).
ONE DAY IN LONDON (see THREE HATS FOR LISA)
ONE EMBARRASSING NIGHT (see ROOKERY NOOK)
ONE EXCITING NIGHT (aka YOU CAN’T DO WITHOUT LOVE)
GB
1944
1hr 29mins
Dir: Walter Forde
Starring: Vera Lynn and Donald Stewart
An aspiring singer becomes mixed up in the attempted kidnapping of a music producer
This wartime musical comedy features a scene at London Waterloo station with a number of locomotives ‘on the blocks’, one of which could be a ‘King Arthur’.
*THE ONE FORTY FIVE
GB
1962
6mins
Dir: Crea Tarrant
Starring: Bob Kitts
A man, troubled and trapped at a deserted station, misses the only train
This drama was filmed entirely at Marino station, in County Down, Northern Ireland, and gives a rare glimpse of a Northern Irish country station. The sole character does not speak, but the film has an accompanying soundtrack. Good shots of the station feature throughout the film, and the trains, in the form of a pair of 2-car Ulster Transport Authority-built MED (Multi-Engined Diesel) units, are very rare on film. Marino station on the Belfast-Bangor route had closed in November 1957, but the Ulster Transport Authority came under pressure in doing so, and it reopened in January 1960 after public consultation.
*ONE GOOD TURN
GB
1954
1hr 30mins
Dir: John Mackenzie
Starring: Norman Wisdom and Joan Rice
A man tries to raise money for the orphanage where he grew up and where he now works as a carer
This family comedy is another that features a railway sequence in typical Wisdom slapstick style. Whilst taking a train to Brighton, Norman loses
his trousers by hanging them out of a carriage window hoping that the sudden breeze will help to dislodge a wasp that had crawled into them. They then get wrapped around the chimney of a passing Southern Railway C Class 0-6-0 on a freight! However, the scenes onboard the train use a mixture of studio sets and back projection from the window of a 4 SUB EMU, hence the probable reason as to why the electric unit and the steam loco are running wrong line i.e. passing on the left. Quite a few EMUs appear in these scenes, although bizarrely for a Brighton trip the first unit is an LMR Oerlikon set passing at an unknown location. There is then a run past of what appears to be a formation of 6 PAN EMUs at Purley station followed by shots at Brighton station that include 4 LAV, 6 PAN and 6 PUL units. In one scene, there is a good close up shot of a departing 6 PUL EMU No.3012, which is identified through the rear driving vehicle No.11014. The final railway scene where Norman Wisdom is chased off a station by a policeman for not wearing any trousers was filmed at the original Crawley station before its rebuilding and an arriving train is formed of a 4 LAV EMU.
*ONE HOUR TO ZERO
GB
1976
55 mins
Dir: Jeremy Summers
Starring: Dudley Sutton and Hazel McBride
A runaway child heads back home to his Welsh village only to find that it is completely deserted
This Children’s Film Foundation drama is quite effective in parts. It also features something totally unique. Some scenes were filmed in Llechwedd Slate Quarry and narrow-gauge track is visible along with No.4 The Eclipse. This diminutive little loco started life as Margaret, an
0-4-0 IST (inverted saddle tank) built by W G Bagnall Ltd in 1895 as Works No.1445, before being rebuilt as an overhead electric loco by Greaves, the quarry owners, in 1927. The 2ft gauge loco was one of two converted but was out of use at the time of filming. Both have been preserved and now reside in the Welsh Highland Railway Museum.
*102 DALMATIANS
GB
2000
1hr 40mins
Dir: Kevin Lima
Starring: Glenn Close and Tim McInnerny
Cruella de Vil gets out of prison and goes after Dalmatian puppies once again
This Walt Disney live action comedy is the sequel to the 1996 film 101 Dalmatians and stars Glenn Close reprising her role as Cruella de Vil as she attempts to steal puppies for her ‘grandest’ fur coat yet. Cruella de Vil takes the Orient Express from London to Paris and this sequence features a dramatic scene filmed at London St Pancras station whereby a puppy attempting to board the train falls of the back and lands on the track. A parrot then picks up the puppy and they both fly into the open rear gangway door as the guard leans out to check that the tail lamp is in position! This sequence features good shots of the VSOE pullman cars, including Minerva, and the Mk1 baggage car at the rear, and a shot of LNER A3 Class 4-6-2 No.4472 Flying Scotsman pulling away. Look out for a pair of Midland Mainline Class 170 ‘Turbostar’ DMUs which are present in the initial establishing shot of the station platforms. There is also a shot of the interior of one of the opulent carriages though the scene inside the baggage car with the animals is a set. The view of the Orient Express on route is depicted with a shot of BR Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 No.73082 Camelot on the Bluebell Railway, and although Pullman cars are in the train’s formation, the Southern Railway Bulleid coach immediately behind the loco is not exactly typical fair for the VSOE! There is also a brief shot at night of Horsted Keynes Signal Box, oddly masquerading as ‘Green Park’.
*ONE JUMP AHEAD
GB
1955
1hr 06mins
Dir: Charles Saunders
Starring: Paul Carpenter and Diane Hart
A journalist on a local paper helps police track down the killer of a female blackmailer
This crime film features several scenes that were shot in Dudley Road, Southall, and in the background of one, an ex-GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT is shunting some wagons in Southall Gasworks. A remarkably similar shot had appeared the previous year in The Gay Dog (qv). The film was based on the Robert H Chapman novel of the same name.
ONE MORE KISS
GB
1999
1hr 37mins
Dir: Vadim Jean
Starring: Valerie Edmond and Gerard Butler
A terminally ill woman returns home to see an old boyfriend
This romantic drama features some shots of Berwick-upon-Tweed station with an arriving GNER service of Mk4 stock and DVT though the Class 91 is not visible. There are also a number of establishing shots of the Royal Border Bridge which include a distant GNER Class 91-hauled train
passing across and a view of the bridge from inside the train. The Grade 1 listed railway viaduct across the River Tweed is an evocative and well
known structure. Gracefully rising 121 feet on 28 slender arches it does not in fact, despite its name, actually span the border between England and
Scotland, which is instead located approximately three miles further north.
*ONE OF OUR AIRCRAFT IS MISSING
GB
1942
1hr 42mins
Dirs: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring: Godfrey Tearle and Eric Portman
An RAF Wellington bomber is grounded after a raid and its crew are helped to safety by the Dutch Resistance
This classic wartime drama is considered ‘one of the best of British films of the era’ despite it being a wartime propaganda film made under the authority of the Ministry of Information. Although it is set in Holland, only a limited amount of work was undertaken there due to wartime restrictions. Most of the filming took place in Lincolnshire, centering on Boston, and the scene by the railway swing bridge used the LNER swing bridge on the Boston Docks branch. The film’s running time was cut by twenty minutes for release in the US.
*ONE OF OUR DINOSAURS IS MISSING
US
1975
1hr 40mins
Dir: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Peter Ustinov and Helen Hayes
A secret service agent hides a secret formula in a dinosaur skeleton
The title of this Walt Disney family adventure is a parody of the film title One of Our Aircraft Is Missing, in which Peter Ustinov also appeared. The film was based on the 1970 novel The Great Dinosaur Robbery by David Forrest and is set in the early 1920s. At the beginning there is a period scene that was filmed at London Marylebone station which was given a suitable make-over to coincide with the story, and a number of items of preserved stock from the Didcot Railway Centre were used. The locomotive that featured in this scene was GWR 4300 Class 2-6-0 No.5322 but in the completed film the train is largely obscured from view. A stolen dinosaur skeleton is later placed on the back of a steam lorry which is then driven onto a goods train at night. This was filmed on the Bicester Military Railway, with a number of goods wagons given ‘GWR’ lettering. The loco that was used in this sequence is a real oddity. As the train pulls away it appears to be hauled by a Hunslet 0-6-0ST that has been ‘mocked-up’ to represent a GWR side tank loco and there is a better glimpse of the loco as the train passes over ‘Wooburn Green’ level crossing. Wooburn Green closed in 1970 and the crossing is almost certainly a set using one of the many open crossings on the MoD system.
ONE PLUS ONE (see SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL)
*THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
GB
1957
1hr 51mins
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Hardy Krüger and Michael Goodliffe
A German Prisoner of War never gives up trying to escape
This decent Second World War drama was based on the 1956 book of the same name by Kendal Burt and James Leasor and chronicles the true exploits of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, a Luftwaffe pilot shot down over Britain in 1940. The film includes a scene where Hardy Krüger converses with the staff at a railway station as he attempts his escape. This was filmed at Gerrards Cross, which masquerades as Codnor Park in the film because in real life von Werra was sent to a secure POW camp near Swanwick, Derbyshire. He and four others escaped and though the others paired up, von Werra continued alone and reached Codnor Park railway station where he attempted, unsuccessfully, to board a train. This
attempt is not chronicled in the film. The only train that features is an earlier passing shot of an ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 on an express.
*ONE WAY OUT
GB
1955
1hr 01mins
Dir: Francis Searle
Starring: Eddie Byrne and Jill Adams
A policeman on the verge of retiring risks his reputation when he accepts a bribe to keep his daughter from being implicated in a robbery
This crime drama features a shot of the frontage to St John’s Wood Underground station.
*ONE WAY PENDULUM
GB
1964
1hr 30mins
Dir: Peter Yates
Starring: Eric Sykes and Julia Foster
An office clerk recreates the Old Bailey in his house and puts his son on trial
This rather absurd surrealist comedy is an adaptation of the play by N. F. Simpson. There is a scene where Jonathan Miller studies a ‘speak your
weight’ machine on the Metropolitan Line platforms of Baker Street Underground station with a good shot of A60 stock arriving behind him. The story centres upon him stealing the ‘speak your weight’ machines and successfully teaching them to sing!
*ONE WILD OAT
GB
1951
1hr 17mins
Dir: Charles Saunders
Starring: Robertson Hare and Stanley Holloway
A barrister attempts to discourage his daughter’s infatuation for a philanderer by revealing his past
The fun comedy film was adapted by Vernon Sylvaine from his 1948 play of the same name and features one stock shot towards the end of an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 taking water on Bushey troughs.
*ONLY WHEN I LARF
GB
1968
1hr 44mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Richard Attenborough and David Hemmings
A trio of confidence tricksters attempt to swindle an African state into buying crates full of scrap metal instead of anti-tank guns
This enjoyable comedy was adapted from the 1968 novel of the same name by Len Deighton and features a scene at a goods yard with BR mineral wagons being loaded and a Class 08 diesel shunter (or similar) moving in the background. This is possibly Chelsea Basin Goods Yard, a location also seen in Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (qv).
OOH… YOU ARE AWFUL (aka GET CHARLIE TULLY)
GB
1972
1hr 37mins
Dir: Cliff Owen
Starring: Dick Emery and Derren Nesbit
A conman seeks clues to a hidden fortune that are tattooed on the behinds of several girls
This comedy takes its title from one of Dick Emery’s catchphrases and is probably the reason why it was retitled for its US release. There are a number of amusing scenes filmed at London Waterloo station and in one of these, Dick Emery boards a slam-door express EMU. As it pulls out, a Class 33 is revealed to have been behind standing at the bufferstops, but a number of other suburban EMUs are also visible in the background. Whilst onboard the train Dick Emery is menaced by gangsters who end up being thrown out in the middle of a tunnel. In a continuity slip, as the train enters the tunnel it has become a ‘Hastings’ DEMU then as it leaves it has transformed into a Class 411 4 CEP EMU! The tunnel therefore is probably one on the Hastings line.
OPERATION BULLSHINE
GB
1959
1hr 24mins
Dir: Gilbert Gunn
Starring: Donald Sinden and Barbara Murray
During the Second World War, an army private suspects her husband of infidelity
This popular colour comedy features a scene at Braughing station in Hertfordshire with an ex-LNER J15 Class 0-6-0 arriving on a train of old GER stock, repainted into LNER livery for the film, and scrapped shortly afterwards.
OPERATION SNAFU (see ON THE FIDDLE)
OPERATION WAR HEAD (see ON THE FIDDLE)
THE OPTIMISTS (see THE OPTIMISTS OF NINE ELMS)
*THE OPTIMISTS OF NINE ELMS (aka THE OPTIMISTS)
GB
1973
1hr 50mins
Dir: Anthony Simmons
Starring: Peter Sellers and Patricia Brake
A retired entertainer makes his living as a street musician in London, and befriends two young children
The title of this musical drama is usually abbreviated to The Optimists, and the film is based upon the 1964 novel of the same name written by Anthony Simmons, who also directed the film. Railways form the backdrop to many scenes and a good number of trains are visible. As the full title of the film suggests, most of these scenes were shot in the Nine Elms, Clapham and Battersea areas of South London. The opening scenes feature two rare shots of Class 25 diesels, along with a more common Class 73 electro-diesel, working West London Line cross-London transfer freights and there are also glimpses of the rear end of another freight train, and a van train, the locos of which are not seen. There are some scenes filmed close to Battersea Railway Bridge as well and three freight trains are seen crossing here. One is hauled by a Class 33 diesel and its train contains a number of 4-wheel ‘Presflo’ cement wagons in its consist, but the other two trains have been edited so that again, the locos are sadly out of shot. One is a mixed freight and the other is a Blue Circle block train of 102-ton Bogie Presflo cement tank wagons. It isn’t all locos that appear in this film though as blue-liveried HAP, SUB and EPB electric units are seen passing over viaducts in the Battersea and Wandsworth areas. When the two children, played by Donna Mullane and John Chaffey head down some steps, a number of railway tracks are visible on the other side of a fence. These are the steps opposite Battersea Dog’s Home, leading down to Stewarts Road, and the tracks are the Stewarts Lane Reversible’s. BR suburban and express slam-door EMU’s are visible in the distance, crossing the overbridges on the Waterloo lines. A Class 50 on full throttle is heard in this shot, but it is not seen! Finally, when the two children run alongside a fence, a Class 411 4 CEP EMU passes by behind displaying Headcode 03, London Victoria-Stewarts Lane ECS. As an additional point of interest, the children’s father works at a foundry and in one scene, a rake of BR Banana Vans is visible at the loading dock of an adjacent building.
*THE ORACLE (aka THE HORSE’S MOUTH)
GB
1953
1hr 25mins
Dir: Cyril Pennington-Richards
Starring: Robert Beatty and Virginia McKenna
A journalist goes on holiday to Ireland where he encounters a fortune-teller
This comedy fantasy was based on a radio play To Tell You the Truth by Robert Barr and includes one stock shot of a Southern Region express hauled by unrebuilt Bulleid ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 No.34025 Whimple, probably taken in the Esher/Byfleet area.
*ORLANDO
GB
1992
1hr 33mins
Dir: Sally Potter
Starring: Tilda Swinton and Billy Zane
An androgynous young nobleman lives for centuries as a man and a woman
This stunning fantasy drama is based on Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando: A Biography and was particularly acclaimed for its visual
treatment of the settings of Woolf’s novel. The film’s last scene takes place in present-day 1992, just as Woolf’s novel ends in its present day of 1928, and is set around Canary Wharf. Some passing Docklands Light Railway P86/P89 units are visible.
*ORPHANS
GB
1998
1hr 41mins
Dir: Peter Mullan
Starring: Douglas Henshall and Gary Lewis
Four siblings have a night of differing fortunes prior to their mother’s funeral
This Scottish black comedy is filmed entirely in Glasgow and includes a rare scene on the Glasgow Underground with Douglas Henshall onboard a train which he then leaves at Kinning Park station. The scene opens with an over the camera shot of one of the 1970s-built Metro-Cammell units.
*THE OTHER MAN
GB /US
2008
1hr 28mins
Dir: Richard Eyre
Starring: Liam Neeson and Romola Garai
A widower suspects his wife of adultery, and sets out to find the other man in her life
This rather poor Anglo-American drama does at least feature some railway related scenes, even if they are just as bad. These open with a randomly brief run-by of Class 365 EMU No.365524, followed by a shot of the frontage to Angel station. There is then another brief and blurred image of one of the four promotional liveried Class 365’s before a scene with Liam Neeson sat onboard one such unit. There is then a final scene at the end with Liam Neeson and Romola Garai waiting for a train to Cambridge. An announcement can be heard for a First Capital Connect service to Cambridge, leaving from platform 7 and calling at Letchworth Garden City, Royston and Cambridge. The only problem is that the pair are sat on the concourse of London St Pancras! They should of course be next door.
*OTLEY
US
1968
1hr 31mins
Dir: Dick Clement
Starring: Tom Courtenay and Romy Schneider
A London drifter gets involved with spies and murderers
This comedy thriller was adapted from Martin Waddell’s 1968 book of the same name and has quite a few railway shots throughout. In one scene, Tom Courtenay asks for a newspaper in Gatwick Airport from a stall overlooking the A23 road. A train is running on the adjacent railway line, but it is indistinguishable due to the low sun. Later, Tom Courtenay is interrogated at a disused railway station. This is Quainton Road on the ex-Metropolitan and Great Central Line just before the preservationists moved in to set up the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. There is also a suspense scene involving a suitcase switch at a London Underground station. This is meant to take place at Notting Hill Gate and although the ticket hall, escalators and interchange concourse seen are those of that location, the platform scenes were actually filmed at Bank station on the Waterloo & City Line, suitably dressed as a London Transport station. The W&C Line had been built by the London and South Western Railway in 1898, and after Southern Railway and BR ownership, was not transferred to the London Underground until 1994, hence the need for a disguise. This is a rare instance of both BR and LU locations being used to represent the same location. An English Electric 1940-built Class 487 unit is departing in one shot. Finally, during a car chase, Tom Courtenay enters White City Dairy and in one shot there is a very brief glimpse of a train of mineral wagons passing along the embankment of the West London Line in the background, though no locomotive is seen. Also, during this same chase sequence, a Hammersmith & City Line train of London Underground CO stock is passing over Latimer Road viaduct.
*OUR KIND OF TRAITOR
GB
2016
1hr 48mins
Dir: Susanna White
Starring: Ewan McGregor and Naomie Harris
A couple are lured into a Russian oligarch’s plans to defect, and are soon positioned between the Russian Mafia and the British Secret Service
This political thriller is based on John le Carré’s 2010 novel of the same name and features a journey from London to Paris by Eurostar. This starts
with a good shot of London St Pancras station with Class 373 Eurostar EMU’s in the platforms, followed by some equally good shots of Eurostar sets passing through the countryside. There is then a scene with McGregor and Harris onboard one of the trains and a final overall view of the curved platforms of Gare du Nord station in Paris as viewed from the elevated Boulevard de la Chapelle to the north of the station. More Eurostar sets are present in the platforms.
OUR MOTHER’S HOUSE
GB
1967
1hr 44mins
Dir: Jack Clayton
Starring: Dirk Bogarde and Pamela Franklin
Seven children keep the death of their mother quiet until their estranged father returns
This suspenseful drama was based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Julian Gloag. It includes a scene where the children are rowing a boat
on a river and a formation of Southern Region 4 SUB EMUs passes on an embankment in the background. It is not known exactly where this scene was filmed, however.
*OUT OF SEASON
GB
1975
1hr 30mins
Dir: Alan Bridges
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave and Cliff Robertson
A woman at an English seaside resort is visited by an old flame
This drama is set in Weymouth and Portland and there are some excellent scenes near the end of the film of trains at Weymouth station. These shots show a Class 33/1 with a 4-TC set standing in the platform and a departure of Class 47 No.47074 on a rake of Mk1 stock. In fact, the shots of the 47, probably working a Bristol/Cardiff service, are very good indeed.
THE OUTSIDER (see THE GUINEA PIG)
OVER THE MOON
GB
1939
1hr 25mins
Dir: Thornton Freeland
Starring: Rex Harrison and Merle Oberon
A lowly Yorkshire girl marries the local doctor and inherits a fortune
This comedy is an early Technicolor film and as a result there is an excellent and rare colour shot of a passing LNER express hauled by B17 Class 4-6-0 No.2867 Bradford in apple green livery. This was purportedly filmed near Denham.
*OVERLORD
GB
1975
1hr 25mins
Dir: Stuart Cooper
Starring: Davyd Harries and Julie Neesam
A teenager is called up in 1944 and is killed in the D-Day landings
Taking its name from Operation Overlord, the code name for the Battle of Normandy, this excellent drama was filmed in black and white to allow inclusion of a large proportion of wartime newsreel footage. There is quite a large amount of railway shots appearing in these scenes, though the story used the Kent & East Sussex Railway and Tenterden Town station as a centrepiece for the flashback scenes where a young soldier’s meditations give way to foreboding premonitions of death. A number of dream sequences took place onboard trains on the line and there is a good shot of the signal box at Tenterden Town. The actual wartime footage includes an excellent shot of LNER D16/3 Class 4-4-0 No.8797 leaving an unknown Eastern region terminus station with a troop train, and a shot of a pair of LNER J20 Class 0-6-0s on a train consisting largely of armoured tanks. There is a shot of an LMS Class 7F ‘Super D’ 0-8-0 on a freight filmed, unusually, from a freight heading in the opposite direction, and another shot filmed from the rear of a freight train entering a tunnel, though the loco is not seen. There is a close up going away shot of an express that looks to be hauled by an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0 and there are actual shots of trains being strafed by aircraft fire. Although most of these are foreign, a number could be British. Finally, there are several shots of passengers and evacuees at unknown station termini and a shot of an unknown Southern Railway station. Overlord remains today the only feature film ever produced by the Imperial War Museum.
P
*PADDiNGTON
GB / FRA
2014
1hr 35mins
Dir: Paul King
Starring: Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins
A young Peruvian bear travels to London to find a home
This live action family comedy is based on the Paddington Bear stories by Michael Bond who had based Paddington Bear on a lone teddy bear he noticed on a shelf in a London store near Paddington Station on Christmas Eve 1956, which he bought as a present for his wife. The bear inspired Bond to write a story and in 10 days he had written the first book, A Bear Called Paddington, which was first published in October 1958. Not surprisingly, this popular part-animated film of the bear’s adoption by the Brown family features some good shots of London Paddington station with First Great Western HSTs visible. However, as Paddington station does not feature much of a frontage, the establishing shot of the station entrance is that of nearby Marylebone, with the name Paddington superimposed onto the image. There is also a scene filmed at Maida Vale Underground station, which is proving to be a popular choice for film makers, interestingly masquerading in this film as ‘Westbourne Oak’, a clear corruption of Westbourne Park and Royal Oak. Finally, there is some very brief CCTV footage of trains at London Paddington, with a Class 332 ‘Heathrow Express’ EMU the most readily identifiable. Michael Bond made a cameo appearance in the film as the ‘kindly gentleman’. He died before the release of the second film, Paddington 2 (qv), which was dedicated to ‘our friend’.
*PADDiNGTON 2
GB / FRA
2017
1hr 43mins
Dir: Paul King
Starring: Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins
Paddington and his adopted family go on the hunt for a stolen book, which Paddington plans to buy for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday
This sequel to the first live-action Paddington movie (qv) culminates in an exhilarating railway chase sequence using the Belmond British Pullman and the Kozlovas Circus train. Unfortunately, all of this is CGI created with the only apparent ‘live action’ taking place at Paddington station itself. There are initial shots of the ‘frontage’ (where Marylebone was used in the first film) and then a shot of the trainshed from Bishops Bridge with an HST and Class 57 diesel visible. The lead power car of the HST appears to be 43172 in its commemorative poppy livery and the 57 would have been at the head of the Night Riviera sleeper. The Pullman is hauled by LNER new build Class A1 4-6-2 No.60163 Tornado and a ‘Heathrow Express’ Class 332 EMU is briefly visible behind. The circus train consisted of a ‘shed’ type construction applied to a single FYA Freightliner flat wagon with the rest of the train then being created by computer. During the chase sequence the train is hauled by LMS ‘Crab’ Class 5MT 2-6-0 No.13065 from the East Lancashire Railway suggesting that some running shots may have been filmed there. Nonetheless, CGI works wonders when it comes to creating scenes. The railway viaduct at the end is the Nidd Viaduct on the former Leeds-Thirsk line near Harrogate which closed to rail traffic in 1951 and is now in use as a cycleway. In another shot the coaling stage from Didcot Railway Centre is seen completely surrounded by countryside!! The Freightliner flat was brought into Paddington one night using DBS Class 66 diesel No.66075. The loco then moved the wagon down the platform for the filming of one sequence but of course did not appear in the completed scene. Tornado is crewed by the Brown family, with a young Jonathan Brown nonchalantly driving the loco as he wishes to make steam trains cool again! This is a wonderful touch for railway enthusiasts even if he does initially deny liking trains because they are uncool. The opening scenes show Jonathan working on a scale model of an LMS Fowler 4-4-0 which he locks away in a cupboard when his friends come around.
*PAINTED BOATS
GB
1945
1hr 03mins
Dir: Charles Crichton
Starring: Jenny Laird and Robert Griffiths
The lives of two families living and working on the Grand Union Canal
This excellent outdoor drama is a must for narrowboat enthusiasts though a number of trains do appear. There is a shot of a GWR ‘auto-train’ hauled by a 1400-class 0-4-2T. It would appear to be crossing the skew bridge over the Stroudwater Canal on the Stonehouse and Nailsworth Railway, but the location is not confirmed. The shot was filmed originally for the 1940 Ealing drama The Proud Valley (qv) but did not make the final cut. Some steam-hauled freight trains can be seen distantly crossing the canals in some shots, at Blisworth in Northamptonshire one is hauled by an LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0, and at Willesden in London one is hauled by what looks to be an LMS Class 4F 0-6-0. The canal journey ends at Limehouse Cut on the Thames and in one final scene towards the end of the film there is an extremely brief glimpse of an industrial saddle tank at work in the docks.
*THE PAINTED SMILE (aka MURDER CAN BE DEADLY)
GB
1962
1hr
Dir: Lance Comfort
Starring: Liz Frazer and Kenneth Griffith
A student on a night out comes under suspicion of murder
This decent little thriller includes a scene at London St Pancras station with an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 propelling out a rake of coaches. In order, those that pass the camera are Mk1s No’s. 24091 and 35074, then a lovely pair of vintage Gresley’s, No’s.13027 and 12482. The scene then cuts, just as the ‘Black Five’s’ identity approaches!
PANIC IN THE PARLOR (see SAILOR BEWARE!)
*PAPER MASK
GB
1990
1hr 45mins
Dir: Christopher Morahan
Starring: Paul McGann and Amanda Donohoe
A hospital porter decides to impersonate a doctor in a busy hospital
This drama is based in the 1987 novel A Paper Mask by John Collee and includes some shots of passing HSTs, along with a shot of one at Bristol Temple Meads station. There is also a scene filmed on the concourse of London King’s Cross station, though no trains feature here.
*PAPERHOUSE
GB
1988
1hr 32mins
Dir: Bernard Rose
Starring: Charlotte Burke and Ben Cross
Whilst suffering from glandular fever, an 11-year old girl enters the world of her drawings in dreams
This dark fantasy was based on the 1958 novel Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr. The original novel was the basis of a six-episode British TV series for children in the early 1970s, which was titled Escape Into Night. The film includes a good scene shot at the disused Highgate station on the old Great Northern Railway branch from Finsbury Park – Alexandra Palace, plus a short scene filmed onboard Mk1 stock though it is not known where.
*THE PARADINE CASE
US
1947
1hr 54mins
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Ann Todd and Gregory Peck
A barrister falls in love with his client who is accused of murder
This American film noir courtroom drama is an adaptation of the 1933 novel of the same name by Robert Smythe Hichens. It features two very good railway shots, the first of which is particularly rare. It shows LMS Class 2F ‘Cauliflower’ 0-6-0 No.28580 arriving at Keswick station in the Lake District. The second shot is of an express arriving at London Euston station behind an LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0.
*THE PAROLE OFFICER
GB
2001
1hr 33mins
Dir: John Duigan
Starring: Steve Coogan and Ben Miller
A bumbling probation officer clears his name after being framed by a corrupt policeman
This decent comedy which, despite the title actually sees Steve Coogan play the part of a probation officer, is filmed largely in Manchester and has a few railway shots. There is a distant view of a Class 142 ‘Pacer’ DMU crossing the River Irwell Bridge just south of Manchester Victoria station and a very distant shot of a Brush single-deck tram on the seafront in Blackpool. There is also an establishing shot of Manchester Central Library in St. Peters Square and just passing out of shot to the right of the picture is the rear of 2000 series T68 Tram No. 2001. The deleted scenes available on the DVD feature a lengthy scene that was filmed onboard 1000 series T68 Tram No.1019.
*PARTING SHOTS
GB
1998
1hr 39mins
Dir: Michael Winner
Starring: Chris Rea and Felicity Kendal
A terminally ill cancer patient decides to kill all those who have made his life a misery
This pretty awful crime comedy features a scene at London Victoria station with a Class 423 4 VEP EMU visible, and a scene filmed at Latimer Road Underground station on the Hammersmith & City Line with LT C stock present. Finally, there is a very interesting scene overlooking Hungerford Bridge from the offices above Charing Cross and a Class 465 ‘Networker’ EMU is entering the station.
*THE PARTY’S OVER
GB
1965
1hr 34mins
Dir: Guy Hamilton
Starring: Oliver Reed and Ann Lynn
An enigmatic young American girl falls in with a group of beatniks but when her fiancé arrives from the States, he finds her dead
Although filmed in 1963 this drama was censored in the UK over scenes of implied necrophilia, which delayed its release until 1965. It features some good scenes at the end that were filmed at London Waterloo station. Plenty of coaching stock, parcels vans and four-wheeled vans are present, and in one scene there is a good glimpse of Bulleid ‘Merchant Navy’ Class 4-6-2 No.35022 Holland America Line reversing stock out of the platform. This is a loco that is now preserved.
*THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS
GB
1949
1hr 35mins
Dir: David Lean
Starring: Trevor Howard and Ann Todd
A woman becomes entangled in a love triangle, but cannot give up her love for another man
This highly thought of romantic drama is based on The Passionate Friends: A Novel, published in 1913 by H. G. Wells. There is a suspenseful scene at the end whereby Ann Todd is rescued from a suicide attempt at a deep-level Underground station. This was largely filmed at Bank station on the Central Line, masquerading as ‘Park Street’ in the film, but it is thought that a certain element of studio reconstruction took place, particularly at the earlier Underground station whose name begins with ‘Bishop…’, though this too could again be Bank renamed. It is difficult to judge today just how much filming took place at Bank because the station has undergone huge redevelopment and to confuse matters further there is a glimpse of 1938-built tube stock which never ran on Central Line services. The scene onboard the tube train and that filmed at ‘Victoria station’ also used sets. There is an additional scene filmed on the River Thames and a tram can just be glimpsed crossing Waterloo Bridge.
*PASSPORT TO PIMLICO
GB
1949
1hr 24mins
Dir: Henry Cornelius
Starring: Stanley Holloway and Margaret Rutherford
A hidden parchment reveals Pimlico to be a part of Burgundy
This classic Ealing comedy includes a famous sequence where, with Pimlico now an independent state, London Underground travellers find themselves subject to passport control at the border, which is in a tunnel! The establishing shot shows what seems to be a four-car Wimbledon-bound train comprising of two G Stock motors either end of a pair of Q38 cars entering a tunnel. The train interior scene that follows, however, appears to have been shot inside the passenger section of a rebuilt E Stock motor coach, which matches the front end actually seen in the tunnel. While it has been suggested that the interior was shot in a studio mock-up, it seems too detailed for that, and is almost certainly the same motor unit seen in the indisputably real tunnel sequences. Above ground, there are a few scenes where pre-war Southern Railway EMUs can be seen crossing bridges over Lambeth Road and Hercules Road in Lambeth. One of these scenes is particularly memorable as food parcels are thrown by passengers to members of the beleaguered state. Also, a couple of London trams are visible in the scenes filmed on the Kennington Road.
*THE PASSWORD IS COURAGE
GB
1962
1hr 56mins
Dir: Andrew Stone
Starring: Dirk Bogarde and Alfred Lynch
In occupied Europe, a British prisoner of war constantly sabotages the Nazis
This drama is based on John Castle’s 1954 Second World War memoir of the same name and is a light-hearted take on the true story of Sergeant-Major Charles Coward. The film has raised much debate over the years but does contain some excellent railway scenes, elaborate and spectacular for their day. The entire film is set in Nazi-occupied Europe yet was filmed in England. The first railway sequence has Bogarde and his comrades being taken to a POW camp in a train of cattle trucks. As they pass a munitions train, they throw lit straw into the wagons causing a number of spectacular explosions. A number of wooden open plank wagons were destroyed in this scene which was filmed at Scratchwood Sidings, Mill Hill. The POW train is hauled by a BR Fairburn Class 4MT 2-6-4T whilst the munitions train is hauled by a BR Fowler Class 4MT 2-6-4T (almost certainly No.42325 which is used later in the film). In addition to this, the brake van on the rear of the POW train is a Midland design with a ‘German Cross’ on the side. Bogarde is then sent to work in a railway works and repair yard, which is actually Cricklewood Depot, North London. A large number of ex-LMS locomotives are present in these scenes but actual numbers are impossible to discern. Some Fairburn Class 4MT 2-6-4Ts, a Fowler Class 4MT 2-6-4T, a 4F Class 0-6-0, a Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 and an Ivatt Class 4MT 2-6-0 are all visible. Wagons that can be seen include four-wheeled vans, an ex-LMS brake van, an SR parcels van and some anachronistic BR container vehicles. After this, Bogarde sabotages a goods train, which results in one of the most astonishingly destructive crash scenes ever to involve railway stock in film. The locomotive is BR Fowler Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.42325, withdrawn from service by the time of filming but in steam, fitted with smoke deflectors and with ‘German Cross’ insignia on its tanks. Hauling a trainload of wagons, it is driven over an embankment at speed with the wagons piling up, around and behind it. The final cut shows that, once the dust has settled, the wagons towards the rear keep ‘pushing forward’, suggesting therefore that a banker on the rear was used to help push the train over the edge. This scene was again filmed at Scratchwood Sidings, Mill Hill, and after the clear up operation was completed, No.42325 was buried where it lay, and it remains deep beneath the hard shoulder of the southbound M1 at Scratchwood services! The final railway scene features Bogarde attempting an escape by taking a train journey across Europe. This involves him boarding a train at Radlett station on the Midland Main Line which is hauled by an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 and arriving at Brighton station on a train hauled by BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 No.75075. A couple of Southern Region EMUs are just visible in the background of the scenes filmed at Brighton. All in all, this is a film that provides enjoyment for the railway enthusiast, though the whole remains rather tongue in cheek. The password used incidentally was ‘cleaning cloths’ and not ‘courage’.
*PATRIOT GAMES
US
1992
1hr 57mins
Dir: Phillip Noyce
Starring: Harrison Ford and Anne Archer
A former CIA agent in London shoots an IRA terrorist and becomes a target for their revenge
This controversial but no less successful American spy thriller is based on Tom Clancy’s 1987 novel of the same name. It features a scene filmed on the London Underground at Aldwych station with 1972-built tube stock present. One point of note is that on the platform the passenger PA announcement states that the next departure is a ‘Hatton Cross train’, stopping at ‘Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Green Park,
Acton Town, Hammersmith, Marble Arch, Hounslow East, South Ealing and Hyde Park Corner’, a random number of stations grouped together! The same PA goes on to confuse everyone even further by announcing ‘all change at Acton Town for Hatton Cross’!! This last point is in reality correct, but it was a Hatton Cross train to start with!?
*PAYROLL
GB
1961
1hr 42mins
Dir: Sidney Hayers
Starring: Michael Craig and Billie Whitelaw
A gang of villains stage a payroll robbery that goes disastrously wrong
This neo-noir crime film features an opening scene at Manor Road level crossing adjacent to North Sheen station with an SR EMU passing. The signboards next to the crossing state ‘North Heen Station’. Surely these were not amended solely for the purpose of the film? The factory from which the payroll is taken is called Kneales in the film but was in fact the old British Thomson-Houston Engineering Works in Rugby, a firm well associated with the BR modernisation programme. Railway lines are visible in the scenes filmed here, but only a couple of wagons are present in the background. In another early scene some of the gangsters meet up to discuss the heist in a layby. Through the steamed-up and rain spattered windows of their car a distant two-car DMU can be seen scuttling along an embankment. At the beginning of the heist sequence a lorry is pulling off the Tyne Bridge and a steam-hauled freight is seen passing over the viaducts beyond but, despite the robbery being set in Newcastle, the actual feat takes place in Rugby, on the banks of the River Avon overlooking the BTH factory. In the very far distance of one shot, a freight train can be seen passing along an embankment. The film is based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Derek Bickerton and initially ran with the working title I Promise to Pay.
PENNY POINTS TO PARADISE
GB
1951
1hr 17mins
Dir: Tony Young
Starring: Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers
A pools winner is targeted by a forger
This obscure comedy is referred to as ‘a terrifyingly bad film’ by Peter Sellers. It was not profitable on initial release and was eventually re-issued for distribution abroad in 1960 as a cut-down 55-minute version under the title ‘Penny Points’. Many sections were removed, and some additional unrelated material was incorporated from a short comedy entitled ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, which had also featured Sellers. None the less, the film features good shots of Brighton station with 6 PAN EMUs in the platforms. There is also a car chase sequence that passes over an unidentified level crossing.
PERFECT FRIDAY
GB
1970
1hr 34mins
Dir: Peter Hall
Starring: Stanley Baker and Ursula Andress
A bank manager decides to rob his own bank
This clever little bank-heist movie is based on an original story by Scott Forbes and features a scene on London Paddington station. A few blue and grey-liveried BR Mk1s are present, but no locomotives.
PERFECT STRANGERS (aka VACATION FROM MARRIAGE)
GB
1945
1hr 42mins
Dir: Alexander Korda
Starring: Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr
A quiet and unadventurous married couple become revitalised during the war
This wartime drama features various shots of passing express trains, but they are sadly all filmed at night making identification of the locomotives almost impossible. There is one shot of a double-headed express passing over a river bridge with what is possibly a pair of ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s at the helm, and maybe one that is hauled by a ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0, but otherwise the locomotives remain unknown. The film was released in the US under its alternative title and had its running time reduced by nine minutes.
*THE PERFECT WOMAN
GB
1949
1hr 29mins
Dir: Bernard Knowles
Starring: Patricia Roc and Nigel Patrick
A broke gentleman and his butler are paid to escort a robot woman around town to see if she works
This rather fun little farce is based upon a play by Wallace Geoffrey and Basil Mitchell and features a couple of scenes filmed on the Bakerloo Line of the London Underground with 1938-built tube stock. The exact location of the station, however, is not known.
*PERFORMANCE
GB
1970
1hr 45mins
Dirs: Nicolas Roeg and Donald Cammell
Starring: James Fox and Mick Jagger
A gangster on the run moves in with a rock star
This crime drama includes a couple of scenes with a railway background. James Fox makes a phone call outside the entrance to Wandsworth Town
station and there is another scene filmed inside the old buffet at Kensington Olympia, at the time it was still a major motorail hub. There is also a shot inside London Paddington station from the overbridge, and a Met-Camm ‘Blue Pullman’ DMU, a pair of Class 117 DMUs and rakes of BR
Mk1 stock are visible. This Paddington scene opens with a highly unusual aerial view of the station.
*PERMISSIVE
GB
1970
1hr 30mins
Dir: Lindsay Shonteff
Starring: Maggie Stride and Gay Singleton
A young girl arrives in London and soon becomes embroiled in the seedy world of the ‘roadie’
This dark exploitation drama is truly dispiriting. It is shot in a quasi-documentary style and was partly intended as a promotional vehicle for acid folk band Forever More, which accounts for their music largely being to the forefront and sometimes drowning out the dialogue. The film opens with a shot of Maggie Stride leaving St Pancras station through a side entrance and there is a later scene filmed in the ticket hall of King’s Cross / St Pancras Underground station.
*PERSONAL AFFAIR
GB
1953
1hr 22mins
Dir: Anthony Pélissier
Starring: Leo Genn and Gene Tierney
A schoolmaster finds trouble when a besotted teenage schoolgirl disappears
This drama features a montage sequence where the police are making enquiries about the missing girl. During this sequence there is one very good shot of an express passing through Wellingborough station hauled by ex-LMS Class 6P ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 No.45557 New Brunswick.
PERSONAL HISTORY (see FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT)
*PERSONAL SHOPPER
FRA / GER / CZH / BEL
2016
1hr 46mins
Dir: Olivier Assayas
Starring: Kristen Stewart and Lars Eidinger
A young American woman in Paris who works as a personal shopper tries to communicate with her deceased twin brother
This ethereal and mysterious psychological thriller features lengthy scenes filmed aboard a Eurostar with shots of Class 373 EMU’s at Paris Gare du Nord. There is an additional shot of a Eurostar set passing through the suburbs of Paris and views of St Pancras station in London, though no trains are visible here. One of the power cars seen at Gare du Nord is a named example.
*PETER RABBIT
US / AUS
2018
1hr 35mins
Dir: Will Gluck
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson and Rose Byrne
A feature adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s classic tale of a rebellious rabbit trying to sneak into a farmer’s vegetable garden
This live-action/computer-animated comedy based on the stories of Peter Rabbit created by Beatrix Potter was not well received, but was perhaps unduly criticised. The ‘British Railway’ scenes were all filmed in Australia, including the station ticket office which was a ticket window in Sydney Central station. However, in amongst all this there is an aerial shot of a TransPennine Express Class 185 ‘Desiro’ DMU passing through the countryside and a shot of a three-car Northern Rail Class 158 DMU passing over a viaduct. Another shot of a Class 185 DMU working a service on the Windermere branch near Ambleside features in a trailer but appears to have been cut from the actual movie.
PETER’S FRIENDS
GB
1992
1hr 41mins
Dir: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Stephen Fry and Imelda Staunton
A group of ex-university friends have a reunion at a country estate
This well-set comedy led by a strong cast features a railway scene that is a little different from the normal fair and, unusually for a film set in the present day, features a steam-hauled train. Filmed on the Nene Valley Railway, the locomotive is 1943-built Hunslet WD ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No.75006 (masquerading at the time as an LNER J94 Class loco, No.68081) with just a single ‘blood & custard’-liveried Mk2 coach in tow. There is a good run by shot and an excellent arrival scene filmed at Ferry Meadows station, called ‘Old Marsden’ in the film, prior to its redevelopment.
*THE PHANTOM LIGHT
GB
1935
1hr 16mins
Dir: Michael Powell
Starring: Gordon Harker and Binnie Hale
A new keeper takes over a remote Welsh lighthouse which is allegedly haunted
Despite being nothing more than a low-budget ‘quota quickie’ this thriller has stood the test of time and is much admired by film historians. It is based on the play The Haunted Light by Evadne Price and Joan Roy Byford. The lighthouse is set in Wales and in keeping with the story the early part of the film features some wonderful shots of the 1’ 11 ½” narrow-gauge Festiniog Railway in its original form. These excellent scenes feature Gordon Harker onboard a passenger service and a scene at Tan-y-Bwlch station. The film opens, however, with a short sequence of shots at various points on the line including a phantom ride shot on the approach to the west end of the 67 yards long Garnedd Tunnel, which is in fact
going away from Tan-y-Bwlch. For all these shots, the locomotive is Double Fairlie 0-4-4-0T Taliesin, built in 1886, withdrawn in 1971, and now preserved at the National Railway Museum as Livingston Thompson, its original name.
*PHOTOGRAPHING FAIRIES
GB
1997
1hr 44mins
Dir: Nick Willing
Starring: Ben Kingsley and Frances Barber
A photographer investigates pictures of fairies taken by two young girls
This intelligent and rather touching fantasy is based on Steve Szilagyi’s 1992 novel of the same title. It is actually based on the Cottingley Fairy stories of the 1920s and was made at the same time as Fairytale A True Story (qv). It features a good scene filmed on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway with Toby Stephens alighting from a train at the ground level Bledlow Bridge Halt. This is unusual because the halt closed with the Watlington branch in 1957 and even though the branch has reopened as a heritage operation, the ground level nature of Bledlow Bridge precluded its reopening. The ‘platform’ is still extant and was tidied up for the production. The train meanwhile consists of Hunslet Austerity
0-6-0ST No 8 Sir Robert Peel and three Mk2 coaches. The loco was built in 1952 and the Mk2 coaches didn’t start to appear until 1964 so although this is not exactly a train representative of the 1920s the whole scene is unusual, despite these inaccuracies, in being quite different from the normal heritage scenes. There is a good overall shot of the halt later on, complete with nameboard.
PICCADILLY INCIDENT
GB
1946
1hr 43mins
Dir: Herbert Wilcox
Starring: Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding
A married woman is believed dead but returns home with the Second World War at its height to find her husband has remarried
This drama was voted best British film of 1946 and despite the usual studio sets and reconstructions common at the time, it does include a couple
of scenes filmed at London Waterloo station. ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 No.864 Sir Martin Frobisher is visible during these scenes and there is also a shot of a Drummond large-boilered 4-4-0 passing West Byfleet on an express.
PICCADILLY THIRD STOP
GB
1960
1hr 40mins
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Starring: Terence Morgan and William Hartnell
A criminal seduces the daughter of an ambassador in order to rob the embassy in London
This pretty decent crime thriller has part of the Underground as central to its plot. The robbery of the embassy is accessed from the Underground system with a final chase taking place through the tunnels. This was filmed on the Piccadilly Line’s Holborn-Aldwych section, the little used
branch already becoming a regular film choice despite closure being some 34 years away. One station was given fictitious ‘Belgravia’ signs and a
1924-built tube train is present.
* “PIMPERNEL” SMITH (aka MISTER V)
GB
1941
2hrs
Dir: Leslie Howard
Starring: Leslie Howard and Mary Morris
A Cambridge archaeologist goes into occupied Europe to rescue victims of Nazi persecution
Based on the “Pimpernel” Smith novel by A. G. Macdonnell this popular war thriller has the ubiquitous journey by train across Europe formed of the usual studio sets with random stock footage slotted in. The only recognisable British railway element is a shot of a passing GWR express made up of non-corridor stock but edited in such a way that the locomotive is not visible.
*PINK FLOYD THE WALL
GB
1982
1hr 35mins
Dir: Alan Parker
Starring: Bob Geldof and Christine Hargreaves
A pop star has a nervous breakdown whilst looking back on his life
This live-action, part animated, surreal musical is based on the 1979 Pink Floyd album of the same name. The fantasy rock film based around
Pink Floyd’s music includes sequences where the rockstar is looking back on his father’s life during the Second World War and features a couple
of recreated wartime scenes in which troop trains are a feature. These used the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and were filmed at Keighley station and in Mytholmes Tunnel, the latter in a scene very much reminiscent of The Railway Children (qv). Motive power was ex-LMS Class 8F 2-8-0 No.8431.
THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN
GB
1976
1hr 43mins
Dir: Blake Edwards
Starring: Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom
Dreyfus’ insanity reaches a pinnacle as he tries to intimidate the rest of the world into killing Clouseau
The Pink Panther Strikes Again is the fifth film in The Pink Panther series but it is the only one to feature a railway element that falls into this
A-Z. The scene where the criminal evades the police on a train by being taken off by helicopter was filmed on the CIE’s Navan branch from
Drogheda. The six-coach train was hauled by Metro-Vick 001 Class locomotive No.048 and both the locomotive and stock were given an approximation of the SNCF livery at the time by using water paints. The coaches had stickers to represent ‘Paris, Limoges & Toulouse’ destination boards.
PLAY IT COOL
GB
1962
1hr 22mins
Dir: Michael Winner
Starring: Billy Fury and Dennis Price
A struggling rockstar saves an heiress from the unwanted attentions of another singer
This musical features a scene at London Euston station, with good shots of ex-LMS ‘Coronation’ Class 8P 4-6-2 No.46245 City of London.
PLEASE TURN OVER
GB
1959
1hr 27mins
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Ted Ray and Jean Kent
A teenager writes a steamy novel using her family as characters
This comedy was based on the play Book of the Month by Basil Thomas. It features a scene filmed at Gerrards Cross on the GW & GC Joint, but no trains are featured.
*THE PLEASURE GIRLS
GB
1965
1hr 28mins
Dir: Gerry O’Hara
Starring: Rosemary Nicols and Anneke Wills
The lives of carefree bachelor girls in swinging 60’s London
This drama opens with Francesca Annis boarding a train at East Grinstead (Low Level) station. The sequence which follows depicts a brief train journey with the onboard scenes apparently showing the interior of a 1st Class compartment of a BR-built Southern Region EMU, though the external scenes show a different train. There is then an aerial view of London Waterloo, with what looks to be an ex-SR ‘Lord Nelson’ Class 4-6-0 leaving on an express amongst all the EMUs, but the platform scenes which follow depict London Victoria and here, 6 PUL EMU set No.3002 and BR Southern Region Class 411 4 CEP EMU No.7177 are visible.
*THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE
GB
1992
1hr 40mins
Dir: David Cohen
Starring: Peter Firth and Lysette Anthony
A modern-day lothario enjoys relationships with several different women, but is still bemused by the mysteries of the opposite sex
Part relationship drama and part sex comedy, this film includes a scene shot outside London St Pancras station with its imposing frontage forming the backdrop.
*POISON PEN
GB
1939
1hr 19mins
Dir: Paul Stein
Starring: Flora Robson and Ann Todd
A sedate British village is shocked when its residents begin receiving hate-filled diatribes
This gripping little drama was based on the 1937 play by Richard Llewellyn and features a good shot of LMS Class 3P Fowler 2-6-2T No.10 arriving at Brickett Wood station with a local passenger train. This quiet station is located on the Watford Junction-St Albans Abbey branch and has made an appearance in a number of other movies that include Impact (1963), Night of the Demon (1957) and She’ll Have to Go (1962) all qv.
*POOL OF LONDON
GB
1951
1hr 25mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Earl Cameron and Susan Shaw
The crew members of a merchant ship are given shore leave and soon become involved in smuggling and petty crime in post-war London
This Ealing noir crime film is ground breaking for a number of reasons. It was Earl Cameron’s first film appearance; the first time a black actor had a major role in British film and is notable today for portraying the first interracial relationship in a British film. The Pool of London is a stretch of the River Thames from London Bridge to below Limehouse which was home to the wharves of the original Port of London. There are some excellent shots of London trams in their final full year of operation, including car No.599 working route No.70 on Tooley Street near London Bridge. The BR station just creeps into view high up on the edge of some shots and in one of these a steam-hauled service can be seen, but the tender loco is not easily identifiable. There is a scene filmed on the muddy banks of the River Thames beneath the old Great Eastern Railway Ferry Pier in North Woolwich and in another scene at the junction of Stoney Street, Bedale Street and Green Dragon Court in Southwark, an ex-SR ‘Schools’ V Class 4-4-0 is passing over the railway arch on a train, running tender first. There is also a shot of cyclists passing Blackfriars railway bridge and the entrance to Blackfriars Underground station is visible. Finally, towards the end of the film Bonar Colleano leaves his hiding place in a Thames barge and struggles to shore. He walks through a barren industrial site which is home to a narrow-gauge railway. Stone tippler wagons are on view along with a pair of industrial saddle tanks. One is in very light steam at the head of a short train of tipplers, but the other appears to be out of use on a wharf, alongside a couple of cranes. The site of this scene is open to some speculation and although several sources suggest that it could be a cement works in the Gravesend area, it may have been filmed in and around Rainham Creek.
*POOR COW
GB
1967
1hr 41mins
Dir: Ken Loach
Starring: Carol White and Terence Stamp
A young mother in London struggles in her marriage to a convicted criminal
This drama is based on Nell Dunn’s 1967 novel of the same name and much of the film was shot on location in the areas around Battersea,
Clapham and Wandsworth. There are several scenes that feature BR blue-liveried suburban EMUs and though most make quite indistinct background appearances, there is one shot that features a semi-distant view of EMUs crossing over Plough Road in Battersea.
*PORRIDGE (aka DOING TIME)
GB
1979
1hr 33mins
Dir: Dick Clement
Starring: Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale
Two inmates of HMP Slade become unwittingly involved in a break-out
This successful big screen adaptation of the famous TV comedy features an opening scene filmed at a bleak looking Wargrave station on the Henley-on-Thames branch with a departing Class 117 DMU. ‘Doing porridge’ is British slang for serving a prison sentence, porridge once being the traditional breakfast in UK prisons. The Americans would probably not understand this colloquialism, hence the film’s alternative US title.
*PORTRAIT FROM LIFE (aka THE GIRL IN THE PAINTING and LOST DAUGHTER)
GB
1948
1hr 30mins
Dir: Terence Fisher
Starring: Mai Zetterling and Robert Beatty
A German professor searches for his daughter after the Second World War
This drama features a studio scene in the back of a moving car but with a back-projected street scene that includes a number of passing trams.
PORTRAIT IN SMOKE (see WICKED AS THEY COME)
PORTRAIT OF CLARE
GB
1950
1hr 40mins
Dir: Lance Comfort
Starring: Margaret Johnston and Richard Todd
A woman looks back on her three marriages in flashback format
This poor drama features a couple of railway scenes. There is a nice shot of Aston Rowant station on the Watlington branch with a local train hauled by an ex-GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT, and a sequence portraying a railway journey to London that involves a passing shot of an ex-LMS Class 2P 4-4-0 on the Midland Main Line.
*POSSESSION
GB / US
2002
1hr 42mins
Dir: Neil LaBute
Starring: Aaron Eckhart and Gwyneth Paltrow
A pair of literary sleuths unearth the amorous secret of two Victorian poets only to find themselves falling under a passionate spell
This romantic mystery drama is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by A. S. Byatt. The story is set in the present day and the 19th century and there are railway scenes in both. The modern-day story involves a rail journey to Lincoln. There is a scene filmed on Lincoln station and a passing shot of a Class 91-hauled express at Welwyn North. This is old stock footage from somewhere as the train is in original InterCity livery not worn since 1997. The historical scenes use the wonderful Furness Railway Class A5 0-4-0 No.20, filmed with a rake of vintage coaches on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway including Pickering station. No.20 is a Sharp Stewart & Co Class A5 0-4-0 tender engine of 1863 and is Britain’s oldest working standard-gauge steam locomotive. It had been sold to Barrow Steelworks as early as 1870 and was converted to a saddle-tank
locomotive in 1915. Its survival was something of a miracle and in 1999 it was restored to its original condition as a tender locomotive.
POSTMAN’S KNOCK
GB
1962
1hr 28mins
Dir: Robert Lynn
Starring: Spike Milligan and Barbara Shelley
A country postman is transferred to London, where he manages to foil a major robbery
Early in this comedy there are a number of railway scenes shot on the ex-GER Buntingford branch in Hertfordshire with a ‘mail train’ hauled by ex-LNER J15 Class 0-6-0 No.65460. The scenes with Spike Milligan departing from the village on his way to London where shot at West Mill station on the branch, renamed ‘Upper Fringly’ for the film, and No.65460 also appears in these scenes with a rake of LNER Gresley suburban coaches in tow. The London scenes feature two quite unusual shots. The first is an aerial view of an ex LMS Fairburn Class 4MT 2-6-4T arriving at London Marylebone station with a local, and the second is a shot of ex-LMS ‘Coronation’ Class 7P 4-6-2 No.46241 City of Edinburgh on Camden shed. There is also a comedy sequence with Spike Milligan on the London Underground with 1962-built tube stock present.
THE POT CARRIERS
GB
1962
1hr 24mins
Dir: Peter Graham Scott
Starring: Ronald Fraser and Carole Lesley
A young prisoner struggles to gain a foothold on his first prison stretch
This comedy drama was a remake of the eponymous 1960 ITV Play of the Week. Although filmed largely within Wandsworth Prison there is a scene that was shot at London Waterloo station.
LES POUPÉES RUSSES (see RUSSIAN DOLLS)
PRAISE MARX AND PASS THE AMMUNITION
GB
1970
1hr 30mins
Dir: Maurice Hatton
Starring: John Thaw and Edina Ronay
A revolutionary living in London tries to start a Marxist uprising in Britain
This very odd drama about a member of a small Trotskyist group features a scene towards the end at London Euston station. John Thaw boards a
train made up of BR Mk.1’s but the loco is not seen. There are, however, various shots filmed from the train as it heads north along the West Coast Main Line, including Rugby and the London suburbs, with Class 304 and Class 310 EMUs visible.
A PRAYER FOR THE DYING
GB / US
1987
1hr 47mins
Dir: Mike Hodges
Starring: Bob Hoskins and Mickey Rourke
An ex-IRA gunman is unable to silence a priest who witnesses a killing
This thriller is based on the 1987 Jack Higgins novel of the same name and features a couple of railway scenes. The churchyard where the murder takes place was St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cemetery in Leytonstone and in one scene a train of 1962-built tube stock passes by in the background on the Central Line. There is also a scene filmed on London Liverpool Street station and an early InterCity-liveried Class 86 electric on a rake of Mk2 coaches is visible.
*PRESS FOR TIME
GB
1966
1hr 42mins
Dir: Robert Asher
Starring: Norman Wisdom and Frances White
A London newspaper seller is sent by his grandfather to a seaside town as a journalist
This was the last Rank-made Norman Wisdom comedy and it features a number of memorable railway scenes in which Norman Wisdom hitches a
ride on the rear bufferbeam of a Class 117 DMU! This is a scene repeated at the very end, only this time Norman has been joined by his girlfriend Liz, played by Frances White. These scenes were filmed at West Drayton station and the Staines West branch. Interestingly, the seaside town depicted in the film is Teignmouth though its station does not appear. West Drayton station masquerades as ‘Tinmouth’, the pronunciation of the Devon resort town’s name! There is also a scene at West Drayton of Norman Wisdom arriving on a short freight hauled by Class 08 diesel shunter No.D3762 and there is a particularly good close up shot of the locomotive coming to a stand. Near the start of the film there is a shot of the entrance to Kilburn Park Underground station curiously standing in for ‘Westminster’.
*PRESSURE
GB
1976
2hrs 16mins
Dir: Horace Ové
Starring: Herbert Norville and Oscar James
A British born son of a Trinidadian immigrant finds himself stuck between two cultures
This drama was the first feature-length fiction film directed by a Black film-maker in Britain and is now recognised as one of the key black British films of all time. It features scenes filmed in Portobello Road and an LT C stock train is crossing the bridge over the market in one. There is also an aerial view of a Class 50-hauled express leaving London, possibly filmed from Trellick Tower, North Kensington.
*PREVENGE
GB
2016
1hr 28mins
Dir: Alice Lowe
Starring: Alice Lowe and Gemma Whelan
After the recent death of her partner, a heavily pregnant woman is seemingly instructed by her unborn child to commit a series of brutal murders
This instinctive psychological thriller features an early scene with Alice Lowe at an unknown station, possibly St Albans City, with Class 319 EMUs in attendance. The scene is followed by brief shots of her onboard one such unit.
*PRICK UP YOUR EARS
GB
1987
1hr 45mins
Dir: Stephen Frears
Starring: Gary Oldman and Vanessa Redgrave
The story of the spectacular life and violent death of British playwright Joe Orton
Based on the biography by John Lahr, this excellent film tells the story of Orton and his friend Kenneth Halliwell in flashback, framed by
sequences of Lahr researching the book upon which the film is based. There is a scene filmed in the lower lift lobby and surrounding passageways of Aldwych station, which shows to good effect the state of the station in an area that was not usually depicted by film crews, who tended to stick to the station platforms. The film was shot some seven years before the closure of the station, and the visibly poor state of the fabric in the passageway leading to the platform is self-evident even at this stage.
*THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
GB
1970
2hrs 05mins
Dir: Billy Wilder
Starring: Robert Stephens and Geneviève Page
Holmes takes on the case of a Belgian woman in search of her missing husband, which leads to Loch Ness and the legendary monster
The film offers an affectionate, slightly parodic look at the man behind the public façade and draws a distinction between the ‘real’ Holmes and the character portrayed by Watson in his stories for The Strand magazine. The film was originally intended as a roadshow attraction, touring major cities only on its initial run. However, it was heavily edited on its original release and significant sections of the film are now missing. There is a short sequence in which Holmes and Watson travel by rail to Scotland. This train journey was in fact filmed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway with a train hauled by Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Barton Wright Class 25 0-6-0 No.957, painted in its fictitious ‘L&NWR’ green, though sadly very little of the locomotive is shown in the completed film, save for a darkened semi-distant broadside going-away shot. The locomotive can also be found in this guise in The Railway Children (qv) which was filmed the same year. There is also a scene filmed at Nairn station on the Aberdeen-Inverness line. The attractive station is masquerading as ‘Inverness’ and a train of vintage stock is departing though we do not see (or hear?) the locomotive. The fact that the train silently pulls out suggests that a diesel was hauling the train.
*PRIVATE ROAD
GB
1971
1hr 29mins
Dir: Barney Platts-Mills
Starring: Bruce Robinson and Susan Penhaligon
An author begins a relationship with a receptionist after finishing his first novel, but they fail to find a mutual understanding
There are some railway scenes in the opening 10 minutes of this dull drama. The scenes start with shots of Chislehurst station frontage followed by Bruce Robinson boarding an EPB EMU. There are then some scenes filmed at London Waterloo, which also open with a shot of the station frontage, followed by some fine images of 4 SUB EMUs including one on which Susan Penhaligon departs.
PRIVATE’S PROGRESS
GB
1956
1hr 35mins
Dir: John Boulting
Starring: Ian Carmichael and Richard Attenborough
A failed British officer is selected by his uncle to participate in a secret operation to ‘recover’ looted artworks from the Nazis
This successful satirical comedy has a railway journey scene that features a brief shot of passing LMS carmine and cream-liveried coaches, though edited so that the loco is not visible.
THE PROMOTER (see THE CARD)
*PROSTITUTE
GB
1980
1hr 37mins
Dir: Tony Garnett
Starring: Eleanor Forsythe and Kate Crutchley
A Birmingham prostitute leaves friends and family behind to seek her fortune in London
There is one scene in this bleak drama whereby a phone conversation takes place in a house and, through the window of the room, a Class 47 diesel passes by at the bottom of the garden running light. The house is located in Trafalgar Road, Moseley, Birmingham, and the 47 is on the Down Camp Hill Line from Saltley to King’s Norton. There is also a brief scene filmed on the busy concourse of Birmingham New Street station.
*THE PROUD VALLEY
GB
1940
1hr 16mins
Dir: Frederick Penrose Tennyson
Starring: Paul Robeson and Janet Johnson
A black stoker from the US helps unemployed Welsh miners re-open their pit
This classic Ealing Robeson musical was the first film ever to be premiered on radio. An hour long edit of the film was broadcast on the BBC
Home Service a week and a half before its London release on 6th April 1940. There are some railway scenes in the early stages of this film, with good shots of GWR 4500-series 2-6-2T No.4533 working a short mineral train on an unidentified branch, and a shot of an industrial 0-6-0 saddle tank (possibly a Peckett) at work in an unidentified colliery. Despite being set in South Wales, the colliery scenes were said to use Silverdale Colliery in Staffordshire, but much of the colliery scenes would appear to be a studio set. A couple of shots of GWR ‘auto-trains’ in the Stroud Valley were filmed for this movie but were not used in the completed production. One of these shots, however, turns up in Painted Boats (qv), another Ealing production from 1945.
*PSYCHE 59
GB
1964
1hr 34mins
Dir: Alexander Singer
Starring: Curt Jürgens and Patricia Neal
After falling downstairs and losing her sight, a woman suspects that a mentally traumatic experience prior to the fall caused her accident
This psychological drama is based on the 1963 novel Psyche ’59 by Françoise des Ligneris. It features some scenes filmed at London Charing Cross station and amongst all the Southern Region 4 SUB EMU’s that are present, there are some good shots of ‘Hastings’ DEMU’s including Class 6B set No.1037. However, the train compartment is clearly a set, given away by the slightly grainy ‘back-projection’ of a BR EMU (a 4 CIG or something similar) through the window at a different station!
PUCKOON
GB / IRE
2002
1hr 22mins
Dir: Terence Ryan
Starring: Sean Hughes and Elliott Gould
The border between Northern Ireland and Eire is redrawn through a small village
This film is an adaptation of Spike Milligan’s 1963 comic novel about the divided Irish village of Puckoon. There is one railway scene in this
comedy that depicts troops arriving at Puckoon station. This was filmed at Downpatrick station on the Downpatrick & County Down Railway with preserved former Irish Sugar Company 5’ 3” gauge O&K 0-4-0T+WT No.3 on a train. The German loco was built by Orenstein & Koppel in Berlin in 1935 and was one of a class of nine used by the ISC, the two survivors of which are located at Downpatrick. Unusually, the locos also have a well tank in addition to the two side tanks (hence the T+WT designation).
*PURELY BELTER
GB
2000
1hr 39mins
Dir: Mark Herman
Starring: Chris Beattie and Greg McLane
Two youths try every trick in the book to get a Newcastle United season ticket
This comedy drama is based on The Season Ticket, a 2000 novel by Jonathan Tulloch, and takes its title from Geordie dialect for ‘very good’. It was filmed in and around Newcastle and there is a semi-distant shot of a Tyne & Wear Metro unit crossing the River Tyne on Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, and a closer shot of a Class 156 ‘Sprinter’ DMU crossing Half Moon Street in Gateshead. There are also good shots of Whitley Bay station on the Tyne & Wear Metro. Incidentally, Chris Beattie and Greg McLane who are the Newcastle fans in the film are both Sunderland supporters in real life!
PURITAN
GB
2005
1hr 34mins
Dir: Hadi Hajaig
Starring: Nick Moran and Georgina Rylance
A writer’s life is saved by a mysterious disfigured stranger
This Victorian inspired modern-day supernatural film noir is set against the backdrop of Whitechapel, mediums and the work of supposed pagan
architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. The scene in which Nick Moran is saved from falling under a train was filmed at Essex Road station on the Moorgate-Drayton Park underground line, formerly part of London Transport’s Northern Line. There are some good shots of Class 313 EMUs in these scenes.
PUSSYCAT ALLEY (see THE WORLD TEN TIMES OVER)
Q
*QUADROPHENIA
GB
1979
1hr 57mins
Dir: Franc Roddam
Starring: Phil Daniels and Leslie Ash
A Mod gets involved in the Brighton riots of 1964
This hugely popular drama, loosely based on the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who, features a good number of trains, though all are anachronistic to the actual setting. Despite the story taking place in 1964 all the trains that feature are in 1970s BR corporate livery. The house where Jimmy Cooper (played by Phil Daniels) lives is in Wells House Road, North Acton, and overlooks the point where the High Wycombe route diverges from the Reading main line out of London Paddington. In one scene, a pair of Class 117 DMUs are passing on the High Wycombe line into London and in another, a pair of Class 117 DMUs can be seen heading towards Reading (in this second scene an HST can clearly be heard but not seen, presumably somebody thought that the stylish 1976 design was seen as too modern for the completed take so it was edited out!). In a later scene, Jimmy catches a train to Brighton from London Paddington (!) and there is a very good shot of a Class 50 on a train at platform one. The fifties were not introduced until 1967 (and were not on the Western Region until 1974) and most of the Mk2 stock was introduced even later. In one scene filmed onboard an express, Phil Daniels has gone mad and throws his suitcase out of the window of a Mk2 corridor coach. There are also a number of scenes filmed along the Goldhawk Road in Shepherds Bush and in several of these scenes both the eastern and western entrances to Goldhawk Road Underground station are visible. Finally, there are several scenes filmed in an old scrapyard close to Latimer Road Underground station and a couple of Hammersmith & City Line C stock trains are passing behind on the viaduct over Freston Road. Even the Underground trains are wrong for the period as the first C stock trains were not introduced until September 1970!
*THE QUARE FELLOW
GB
1962
1hr 25mins
Dir: Arthur Dreifuss
Starring: Patrick McGoohan and Sylvia Syms
The arrival of a naïve and idealistic new warder at a Dublin prison coincides with preparations to hang two men
The Quare Fellow was a 1954 play by Brendan Behan and though the film is based on this play it is not considered a faithful adaptation. The title is taken from a Hiberno-English pronunciation of queer, meaning ‘strange’ or ‘unusual’ and in this context the word lacks the denotation of homosexuality that it holds today. As the credits are rolling at the start of this drama there is an unusual track level shot of ex-GSR J15 Class
0-6-0 No.68 arriving with a train at an unknown Irish rural station. The scene then cuts to Patrick McGoohan exiting down the old carriage ramp at Westland Row station (renamed Dublin Pearse in 1966). This descended from platform level to a gate on Westland Row, immediately beside the junction with Pearse Street. The whole area has now been obliterated by the Trinity College accommodation block. The access ramp was also seen in Educating Rita (qv).
*QUARTET
GB
1948
2hrs
Dirs: Arthur Crabtree (The Kite)
Ken Annakin (The Colonel’s Lady)
Starring: George Cole and Hermione Baddeley (The Kite)
Cecil Parker and Nora Swinburne (The Colonel’s Lady)
A compendium of four W. Somerset Maugham stories
This anthology film has four segments, each based on a story by William Somerset Maugham, and each with a different cast and director. The third story, The Kite, tells the tale of a man’s love for kites and how it puts pressure on his otherwise stable marriage to his wife. There is one scene in this story that was filmed at Wimbledon station with a pre-war Southern Railway 3 SUB EMU arriving on a local suburban service. The final story is called The Colonel’s Wife and tells the tale of a bored and lonely wife of a colonel who reignites their marriage through the publication of her racy poetry. There is one scene that features a railway journey, and although the journey is studio-bound and the carriage interior a mock up, the back projection through the window has the train calling at ‘Berkhamsted’ station, which appears to be the real thing. Both these stories were originally included in the 1947 collection of Maugham stories Creatures of Circumstance. Quartet was the first of a film trilogy, all consisting of adaptations of Maugham’s stories. It was followed by Trio (qv) in 1950 and concluded by Encore in 1951.
*THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT (aka THE CREEPING UNKNOWN)
GB
1955
1hr 22mins
Dir: Val Guest
Starring: Brian Donlevy and Margia Dean
An astronaut returns to Earth infected with an alien life form
This science fiction horror was one of several based around the fictional scientist Professor Bernard Quatermass, with this film being based specifically on the 1953 BBC Television play The Quatermass Experiment by Nigel Kneale. There is one brief scene in this movie that shows David King-Wood climbing a wall with a ladder from a road below, and he is met by a police officer standing at the top. As he mounts the parapet wall it is evident that the policeman is stood in a railway yard as there is a bufferstop behind him, but nothing else railway related is visble. The road is Goswell Hill in Windsor, and the railway siding is on the edge of Windsor & Eton Central station in an area since completely redeveloped.
QUEEN OF CRIME (see KATE PLUS TEN)
QUEEN OF DESTINY (see SIXTY GLORIOUS YEARS)
QUEEN OF HEARTS
GB
1936
1hr 18mins
Dir: Monty Banks
Starring: Gracie Fields and John Loder
An ordinary shop girl becomes a big stage star
This Gracie Fields musical comedy features a couple of night shots of London E1-type trams. The Piccadilly Line Underground station frontage is almost certainly a set.
QUEEN OF HEARTS
GB
1989
1hr 52mins
Dir: John Amiel
Starring: Stefano Spagnoli and Vittorio Duse
The story of an Italian family in London told through the eyes of their ten-year-old son
This critically acclaimed comedy includes a scene at London Victoria station and a Class 411 4 CEP EMU is visible in the background.
*THE QUIET MAN
US
1952
2hrs 09mins
Dir: John Ford
Starring: John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara
A disgraced American boxer returns to his Irish roots
This rather good Technicolor American romantic comedy-drama was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story of the same name by Maurice Walsh. It depicts what is possibly the most famous and most endearing image of ‘old Ireland’. The railway scenes in The Quiet Man are true gems, showing ex-GSWR Class 52 4-4-0 No.59 in steam working a train of vintage stock made up of coaches of GSW and MGW origin. The station at ‘Castletown’ was in fact Ballyglunin, on the west coast route from Limerick to Claremorris which closed in 1976. The station paintwork, footbridge detail and painted stones round flower beds, as well as the grey paintwork on the loco and 1945-55 period darker CIE green livery, are very accurately shown. Ballyglunin was located between Athenry and Tuam and a number of other shots of the train appear in the film. As John Wayne makes for the village in a horse and trap there is an excellent shot of No.59 and train crossing a bridge over the road and the train appears one final time at the station, in a scene at the end of the film.
QUIET WEDDING
GB
1941
1hr 20mins
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Margaret Lockwood and Derek Farr
A young couple become engaged, but enjoy a number of comedic adventures before their wedding day
This comedy is based on the play of the same name by Esther McCracken and was later remade as Happy Is the Bride (1958) (qv). When Margaret Lockwood returns by train from London there is a shot of an LNER K2 Class 2-6-0 arriving at an unknown station on the West Highland line. However, as she leaves the train she gets out of GWR coaches, which is a studio recreation. The film also features a standard stock shot of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 on an express in the Lune Gorge.
*THE QUIET WOMAN
GB
1951
1hr 11mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Derek Bond and Jane Hylton
The wife of a criminal takes over the running of The Quiet Woman pub only to discover that local smugglers use it as a base
This short crime film features a good scene at Winchelsea station on the Ashford-Hastings line in East Sussex with a train hauled by ex-SECR Wainwright H Class 0-4-4T No.31279. There are also scenes filmed in Rye Harbour and in one shot a number of railway vans can be seen at the end of the freight-only Rye Harbour branch, which closed to traffic in 1960.
R
*THE RACHEL PAPERS
GB
1989
1hr 35mins
Dir: Damian Harris
Starring: Dexter Fletcher and Ione Skye
A highly sexed and precociously intelligent Oxford student has a relationship with an American girl
This quite forgettable romantic drama is based on the 1973 Martin Amis novel of the same name. It features a scene at Heathrow Central Underground station on the Piccadilly Line with 1973-built tube stock and there are also two earlier scenes filmed onboard trains; one is onboard 1962-built tube stock and the other is filmed inside a Mk1 buffet.
*RADIO ON
GB / GER
1979
1hr 44mins
Dir: Christopher Petit
Starring: David Beames and Sandy Ratcliff
A man drives from London to the West Country to investigate his brother’s suicide and encounters a series of odd people on the way
This austere yet pleasing drama features a number of interesting railway scenes. In one, David Beames is refused access to the ‘Platform 1’ club, which is in fact the old station building on Platform One of Clifton Down station in Bristol! The building closed to passengers in 1967 but the station remains open and the pub is now the ‘Roo Bar’. There are also some shots of the entrance to the platforms, but it is dark, and no trains are visible. There is then a scene with Beames walking across a playground by an industrial estate and a slow moving HST set is passing in the background. This was filmed from Dings Park facing Kingsland Road and the HST is on the approach to Bristol Temple Meads. Finally, right at the end there is a scene filmed on the fledging West Somerset Railway at Blue Anchor station, with very rare shots of the sole surviving two-car Class 103 ‘Park Royal’ DMU. The unit was painted in mock carmine & cream livery complete with ‘speed whiskers’, but this is sadly barely noticeable in the film as it was shot entirely in black and white. What is alarming, is that as the train enters the platform, rather than use the level crossing David Beames jumps down and crosses the tracks in its path to gain access to the opposite platform! Earlier in the movie there are a number of aerial views of London and in one, cars can be seen passing along the A3220 West Cross Route and beneath the Hammersmith & City Line viaduct between what is now Latimer Road and Wood Lane stations. As the cars go under, a train of LT C stock passes across.
*THE RAGMAN’S DAUGHTER
GB
1972
1hr 34mins
Dir: Harold Becker
Starring: Simon Rouse and Victoria Tennant
A petty thief and his girlfriend steal for kicks
Based on Alan Sillitoe’s short story of the same name, this romantic crime drama is filmed on location in Nottingham and features a scene near the end of the film that was shot on Nottingham station. There is an excellent shot of a Class 45-hauled express (1M04) arriving and filming continues onboard the train. A view out of the window as the train departs reveals the former London Road station building in use as a parcels depot at the time, and in an added bonus, a pair of Class 20s pass, one of which is No.D8016. Curiously, the train journey is dubbed to the sound of an EMU!
*THE RAILWAY CHILDREN
GB
1970
1hr 50mins
Dir: Lionel Jeffries
Starring: Jenny Agutter and Bernard Cribbins
The adventures of three London children, moved to Yorkshire after their father’s wrongful arrest
This family drama is probably the most successful British railway movie to date. It enjoyed considerable box office success and remains a perennial Bank Holiday TV favourite, as well as being a permanent advertisement for the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, the line on which it was filmed. A number of K&WVR staff members played peripheral roles in the cast and the line today remains justifiably proud of its contribution. Perhaps fewer people realise that The Railway Children was in fact a children’s book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in The London Magazine during 1905 and first published in book form in 1906. The film is said to be quite a faithful reproduction of the book. The 5-mile Keighley & Worth Valley Railway had only recently been established as a heritage railway at the time, but it could still provide a ready-made steam railway for the film-makers with the added advantage of a range of motive power and rolling stock. The two main locomotive stars are Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Barton Wright Class 25 0-6-0 No.957, painted in its fictitious ‘L&NWR’ green, and GWR 0-6-0PT No. 5775 painted in a light brown livery of the fictitious ‘Great Northern & Southern Railway’, reminiscent of the Stroudley livery of the old London Brighton & South Coast Railway. Contrary to most beliefs neither of these locomotives were painted in these fictional liveries specifically for the film. The K&WVR had a number of steam locomotives available for traffic in the early days of preservation and all were given a different colour scheme just to brighten up the line! The heritage movement at the time was not as obsessed as it is these days in portraying accuracy. No. 957 is the first locomotive that the children wave to when they run through the fields to the line. No.5775 appears as the loco hauling the ‘Old Gentleman’s Train’ and also features in the most memorable scene where the children stop a train from colliding with a landslide by waving their red petticoats as a warning. The landslide sequence itself was filmed in a cutting on the Oakworth side of Mytholmes Tunnel and the fields of long grass where the children waved to the trains are situated on the Haworth side of the tunnel. A leaflet, The Railway Children Walks, is available from K&WV railway stations or the Haworth Tourist Information Centre. The old gentleman’s saloon is ex-NER Clerestory saloon No.1661, rebuilt in 1904 from an earlier Stockton & Darlington Railway vehicle of 1871. Loco No.957 appears again in the tunnel scene where the children risk their lives to rescue that of a young runner. The tunnel was important to a number of scenes and was just another reason why the Worth Valley line was chosen for filming, there were just so few private lines available at the time that featured a tunnel. Mytholmes Tunnel, however, is only 75 yards in length and a temporary extension to the tunnel was made using canvas covers to make it appear longer than it actually was. The line does have a second tunnel at Ingrow, which at 150 yards is more than long enough but the proximity of the tunnel to the station at Ingrow West and to local housing precluded it’s use. The station central to the story was Oakworth and two other locomotives can be seen in the scenes shot here. Ex-Manchester Ship Canal Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No.67 brings the family to Yorkshire and hauls the train at the end in the highly atmospheric and tearful reunion of their father, and ex-LNER N2 Class 0-6-2T No.4744 is the loco passing through on the ‘Scotch Flyer’ (both locos were resident on the line at the time but have since moved on). The exhilarating scene whereby Bobbie waves her red petticoat to stop the train only to faint just inches from its bufferbeam was rather cleverly edited. The locomotive was in fact moving backwards, with the film then simply reversed as the production team felt it was too dangerous to film the other way around. There is one additional railway scene that was not filmed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway as when the family make their initial journey from London to Yorkshire, there is a stock silhouette shot of a train crossing Barmouth Bridge in North Wales. One feature of this classic, perhaps revealing the innocence of the original story, is that it includes the most nonchalant amount of trespass you will ever see in a family film. No sooner have the children seen No.957 pass than they are on the track, using it as a path to get the station. Perks the stationmaster (played by Bernard Cribbins) watches their arrival but barely raises an eyebrow! Similarly, a school paperchase casually heads into the tunnel as two platelayers walk out. One makes some comment or other, but his mate couldn’t care less. Then there is the landslide scene, and the end credits, where half the village seems to be out on the line. All this on what is supposed to be a main route to Scotland! In fact, when so much fuss is made about film companies providing inaccurate representations of period trains The Railway Children is no different. For instance, the story was set in 1905 but only loco No.957 is old enough to have featured having been built in 1887, and why would the family be crossing the Barmouth Bridge on their way to Yorkshire? But the film is so well produced, and really is such a joy to watch, that everybody appears to be happy to overlook its faults! Prior to this movie there had been three BBC adaptations of the book appearing in 1951, 1957 and 1968. This last version was filmed on the Keighley & Worth with Jenny Agutter starring as Roberta. The 1968 dramatisation was a big success and following on from this the film rights were bought by the actor Lionel Jeffries, who wrote and directed the film, which was given the big money makeover by EMI and saw Jenny Agutter reprise her role as Roberta, the eldest child. In October 1999 ITV made a further adaptation, as a made for television film, with Jenny Agutter now playing the mother! This was filmed on the Bluebell Railway but was not entirely successful. Of all the TV adaptations, only the 1968 version is known to be extant (it is currently available on DVD); the rest may be lost. The familiar story became a stage musical in 2005 and then a full stage production in 2008, the latter still going strong in 2016. It is interesting to note that a number of shots depicting the ‘stars’ of the film have cropped up in other movies. L&YR 0-6-0 No.957 appears briefly in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (qv) also filmed in 1970, whilst The Crucifer of Blood (1991) and Dracula (1973) (both qv) both feature excellent shots of the ‘Old Gentleman’s Train’ suggesting that they are in fact unused clips from The Railway Children.
*THE RAILWAY MAN
GB / AUS
2013
1hr 56mins
Dir: Jonathan Teplitzky
Starring: Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman
A former British Army officer discovers that the man responsible for much of his treatment as a PoW is still alive and sets out to confront him
This war drama is an adaptation of the bestselling autobiography of the same name by Eric Lomax, published in 1995. It has some very good railway scenes early on that were filmed at Perth station, with BR maroon-liveried Mk.1 coaching stock provided by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society forming the train. In the first scene as Colin Firth runs to get on the train at Platform 3, Perth stands in as ‘Crewe’ and Corridor Brake Standard No.35185 is one coach that is identifiable. The scenes onboard the train were filmed on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway, though Platform 4 at Perth can be seen through the window as the train initially departs. There is then a very good run by of Class 45 ‘Peak’ No. D123 Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry on the Great Central Railway with a train of maroon Mk.1s before Perth is then seen again, masquerading this time as ‘Edinburgh Waverley’, and the train is standing at Platform 5 with 37676 Loch Rannoch at the helm. For the arrival at ‘Perth’ in these scenes the train is in fact arriving at Bo’ness, and through the carriage window, an unidentified diesel shunter is seen passing behind Colin Firth. The shot of the ‘Peak’ is actually stock footage, having originally been filmed for the 2010 film Cemetery Junction (qv)! Other shots filmed at Bo’ness appear throughout the movie. There is a good platform level shot and Mk1 Open Standard No.4856 is visible in another. The traumatic scene whereby Stellan Skarsgård hangs himself from the station footbridge was also filmed at Bo’ness, though it was implied in the film as being Warminster. Finally, there is a shot of Colin Firth overlooking the Royal Border Bridge and a very rare shot filmed beneath the arches of the bridge on the southern banks of the River Tweed at Tweedmouth. This imposing structure has featured surprisingly little in UK films.
*A RAILWAY TRAGEDY
GB
1904
5mins
Dir: Unknown
Starring: Actors unknown
A woman is attacked on a train journey
The most noticeable thing about this short silent crime is the way that it resourcefully builds up the suspense and the anticipation of danger in the earlier sequences. The technical side in itself is pretty straightforward, but the scenario is well-conceived, and for the most part the performers
carry it off pretty well. The basic story, with a woman in danger from a strange man on a train, is quite similar to the stories in many other features in the first decade of the 20th century, when travelling by train alone really could be dangerous. This silent is better than most though, due in part to the way that the movie patiently sets things up in a way that creates suspense, rather than jumping right into tumultuous action. The early scenes show the woman going about her own affairs, unaware that the man is watching her all the while. The camera shots are composed carefully enough so that you can pick up what is happening if you watch closely, and it allows the audience to sense the danger before the character does, a technique that is now thoroughly familiar in crime and horror movies, but it shows some resourcefulness for a film-maker to have done this deliberately and carefully in 1904. Most of the rest is straightforward, a couple of times there is a slight shifting of the camera to take in more of the action, but otherwise there are few surprises in the events or in the technique. The effective use of technique in its earlier scenes is enough to make it stand out for its time. The story of A Railway Tragedy runs thus; A woman arriving at a train station is unaware that a nearby stranger is closely eyeing her and her purse as she leaves her horse-drawn carriage. This was filmed at North Dulwich, the nearest station to the Gaumont Company. As she waits for her train, the same stranger lurks nearby on the platform so that he can make sure to sit in the same compartment with her. The train arrives behind an unidentified LB&SCR tank loco (possibly an 0-4-2T?) with a ‘CATFORD’ destination board on its bunker. When the train gets underway the stranger reveals his ill intentions. The carriage in which the attack takes place is a mock up, actually filmed at the little Gaumont open-air stage at the Fellows Cricket Ground in Dulwich. He robs her and throws her body out of the door, giving a glimpse of the trees and grass outside! Although these early films were rudimentary, they give some rare and genuine shots of the railway scene at the start of the 20th century and this film is no exception. In the very dramatic scene where the woman’s body is removed from the tracks, LB&SCR D1 Class 0-4-2T No.291 Deepdene speeds past with a rake of four-wheelers and in the final scene, the villain’s arrest is again at North Dulwich, and a train arrives behind an LBSCR ‘E-series’ 0-6-2T. All this footage appears on Video 125’s Trains from the Arc’ DVD.
THE RAINBOW JACKET
GB
1954
1hr 39mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Robert Morley and Kay Walsh
A champion jockey, having forfeited his own career by taking a bribe, takes a young rider under his wing
This Ealing drama features a scene at London Liverpool Street station with a going-away shot of an express hauled by BR Standard Class 7MT ‘Britannia’ 4-6-2 No.70011 Hotspur, and then an arrival scene at Newmarket station with a train formed of carmine and cream-liveried coaching stock. Video 125’s Steam on 35mm Volume 2 includes an alternative departure shot of a ‘Britannia’ leaving Liverpool Street, and a more complete take of the Newmarket arrival, which reveals the loco to be an ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0.
RAISING THE WIND
GB
1961
1hr 31mins
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Leslie Phillips and Liz Fraser
A group of students at an elite music school decide to share a flat in order to cut their living costs
This comedy film uses a cast of actors drawn from the Carry On and Doctor films that were popular at the time, although it is not an official member of either series. There is a brief shot of an express hauled by an ex-LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 which is stock footage from The Thirty Nine Steps (1959), which in turn also appeared in Carry On Regardless (1961) (both qv). So, as well as some cast members, even a train was making a reappearance from a Carry On film!!
*THE RAKE’S PROGRESS (aka NOTORIOUS GENTLEMAN)
GB
1945
2hrs
Dir: Sidney Gilliat
Starring: Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer
The life of an upper-class cad in the 1930s
This comedy drama includes two shots of passing trains, the first is a ‘day for night’ shot and appears to show an SR ‘King Arthur’ Class N15
4-6-0 at the head of an express. The second features a departure scene from an unknown country station followed by several good tracking shots of a GWR 4100 Class 2-6-2T on a local.
*RAMJI LONDONWALEY
IND
2005
2hrs 34mins
Dir: Sanjay Dayma
Starring: Raj Zutshi and Samita Bangargi
A young Indian takes a job as a chef in London to pay for the dowry he owes back in India
This Hindi-language comedy-drama was previously titled Bawarchi and is a remake of the Tamil film Nala Damayanthi. It features scenes at
Piccadilly Circus and Knightsbridge Underground stations on the Piccadilly Line, with 1973-built tube stock present at both. There is also an aerial shot of Blackfriars Railway Bridge and station, though no trains are visible. Despite being set in London some scenes were filmed in Reading and in one shot the main building of Reading station prior to its redevelopment appears in the background. The film’s title literally translates as ‘Ramji, the man from London’.
RAW MEAT (see DEATH LINE)
*THE REBEL (aka CALL ME GENIUS)
GB
1961
1hr 45mins
Dir: Robert Day
Starring: Tony Hancock and George Sanders
A downtrodden London office clerk goes to Paris to become an artist
This popular satirical comedy features a memorable scene whereby Tony Hancock is making a journey to Paris by train with one of his sculptures attached to a flat wagon at the rear. The sculpture has its head unceremoniously knocked off by a bridge. This decapitation scene was filmed at East Grinstead (Low Level) station with the bridge being that which carried the tracks of the High Level station. The locomotive hauling the train is not visible, as shots of the sculpture are taken from the wagon itself. The High Level station at East Grinstead closed in 1967. The station at the start of the film named ‘Fortune Green South’ was in fact Bingham Road Halt, located on the 2-mile link between the Mid-Kent Line at Woodside and the Oxted Line at Selsdon Road. There are some very good shots of the station in this sequence, and a number of 2HAP and 4 SUB EMUs come and go. The Woodside line closed in 1983 and has largely been converted for use by the Croydon Tram system. Most amusing is the way in which Tony Hancock boards the train, by passing through the unit standing in the adjacent platform and carrying out a cross train transfer! The scenes onboard are a set and the ‘back-projection’ through the window ends with a 4SUB unit keeping pace on an adjacent line. There is also a good shot in this film of the ‘Golden Arrow’ titled express hauled by a Bulleid ‘Pacific’ and a shot of commuters on the concourse of London Waterloo station. Finally, there is a scene with Tony Hancock sat in a car on a flatbed wagon hauled as part of the consist of a freight train. It is not known where this scene was filmed, and though the story assumes France, it is likely to be the UK.
REBOUND (see VIOLENT MOMENT)
RED AND BLUE
GB
1967
36mins
Dir: Tony Richardson
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave and John Bird
A cabaret singer travels to Paris for a nightclub engagement and recalls romantic episodes in her life
This was the ‘red’ story of a ‘portmanteau’ feature entitled Red White and Zero, the ‘white’ story was a film called The White Bus (qv). This dramatic short followed the British new wave movement of the time that seems some what outdated today. It features scenes of the ‘Night Ferry’ at London Victoria station.
THE RECKONING
GB
1969
1hr 51mins
Dir: Jack Gold
Starring: Nicol Williamson and Rachel Roberts
A ruthless business executive returns home to his Liverpudlian roots to investigate his father’s death
This contemporary and penetrating social drama features one shot of Nicol Williamson walking down Beaufort Road in Birkenhead and in the docks behind him are a large number of railway wagons, though no locomotives are seen.
*REFUGE ENGLAND
GB
1959
25mins
Dir: Robert Vas
Starring: Tibor Molnár and Leonard Ryland
A Hungarian refugee attempts to navigate 1950s London with no English, little money and only an address on a postcard for guidance
This drama shows well just how inhospitable and uncompromising 1950s London could be to an outsider. It also opens with some excellent if somewhat mashed up railway scenes. These start with a shot of a streamlined Bullied Pacific, probably a ‘Battle of Britain’ Class loco, working an express on a three track, 3rd rail electrified line. This is followed by a number of badly edited shots of passing trains, including at least two 4 SUB EMUs and a Pullman train with an old GWR ‘Siphon G’ on the rear! There are then scenes filmed at London Waterloo station, with 3 and 4 SUB EMUs identifiable, along with a close up shot of 4 RES EMU No.3071 (identified through vehicle No.11173). A tank loco is also visible at the bufferstops, probably an M7 Class 0-4-4T. Finally, there are shots of the station entrance and the viaduct opposite that carries the lines from Waterloo East to Charing Cross, and an EMU is crossing the bridge. The escalators of an unknown London Underground station also feature.
*REMEMBER ME?
GB
1997
1hr 21mins
Dir: Nick Hurran
Starring: Rik Mayall and Imelda Staunton
A middle class suburban family find their lives thrown into a crisis with the unexpected arrival of one of the wife’s old flames
This underrated and forgotten comedy was filmed somewhere in the Surrey suburbia and there are some middle-distant shots of passing Class 455
EMUs throughout. The exact location of these shots is not known but the family house in the film is said to be in West Byfleet. Towards the end of the film there are a couple of scenes that feature the railway bridge outside Thames Ditton station with Class 455s crossing. The big two arch structure across Station Road does in fact form a roundabout with Embercourt Road, Speer Road, Station Road and Weston Green Road.
REMEMBRANCE
GB
1982
1hr 57mins
Dir: Colin Gregg
Starring: Timothy Spall and Gary Oldman
A group of Devonport-based Royal Navy ratings spend their last 24 hours ashore in Plymouth – with dramatic results
This drama now lies seemingly forgotten and features a number of scenes filmed at Plymouth station, with HSTs and parcels stock visible in some shots. There is also a scene filmed on the stone overbridge leading to Wearde Quay on the Cornish side of the Tamar Estuary. The bridge is the first to cross the Cornish main line after that at Saltash station and although the railway can be made out in the background, no trains are seen.
*REPULSION
GB
1965
1hr 45mins
Dir: Roman Polanski
Starring: Catherine Deneuve and Ian Hendry
Left alone when her sister goes on holiday, a young beauty finds herself besieged on all sides by the demons of her past
This absolutely brilliant and hugely atmospheric psychological thriller features the frontage to South Kensington Underground station, which appears in the background to several shots.
*RESTLESS SUNDAY
GB
1967
11mins
Dir: Bill Davison
Starring: G Wain
A young man wanders aimlessly around the derelict streets of Leeds reflecting on the boredom of Sundays
This little drama shows one man’s reflection, through an inner monologue, on the boredom of Sundays before it became a day of shopping, and his sense of the hollowness of the way Christianity presents itself. It opens and closes with a view from inside a moving train, exact location unknown but presumably Leeds, and shots of coaching stock passing over a road bridge in the city, but no locomotives are seen.
*RETRIBUTION
GB
1931
17mins
Dir: Robert G Jorrens
Starring: Carol Hyde and Norman Cole
An illicit love affair ends in murder
This neat little amateur silent drama was made by the Bournemouth Film Club and was shot in and around the Dorset town. There is one very good head on shot of a slow-moving SR passenger service hauled by an unidentified LSWR 4-4-0. The location is not known but judging by the conifers it is probably passing through the area around Meyrick Park.
RETURN OF A STRANGER (aka THE FACE BEHIND THE SCAR)
GB
1937
1hr 10mins
Dir: Victor Hanbury
Starring: Griffith Jones and Rosalyn Boulter
A couple have plans to elope but a fight with her father’s solicitor ends in murder
This drama features a shot of a ‘Southampton Express’ passing an unknown signal box at the hands of a Drummond 4-4-0 and shots at London Waterloo station with several trains visible, one of which is arriving behind an SR LN ‘Lord Nelson’ Class 4-6-0. Finally, there are some scenes filmed outside the front of London Victoria station.
RETURN OF A STRANGER
GB
1961
1hr 03mins
Dir: Max Varnel
Starring: John Ireland and Susan Stephen
A suburban couple’s quiet life is shattered by a stalker
This short thriller features a shot of the frontage to Elstree & Borehamwood station.
RETURN TO YESTERDAY
GB
1940
1hr 09mins
Dir: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Clive Brook and Anna Lee
A Hollywood star joins a seaside theatre company
Based on Robert Morley’s play Goodness, How Sad, this Ealing comedy drama includes quite a few railway shots. First, there are a number of
scenes at London Paddington station and a couple of GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0s and a 5700-series 0-6-0PT are visible. A staged shot was filmed on the sea wall near Dawlish Warren to allow Clive Brook (or more likely a stunt double) to leave the train after pulling a communication cord. GWR ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 No.6004 King George III was filmed a bit further along the sea wall between Teignmouth and Dawlish in a shot that also appears in the 1941 version of The Ghost Train and the 1958 film Another Time, Another Place (both qv). The final scenes where Clive Brook leaves the seaside town by train were filmed at an unknown GWR station, and a passenger train complete with milk tank on the rear is departing though the loco is unseen.
RICH AND STRANGE (aka EAST OF SHANGHAI)
GB
1931
1hr 32mins
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Henry Kendall and Joan Barry
A married couple find their relationship strained to breaking point after receiving an unexpected inheritance
Released during Hitchcock’s meagre period between The Lodger (1927) and his breakthrough hits The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and The
39 Steps (1935) (qv), Rich and Strange was a consummate failure at both the British and US box office. The film’s lack of commercial and critical success is often attributed to the fact that there is dialogue for only about a quarter of the film, and that many features of silent films remain, including scene captions, exaggerated acting styles and heavy makeup. This ‘part-talkie’ was first released in the US under the title East of Shanghai and had a reduced running time of 83 minutes. In the film, Henry Kendall has a rather bad journey home on the Central Line, achieved with a good mix of footage shot on location and in the studio. The entrance and escalators are real, as is the platform, which is clearly the southbound Bakerloo Line at Waterloo. This is actual footage re-used from the 1928 film Underground (qv). Close-ups of the passengers, though, appear to be in the studio and if you look closely at the signs in the background of one shot the image is actually reversed for some reason! The actual train interiors, whilst generally consistent with Underground stock at the time, have enough differences in detail to suggest a mock-up, albeit a very good one. The film was adapted by Hitchcock, his wife Alma Reville, and Val Valentine from a novel by Dale Collins.
*RICHARD III
GB
1995
1hr 44mins
Dir: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Ian McKellen and Annete Bening
The classic Shakespearean play about a murderously scheming king staged in an alternative fascist England setting of the 1930s
This lavish drama features a number of railway scenes. The run by shots of Richard III’s Royal Train were filmed on the Bluebell Railway and it is hauled by BR Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 No.92240. Although the arrival scenes in London are shot at St Pancras station, no trains feature at this location. The film is notable for its unconventional use of famous British landmarks, often using special effects to move them to new locations. St Pancras railway station was relocated to Westminster and becomes King Edward’s seat of government! Meanwhile, Richard III’s military headquarters is in fact the former Steamtown base at Carnforth, with ex-L&YR Aspinall Class 27 0-6-0 No.1300, an ex-LMS Class 8F 2-8-0 and German DRG Class 01-10 No.01 1104 all featuring. The German loco was a surprisingly effective fixture for this scene though it has since been repatriated back to Germany.
*RING OF BRIGHT WATER
GB
1969
1hr 47mins
Dir: Jack Couffer
Starring: Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna
A man buys an otter and moves to the Scottish Highlands
This feature film was adapted from the 1960 autobiographical book of the same name by Gavin Maxwell. As he sets off for Scotland with his otter on a lead, Bill Travers is shown arriving at London Victoria station, only to then be seen buying a ticket on the concourse of London Marylebone! No trains are visible, and not much more is seen of the Highlands journey, apart from a distant dark ‘day for night’ shot of a train crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct and some scenes onboard Mk.1 sleeper stock. There is then one final railway scene, filmed at Arrivan user-worked crossing adjacent to the A85 road at Milepost 39, between Tyndrum Lower and Dalmally stations on the line from Crianlarich to Oban.
RING OF SPIES (aka RING OF TREASON)
GB
1964
1hr 30mins
Dir: Robert Tronson
Starring: Bernard Lee and David Kossof
A dissatisfied Navy clerk begins handling secret documents when he is approached by secret Soviet intelligence
This spy thriller is based on the real-life case of the Portland Spy Ring, whose activities prompted ‘Reds under the bed’ scare stories in the British
popular press in the early 1960s. It features some good scenes filmed on the London Underground including Baker Street and Ruislip stations with
Metropolitan Line A stock present. There is also a shot of a passing express on the East Coast main line hauled by an ex-LNER V2 Class 2-6-2.
RING OF TREASON (see RING OF SPIES)
*RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER
GB
2007
1hr 53mins
Dir: Julian Gilbey
Starring: Ricci Harnett and Craig Fairbrass
The story of football hooligan turned gangster Carlton Leach
This gangster film is based on the true story of the 1995 Rettendon murders and the autobiography of Carlton Leach, a football hooligan of the infamous Inter City Firm (ICF) who became a powerful figure of the English underworld. The film’s title reflects the rise of Leach from a member of a football gang, a ‘footsoldier’, to a much-feared and respected member of London’s criminal underworld. One of the opening scenes shows a typical fight between rival football firms, filmed on 1972-built tube stock and at a station, probably on the Aldwych branch. The Inter City Firm (ICF) was a football hooligan firm associated with West Ham United and was widely regarded as the first properly organised hooligan firm. The name came from the use of InterCity trains used to travel to away games and as the gangs travel around the country in the film, there are brief contemporary stock shots of HSTs in vintage liveries, a good historical touch that reflects the period in history that the scenes depict.
THE RISING OF THE MOON (aka THE THREE LEAVES OF A SHAMROCK)
IRE
1957
1hr 21mins
Dir: John Ford
Starring: Michael Trubshawe and Maureen Potter
Three vignettes of old Irish country life based on a series of short stories
This Irish anthology consists of three short films. The second story, A Minute’s Wait, is based on a 1914 one-act comedy by Martin J. McHugh and features rare shots of the 3’gauge West Clare Railway. The station in the film was Kilkee, renamed ‘Dunfaill’ for the occasion and the train was formed of 1892-built Dubs & Co. Class 5C 0-6-2T No.5 Slieve Callan with carriages 7 and 27. The loco was repainted into a special black livery with silver and yellow lining and was given the new identity of ‘BDR No.14 Viceroy’, whilst coaches 7 and 27 were renumbered ‘145’ and ‘178’ respectively. A goods van on the rear was fitted out as a brake van and the whole ensemble represented a train on the ‘Ballyscran & Dunfaill Railway’. These rare scenes include some very good shots of the train traveling through the countryside and passing over a level crossing. Loco No.5 was the last steam loco to remain on the line and although withdrawn by the time of filming, it was returned to steam for the occasion, but was towed to and from Kilkee by a diesel. Acted by players from the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, the actors listed above are two who appeared in A Minute’s Wait. The West Clare Railway, meanwhile, was a fairly complex narrow-gauge system in County Clare which opened in 1887. The system pioneered diesel traction with all passenger services dieselised by 1952. The whole line had closed by the beginning of 1961. As the last working steam loco, No.5 Slieve Callan has become the sole survivor of the line’s steam fleet. A preservation society maintains a railway museum and has successfully re-opened a section of the railway as a passenger-carrying heritage line where No.5 can be seen.
RIVER BEAT
GB
1954
1hr 10mins
Dir: Guy Green
Starring: John Bentley and Phyllis Kirk
A river police inspector faces a moral dilemma when a woman he knows gets caught up in jewel smuggling
This crime film features a shot of the railway bridge across Hardinge Street in Shadwell and a train of suburban coaches is crossing though no
locomotive is seen. There is also a shot of Chaseley Street railway bridge in Limehouse later in the film, but no trains are seen this time.
*ROBBERY
GB
1967
1hr 50mins
Dir: Peter Yates
Starring: Stanley Baker and James Booth
A criminal gang plan to stop and rob the Glasgow-London night mail train
Although using fictional characters and plot situations, the actual robbery sequence is plainly based on the Great Train Robbery of 1963. The film sees a train stopped by a red signal, then driven forward to a point where it is relieved of £3 million. The film even uses the same type of diesel locomotive as the real robbery four years earlier, a Class 40. The only difference is that the film uses disc-headcode example No. D318 when in fact the actual loco that hauled the infamous train was D326, a split-box example (see Buster). Most of the train scenes take place at night for the actual robbery sequence, although there are a couple of day time shots as the police examine the loco and stock. These were filmed east of Theddingworth on the Rugby-Market Harborough cross-country line which had closed in June 1966. There are some excellent shots of D318 during the robbery scenes and in the opening credit sequence, with run-bys and a tracking shot filmed from the rear of a preceding train. Look closely at the scenes were the robbers lie in wait for the night train and a Class 24 can be seen ambling past in the distance on a mixed freight. This mixed freight is seen in the opening tracking shots (but not the loco) as identified by the Bedford lorries on some of the wagons. This suggests that the freight train too, like the 40 and its mail coaches, was brought to the line specifically for filming. The scene of the mail train leaving Glasgow Central was in fact filmed at London Marylebone and there is also a shot of the frontage to London Victoria. It was quite daring at the time to produce a movie based on the Great Train Robbery so soon after it happened and although the film was quite successful in the UK, where the robbery was still fresh in people’s minds and the film won a best original British screenplay award, in the US it was hardly a hit at all. However, time and culture have not been kind to Yates’ film despite it actually being quite a well worked production, and it has, to a very large extent, been relegated to a footnote in British crime cinema. Incidentally, to avoid legal problems it was decided to write a script where the details in the 25-minute robbery sequence were taken entirely from court evidence. The remainder of the film would be fictitious speculation.
THE ROCKET POST
GB
2004
1hr 52mins
Dir: Stephen Whittaker
Starring: Ulrich Thomsen and Shauna Macdonald
A German rocket scientist plans to test his rockets on a remote Scottish island
This drama is set on a remote Scottish island during the late 1930s and is very loosely based on experiments in 1934 by the German inventor
Gerhard Zucker to provide a postal service to the island of Scarp by rocket mail. It features a scene towards the end that was filmed at Aviemore
station on the Strathspey Railway using Caledonian Railway 812 Class 0-6-0 No.828 in BR livery but not with its BR number (which was No. 57566).
*THE ROCKING HORSE
GB
1962
24mins
Dir: James Scott
Starring: Drewe Henley and Jenny Lousada
A young teddy boy has a chance encounter with a foreign painter
This short and sharp drama excellently portrays the feeling of desire, reservation, frustration and ultimate rejection that all centres around a brief
sexual encounter. There is one single shot of a train near the start of the film. As a motorcyclist rides under a bridge a pair of 4 SUB EMUs are passing overhead. The exact location is not known but it could be somewhere on the South Bank.
*ROCKNROLLA
GB / US
2008
1hr 54mins
Dir: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Mark Strong and Thandie Newton
In London, a real estate scam puts millions of pounds up for grabs, attracting some of the city’s scrappiest tough guys
This poor crime film features a quite lengthy chase on the trackbed of the disused North Woolwich branch from Stratford, with the flying arch
cutting on the approach to the 600 yard Connaught (or Silvertown) Tunnel particularly prominent. All North London line services were withdrawn from the section south of Stratford in 2006, but by this stage the line already looked closed such was its poor condition!
*ROGUES OF LONDON
GB
1915
51mins
Dir: Bert Haldane
Starring: Fred Paul and Blanche Forsythe
A cleric’s son saves a maid from suicide, only for her to save him when he is framed for killing a crook’s mistress
This silent melodrama from the Ealing-based Barker studios is in four parts. It features a shot of a couple of trams on the Embankment in part two and a shot of the frontage to St Pancras station in part three. Sadly, part four appears to be lost, and the running time listed above is that without.
ROMANCE AND RICHES (see THE AMAZING QUEST OF ERNEST BLISS)
ROOKERY NOOK (aka ONE EMBARRASSING NIGHT)
GB
1930
1hr 30mins
Dir: Tom Walls
Starring: Ralph Lynn and Winifred Shotter
A man tries to hide a runaway girl from his wife and mother-in-law
This film farce is a screen adaptation of the original 1926 Aldwych farce of the same title by Ben Travers, who in turn based it on his own 1923 novel. The film features a very rare shot of Smallford station on the Hatfield-St Albans branch, a route which closed throughout to passengers on 1st October 1951. The scene features a train of Gresley teak corridor coaches arriving behind LNER N7/2 Class 0-6-2T No.2641, only two years
old at the time.
*ROOM AT THE TOP
GB
1959
1hr 55mins
Dir: Jack Clayton
Starring: Laurence Harvey and Simone Signoret
An ambitious young clerk eventually succeeds by marrying into a rich family
This widely lauded, gritty, northern drama is thought to be the first of the British New Wave of realistic film dramas otherwise known as the
‘kitchen sink’ cycle. It is based on the 1957 novel of the same name by John Braine. The opening scene features Laurence Harvey arriving by train
at Halifax station, masquerading as ‘Warnley Town’. The train is hauled by ex-LMS Stanier Class 4P 2-Cylinder 2-6-4T No.2477 (still with pre-1948 LMS number!?) and the opening shot of Harvey inside the train appears to be real, and not a studio set. There are several scenes filmed in Market Street, Bradford, and the frontage of the old Forster Square Railway Station is just visible. Later in the film, Laurence Harvey and Simone Signoret make a journey to the coast and there is an excellent shot of ex-SR M7 Class 0-4-4T No.30027 arriving at Baynards station with push-pull set No.431. Baynards was on the direct Guildford-Christ’s Hospital line, not exactly on the coast! The film was followed by two sequels; Life at the Top in 1965 and Man at the Top in 1973 (both qv). Baynards station meanwhile became something of a filmstar by appearing in five movies in six years. The station also featured in The Grass is Greener (1960), The Horsemasters (1961), Rotten to the Core (1965) and Monster of Terror (1965) (all qv). It had earlier featured in They Were Sisters (1945) (qv) and in 1957 the BBC filmed an adaptation of The Railway Children there.
*A ROOM FOR ROMEO BRASS
GB
1999
1hr 30mins
Dir: Shane Meadows
Starring: Paddy Considine and Vicky McClure
A relationship between two young boys is threatened by the arrival of an unbalanced adult
This comedy drama is filmed largely on location in Calverton, Nottinghamshire. One of the additional scenes during the closing credits features the two lead characters sitting on a hillside. A Class 156 ‘Sprinter’ DMU passes by in the middle distance and although the exact location of this scene is not known, it is somewhere in the surrounding countryside though it could possibly be in the Uttoxeter area of Staffordshire.
ROOM FOR TWO
GB
1940
1hr 17mins
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Starring: Vic Oliver and Frances Day
A womanising Englishman dresses in drag to conceal his interest in a married tourist
This comedy was largely set in Venice, which was a little unfortunate as by the time it was released Fascist Italy had entered the war against Britain and her allies. Despite the foreign shoot some British railway scenes do appear. They are standard fair for the time and are of course full of error. A Southern Railway ‘King Arthur’ Class 4-6-0 is initially seen leaving London Victoria station only for it to have become a GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 in the next shot! The film was written by Gilbert Wakefield and was based on his 1938 stage farce of the same name.
*A ROOM WITH A VIEW
GB
1985
1hr 57mins
Dir: James Ivory
Starring: Maggie Smith and Denholm Elliott
In Edwardian times, an innocent girl has her eyes opened to life and romance
This very successful romantic drama is based on E.M. Forster’s 1908 novel of the same name. It features a scene filmed at Horsted Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway with a train hauled by ex-LBSCR Class A1X ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No.72 Fenchurch.
ROSSELLI AND SON (see THE FRIGHTENED MAN)
ROTTEN TO THE CORE
GB
1965
1hr 29mins
Dir: John Boulting
Starring: Anton Rodgers and Charlotte Rampling
Crooks plan an Army payroll robbery
This comedy features an elaborate heist towards the end of the film. The robbery of the payroll train was filmed on the Guildford-Christ’s Hospital
line with Baynards and Christ’s Hospital stations both appearing, the latter renamed ‘Longhampton’. The train itself was hauled by a Class 33 diesel on a short rake of Bulleid coaches. Two Class 33 diesels were used in the film, No’s D6584 and D6550 with the latter temporarily renumbered D6584 for continuity purposes. The train was carrying the wages of German Army dignitaries and soldiers and the Class 33 was fitted with a circular headboard carrying both the British and German Imperial flags. Ex-SR N Class 2-6-0 No.31405 also appears in one scene. London Marylebone station provides the setting for the final scenes and there is also a sequence with Eric Sykes on the London Underground that involves 1962-built tube stock.
*ROUGH SHOOT (aka SHOOT FIRST)
GB
1953
1hr 28mins
Dir: Robert Parrish
Starring: Joel McCrea and Evelyn Keyes
A retired US Army officer shoots at a man he believes to be a poacher, then goes on the run when he thinks he has killed him
This thriller is based on the 1951 novel A Rough Shoot by Geoffrey Household and features a railway journey to London. This comprises of a near night time run past of an unrebuilt Bulleid ‘Pacific’ on an express in the Byfleet area, followed by the arrival at Waterloo station of a train behind unrebuilt ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 No.34011 Tavistock. The carriage interior scene and that of ‘Winchester’ station appear to be sets.
*ROYALTY
GB
2001
13mins
Dir: Paul Andrew Williams
Starring: Lorraine Stanley and Johnny Harris
On the cold streets of London, the kings and queens of the red light district play out their tawdry night games
This short drama was the inspiration for the 2006 award winning drama London to Brighton (qv). It features a number of shots of the frontage to King’s Cross station.
RUBY BLUE
GB
2008
1hr 46mins
Dir: Jan Dunn
Starring: Bob Hoskins and Josiane Balasko
After sinking into depression following the death of his wife, a pigeon racer becomes entangled with a mysterious Frenchwoman
This independent drama features a scene filmed outside the entrance to Ramsgate station, with a good establishing shot of the station frontage.
*THE RULING CLASS
GB
1972
2hrs 34mins
Dir: Peter Medak
Starring: Peter O’Toole and Arthur Lowe
A paranoid schizophrenic British nobleman inherits a peerage but thinks he is God
This black comedy was not a success, but it has now become something of a cult classic and is actually quite enjoyable. It is an adaptation of
Peter Barnes’ satirical stage play of the same title and features a brief scene at the entrance to Denham station.
A RUN FOR YOUR MONEY
GB
1949
1hr 25mins
Dir: Charles Frend
Starring: Donald Houston and Alec Guinness
Two Welsh coalminers win a newspaper contest, the prize for which is a trip to London to see a rugby match
This Ealing comedy includes a memorable sequence that sees Hugh Griffith travelling with a harp on the London Underground, a scene which was filmed at Holborn with 1923 ‘standard stock’ in the northbound Piccadilly Line platform. There are some good scenes that were shot at London Paddington station though rather confusingly all the trains themselves appear at Windsor & Eton Central. These include a shot of a GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 arriving on an express. Finally, there is very rare scene filmed at Nantymoel station, terminus of the branch from Tondu and Bridgend, with a GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT arriving on a local service. The station masquerades as ‘Hafoduwchbenceubwllymarchogcoch’ (!?).
*RUNAWAY RAILWAY
GB
1966
55mins
Dir: Jan Darnley-Smith
Starring: Sydney Tafler and Ronnie Barker
A group of children save their branch line and foil a railway robbery in the process
This Children’s Film Foundation short adventure story is filmed almost entirely on the Longmoor Military Railway, which together with The
Great St. Trinian’s Train Robbery (qv) stands as a great reminder to this long-gone system. This delightfully charming film centres on ‘Barming’, which was in fact Bordon BR station, the northerly terminus of the ex-LSWR Bordon Light Railway which was adjacent to Bordon station on the Longmoor system. The former LSWR owned Bentley and Bordon Light Railway had closed to passengers in 1957. The star of the film is Matilda, actually Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No.196 Errol Lonsdale disguised with fake outside cylinders, an extended chimney and given an elaborate lined-out livery. The loco hauls the branch train made up of a single ex-Southern Railway ‘birdcage’ coach. The crooks plan to use the locomotive to steal a mail coach, actually a Southern Railway PMV that they have detached from the morning express, and they help the children bring Matilda back to a fully operational condition after years of lack of maintenance. The robbery sequence, and the children’s attempt to foil it, make great use of the line, particularly at Borden, Whitehill Junction and on the Hollywater Loop, though Longmoor Yard is also used for some exciting parallel running. At one point, both Matilda and the mail train are following each other on the same block section! These quite exhilarating scenes are reminiscent in some ways of Oh, Mr. Porter! (qv) and are a real joy to watch. The scenes with some of the children climbing up the back of the train and hanging off the sides where actual stunts, though in reality the train was barely moving, and the completed film has been ‘speeded up’. Meanwhile, the express train is hauled by WD ‘Austerity’ 2-10-0 No.600 Gordon, now preserved. Note that the stock of the express varies in some shots suggesting that filming took place over a number of days. At one point a small inspection coach appears directly behind Gordon. Early in the film the railway inspectorate arrives at ‘Barming’ in Wickham petrol trolley No. WD9033 which, like Errol Lonsdale, also appeared in The Great St. Trinian’s Train Robbery. It isn’t all Longmoor though as a few other trains and interesting items feature in this film. There is a stock shot of an express departing from London Paddington station behind GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 No. 7020 Gloucester Castle and a ‘reversed’ stock shot from Platform 7 at London Victoria with a distant unidentifiable steam-hauled train approaching. The shot pre-dates the film by many years as the signals to the right, which were installed in 1920, were replaced in 1939. There are a couple of driver’s eye views from the front of an EMU arriving at Brighton station and a 6 PUL EMU is visible in the adjacent platform. The final scenes at the end where the train reaches London, feature a cleverly disguised Longmoor Downs station with an art department ‘overlay’ to give it the look of a modern 1960s station similar to those being constructed at the time for the new route modernisation of Britain’s main lines. This is a retouched and animated picture of an original work entitled ‘London Midland Electrification, Stafford Station’, which was painted by John Greene in 1963. A very pleasing but somewhat unrealistic touch is that all the children help out with the running of the railway, from cleaning the trains, to uncoupling the coaches and even driving Matilda!
*RUNNERS
GB
1983
1hr 47mins
Dir: Charles Sturridge
Starring: James Fox and Jane Asher
A distraught father heads for London in search of his missing teenage daughter
This drama features quite a number of railway shots during the London sequences with a lot of the action taking place on the concourse of
Victoria station. There are also some very unusual aerial views of Victoria before its redevelopment, as viewed from the adjacent Grosvenor Hotel, and in one shot an EPB-type EMU is present. In one scene where James Fox and Jane Asher board a departing Class 411 4 CEP EMU, a Class 419 single-car Motor Luggage Van is on the rear. There are some scenes filmed onboard Class 411 EMUs and a good scene at Liverpool Street station where James Fox meets his wife off a train hauled by Class 47 No.47576. Another Class 47 is just visible in the background. Liverpool Street is visited again a little later, but no trains are visible this time. While searching for her son, Jane Asher crosses Ladbroke Grove bridge and a Class 117 DMU passes underneath on its way into Paddington. Victoria is visited again at the end of the film where Fox talks to his daughter, and a suburban EMU is prominently visible, possibly a 2-EPB. Finally, there is a scene filmed at Maida Vale Underground station and a shot of the entrance to Paddington and the Praed Street entrances to the Underground.
RUSSELL MULCAHY’S TALE OF THE MUMMY (see TALE OF THE MUMMY)
RUSSIAN DOLLS (aka LES POUPÉES RUSSES)
FRA / GB
2005
2hrs 05mins
Dir: Cédric Klapisch
Starring: Romain Duris and Kelly Reilly
Five years after their summer together in Barcelona, five friends reunite, and discover that their lives have only just begun
Russian Dolls (French: Les Poupées russes) is a French-British comedy-drama film, the sequel to L’Auberge Espagnole (2002) and the second part of the Spanish Apartment trilogy, which is concluded with Casse-tête chinois (Chinese Puzzle, 2013). As is becoming the norm with such films, a trip on the Eurostar between France and the UK is featured. There are some shots of Waterloo International station with Class 373 EMU sets in the platforms, but the journey to England is depicted with some rather good high-speed run-bys of Eurostar sets, including one leaving the French portal. There is also an exceptional over-the-camera shot, most unusual for such a film.
S
*ST TRINIAN’S 2 & THE LEGEND OF FRITTON’S GOLD
GB
2009
1hr 46mins
Dirs: Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson
Starring: Rupert Everett and Sarah Harding
The girls of St. Trinian’s are on the hunt for buried treasure after discovering headmistress Miss Fritton is related to a famous pirate
Although based on the original works of the cartoonist Robert Searle, the modern-day trio of St Trinian’s movies are not considered direct follow ups of the classic series of St Trinian’s films and the new franchise has not been as successful as first intended. This adventure comedy movie has scenes filmed at London Liverpool Street station. Firstly, the girls are seen alighting from a Stansted Express-liveried Class 317 EMU before then taking part in a flash mob on the concourse.
*SABOTAGE (aka THE WOMAN ALONE)
GB
1936
1hr 16mins
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Oscar Homolka and Sylvia Sidney
The proprietor of a London cinema leads another life as a secret agent
This espionage thriller in the typical Hitchcock style features a scene set on the London Underground. This is in actual fact a studio set though the film does include some shots of London trams.
*SAILOR BEWARE! (aka PANIC IN THE PARLOR)
GB
1956
1hr 21mins
Dir: Gordon Parry
Starring: Peggy Mount and Ronald Lewis
A young sailor has trouble with his overbearing mother-in-law-to-be
This comedy film is an adaptation of the successful stage play of the same name. It features a night shot at an unidentified Southern Region level crossing with a passing pre-war EMU set. As it is dark it is not clear exactly what type of unit features.
SAILOR OF THE KING (see SINGLE HANDED)
THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA
GB
1976
1hr 45mins
Dir: Lewis John Carlino
Starring: Sarah Miles and Kris Kristofferson
After his father dies, a disturbed young boy plots to take revenge on the new man in his mother’s life
This mystery drama is based on the 1963 Japanese novel of the same name by Yukio Mishima and features a good shot of Dartmouth Railway station, the Great Western Railway station that was never served by trains. Located on the opposite bank of the River Dart to Kingswear it was used as a ferry terminal for the Dartmouth Passenger Ferry. The wooden structure had full booking office and waiting facilities and was partially jettied out over the river on oak piles. It has never ceased trading as its original function and has provided a ferry service ever since it opened in 1889, though the main railway building is now a restaurant. Incidentally, the station master at Dartmouth was paid more than his colleague at Kingswear due to the importance of the traffic to HMS Britannia as it was known then, the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.
THE SAINT’S GIRL FRIDAY (see THE SAINT’S RETURN)
*THE SAINT’S RETURN (aka THE SAINT’S GIRL FRIDAY)
GB
1953
1hr 13mins
Dir: Seymour Friedman
Starring: Louis Hayward and Diana Dors
The saint goes after a gang that has murdered a former girlfriend
This was the first Saint film to be released in ten years, following RKO’s successful The Saint series from 1938-1943. It features a scene filmed on London Victoria station with coaching stock visible but no locomotives.
SALLY IN OUR ALLEY
GB
1931
1hr 10mins
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Starring: Gracie Fields and Ian Hunter
A girl still longs for her boyfriend who she thinks was killed in the First World War
This romantic comedy drama marked the screen debut of Gracie Fields who was already a music hall star. It incorporated Fields’ hugely popular
signature song, Sally, itself a reference to Henry Carey’s 1725 song, Sally in Our Alley, which had long been a traditional English country dance. The film was a huge success, establishing Fields as a national film star. In the background of one scene outside a shop, two London trams can be
seen passing.
*THE SANDWICH MAN
GB
1966
1hr 35mins
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Starring: Norman Wisdom and Dora Bryan
A man carrying a sandwich board wanders around London meeting up with lots of strange people through the course of his day
This comedy features opening and closing aerial views of Silvertown, on the south side of Royal Victoria Dock, London. Plenty of railway sidings can be seen, some of which contain box vans and open mineral wagons.
*SAPPHIRE
GB
1959
1hr 32mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Nigel Patrick and Yvonne Mitchell
A pregnant woman found dead on Hampstead Heath is assumed to be white, until her black brother comes to the police station to give evidence
This crime drama highlights racial hostility towards Commonwealth immigrants in 1950s London and was progressive at the time. It features a shot of Tufnell Park Underground station and an overview of Southam Street, London W10, which backs on to the Great Western main line. In the background, an ex-GWR steam loco is reversing out of shot but actual identity is near impossible to ascertain.
*SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING
GB
1960
1hr 29mins
Dir: Karel Reisz
Starring: Albert Finney and Shirley Anne Field
A rebellious and hard-living factory worker, juggles relationships with two women, one of whom is married but pregnant with his child
This drama is an adaptation of the 1958 novel of the same name by Alan Sillitoe and is among the first of the social-realist, or ‘kitchen sink dramas’. It is set largely on location in Nottingham though some scenes were filmed elsewhere. The night scene near ‘The British Flag’ pub for instance was in fact filmed in Culvert Road, Battersea, and a van train passes over a bridge in the background behind an unidentifiable tender loco. Later in the film there is a scene that is shot from the top of Nottingham Castle. The view overlooks the railway line and sidings to the west of Nottingham (Midland) station and distant freight stock is visible. There is a scene at a playground, possibly in the Beeston area, and on the
embankment behind there is a brief glimpse of a small tank loco on some coaching stock and finally, in another view from the castle, a distant freight is moving in the well-filled sidings.
*SAVAGE MESSIAH
GB
1972
1hr 43mins
Dir: Ken Russell
Starring: Dorothy Tutin and Scott Anthony
A film of the life of French sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska
This brilliant biographical film is based on the 1931 book of the same title by H.S. Ede and features good scenes filmed at Horsted Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway with not one, but three trains appearing. First there is a train arriving behind ex-GWR 3200 Class ‘Dukedog’ 4-4-0 No. 9017 Earl of Berkeley. The only survivor of the class is a shy locomotive rarely appearing on film, its name was bestowed upon it during preservation. In the background to this scene another steam-hauled train is approaching, which is hauled by ex-SECR P Class 0-6-0T No.323 Bluebell with ex-LNWR Observation Car No.1503 at the rear of its train. Good shots of this vehicle appear in the 1977 film Hardcore (qv). As if this wasn’t good enough, the railway scenes end with a very exhilarating sequence whereby Scott Anthony is nearly run down by a train hauled by ex-SR USA Class 0-6-0T No. 30064. Horsted Keynes masquerades in the film as ‘Portland’. Dorothy Tutin, as herself, is truly wonderful.
SAY HELLO TO YESTERDAY
GB
1970
1hr 36mins
Dir: Alvin Rakoff
Starring: Jean Simmons and Leonard Whiting
A young man pursues an older woman on a shopping trip to London
This drama is a fast-moving account of ten hours in the life of a suburban housewife and features some good shots of Southern Region EMUs. Early on there are scenes filmed at a snowy ‘Cobham’ station, which is in reality Ascot, and Class 423 4 VEP stock is present including set No. 7805. In the adjacent platform are a couple of vintage 2 BIL EMUs in their final year or so of operation. There are then some scenes filmed at London Victoria and a number of suburban two-car EMUs can be discerned amongst the crowds. These scenes also include a good shot of the station frontage.
SCARLET HEAVEN (see FORBIDDEN)
*SCHIZO
GB
1976
1hr 49mins
Dir: Pete Walker
Starring: Jack Watson and Lynne Frederick
A psychopath stalks a young figure skater
This psychological thriller features a railway journey from Newcastle to London. There are a number of brief shots of Class 101 DMUs on the approaches to Newcastle Central station and then scenes with Jack Watson onboard Mk3 coaching stock which was almost brand new at the time. He is then seen leaving the train at London Euston and 87034 is at the head of the train. Finally, there is a shot of the frontage to King’s Cross.
SCHOOL FOR BRIDES (see TWO ON THE TILES)
SCHOOL FOR RANDLE
GB
1949
1hr 29mins
Dir: John Blakeley
Starring: Frank Randle and Hilda Bayley
A school caretaker discovers that one of the pupils is his long-lost daughter
This music-hall comedy was the usual weak fare from Randle, which although cheaply made proved to be one of a group of films that were a commercial success for Mancunian Films. There is a station scene in this film that maybe a very good studio set but it was more than likely to have been filmed at an unknown location. There is also a stock shot from Brief Encounter (1945) in the form of a going-away shot of an LMS streamlined ‘Coronation’ Class 4-6-2 on an express.
*SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS
GB
1960
1hr 37mins
Dir: Robert Hamer
Starring: Ian Carmichael and Alastair Sim
A failure takes a course in one-upmanship and transforms his life
This comedy was based on the Stephen Potter One Upmanship and Lifemanship books and features good opening railway shots. The station at the start of the film which is purporting to be ‘Yeovil’, is in fact Hertford East, and a local train is arriving behind an ex-LNER Class F5 2-4-2T. As Ian Carmichael makes his way out of the station he nonchalantly crosses the tracks in the yard, and both J15 and J19 Class 0-6-0 tender locos are visible amongst the coaches, along with another couple of tanks, and what appears to be the extreme front end of a DMU, almost new at the time. There is also something very odd which although appearing to be an unidentified small locomotive with a curious off-centred cab, is more likely to be a small crane or some similar departmental vehicle. Later, there is a shot of the original frontage to Elstree & Borehamwood station. The film
was often marketed as ‘School for Scoundrels or How to Win Without Actually Cheating’.
*SCHOOL FOR SEDUCTION
GB
2004
1hr 44mins
Dir: Sue Heel
Starring: Kelly Brook and Dervla Kirwan
An Italian temptress arrives at a school in Newcastle to teach a group of Geordies about the art of romance and seduction
This comedy drama set on Tyneside features some railway scenes near the beginning. There is a good passing shot of a Class 91-hauled GNER express and another scene with of a GNER Class 91 arriving at Newcastle Central station. There are also scenes filmed onboard the train and a view out of the window of the Newcastle skyline is ‘interrupted’ by a pair of turquoise and green Northern Spirit DMUs passing!
SCHOOL FOR UNCLAIMED GIRLS (see THE SMASHING BIRD I USED TO KNOW)
SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS (see LAXDALE HALL)
SCOTLAND YARD DRAGNET (see THE HYPNOTIST)
*SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN
GB
1970
1hr 35mins
Dir: Gordon Hessler
Starring: Alfred Marks and Vincent Price
A serial killer is on the loose in London and the Police follow him to a house owned by an eccentric scientist
This conspiracy thriller is acknowledged as one of the best science-fiction films made in Britain. Based on the 1967 novel The Disorientated Man by Peter Saxon, a house pseudonym used by various authors in the 1960s and 1970s, it features two peripheral railway scenes. First there is a chase sequence that includes Barnes station as part of its route, though no trains are seen, and later there is a shot of a car chase which crosses Betchworth level crossing in Surrey.
SCREAMING TARGET (see SITTING TARGET)
*THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM
GB
1954
1hr 31mins
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Michael Redgrave and Dirk Bogarde
A downed aircrew wait in a dinghy to be rescued
This war movie takes its title from the motto of the Royal Air Force’s Air Sea Rescue Service and was based on the 1953 novel of the same name by John Harris. There is one scene filmed at Felixstowe Town station with an ex-LNER Class F6 2-4-2T arriving on a train.
SEASIDE SWINGERS (see EVERY DAY’S A HOLIDAY)
*SÉANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON
GB
1964
1hr 55mins
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Starring: Richard Attenborough and Nanette Newman
An unstable medium convinces her husband to kidnap a child so that she can help the police solve the crime and achieve renown for her abilities
This intelligent and absorbing drama features a scene filmed on the London Underground. Both Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus stations feature along with 1962-built Central Line stock (identifiable through car No.9165). Although neither station is on the Central Line, the 1962-built stock occasionally worked on the Piccadilly Line services, hence their appearance at the aforementioned stations.
*SECOND COMING
GB
2014
1hr 45mins
Dir: Debbie Tucker Green
Starring: Idris Elba and Nadine Marshall
A married couple who no longer have sex are left with unanswered questions when the wife mysteriously becomes pregnant
This drama doesn’t quite succeed with what could have been a promising story. It features one scene filmed from the footbridge at the end of St Margarets station near Twickenham, and a pair of Class 458 ‘Juniper’ EMUs can be seen in the background. The footbridge connects Amyands Park Road with Drummonds Place but does not give access to the station. In the film, Idris Elba plays the role of a track maintenance worker and there are a couple of scenes filmed at the Colas Rail track training facility in Purley. A Southern Class 377 and Class 455 EMU are visible in several shots whilst the platforms of Purley station can be seen in the far background to another.
*SECRET AGENT
GB
1936
1hr 26mins
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: John Gielgud and Peter Lorre
After three British agents are assigned to assassinate a mysterious German spy during World War I, two of them become ambivalent to the task
This typical Hitchcock thriller is loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. It is mainly set on the Continent, though one night-time scene is believed to have been filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway. If this is the case then this was the first time that the railway appeared in film, only one year after it had been renamed from the Woolmer Instructional Military Railway.
*THE SECRET AGENT
US / GB
1996
1hr 35mins
Dir: Christopher Hampton
Starring: Bob Hoskins and Patricia Arquette
In Victorian London, a double agent becomes involved in a terrorist plot
This period drama features sequences filmed on two preserved railways. ‘Maize Hill’ station is in fact Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway and appears in two scenes with Bob Hoskins. In the first, there is a shot from onboard what maybe one of the line’s Norwegian carriages followed by a scene on the platform with a freight train passing in the background. The image is blurred and although not entirely clear it would appear to be hauled by a small industrial tank engine, possibly Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST No.1539 Derek Crouch. No trains feature in the second scene at Wansford but there is a better shot of the platform and station building. Towards the end of the film is a scene whereby Patricia Arquette and Gérard Depardieu flee London for the coast and this was filmed on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough Central station. The initial establishing shot used some amount of CGI as the station has been given an overall roof (!) and the train formed of vintage carriages is hauled by ex-L&YR Aspinall Class 27 0-6-0 No.52322, though little of the locomotive is actually seen. The film was adapted from Joseph Conrad’s 1907 novel of the same name.
*SECRET FRIENDS
GB
1991
1hr 37mins
Dir: Dennis Potter
Starring: Alan Bates and Gina Bellman
During a train journey, a man’s fantasy spirals out of control
This fantasy drama is based on Dennis Potter’s 1986 novel Ticket to Ride. Probably for ease of production, the entire train journey is filmed in a convincing studio mock-up of a Mk3 coach and no real trains feature. However, so as to give the sensation of actually moving, back-projection through the windows show that some shots were filmed from a window of a train on the Western Region main line. Recognisable locations viewed in these shots include Foxhall Junction, Didcot, and the River Thames between Pangbourne and Tilehurst complete with rowers!
THE SECRET GARDEN
US
1949
1hr 29mins
Dir: Fred Wilcox
Starring: Margaret O’Brien and Herbert Marshall
An orphaned girl goes to stay with her uncle and revitalises his family’s life
This drama is the second screen adaptation of the classic 1911 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The film includes a good stock shot of a GWR 2301 Class ‘Dean Goods’ 0-6-0 on a branch passenger train.
SECRET PEOPLE
GB
1952
1hr 36mins
Dir: Thorold Dickinson
Starring: Valentina Cortese and Audrey Hepburn
Refugees in London become embroiled with anarchists
This drama features a few locomotives as the flat in which the anarchists meet overlooks the approaches to London Paddington station. GWR locomotives that feature include a ‘Hall’ 4-6-0, a 5700-series 0-6-0PT and a 5101-series 2-6-2T.
*THE SECRET PLACE
GB
1957
1hr 38mins
Dir: Clive Donner
Starring: Ronald Lewis and Belinda Lee
A diamond robbery is masterminded by small-time crooks, only for a young boy to find himself unwittingly caught up in events
This quite decent crime heist melodrama features several scenes filmed in Morville Street, Bow, East London. On the other side of the boundary wall, Class 306 EMUs can be seen running along the Great Eastern Main Line out of Liverpool Street. At the time, these units were in as-built condition with a diamond pantograph above the cab on the leading motor brake second. They were known officially as ‘Shenfield Stock’ not being classified until about 1960, when they were called AM6, and then from 1968 as Class 306. Another unit is also glimpsed through a bedroom window at the very beginning of the film. The final showdown takes place at London King’s Cross station at night, and in one scene what looks likely to be a large ex-LNER tank engine is bringing stock into the background of one shot.
SECRET PLACES
GB
1984
1hr 38mins
Dir: Zelda Barron
Starring: Jenny Agutter and Claudine Auger
During the Second World War, a schoolgirl becomes friends with a German refugee
This drama was based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Janice Elliott and features a scene filmed on the Bluebell Railway. BR suburban
coaches are present but no locomotives, though curiously a stock shot of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 is included. There are also a couple
of good shots of double-deck electric trams at Beamish Open Air Museum.
*SECRETS & LIES
GB
1996
2hrs 22mins
Dir: Mike Leigh
Starring: Timothy Spall and Brenda Blethyn
A well-educated black woman traces her family history and discovers that her real mother is white
This absolutely brilliant and critically acclaimed drama rightfully won three awards. It features a scene outside Holborn Underground station.
*THE SELFISH GIANT
GB
2013
1hr 31mins
Dir: Clio Barnard
Starring: Sean Gilder and Lorraine Ashbourne
Two thirteen year-old working-class friends in Bradford seek fortune by getting involved with a local scrap dealer and criminal
This drama has a short scene early on featuring thieves stealing cable from a single track line. This was filmed at night on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and the line’s Class 20, No.20031, puts in an appearance. The brick overbridge in the scene appears to be a prop.
SEPARATE LIES
GB
2005
1hr 25mins
Dir: Julian Fellowes
Starring: Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson
A damaged relationship is stretched to its desperate limits after a solicitor’s wife is involved in a hit-and-run
This drama is based on the 1951 novel A Way Through the Wood by Nigel Balchin, which had already been turned into a stage play under the title
Waiting for Gillian in 1957. There is a scene at London Marylebone station with Tom Wilkinson boarding a Class 165 ‘Turbo’ DMU and a scene at Denham station. In a later night scene again at Denham station, the Class 165 disappearing into the distance is actually a computer-generated image!! Filming has come a long way since the early silent days and the use of digital imagery to enhance a scene shows to good effect what lengths some producers will go to just to provide an authentic railway shot.
SERENA
GB
1962
1hr
Dir: Peter Maxwell
Starring: Patrick Holt and Honor Blackman
A detective on a murder case unearths some surprising information about the victim
This short crime thriller includes a scene that was filmed at London Paddington station, though no trains are visible.
THE SERVANT
GB
1963
1hr 52mins
Dir: Joseph Losey
Starring: Dirk Bogarde and Sarah Miles
A rich young man gradually becomes entirely subservient to his manservant
This tightly-constructed psychological drama includes a scene with Dirk Bogarde on the platforms of London St Pancras station as a Class 45 ‘Peak’ arrives with an express from the Midlands. There is also a shot of the station frontage. The film is Harold Pinter’s 1963 film adaptation of a 1948 novelette by Robin Maugham.
SEVEN DAYS TO NOON
GB
1950
1hr 34mins
Dirs: John Boulting and Roy Boulting
Starring: Barry Jones and Olive Sloane
An atomic scientist threatens to blow up London unless nuclear research stops
This thriller is based on the book Un Nazi en Manhattan by Fernando Josseau and features a number of good railway scenes. The first section of the film depicts the approaches to London Waterloo and the station itself. A variety of Southern Railway traction can be seen including a ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0, 4 COR EMUs, 4 SUB EMU No.4162 and 2 HAL unit No.2647, amongst others. There are then some scenes filmed on the London Underground with 1938-built Bakerloo Line stock at Trafalgar Square station, though Barry Jones eventually leaves via another, as yet unknown, station. Finally, there is a brief scene at a railway depot where the police are searching for clues. This was filmed at Stewarts Lane shed and surprisingly no locomotives are visible, though a couple of Southern Railway coaches are present.
*718
GB
2013
8mins
Dir: Liam Wesson
Starring: Enzo Iantosca and Kevin Miles
A young lad is haunted by his past, and by a spectral locomotive
This little ghost story was filmed on the Chasewater Railway and featured both Chasewater Heaths station and Brownhills West engine shed. Central to the story is Colin McAndrew & Coy, the diminutive little Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST Works/No.1223 of 1911. The other locomotives present in the engine shed are Holly Bank No.3 (Hunslet 0-6-0ST Works/No.3783 of 1953) and Central Electricity Authority Midlands Division No.4 (RSH 0-6-0T Works/No.7684 of 1951). A mixed collection of mineral wagons can also be seen at Chasewater Heaths station.
THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION
GB / US
1976
1hr 53mins
Dir: Herbert Ross
Starring: Laurence Olivier and Vanessa Redgrave
To treat his friend’s cocaine induced delusions, Dr. Watson lures Sherlock Holmes to Vienna for a visit to Sigmund Freud
This lavish Sherlock Holmes story is based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Nicholas Meyer. The high-point of this highly entertaining
film is a spectacular chase sequence where Holmes and Watson pursue a villain (the Pasha, played by Gertan Klauber) on a steam train. The elaborate sequence was filmed on the Severn Valley Railway with four locomotives used and all were vaguely disguised as Austrian locomotives. The Pasha’s train is hauled by ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.45110 northbound (the loco was given the number 90.160) and ex-LMS Class 8F 2-8-0 No.8233 southbound (the loco carried its own number), with Holmes train hauled by ex-LMS Ivatt Class 2MT 2-6-0s Nos.46443 and 46521 northbound and southbound respectively. Both the Ivatt’s were numbered 60.116 to aid continuity but the use of different locos in different directions is still somewhat odd. In fact, a number of continuity errors occur if you look closely at the sequence: the sword fight atop of the carriages shifts indiscriminately from cut to cut between the roofs of the second and first coach; at one point the trains are seen on two tracks that are about to merge. Holmes states that there are no points left to switch. However, the coming together of the two track lines necessarily involves a switching point and that set of points, in fact, is visible soon thereafter; as the two trains converge on adjacent tracks, the semaphore signal for the track on which the Pasha’s train runs is at ‘stop’ (the train is in fact running the wrong way); and right after the crew starts dismantling the carriage for firewood, modern high-tension electricity lines are seen atop a hill running parallel to the tracks. But it seems unlikely that any film will ever be produced without some failings and the movie is a joy to watch. Most of the Severn Valley was used and the scene where the two trains converge onto the same section of track necessitated the relaying of part of the old Wyre Valley line at Bewdley for aerial shots. The Pasha’s train was formed of two bogie-bolster wagons with plywood bodies attached. Holmes’s train featured a similar carriage and it is this carriage which gets broken up for firewood to supply fuel for the loco in the scene where the electricity pylons are visible, as noted above. Recognisable locations on the Severn Valley Railway are: Northwood Halt, Bewdley station (which masquerades as ‘Aspern’) and Oldbury Viaduct between Bridgnorth and Eardington. The Austrian-Italian border post is located at the Bewdley end of the Victoria Bridge, but the pursuit continues after the Pasha’s train smashes through the checkpoint on its way to Istanbul. Often overlooked is the earlier period scene filmed at York station with SECR 4-4-0 D Class No.737 and LNWR ‘Precedent’ Class 2-4-0 No.790 Hardwicke on trains. The pair were borrowed from the National Collection and are present amongst much smoke and steam. Hardwicke is on a ‘Continental Boat Express’ whilst 737 is working the ‘next departure’ after Holmes and Watson missed the boat express.
*SEVEN SINNERS
GB
1936
1hr 07mins
Dir: Albert de Courville
Starring: Edmund Lowe and Constance Cummings
An American detective and his sidekick are called to Britain to take on a gang of international criminals
This surprisingly crisp and humorous little thriller has central to its plot, gun-runners who cause train crashes to cover up murder. It is seen at
least by some therefore, to be a remake of the 1929 thriller The Wrecker (qv), though this isn’t the case and the two films are quite distinct in their differences. There are similarities though between the two movies, with one of the major crash scenes using almost all the footage from that earlier film, with the spectacular staged crash using ex-SECR F1 Class 4-4-0 No.148 that was filmed on the Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway. There is a stock shot of the cab and motion of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0, and a scene filmed at London Waterloo station, but otherwise there is very little else in the way of British railway material in this film. All the remaining scenes feature studio sets and models, including the final crash scene that takes place in a tunnel. Although this shot was achieved using back projection on a studio set, the onrushing locomotive crashing into the coach, the whole sides of which collapse around the screaming occupants, is tremendously effective.
*THE SEVENTH VEIL
GB / US
1945
1hr 34mins
Dir: Compton Bennett
Starring: Ann Todd and James Mason
A concert pianist is torn between her psychiatrist and her mentor
This famous melodrama features a very brief shot of the concourse of London Waterloo station.
*A SEVERED HEAD
GB
1970
1hr 38mins
Dir: Dick Clement
Starring: Claire Bloom and Richard Attenborough
An upper-class wine merchant having an affair discovers his wife is playing the same game
This bizarre drama is based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Iris Murdoch and features a scene at London Paddington station. Blue and grey-liveried Mk1 coaching stock is visible but no locomotives are seen.
*SHAANDAAR
IND
2015
2hrs 24mins
Dir: Vikas Bahl
Starring: Alia Bhatt and Shahid Kapoor
Against the backdrop of a destination wedding, two families try to save their respective empires, unbeknownst to each other
This Indian romantic-comedy whose name translates as ‘Magnificent’, features an interesting opening scene filmed from Cow Wath Bridge, overlooking Goathland station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Present in the background are ex-LMS ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.45428 Eric Treacy and ex-LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 No.60007 Sir Nigel Gresley in BR Blue.
SHADEY
GB
1985
1hr 30mins
Dir: Philip Saville
Starring: Antony Sher and Leslie Ash
A man with clairvoyant qualities is recruited by British intelligence for a secret mission
This rather odd comedy drama features a scene with some of the characters onboard Southern Region express slam-door EMUs. Other similar units appear in these scenes that were believed to have been filmed in the Clapham/Wandsworth/Battersea areas.
SHADOW OF A MAN
GB
1956
1hr 09mins
Dir: Michael McCarthy
Starring: Paul Carpenter and Rona Anderson
After a fight in a nightclub, a drunk is found dead at home, but is the cause of death heart failure or murder?
This crime drama features a shot of the frontage of Hastings station.
SHADOW OF FEAR (see BEFORE I WAKE)
*SHADOWLANDS
GB
1993
2hrs 11mins
Dir: Richard Attenborough
Starring: Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger
The story of Oxford academic C. S. Lewis and his relationship with an American woman
The screenplay for this biographical film was by William Nicholson and it is based on his 1985 television production and 1989 stage adaptation of the same name. The critically acclaimed film is about the love-relationship between Oxford academic C. S. Lewis and American poet Joy Davidman, her death from cancer, and how this challenged Lewis’ Christian faith. The railway scenes in the film were shot on the Great Central Railway, with Loughborough Central standing in for ‘Oxford’. Ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.45231 and ex-GWR ‘Castle’ Class
4-6-0 No.7029 Clun Castle were used in the film and were commendably weathered so as to look like typical work-stained locos of the 1950s.
*SHADOWS IN THE SUN
GB
2009
1hr 21mins
Dir: David Rocksavage
Starring: James Wilby and Ophelia Lovibond
A mysterious stranger brings together a family that has lost its way
Set in the coastal region of north Norfolk, this drama features a scene near the end that was filmed on the North Norfolk Railway at Sheringham station, with a train of maroon-liveried Mk1s in the platform. TSO No.4651 is prominent but no locomotive is seen. There are also a couple of shots filmed onboard a Mk1 coach.
SHAMELESS (see MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN)
*SHAUN OF THE DEAD
GB
2009
1hr 39mins
Dir: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost
A man attempts to get some kind of focus in his life and at the same time he has to cope with an apocalyptic zombie uprising
This comedy horror was a critical and commercial success and although the film was extensively advertised with posters showing Simon Pegg’s
character Shaun stuck on a Tube train full of zombies, the finished product as seen in cinemas lacked any direct reference to the London Underground. The DVD of the film, however, includes a number of deleted scenes, amongst them two that show Shaun’s journey to and from work interrupted by the closure of Underground stations on both occasions. One masqueraded as the fictitious ‘Crouch End’ but it is not known where either of these stations were actually located.
SHE’LL HAVE TO GO (aka MAID FOR MURDER)
GB
1962
1hr 29mins
Dir: Robert Asher
Starring: Alfred Marks and Hattie Jacques
Two brothers plan to murder the woman who has inherited their house
This comedy features some good shots filmed at Brickett Wood station on the Watford Junction-St Albans Abbey branch with a train arriving behind a BR Ivatt Class 2MT 2-6-2T. The station masquerades as ‘Ambering’, a mix of Amberley and Angmering perhaps?
*SHERLOCK HOLMES A GAME OF SHADOWS
GB / US
2011
2hrs 09mins
Dir: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law
Holmes and Watson travel across Europe with a Gypsy adventuress to foil an intricate plot by Professor Moriarty to instigate a war
This lavish and typically elaborate Warner Brothers remake of the classic Sherlock tale features much CGI and could not be further from the original stories if it tried. However, it was largely a commercial success leaving its best scenes to one-on-ones between Holmes and Moriarty. The film features two railway sequences, but both are not what they seem. There are a number of scenes filmed in the engine shed at the Didcot Railway Centre which doubles up as the German armaments factory. Several GWR locos are present and though the only one readily identifiable is 6100 Class 2-6-2T No.6106, others including 5700-series 0-6-0PT No.3738 and 5600 Class 0-6-2T No.6697 can be made out. Many railway wagons and other items of stock are outside in the yard, hidden amongst all the military hardware. The Warner Brothers film also features a sequence where Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) pushes Dr. Watson’s (Jude Law) new wife Mary (Kelly Reilly) from a steam train as it crosses the Severn Valley Railway’s Victoria Bridge. No steam train, or actors, were at the location, nor was a dummy thrown into the River Severn. All filming was undertaken by a camera on a crane jib mounted on a flat wagon pushed across the bridge by a diesel to obtain mid-air views of the bridge. Everything else, including the highly authentic looking train and the ‘lady plunging into the river’, was created digitally in the studio and was then added to the footage of the bridge. In fact, the railway journey starts at the expansive ‘London’ terminus of the ‘South England Railway’ with several steam-hauled trains present, but again this is all a computer-generated image, and a highly authentic one at that.
*SHINER
GB
2000
1hr 39mins
Dir: John Irvin
Starring: Michael Caine and Claire Rushbrook
A ruthlessly ambitious boxing promoter puts his son in a fight he cannot win
This crime thriller features an unusual night-time scene filmed at Stratford Diesel Depot, and Class 37 No.37518 can be seen stabled alongside the shed with a Railfreight European-liveried Class 47 and two Class 58s for company. There is also a scene filmed by a canal at night, with a train of hauled coaching stock moving slowly in the middle distance, and a scene filmed from a block of flats, with a blurred background image of a slam-door EMU in Stagecoach SWT colours passing. The 58s are very rare on film. And here we get two!!
*SHINING THROUGH
US
1992
2hrs 12mins
Dir: David Seltzer
Starring: Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith
A secretary from Queens is transformed into a WWII government spy after discovering her attorney boss and lover is in fact a secret agent
This forgettable American war drama has a couple of brief sequences said to be set in Switzerland, but which actually use London St Pancras station masquerading as Zürich Hauptbahnhof. Benches marked ‘Schweizerische Bundesbahnen’ (German for ‘Swiss Federal Railways’) were placed on the platform with the flags of many countries draped down from above, but all this regalia was spoilt somewhat by the BR digital clacker clock that was still visible and the train itself. The train was formed of ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.44932 on a short rake of green-liveried coaches, which appear to be a Mk.1 BSK and four Mk.2 Met-Camm Pullman’s (!). No.44932 was renumbered 919 138 for filming and had additional imperial eagles added to the cabsides, whilst BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.80080 was present in an adjacent platform. Despite all this effort little in the way of details are visible in these scenes, though there is a shot of the ‘DR’ eagle embellishments on the carriage sides. The ‘Black Five’ was not built until 1945 and the BR Standard Tank was built in 1954, both of course too young for the period in which the film was set. The scenes onboard the train and the journey itself used the German and Austrian railway systems but, in an unusual piece of continuity, the German ‘pacific’ hauling the train is also numbered 919 138. The movie, which was vigourously slated by the press, was based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Susan Isaacs.
*SHIRLEY VALENTINE
GB
1989
1hr 48mins
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Pauline Collins and Tom Conti
A bored housewife leaves her husband and takes a romantic holiday in Greece
This award-winning romantic comedy-drama is based on Willy Russell’s 1986 one-character play of the same title and features a scene on the
concourse of London St Pancras station. Visible in the platforms behind is an HST set and a Class 105 Cravens DMU. A Class 31 is on the front of the DMU which is quite rare, but the Class 105 would have been one of the very last in service as they were all withdrawn by the end of 1988 so an appearance of one in this film is quite exceptional.
SHOOT FIRST (see ROUGH SHOOT)
*SHOOT ON SIGHT
GB
2007
1hr 50mins
Dir: Jag Mundhra
Starring: Naseeruddin Shah and Greta Scacchi
A London Police Commander deals with personal issues and internal racism as he tries to investigate the shooting of an innocent Muslim
Shoot on Sight is a crime drama based on Operation Kratos, the police ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy applied to suspected suicide-bombers after the 7th July 2005 London bombings. The shooting of the innocent Muslim in the Underground at the beginning is based on an actual event, the shooting of an innocent Brazilian on 22nd July 2005 whom police thought to be a Muslim terrorist about to detonate a suicide bomb. The film largely succeeds with its sensitive storylines even if it is only the strong cast that largely holds it together. The opening shooting scene was filmed at Charing Cross station on the Jubilee Line with 1996 tube stock present. In addition to this there is one shot of a ‘Desiro’ and a Class 455 EMU at a station on CCTV footage (which is possibly Clapham Junction), plus another scene at Charing Cross without any trains.
SHOOTING FISH
GB
1997
1hr 52mins
Dir: Stefan Schwartz
Starring: Dan Futterman and Kate Beckinsale
Two con-men find love instead of the stately home they desire
This romantic crime comedy features one scene that takes place in a modern office block next to a railway in South London and a Class 423 4 VEP EMU passes by outside.
SHOPPING
GB
1994
1hr 45mins
Dir: Paul Anderson
Starring: Jude Law and Sadie Frost
A young thief leaves prison and reverts to his old crime of ram-raiding
There is one interesting railway scene in this forgotten crime drama. At one point the thieves seek refuge in a railway shed, which is the old
Southall shed that was occupied by the Southall Railway Centre at the time. A number of items belonging to the GWR Preservation Group are visible including unrestored ex-GWR 2884 Class 2-8-0 No.2885.
THE SHOW GOES ON
GB
1937
1hr 33mins
Dir: Basil Dean
Starring: Gracie Fields and Owen Nares
An ordinary mill girl becomes a stage star
This Gracie Fields musical comedy is a semi-autobiographical film about Sally Scowcroft (Gracie Fields) who is a mill worker plucked from obscurity and thrust towards fame and fortune by an ailing composer (Owen Nares) who needs a singer to perform his work. The film includes a number of good railway shots – an express in the Lune Gorge hauled by a ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0, an express hauled by an ex-LNWR ‘Claughton’ 4-6-0, and Stanier Class 4P 2-Cylinder 2-6-4T No.2616 arriving at an unknown station with a local passenger train.
*SIGHTSEERS
GB
2012
1hr 28mins
Dir: Ben Wheatley
Starring: Steve Oram and Alice Lowe
A caravanning couple on a road trip kill everyone that annoys them
This comedy horror is at times bizarre, and at others downright disturbing, yet for the most part is darkly hilarious. The film features some good scenes filmed at the National Tramway Museum at Crich, Derbyshire, with plenty of vintage trams on view. Trams that are seen are Derby Corporation No.1, Glasgow Corporation ‘Kilmarnock Bogie’ No.1115, Glasgow Corporation No.22, Blackpool Corporation ‘Balloon Car’ No. 249, London County Council No.1, plus New South Wales Government Steam Tram No.47, which is briefly visible in the background to one scene. There are also some good shots of London Passenger Transport Board ‘E1’ No.1622, which includes scenes filmed onboard. In addition, the ‘Making of’ documentary on the DVD also features Glasgow Corporation No.812. The final scene where Steve Oram falls to his death used the Ribblehead Viaduct on the Settle-Carlisle Railway and there are some very good shots of the majestic structure. Not nearly enough footage of this viaduct has appeared on screen but this film attempts, in part, to at least put that right. The ground-level shots are interspersed with camera tricks ‘up-above’ that involved placing a mock 5ft wall on the deck of a different disused railway viaduct, the location of which is undisclosed.
*THE SILENT PASSENGER
GB
1935
1hr 15mins
Dir: Reginald Denham
Starring: John Loder and Lilian Oldland
Amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey clears a man on a murder charge
This black and white mystery is another little gem from the 1930s which has over time been largely forgotten. For the railway enthusiast, it includes some great railway scenes. John Loder follows the murderer by train to Stratford and corners him in the locomotive works where a fight ensues. First, we see scenes filmed at London Liverpool Street station with good views of a departing train, the LNER coaching stock of which displays ‘CONTINENTAL TRAIN’ roofboards. There then follows an arrival of a similar train behind LNER Class B12 4-6-0 No.8542. Another departure then follows, though the arrival at Stratford behind an N7 Class 0-6-2T is in actual fact Liverpool Street again! The excellent fight scene was shot at night in Stratford Works, with powerful arc lights set up to help highlight the scene. Star of the show is LNER Class N7/3 0-6-2T No.2616 with a ‘CHESHUNT’ destination board on its bunker. The loco is in steam when John Loder waylays the villain and knocks the regulator in to forward. The loco then slowly moves forward, forcing the two men into an inspection pit as it passes over them, before gently crashing through the shed doors. Apparently, the doors were old and required replacement anyway, so what better way to remove them than have a loco crash into them! Other locos visible in this sequence include LNER D16/3 ‘Super Claud’ 4-4-0 No.8788 and an LNER J17 Class 0-6-0 aloft on a crane hoist without its tender. There are also plenty of open plank wagons in these scenes. The film was based on an original story written by Dorothy L. Sayers specifically for the screen and was the first film outing for Sayers’ fictional amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, played rather well in this movie by Peter Haddon.
*SILENT SCREAM
GB
1989
1hr 25mins
Dir: David Hayman
Starring: Iain Glen and Paul Samson
A convicted murderer recalls his past life
This biopic charts the life and experiences of Larry Winters, a violent, drug addicted member of the Barlinnie Special Unit in Scotland. One childhood flashback scene was filmed on the Strathspey Railway at Boat of Garten station, with ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.5025 making an appearance on a short two-coach train. There are a couple of scenes filmed onboard a Mk1, and then another run-by of the train towards the end. The station masquerades as ‘Carbisdale’, and amongst the stock visible in background is the unique North British Railway Non-Corridor Bogie Lavatory Third No.1748. Built in 1905 it is last known surviving NBR non-corridor compartment coach.
THE SILKEN AFFAIR
GB
1956
1hr 36mins
Dir: Roy Kellino
Starring: David Niven and Geneviève Page
An accountant is creative with his firm’s books, and uses the money to fund a romantic spree
This romantic comedy features a scene with David Niven at an unknown railway station, called ‘Wormley’ in the film. A train arrives hauled by BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.80064, a loco that is now preserved.
*SILVER BLAZE (aka MURDER AT THE BASKERVILLES)
GB
1937
1hr 11mins
Dir: Thomas Bentley
Starring: Arthur Wontner and Ian Fleming
Whilst on holiday, Sherlock Holmes finds himself in the middle of a double-murder mystery
This crime and mystery film was based rather loosely on Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story Silver Blaze. In the US, the film was released in 1941 where it was also known as Murder at the Baskervilles, retitled by distributors to capitalize on the success of the Basil Rathbone Holmes film, The Hound of the Baskervilles. The running time was also reduced by six minutes for its US release. The story centres on a racehorse, Silver Blaze, and there are real scenes of actual racing at Newbury. As a result, there are a couple of shots of excursions calling at Newbury Racecourse station and of coaches in Racecourse Sidings. Although the GWR coaching stock is clearly visible, no locomotives are seen.
*SILVER DREAM RACER
GB
1980
1hr 51mins
Dir: David Wickes
Starring: David Essex and Beau Bridges
A garage mechanic becomes a motorcycle racer
This motor-racing movie has one surprisingly interesting railway scene where David Essex talks to his father on the London Underground. His father works as the foreman of a track gang and they arrive at ‘Bond Street’ station on Wickham Type 1Z petrol trolley No.LT8564. Although the station signage reads ‘Bond Street’, this is in fact Bank on the Waterloo & City Line as attested to by the shot of the travolator.
*SIMON AND LAURA
GB
1955
1hr 27mins
Dir: Muriel Box
Starring: Peter Finch and Kay Kendall
An argumentative couple married for 20 years are given a new lease of life when playing ‘themselves’ in a daily soap opera
This comedy is an adaptation of the 1954 stage comedy of the same name by Alan Melville and satirises the early days of BBC television. It features an early scene filmed at London St Pancras station and although no locos are seen, there are some colour shots of carmine and cream liveried ex-LMS coaches.
SIMON MAGUS
GB
1999
1hr 41mins
Dir: Ben Hopkins
Starring: Noah Taylor and Rutger Hauer
A simple-minded man is instrumental in deciding the future of a village
This mystery drama is set in 19th century Silesia and has some dramatic scenes filmed on the Severn Valley Railway close to Country Park Halt. Ex-GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT No.7714 was partially disguised as a Polish locomotive, with Polish eagle emblems and masking tape over the smokebox numberplate. However, it hauls some very British rolling stock in the form of some LNER teak coaches and a Southern Railway ‘Queen Mary’ Bogie brake van!
* ‘SIMON SIMON’
GB
1970
32mins
Dir: Graham Stark
Starring: Graham Stark and Julia Foster
Two handymen cause chaos on a new crane while haphazardly trying to accomplish jobs for their ever more frustrated boss
This sound effect comedy short similar to The Plank, features a surprising number of railway scenes in its short length. The first shows a lorry
passing beneath the West Coast main line as it runs along Orphanage Road in Watford. A Class 501 DC EMU is visible in the background. There is then a bit of confusion as the lorry arrives outside Gordon Hill station, on the Hertford Loop line, only for there to then follow a very good shot of a Class 105 Cravens DMU arriving at Watford North station on the St Albans Abbey branch. One vehicle of the DMU is DTCL No.56149.
SING AS WE GO
GB
1934
1hr 20mins
Dir: Basil Dean
Starring: Gracie Fields and John Loder
An unemployed mill worker has experiences in Blackpool
This musical is considered by many to be Gracie Fields’ finest vehicle and was written for her by leading novelist J.B. Priestley. Largely filmed in Blackpool, it features a good number of quite rare railway shots with a number of contemporary locomotives on show. Near the start of the film there are a myriad of shots of various Blackpool excursion trains, with headboards proclaiming them to be from places as far flung as Leeds and Edinburgh. Motive power is provided by an ex-L&YR Class 8 4-6-0 ‘Lanky Dreadnought’, an LMS Fowler 2-6-4T, an unidentified ex-LNWR
2-4-2T and an unidentified ex-LNWR 4-4-0. Later in the film there is an additional shot of ex-L&YR Class 5 2-4-2T No.10953. The scenes are filmed at both Blackpool Central and Blackpool North stations, the latter only recently renamed from Blackpool Talbot Road. Some of the trams make an appearance too, with Gracie Fields almost riding her bike under a nearly new English Electric Railcoach, though there are some earlier open-platform double-deck examples. Scenes filmed on the Pleasure Beach include some good views of one of the 21-inch gauge Hudswell Clarke steam outline diesel-hydraulic locomotives. The Pleasure Beach Express miniature railway also appeared briefly in Love on the Dole (qv).
*SINGLE HANDED (aka SAILOR OF THE KING)
GB
1953
1hr 23mins
Dir: Roy Boulting
Starring: Jeffrey Hunter and Wendy Hiller
During 1940, a Canadian signaller serving in the British Royal Navy helps cause the destruction of a German battleship
This war drama was based on the 1929 novel Brown on Resolution by C. S. Forester and was given an alternative title for release in the US. It was, however, unusual at the time, as indeed it is now, for being filmed with two different endings, both of which are shown in the film. The railway journey at the start was supposedly set in the First World War though it includes a number of locomotives with BR numbers. This sequence is thought to use a set with back-projection through the windows of the carriage. The scenes possibly show Portsmouth and shortly after departure a yard can be seen with an ex-LBSCR Class E4 0-6-2T in attendance (possibly No.32495). Other locomotives that appear in the film include a shot of the extreme front end of ex-LSWR Class T9 4-4-0 No.30119 (though the image of this is in reverse as evidenced by the backwards reading smokebox number plate!), an extremely rare ground level shot of a SR N1 Class 2-6-0 (one of only a fleet of six) and an equally rare shot of ex-LSWR S11 Class 4-4-0 No.30400 arriving at an unknown station called ‘Longmere Junction’. This is particularly good as by the time the film was made, it was the sole survivor of a fleet of ten. It was given mock LSWR livery for the film and its smokebox number was amended to read ‘400’, a momentary elevation to celebrity status for a loco that was withdrawn the following year. An additional scene a little while later appears to show the same train departing, but from a different station (as evidenced by the different design of lattice footbridge).
THE SINISTER MAN
GB
1961
1hr 01min
Dir: Clive Donner
Starring: Patrick Allen and Jacqueline Ellis
The murder of an Oxford scholar is linked to ancient relics
This short crime drama was based on the series of Edgar Wallace Mysteries and features a scene at a level crossing with an ex-GWR 5101 Class 2-6-2T passing with a passenger train. This was filmed at Cookham, on the Maidenhead-High Wycombe line.
SITTING TARGET (aka SCREAMING TARGET)
GB
1972
1hr 33mins
Dir: Douglas Hickox
Starring: Oliver Reed and Jill St John
A convicted killer escapes from jail to take revenge on those who shopped him
This crime drama includes some good scenes filmed at Clapham Junction station, with both 2 and 4-car EPB EMUs present as well as 4 VEP express units and, in the background of one shot, a Class 73 electro-diesel. The final scenes take place in the yards around Battersea and Stewarts Lane within the shadows of Battersea Power Station and plenty of wagons and parcels vans are visible in the yards, with suburban EMUs passing on the viaducts behind in some shots.
SIX-FIVE SPECIAL
GB
1958
1hr 25mins
Dir: Alfred Shaughnessy
Starring: Petula Clark and Pete Murray
At the suggestion of her girlfriend, a young singer decides to try and make her name in London
This was the film version of the famous 1950s BBC television show 6-5 Special, and is basically a number of different pop acts travelling by train with only a loose story linking them together. The title shots are similar to those of the TV show, with stock footage that includes an aerial shot from the 1930s of the LMS’ streamlined ‘Coronation Scot’ tilted train, an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0, a couple of LNER A2 Class 4-6-2s, one of which is crossing the Forth Bridge, and footage taken out of the window of a train passing through Twyford station in Berkshire. The rest of the film is basically studio sets but a couple of stock railway shots are inserted at certain moments – various night shots of LMS expresses, largely indiscernible except for one ubiquitous out-take from Brief Encounter (qv) of a ‘Royal Scot’ passing Watford Junction, and a shot of a GWR ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 arriving at London Paddington.
THE SIX MEN
GB
1951
1hr 05mins
Dir: Michael Law
Starring: Harold Warrender and Olga Edwardes
With the assistance of his daughter, a Scotland Yard detective pursues and captures a gang of six criminals
This low-rent crime drama has one scene filmed at London Victoria station, which includes an excellent shot of ex-SR Bulleid ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 No.34101 Hartland arriving with a train. The locomotive is another that has survived the axe.
*SIX SHOOTER
IRE
2004
27mins
Dir: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Brendan Gleeson and Rúaidhrí Conroy
A man on a train journey whose wife has died that morning, encounters a strange and possibly psychotic young oddball
This black and bloody short Irish comedy is set almost entirely onboard a train. Filmed on the Waterford-Rosslare line it features a Class 141 GM diesel on Cravens stock with a Mk1 generator coach. There is a shot from the window of the train departing Waterford and although several other stations feature, only Campile and Wellingtonbridge are identified, with some beet wagons visible at the latter. The bridge over the River Barrow linking the Counties of Kilkenny and Wexford is also briefly seen through the window of the train. The Waterford-Rosslare line closed in September 2010.
SIXTY GLORIOUS YEARS (aka QUEEN OF DESTINY)
GB
1938
1hr 35mins
Dir: Herbert Wilcox
Starring: Anna Neagle and Anton Walbrook
A chronicle of Queen Victoria’s relationship with Prince Albert as well as the political upheavals that characterised her time on the throne
Picking up where Victoria the Great (qv) left off, this sequel to the 1937 film is another colourful account of the revered British monarch’s reign. It accordingly features ‘period railway scenes provided by the LMS’, but it isn’t known what these scenes show.
*SKYFALL
GB
2012
2hrs 23mins
Dir: Sam Mendes
Starring: Daniel Craig and Ralph Fiennes
Bond’s loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her
The 23rd Bond movie sacrifices story for excitement and is rather underwhelming. There is a scene where Bond, played by Daniel Craig, chases Javier Bardem onto the Underground and pursues him from ‘Temple’ station, on the District and Circle Lines, to ‘Embankment’. While there are brief shots of the exteriors of both these stations, the stairways and platforms all used the disused Jubilee Line section of Charing Cross station. There are good shots of the 1996-built tube stock, including one from track level inside the tunnel, and vehicles 96069, 96269, 96469 and 96669 are all identifiable in the tense scenes filmed onboard. The ‘old’ Charing Cross is fast becoming a screen favourite, having previously been used as ‘Waterloo’ station in The Bourne Ultimatum (qv), amongst others, but its appearance as Temple is unusual because Temple is not a deep-level station. For the ensuing tube train crash, two full-size tube carriages, each weighing seven tons, were built for the sequence which was so risky it had to be filmed with remotely operated cameras, ten of which covered the stunt from various angles. A remarkably unscathed Bond finally emerges from Westminster Underground station. As a footnote, the UK DVD release of Skyfall was advertised by a GNER Class 91 and Mk4 set covered in 007 vinyls. The Class 91 was No.91107, temporarily renumbered 91007 for the duration of the launch, and both it and the DVT were named Skyfall 007, a name which the Class 91 retained after the vinyls promoting the film were removed.
SLADE IN FLAME (see FLAME)
SLAYGROUND
GB
1983
1hr 29mins
Dir: Terry Bedford
Starring: Peter Coyote and Mel Smith
An assassin is hired by a rich man to track down a criminal who killed his daughter
This oft forgotten, and pretty decent crime thriller is adapted from Slayground, the 14th ‘Parker’ novel by Donald E. Westlake. Some of the film
is set in Blackpool and there are shots of some trams, both single-deck Brush and double-deck balloon types.
*SLEEPING CAR
GB
1933
1hr 22mins
Dir: Anatol Litwak
Starring: Madeleine Carroll and Ivor Novello
Complications ensue after a French sleeping-car attendant with an eye for the ladies hooks up with a wealthy widow
This delightful comedy was mainly filmed on the French SNCF system but there is one British scene right at the end where Southern Railway H Class 0-4-4T No.1321 hauling two parcels vans passes over Madeleine Carroll’s dog sat in the four-foot. It is not known where this was filmed but please take note – the animal was a dummy!
*SLIDING DOORS
GB / US
1998
1hr 39mins
Dir: Peter Howitt
Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah
When a high-flying executive misses an Underground train, we see how life would have unfolded had she caught it
This very successful romantic drama has its pivotal scene on the Waterloo & City Line, but not all is what it first appears for there is some very dodgy continuity. Gwyneth Paltrow detrains on her way to work at the Waterloo & City Line southbound platform at Waterloo but then leaves via the southern façade of Embankment station! After losing her job, she’s seen exiting the Waterloo & City Line platforms at Bank, into the passageway that leads to the Northern and Central Line platforms, only then to be seen going down the travolator to the same platforms she has just left! There is then a shot of Waterloo & City Line 1992-built stock coming into the southbound platform at Waterloo whilst she is still on the travolator at Bank before we get the next shot of her coming down one of the staircases from the National Rail station at Waterloo with the train still arriving. Then on the southbound W&C Line platform John Hannah boards the train which is an interesting mistake because it is heading into the depot to reverse. In the scenario where Gwyneth Paltrow catches the train, there is a shot of 1992-built stock leaving the northbound platform heading for Bank, which is in fact where her and John Hannah then arrive, only for the pair of them to walk out of an unidentified District Line station (said to be Fulham Broadway). And all these mistakes for a very simple scenario that lasts all of five minutes in the movie!!
*THE SMALL BACK ROOM (aka HOUR OF GLORY)
GB
1949
1hr 46mins
Dirs: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring: David Farrar and Kathleen Byron
Germans drop explosive booby-traps on Britain in 1943 and the embittered expert who’ll have to disarm them fights a private battle with alcohol
This decent drama was based on the 1943 novel of the same name by Nigel Balchin and was actually quite ahead of its time in its portrayal of bomb disposal and of David Farrar’s bitterness towards the incompetent management to which he feels is holding him back. The film includes a very rare scene at Abbotsbury station in Dorset with a GWR 1400 Class 0-4-2T on an auto-train. Abbotsbury was the terminus of the branch from Upwey and it closed in November 1952.
SMALL MIRACLES (see TALIESIN JONES)
*THE SMALL WORLD OF SAMMY LEE
GB
1963
1hr 47mins
Dir: Ken Hughes
Starring: Anthony Newley and Julia Foster
A small-time wide-boy and seedy strip-club compere is hunted across the underworld of London by debt collectors
This engrossing thriller features a shot of the entrance to Whitechapel Underground station. The film was in fact a considerably expanded version of Ken Hughes’s famous TV play Sammy, but did not, for some obscure reason, enjoy similar success.
THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH (aka BIG TIME OPERATORS)
GB
1957
1hr 20mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Peter Sellers and Margaret Rutherford
A young married couple take over the running of a dilapidated cinema
This classic comedy has a railway backdrop with trains featuring throughout. The ‘cinema’ was in fact a purpose-built frontage, constructed between the railway bridges on Christchurch Avenue, Kilburn, and loco types seen passing on the viaducts and over the bridges behind include an ex-LNER A3 Class 4-6-2, and an ex-LNER LI Class 2-6-4T. The ‘cinema’ was opposite the entrance to Kilburn Underground station, but no shots of this station appear in the film. The station scenes at the beginning and end used Uxbridge Vine Street, terminus of the branch from West Drayton. The station masquerades as ‘Sloughborough’ and ex-GWR coaches are visible in the platforms, but no locomotives. Finally, there are shots of trains passing through the industrial landscape of Longton, in the potteries district of Staffordshire, hauled by ex-LMS 2-6-4Ts. One such train is seen arriving at an unknown station, almost certainly in the same area judging by the industrial chimney looming in the background.
SMASH AND GRAB (aka LARCENY STREET)
GB
1937
1hr 13mins
Dir: Tim Whelan
Starring: Jack Buchanan and Elsie Randolph
A detective tracks down a master criminal with the help of his wife
This comedy crime film features a number of nice touches but only one real railway scene. Jack Buchanan’s character in the film is a train buff
and one of the first scenes in the film in which he appears shows him climbing along the front end of LMS Class 6P ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0 No.6152 The King’s Dragoon Guardsman, at a location which is sadly not known. The loco incidentally was in fact built as No.6100 Royal Scot, but the two swapped identities in 1933 and never reverted back. Later in the story there is a comedy sequence where Jack Buchanan and his manservant operate an OO-gauge model railway, and, at the climax, the criminal is foiled by a gun disguised as a model 0-6-0 tank locomotive!
*THE SMASHING BIRD I USED TO KNOW (aka SCHOOL FOR UNCLAIMED GIRLS)
GB
1969
1hr 35mins
Dir: Robert Hartford-Davis
Starring: Dennis Waterman and Maureen Lipman
A schoolgirl is sent to a remand home after stabbing her mother’s lover
This crime drama in the ‘sexploitation’ mould familiar at the time features an exciting scene at its climax, which involves a white Triumph TR3 sports car careering off a viaduct. As the car approaches a bridge a lorry is coming the other way. The bridge is that which takes Deepcut Bridge Road over the railway line in Camberley, Surrey, and in swerving to miss the lorry, the car crashes through the bridge parapet. In a bit of cinematic jiggery-pokery the bridge then becomes a viaduct as the car and its occupants plummet to their death. The actual viaduct used is not known, but there is a suggestion that it could be Bickleigh Viaduct on the former Plymouth-Tavistock Plym Valley Line which closed in 1962. Just before this scene, however, there is a shot of the lorry driving along a country road and in the background a Class 310 EMU passes by high on an embankment. The location is not known, but it is not in Surrey!
*SMASHING TIME
GB
1967
1hr 36mins
Dir: Desmond Davis
Starring: Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave
Two northern girls experience 1960s London
This comedy is a satire on the 1960s media-influenced phenomenon of Swinging London. It features quite a good number of railway shots but does get rather wearisome. The opening scene shows Lynn Redgrave hanging out of the window on the approach to London Marylebone, but the next shot is from the cab of a train on the approach to St Pancras and a Class 45 ‘Peak’ is visible. The coaching stock is made up of blue and grey-liveried BR Mk1s, one of which is Corridor Brake Standard No.35343, a vehicle now preserved. Later in the film there is a photoshoot in the canal basin at St Pancras and in the background of one shot a blue Class 45 and some four-wheel vans just creep into view. This sequence also sees Rita Tushingham tied to a mock up section of track in a style similar to the ‘Perils of Pauline’ and a green Class 45 ‘Peak’ passes behind on its way out of St Pancras on an express. Again, the coaching stock is made up of blue and grey Mk1s, but the screen shot is somewhat speeded up and the train is moving very quickly for one that is just departing. Finally, there are brief shots of the entrances to Great Portland Street Underground station and Euston BR station along with the frontage to St Pancras itself.
SMOKESCREEN
GB
1964
1hr 20mins
Dir: Jim O’Connolly
Starring: Peter Vaughan and Yvonne Romain
A fastidious insurance assessor is sent to Brighton to investigate a potential case of fraud which turns out to be murder
This crime thriller features a couple of scenes at Brighton station and some good shots of Hellingly station on the Polegate-Eridge line. This
route closed in 1965 and despite the fact that Hellingly was spruced up for filming it still looks decidedly tatty. There are some excellent shots
along the platform towards the road bridge and clearly visible is one of the 3-car stop marks put in on this line for the Class 207 (or 3D ‘Oxted’) diesel-electric units. Though no trains feature in the station scenes, there is a distant shot of a 2 BIL EMU passing along the flat open marshland of the Ouse Valley, just after passing Southerham Junction on its way to Newhaven and Seaford.
*SO WELL REMEMBERED
GB
1947
1hr 54mins
Dir: Edward Dmytryk
Starring: John Mills and Patricia Roc
The daughter of a mill owner marries a local politician and ruins his life
This drama was based on the 1945 novel of the same name by James Hilton and was largely filmed in and around Macclesfield. A couple of railway shots are included at the start of the film, one is a steamy shot of a 2-6-4T with an 0-6-0 tender loco running light, and one shows a local passenger train hauled by an LMS 2-6-4T passing through a cutting. There is also a brief shot of Westminster Bridge with some trams crossing.
*SOAPBOX DERBY
GB
1958
1hr 04mins
Dir: Darcy Conyers
Starring: Michael Crawford and Keith Davis
Two rival children’s gangs in London decide to enter a soapbox derby
This family drama from the Children’s Film Foundation has a number of quite extensive scenes filmed around Battersea Wharf and Nine Elms Goods Depot. Although no locomotives are present, a whole host of miscellaneous wagons can be seen as well as a steam crane. Also, a very prominent feature of one shot is the old Southern Railway Grain Warehouse dating from 1936. Later, there is a scene filmed on Chelsea Bridge, and just discernible in the background are some pre-war SR EMUs passing in front of Battersea Power Station.
SOLITAIRE FOR 2
GB
1995
1hr 46mins
Dir: Gary Sinyor
Starring: Mark Frankel and Amanda Pays
A woman is able to read the minds of the men around her
This comedy romance features a scene on the London Underground with an interior view onboard a Northern Line 1972-built unit.
SOME VOICES
GB
2000
1hr 41mins
Dir: Simon Cellan Jones
Starring: Daniel Craig and Kelly Macdonald
A schizophrenic who has been released, causes problems for his brother and a woman he meets
This well thought of drama was almost entirely shot on location in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, and there are several scenes that have London Underground C stock passing on Hammersmith & City Line services. There were also some scenes filmed onboard a train on the Bluebell Railway.
*SOMERS TOWN
GB
2008
1hr 11mins
Dir: Shane Meadows
Starring: Thomas Turgoose and Kate Dickie
A young boy runs away to London where he meets an unlikely new friend only for them both to end up fancying the same girl
This comedy drama is an unusual black-and-white study of a social environment in London not often seen by many. It is also unusual in that it was funded by Eurostar, as the story is set in the neighbourhood of the company’s London terminal at St Pancras, which was just coming to the end of an £800 million re-build. Applying for Eurostar funding had been conceived by the Mother Advertising agency and though the initial idea had been to make a short film, it developed into a full feature-length script. Somers Town is a district in north-west London that has been strongly influenced by the three mainline north London railway termini: Euston (1838), St Pancras (1868) and King’s Cross (1852), together with the Midland Railway Somers Town Goods Depot (1887) next to St Pancras, where the British Library now stands. There are some shots of trains in this film, starting with some HST sets at Leicester station (though the suggestion in the film is that Turgoose is from Nottingham). He is then seen onboard an HST before he arrives at St Pancras, and one of the power cars visible in the platforms is No.43047. There is also a semi-distant shot of a Silverlink Class 313 dual-voltage EMU passing through the North London landscape. What is surprising for a film funded by Eurostar is that none of the company’s trains actually feature, save for a very brief shot of Turgoose asleep in one at the end.
SOMETHING IN THE CITY
GB
1950
1hr 16mins
Dir: Maclean Rogers
Starring: Richard Hearne and Betty Sinclair
An out-of-work businessman still pretends to his wife that he has a job
This wonderfully simple little comedy has one scene that was filmed on Shepperton station with a pre-war SR EMU in the platform.
SOMEWHERE IN CAMP
GB
1942
1hr 28mins
Dir: John Blakeley
Starring: Frank Randle and Harry Korris
Misadventures of a motley group of Army soldiers
This comedy was the second of the Private Randle Somewhere films and features a montage journey sequence with a number of distant shots of
GWR 4-6-0s on expresses.
SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND
GB
1940
1hr 19mins
Dir: John Blakeley
Starring: Frank Randle and Dan Young
New Army recruits stage a show
This was the first of the Somewhere films and features the most that will interest the railway enthusiast. There is a scene with a couple of characters boarding a train at an unknown Southern Railway station and although no locomotives are seen, there are good views of the SR corridor stock complete with fare-paying passengers staring at the camera! There is also a very rare shot of one of the LNER P2 Class 2-8-2s that could possibly be an out-take from the ‘lost’ 1935 film Cock O’ the North (qv).
SOMEWHERE ON LEAVE
GB
1943
1hr 36mins
Dir: John Blakeley
Starring: Frank Randle and Robbie Vincent
Army soldiers spend a weekend in a stately home
This third film in the Somewhere series features a scene filmed at London Victoria station plus a shot of Barnes station with a pre-war 3 SUB EMU leaving (one vehicle of the EMU is No.9720). Although Frank Randle was a successful music hall comedian with a good reputation his comedy was purely music hall and did not translate to the silver screen particularly well. The movies are very low-budget and it seems as if someone has basically turned on the camera and sound and then run on till Randle has run out of inspiration as to what to do next. The acting is wooden and the plots very thin and the only real interest in these films now is as an aspect of entertainment which has passed into history. The Somewhere series of not particularly funny or entertaining movies ran to five in total, with a sixth, It’s a Grand Life (qv), following in the same
context. At least some of them hold railway content.
*SONG OF FREEDOM
GB
1936
1hr 10mins
Dir: James Elder Wills
Starring: Paul Robeson and Elisabeth Welch
A black dockworker becomes a successful opera singer and goes to Africa to free his tribe
This popular musical is based on The Kingdom of Zinga by Claude Wallace and Dorothy Holloway. As Paul Robeson tours the country on his opera tour there is a montage sequence of ‘travelling’ shots that includes close-up views of locomotive wheels and motion, an unidentified LSWR 4-4-0 and a distant view of an unidentified train crossing a viaduct.
*SONS AND LOVERS
GB
1960
1hr 43mins
Dir: Jack Cardiff
Starring: Trevor Howard and Wendy Hiller
A Nottingham miner’s son learns about life and love
This classic drama is really rather good and is a film adaptation of the 1913 D. H. Lawrence novel of the same name. ‘Bestwood’ station in the film is in fact Longmoor Downs, on the Longmoor Military Railway, and there are some good shots of the station and yard. Trains appear in these scenes that are formed of vintage suburban stock, and the locomotive at the head of one train is one of the LMR’s Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST’s. In an added touch of detail, the platform staff have ‘MR’ initials applied to their uniforms and a brake van and flat wagon in the yard have had their LMR lettering amended to read ‘MR’. In a later fight scene at night a passenger train passes in the background hauled by another ‘Austerity Saddle’, but the wagons in the background to this scene still have their LMR lettering. In addition to these scenes, there is a distant view of a short coal train being hauled through the landscape by an unidentified tank loco, and a night scene filmed adjacent to Weekday Cross Junction on the former Great Central Railway main line in Nottingham. A local train formed of teak coaches passes, hauled by ex-LNER J6 Class 0-6-0 No.64267.
SONS OF THE SEA
GB
1939
1hr 22mins
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Starring: Leslie Banks and Kay Walsh
British naval officers at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth must defeat an espionage ring
This drama was made shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, something explored in the themes of the film, and it was shot in the revolutionary Dufaycolor, the first British movie of its kind. As a result, there are a number of excellent colour shots of both Dartmouth and Churston stations throughout the film. There is a shot of a GWR express passing along the Dart Estuary as seen from the opposite bank, and a good shot of a GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 arriving at Churston. In this scene, a branch train for Brixham is standing in the bay but the loco is obscured by platform paraphernalia.
*SORTED
GB
2000
1hr 38mins
Dir: Alexander Jovey
Starring: Matthew Rhys and Fay Masterson
A man tries to find out the truth behind his brother’s death in London’s clubland
This thriller features a scene at the beginning that was filmed at Green Park Underground station on the Jubilee Line with 1996-built tube stock. There are also a couple of aerial shots of the approaches to London Bridge with trains visible though they are too indistinct to identify.
*SOUTH RIDING
GB
1938
1hr 25mins
Dir: Victor Saville
Starring: Ralph Richardson and Ann Todd
A schoolmistress in Yorkshire exposes crooked councillors
This drama is based on the 1935 novel of the same name by Winifred Holtby. A horse-riding scene was shot in the grounds of Denham Studios, and eagle-eyed viewers will see a very brief glimpse of one of the tenders of the ex-LNER J15 Class 0-6-0s owned by the studio which had been used for the production Knights Without Armour (qv). No doubt this was not meant to appear in shot at all. There is also a stock shot of a GWR
‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0 working on an express.
*SOUTH WEST NINE (aka SOUTH WEST 9)
GB
2001
1hr 30mins
Dir: Richard Parry
Starring: Frank Harper and Nicola Stapleton
The lives of five characters in London SW9 over 24 hours
This drama is centred on the Brixton rave scene and features a number of contemporary railway scenes in the area. There are a couple of shots of Class 465/466 ‘Networker’ EMUs and in one scene a pair of Class 423 4 VEP EMUs are reflected in a shop window. However, there is also a very good and very rare shot of a Class 92 electric loco on a Freightliner train. It seems that the film’s title was marketed as South West 9 (the
postcode covering Stockwell, Brixton, Clapham and Lambeth) yet the credits at the start display the title as South West Nine.
SOUTH WEST 9 (see SOUTH WEST NINE)
SPACEWAYS
GB / US
1953
1hr 16mins
Dir: Terence Fisher
Starring: Howard Duff and Eva Bartok
Despite infidelity, romance and murder, a small group of scientists lead the way to the first manned space flight
This science fiction film was based on a radio play by Charles Eric Maine and features a scene early on where an Austin K8 van crosses over a level crossing. This was Pooley Green Level Crossing, in Egham, Surrey.
*SPARE THE ROD
GB
1961
1hr 33mins
Dir: Leslie Norman
Starring: Max Bygraves and Betty McDowall
A young school supply teacher wins over tough kids at a London East End school
This social drama is based on the controversial anti-corporal punishment novel of the same name by Michael Croft and is very much the precursor of the 1967 film To Sir, With Love (qv). The school lies off Ravenscourt Avenue and in several scenes London Underground District Line R stock trains are crossing a viaduct in the background, on the section of track between Ravenscourt Park and Stamford Brook stations. An interesting aside is that during one of his lessons, Max Bygraves has pinned to the blackboard some postcards of man’s inventions including planes, boats and trains. Steam locomotives visible include Trevithick’s Penydarren, Stephenson’s Rocket, Liverpool & Manchester 0-2-2 Lion and an LMS ‘Duchess’, along with a Class 40 and a ‘Peak’ diesel!
*SPARKLE
GB
2007
1hr 44mins
Dirs: Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter
Starring: Shaun Evans and Lesley Manville
A young Liverpudlian chancer moves to London and begins to mix relationships with work, with unexpected consequences
This comedy drama has a single shot of Shaun Evans riding his bike through London’s docklands as a pair of DLR units pass by on a viaduct behind. Another pair can just be seen passing out of shot as the scene opens.
*SPARROWS CAN’T SING
GB
1963
1hr 34mins
Dir: Joan Littlewood
Starring: James Booth and Barbara Windsor
A sailor returns to the East End after two years at sea, only to find that his house has been demolished and his wife is gone
This comedy drama is based on a 1960 play called Sparrers Can’t Sing and was filmed on location around Limehouse and Stepney. In one scene, a pair of Class 302 EMUs are passing open ground by a housing estate and in another, one Class 302 can be seen crossing a road bridge.
*SPICE WORLD
GB
1997
1hr 33mins
Dir: Bob Spiers
Starring: Richard E. Grant and Claire Rushbrook
The Spice Girls encounter problems whilst preparing for a concert at the Albert Hall
This musical comedy starring pop girl group the Spice Girls was made in a similar vein to The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night (qv) but was much less successful. As the group cruise around London in the Spice Bus, Docklands Light Railway units near Canary Wharf are seen in the background of one shot and Class 319 EMUs on Blackfriars Bridge are in the background of another.
*SPIDER
GB / CAN
2002
1hr 38mins
Dir: David Cronenberg
Starring: Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Richardson
A mentally disturbed man is released but is haunted with visions from his past
This decent psychological thriller is based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Patrick McGrath, who also wrote the screenplay. There is a very good opening shot of Class 47 No.47774 Poste Restante arriving at London St Pancras station with a rake of blue and grey Mk.1 coaches, one of which is TSO No.5002. A Class 170 ‘Turbostar’ DMU can be seen in the background and, most interestingly, the Class 47 has the blue bars of its Res livery painted over with a transfer sticker of a BR ‘double arrow’ placed over the top! Later in the film, there are several scenes filmed in the allotments at Eton Wick adjacent to the floodplain viaduct on the Windsor & Eton Central branch. There is also a scene filmed adjacent to the Regents Canal and a pair of Class 317 EMUs cross the bridge over the canal just north of Cambridge Heath station. One of the 317s is in NSE livery but the other is in the relatively short-lived WAGN white and black.
SPIRIT OF THE DEAD (see THE ASPHYX)
*SPiVS
GB
2004
1hr 35mins
Dir: Colin Teague
Starring: Ken Stott and Kate Ashfield
A group of East End spivs unwittingly get involved with illegal immigrants
In one of this crime film’s climatic sequences, Ken Stott races into Canary Wharf Underground station and boards a train of 1996-built stock. London Transport C and D type stock also appears in some scenes.
*THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD
GB
1965
1hr 52mins
Dir: Martin Ritt
Starring: Richard Burton and Claire Bloom
A British agent is sent to East Germany with the aim of sowing disinformation about a powerful East German intelligence officer
This cold war spy film is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by John le Carré and features a shot of Richard Burton outside South Kensington Underground station.
SQUADRON LEADER X
GB
1943
1hr 39mins
Dir: Lance Comfort
Starring: Eric Portman and Ann Dvorak
A German agent is parachuted into occupied Belgium to create anti-British propaganda
This World War II spy drama was exceptionally well received by critics on its release, with Picturegoer’s Lionel Collier naming it ‘one of the best
spy melodramas yet made’, and The Cinema declaring: ‘The air-sequences, made with official Air Ministry co-operation, are among the most
actionful and breath-taking ever screened’. The Monthly Film Bulletin spoke of ‘a cast that is of the highest order’ and summarised the film as ‘an exciting story, well scripted and produced with tremendous attention to detail’. Sadly, despite this praise and popularity, there is no further record of the film ever being reshown after its original release. The British Film Institute has been unable to trace a print for inclusion in the BFI National Archive and currently classes the film as ‘missing, believed lost’. Squadron Leader X is a vital missing piece of filmography and is named the third ‘most wanted’ of all by the BFI. The film is known to have included scenes filmed at London Waterloo station, but it is not known to what
extent these appeared.
*THE SQUARE PEG
GB
1959
1hr 29mins
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Starring: Norman Wisdom and Edward Chapman
A council worker is called up into the Army
This Norman Wisdom comedy includes a scene filmed at Wooburn Green station on the Maidenhead-High Wycombe line with an ex-GWR
5101 Class 2-6-2T on a passenger train.
*THE SQUEEZE
GB
1977
1hr 44mins
Dir: Michael Apted
Starring: David Hemmings and Carol White
A former police officer rescues his wife from kidnappers
This largely neglected and rather overlooked gangster thriller is now much admired, but the opening scenes leave a lot to be desired. A drunk Stacy Keach alights from 1962-built tube stock at an unknown station, then falls down the escalators and is knocked unconscious. He is then taken away by ambulance from the ticket hall of Temple station, not a deep-level tube with escalators! The film also includes a semi-distant night shot of a Hammersmith & City Line train of C Stock running alongside London’s elevated section of the A40 Westway, and a brief glimpse out of a warehouse window of a passing Class 302 EMU. The film was based on the 1974 novel Whose Little Girl Are You? by James Tucker which was released in the US as The Squeeze. The film took the US title of the novel as one of the main characters was American actor Stacy Keach.
*STALKER
GB
2009
9mins
Dir: Joseph Weightman
Starring: Simon Williamson and Nabeel Ali
A young lad is stalked by another on a day trip to London
This short drama was filmed largely onboard South West Trains Class 450 ‘Desiro’ EMUs, with the opening scene filmed at Isleworth station on the Hounslow Loop. There are good scenes filmed at London Waterloo station with more Class 450s featuring, and the final journey home has
Simon Williamson boarding a ‘Desiro’ unit at Clapham Junction with Class 455 EMUs visible in the background.
*STAR! (aka THOSE WERE THE HAPPY TIMES)
US
1968
2hrs 55mins
Dir: Robert Wise
Starring: Julie Andrews and Daniel Massey
The life and career of British stage star Gertrude Lawrence
This American biographical musical was such a commercial disappointment in its initial run, that it was withdrawn from the market and then re-
released. The studio then proceeded to substantially cut and re-market the film under the new title, Those Were the Happy Times, and the film’s running time was cut by 55 minutes from 175 to 120 minutes. Every attempt was made to make audiences think this 120 minute version was a similar film. The original title was tucked into a corner of all the ads, so audiences were not fooled, and this desperate effort only convinced people who hadn’t seen the original that it really was a bad film. By the time it debuted on American television, the original title was restored, but the picture was still cut. At almost the same time it debuted on TV in England, but in the full original version, missing only the overture and entr’acte. Despite this, the film has tempered well with age, and is quite enjoyable to watch today. There are a number of flashback scenes in this production and one was filmed at London Marylebone station with borrowed Southern Railway suburban coaches to give the right period feel. In another, the railway lines on the approach to London Paddington are glimpsed, but no locomotives appear in either scene.
*STARDUST
GB
1974
1hr 51mins
Dir: Michael Apted
Starring: David Essex and Adam Faith
The rise and fall of a rock singer in the mid-1960s
This musical drama is the sequel to the 1973 film That’ll Be the Day (qv) and features an early scene that was shot in the disused and abandoned Nine Elms Goods Yard.
*THE STARS LOOK DOWN
GB
1940
1hr 50mins
Dir: Carol Reed
Starring: Michael Redgrave and Margaret Lockwood
The son of a coal miner enters politics to improve their conditions
This drama is based on A. J. Cronin’s 1935 novel of the same name and features a very rare shot of an ex-LNWR tender loco (partly obscured, but possibly a 2F ‘Cauliflower’ 0-6-0) departing Workington Central on a single coach train. Workington Central was on the old Cleator & Workington Junction Railway and had closed to passengers in April 1931.
*STARTER FOR 10
GB
2006
1hr 32mins
Dir: Tom Vaughan
Starring: James McAvoy and Rebecca Hall
A university student who wins a place on a University Challenge quiz team cheats during the show
This below-par comedy drama features a snowy scene filmed at Horsted Keynes station on the Bluebell Railway with a train of Bulleid coaches pulling out of the platform but with no locomotive visible. There are also a couple of brief shots filmed on the platforms at Bristol Temple Meads station and this time, no trains are visible.
*STELLA DOES TRICKS
GB
1996
1hr 37mins
Dir: Coky Giedroyc
Starring: James Bolam and Kelly Macdonald
A Scottish prostitute in London tries to escape her pimp
The screenplay for this bleak drama was written by the novelist A. L. Kennedy and draws in part on one of her earlier stories, Friday Payday. It features a scene in North London with a pair of Class 321 EMUs passing beneath a footbridge, probably filmed on Camden Bank.
*STEVIE
GB
1978
1hr 42mins
Dir: Robert Enders
Starring: Glenda Jackson and Trevor Howard
The life of British suburban poet Stevie Smith
This biographical film about the life of the British poet Florence Margaret ‘Stevie’ Smith centres on Smith’s relationship with her aunt, with whom
she lived for many years in a house in Palmers Green, London. Stevie portrays her life through direct dialogue with the audience, as well as flashbacks. The irrepressible Glenda Jackson plays Smith and beloved character actress Mona Washbourne her aunt. With narrative sequences provided by an ageing friend, played by the gently soothing Trevor Howard, this film is an enthralling spectacle. Despite being filmed largely within the walls of one house, there are some good early shots of 1938-built tube stock on the Northern Line, including a couple of run-bys, one of which is on the approach to Hendon (or Burrough) Tunnels, some driver’s eye views and some interior shots. There is then a shot of Glenda Jackson leaving Southgate station on the Piccadilly Line (the nearest tube station to Palmers Green) and later, as Trevor Howard narrates from a footbridge crossing the Midland Main Line, a formation of Class 127 DMUs pass beneath. Further drivers-eye views from the Underground also appear later towards the end of the film. One of Stevie’s musings taken from her novel The Holiday contained the following verse, read calmly by Trevor Howard at the beginning; ‘Life is like a railway station, the train of birth brings us in, the train of death will carry us away’. The film has been seriously overlooked and is beautiful, haunting and absorbing all in one. It is based on the successful play written by Hugh Whitemore that was based on her life.
THE STICK UP (aka MUD)
GB
1977
1hr 41mins
Dir: Jeffrey Bloom
Starring: David Soul and Pamela McMyler
An American meets up with a café waitress in Devon only to discover that she is a thief
This comedy crime film was one of the first films from financier Arnon Milchan. He felt the film was so bad he had his name removed from the
credits and as a result it has largely been forgotten. There is one scene in this film that involves an armoured car being stuck on a level crossing as a steam train approaches. Filmed at Nappers Crossing on the South Devon Railway (or the Dart Valley Railway as it was at the time), the train of six coaches was hauled by GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T No.4555. The movie was known during production as Mud, a name by which it is sometimes still referred to as.
*STIFF UPPER LIPS
GB
1998
1hr 34mins
Dir: Gary Sinyor
Starring: Peter Ustinov and Prunella Scales
An upper-class girl falls for a working-class boy
This hilarious film is a broad parody of British period films, especially the lavish Merchant-Ivory productions of the ’eighties and early ’nineties.
Although it specifically targets A Room with a View, Chariots of Fire, Maurice, A Passage to India, and many other films, in a more general way Stiff Upper Lips satirises popular perceptions of certain Edwardian traits: propriety, sexual repression, xenophobia and class snobbery. Some early scenes were filmed on the 3’ gauge Isle of Man Railway with a train hauled by Dübs & Co. 0-6-0T No.15 Caledonia (running as Manx Northern Railway No.4) at Castletown station. There are also a number of run-by shots of the train and a riotous carriage interior set with a whole host of outrageous back projection scenes. Castletown station is called both ‘Howard’s Passage’ and ‘Ivory’s End’! Brilliant.
STOLEN ASSIGNMENT
GB
1955
1hr 02mins
Dir: Terence Fisher
Starring: John Bentley and Kay Callard
When the wife of an artist is murdered, rival reporters compete to solve the crime and earn a scoop
This short comedy has a scene with John Bentley alighting from a train at ‘Ambledown’ station, the exact identity of which is not known.
*STOLEN FACE
GB
1952
1hr 12mins
Dir: Terence Fisher
Starring: Paul Henreid and Lizabeth Scott
A doctor repairs a female inmate’s disfigured face to match the lovely woman who left him, and marries her, only to find out how abusive she is
This film noir ends with a character falling to their death out of a train. This was filmed on a studio set interspersed with scenes filmed at Surbiton station. Shots of two SR expresses feature, one of which has called at the station hauled by ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 No.30861 Lord Anson. The other is that of an unrebuilt ‘Merchant Navy’ Class 4-6-2 on ‘The Bournemouth Belle’. Curiously, both the shots are ‘reversed’. The shot of the station entrance, however, is the correct way around!
*STOP PRESS GIRL
GB
1949
1hr 18mins
Dir: Michael Barry
Starring: Sally Ann Howes and Gordon Jackson
An attractive young girl has the power to stop all kinds of machinery
This intriguing little comedy includes an amusing sequence where Sally Ann Howes travels to London by train and inadvertently brings the loco to a halt. The sequence features a couple of stock shots from the 1945 film Brief Encounter (qv) – with express trains at Watford Junction hauled by a ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0 and a ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 – and a couple of indistinct night shots of passing expresses. After the train has come to a stand there are some shots of an LNER Class A3 4-6-2 at an unknown location. At the end of the film there is another train journey which again features an unexpected stop, but this time due to a signal. This scene uses the excellent stock shot of LMS ‘Jubilee’ Class 5XP No.5553 Canada from the 1938 film I See Ice (qv).
*STORMBREAKER
GB / US
2006
1hr 33mins
Dir: Geoffrey Sax
Starring: Alex Pettyfer and Sophie Okonedo
A 14-year-old schoolboy is recruited as a spy
This action adventure movie is based on Anthony Horowitz’s 2000 novel of the same name, the first novel in the Alex Rider series. In the US, the film was promotionally named Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker and was intended to be the first of a series of Alex Rider films, but no further films were made due to poor box office returns. The film contains an aerial shot of Grosvenor Bridge during the credits, and a Class 465 ‘Networker’ EMU is crossing. A number of other Class 465 sets are then seen near the beginning, crossing viaduct arches in the Battersea area. There is then a sequence filmed on the concourse of London Liverpool Street station where government agents access their headquarters via a photo booth, but no trains are seen, and finally, towards the end of the film there is a scene that takes place within the new Transport Gallery of the Science Museum in London, and Rocket can be seen along with Grand Junction Railway 2-2-2 No.1868.
*STORMY MONDAY
GB
1988
1hr 33mins
Dir: Mike Figgis
Starring: Melanie Griffith and Sean Bean
A corrupt American businessman becomes entangled with a Newcastle club owner
This crime drama, filmed on location in Newcastle, features a number of railway scenes that include a high-rise aerial shot of the King Edward Bridge with an HST set and a light engine Class 31 crossing. Just prior to this, there is a brief shot filmed from inside an HST as it departs from Newcastle Central station and a pair of Class 143 ‘Pacer’ DMUs are visible through the window. Finally, there is a brief shot of Sean Bean boarding one of the Tyne & Wear Metro units at an underground station on the Metro system, and there are a number of shots of the frontage of Newcastle Central station.
THE STORY OF MANDY (se MANDY)
STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING
GB
1972
1hr 36mins
Dir: Peter Collinson
Starring: Rita Tushingham and Shane Briant
A reserved young Liverpudlian woman heads to London and finds herself attracted to a handsome stranger, unaware of his psychotic tendencies
This not particularly effective thriller has a glaring continuity error near the start. The aerial view of Liverpool is actually a view along the rooftops of Broughton Road in Battersea, South London! A Class 415 4 SUB EMU is passing on the railway viaduct to the right, running between Clapham Junction and London Victoria. Later, there is a shot of Rita Tushingham emerging from Earls Court Underground station.
*THE STRANGE AFFAIR
GB
1968
1hr 46mins
Dir: David Greene
Starring: Michael York and Susan George
A young policeman finds his superiors almost as corrupt as the villains
This crime film includes a night-time run by of a London Underground train made up of 1962-built tube stock.
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. MANNING (see MORNING CALL)
THE STRANGER IN BETWEEN (see HUNTED)
STRANGER IN TOWN
GB
1957
1hr 14mins
Dir: George Pollock
Starring: Alex Nicol and Anne Paige
In a sleepy village, a young composer is found shot dead and a woman is found gassed
This crime drama features a shot of the frontage of Cookham station in Berkshire.
*STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
GB
2011
6mins
Dir: John Wheatley
Starring: Alex Moore and Meray Diner
A young woman boards a train late at night only to realise that a mysterious man is watching her every move
This quirky little drama about an unsolved murder was filmed on the ScotRail system. It opens with a night shot of a Class 170 ‘Turbostar’ DMU
arriving at a station, possibly Rosyth, with another shot of a similar unit passing over a level crossing at speed. The film is largely shot onboard a ScotRail Class 158 ‘Sprinter’ DMU with Stirling station seen briefly through the window, though the final scene of the perpetrator leaving the train was filmed at Dunblane station.
*STRICTLY SINATRA
GB
2001
1hr 37mins
Dir: Peter Capaldi
Starring: Ian Hart and Kelly Macdonald
A Sinatra-style lounge singer finds himself on the receiving end of the threatening attentions of a gangster
This drama is filmed in and around Glasgow and features trains in two scenes. In the first, Ian Hart walks beside a railway line and a couple of Class 314 EMUs pass close by in the background. The second scene shows Class 158 ‘Sprinter’ DMU No.158738 arriving at Glasgow Queen Street station. The 158 is in original Regional Railways-style livery and in a closeup platform shot that follows, a similar coloured unit (possibly the same) can be seen coupled to one in the newer ScotRail livery of purple, green and white.
*STRINGS
GB
2012
1hr 29mins
Dir: Rob Savage
Starring: Hannah Wilder and Oliver Manam
Four young people and their romantic endeavours in one carefree summer before they leave home to go to university
This psychological drama was made on a budget of just £3000 but is an accomplished piece. It features a brief shot of Shrewsbury station and some short scenes filmed onboard what appears to be a Class 175 ‘Coradia’ DMU.
STRONG BOYS (see GOODBYE CHARLIE BRIGHT)
*SUBTERFUGE
GB
1968
1hr 29mins
Dir: Peter Graham Scott
Starring: Gene Barry and Joan Collins
An American agent comes to England and helps uncover a spy ring before becoming involved with the wife of a British spy
This espionage thriller so typical of the time has some good railway scenes filmed at London Paddington station. Plenty of Mk1 coaching stock is visible but there are some wonderful shots of diesel-hydraulics. These include Tom Adams and Joan Collins walking past Class 52 ‘Western’ D1033 Western Trooper (waiting shunt release judging by the crew in the rear cab), Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7070, and a very rare shot of a Class 23 arriving with empty coaching stock and displaying headcode 0P03. In a later scene, Gene Barry and Joan Collins are on the platform and a green DMU is stabled in the background as a train arrives behind an unidentified maroon-liveried ‘Western’. A remarkable sequence then follows that shows Gene Barry and Joan Collins investigating a railway line where Tom Adams was last seen during a train journey (of which nothing was shown). They are freely wandering about the non-electrified double track line identified by the concrete lineside permanent way hut as being on the Southern Region. It is unimaginable to think, but such a scene would not be allowed today. The location was in fact Westcott, Surrey, situated about three miles west of Dorking on the ‘North Downs’ line between Guildford and Redhill. The location is about milepost 33 between Dorking West and Gomshall stations, and the P-way hut has now gone. Earlier in the film there are some scenes filmed on or near Hungerford Bridge, but the only train that features, twice, is the bottom quarter of an EPB EMU still in BR green and badly dubbed to the sound of an express train! Finally, there is a suspense scene near the end that was filmed at Aldwych station, and 1959-built tube stock is present.
*SUMMER STORY
GB
1988
1hr 35mins
Dir: Piers Haggard
Starring: James Wilby and Imogen Stubbs
A young gentleman visiting a rural area has an intense love affair with a village girl
This drama is based on the 1916 John Galsworthy short story The Apple Tree, and features scenes filmed on both the South Devon Railway and the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway. Scenes at the latter include Kingswear station and a train hauled by GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T No.4555.
*SUPERMAN IV THE QUEST FOR PEACE
US / GB
1987
1hr 32mins
Dir: Sidney J. Furie
Starring: Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman
Superman is determined that the world will lay down nuclear weapons
This superhero film is based on the DC Comics character Superman. It was the fourth and final instalment in the original Superman series and despite being a commercial success it was considered by many to be the worst. It is also the only one that features British railway material. There is a scene that is supposedly set on the New York Subway, but which was in fact filmed on the London Underground at Aldwych station. 1972-built tube stock features in this scene with ‘Metro City Transit’ branding and 4th Avenue route destinations to add some degree of authenticity, but the whole sequence is rather odd. One vehicle of the train is Driving Motor No.891 and the station masquerades as both ‘Metropolis South’ and ‘4th Avenue’. In other scenes in the film, Milton Keynes Central station was used as the setting for the United Nations building!
*SURVIVOR
US
2015
1hr 36mins
Dir: James McTeigue
Starring: Milla Jovovich and Pierce Brosnan
Having been accused of crimes she did not commit a Foreign Service Officer in London tries to prevent a terrorist attack on New York City
This action-packed crime thriller features suspenseful scenes filmed at London St Pancras station with some Class 373 ‘Eurostar’ sets visible in the platforms. The scenes filmed on the Underground at King’s Cross St. Pancras meanwhile did in fact use a 1996 Jubilee Line train at Charing Cross station, as confirmed by the station décor and the teal green interior to the train. The escape shafts and stairwells, however, could possibly have been those at Aldwych. In addition, there are also a couple of shots of Class 376 ‘Electrostar’ EMU’s passing through the night-time cityscape and a shot of an LUL train of S stock crossing a bridge.
SUSPECTED ALIBI (see SUSPENDED ALIBI)
SUSPECTED PERSON
GB
1942
1hr 18mins
Dir: Lawrence Huntingdon
Starring: David Farrar and Patricia Roc
A British associate of some American gangsters double-crosses them following a bank robbery and escapes with the loot
This crime drama features two railway stock shots, one of a train arriving at London Waterloo station behind a Southern Railway ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0, and the other of an express passing a signal box, a stock shot from the 1936 documentary Night Mail (qv). The film was not released in the US until 1944.
*SUSPENDED ALIBI (aka SUSPECTED ALIBI)
GB
1957
1hr 04mins
Dir: Alfred Shaughnessy
Starring: Patrick Holt and Naomi Chance
A businessman is framed for a murder he didn’t commit
This neat little crime thriller features a journey that supposedly involves the ‘Hook Continental’. There are scenes at both London Liverpool Street
and Harwich Parkeston Quay stations with good shots of carmine and cream liveried coaching stock but no locomotives. However, a shot of the
train journey in progress is represented by a stock shot of an unrebuilt LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 4-6-0 from Brief Encounter (qv), passing through Watford Junction on an express.
*SUZIE GOLD
GB
2004
1hr 34mins
Dir: Richard Cantor
Starring: Leo Gregory and Summer Phoenix
A young Jewish girl starts a relationship with a non-Jewish boy
This wickedly funny Jewish comedy has one brief scene filmed onboard 1995-built Northern Line stock.
S.W.A.L.K. (see MELODY)
*SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS
GB
1974
1hr 32mins
Dir: Claude Whatham
Starring: Virginia McKenna and Ronald Fraser
The adventures of four children in the Lake District in 1929
This family adventure is based on the 1930 novel of the same name by Arthur Ransome. The start of the film depicts railway journey scenes that
were filmed on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway with a train hauled by one of the line’s LMS Fairburn Class 4MT 2-6-4Ts. There is also a
shot of the frontage of Haverthwaite station.
SWEENEY!
GB
1977
1hr 29mins
Dir: David Wickes
Starring: John Thaw and Dennis Waterman
A Flying Squad officer gets embroiled in a deadly political plot
This action crime drama was the first cinematic spin-off from the popular ’70s police series The Sweeney and was then followed by the sequel Sweeney 2 the following year (qv). This first film features a shot of the frontages to both Barons Court and St James’s Park Underground stations.
*SWEENEY 2
GB
1978
1hr 44mins
Dir: Tom Clegg
Starring: John Thaw and Dennis Waterman
The Flying Squad investigates a series of armed robberies
Following on from the success of the 1977 film Sweeney! (qv), this movie saw a return to the big screen for Regan and Carter only one year
later. Though it is a good enough attempt at a sequel, and is quite enjoyable, it was not deemed as successful. In one scene John Thaw and
Dennis Waterman walk onto the railway bridge that leads from South Worple Way over the railway line between Barnes and Mortlake stations and two Class 421 4 CIG slam-door EMUs pass beneath. The first EMU has an express train sound badly dubbed over the top but the second is very much an EMU and comes complete with characteristic ‘clanking’ from the third rail pick up shoes! There is also a scene towards the end with Anna Nygh entering Oxford Circus Underground station, and then exiting by another, as yet, unknown one.
*SWEET WILLIAM
GB
1980
1hr 32mins
Dir: Claude Whatham
Starring: Sam Waterston and Jenny Agutter
A young woman has a perfect love affair with a zealous American writer, only to find that he strays
This drama is based on the 1975 novel of the same title by Beryl Bainbridge. There is first a shot of Jenny Agutter emerging from Finchley Road Underground station and then a good shot of her leaving London Victoria station aboard a Class 423 4 VEP EMU. This is then followed by scenes of Miss Agutter onboard Mk1 stock with an arrival at Crewe, and though there is a good shot of the coaches, no locomotives are seen. There is then an unusual sequence of events whereby Sam Waterston pulls the communication cord thus bringing the train to a stand. He and Jenny Agutter then jump down from the train and run off. It is not known where this amusing incident was filmed but it was shot on a single-track line and the train pulls away without having had the communication cord reset! Again, no locomotive was visible.
SWEPT FROM THE SEA (see AMY FOSTER)
SWINGING MAIDEN (see THE IRON MAIDEN)
*SWIMMING POOL
GB / FRA
2003
1hr 43mins
Dir: François Ozon
Starring: Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Saguier
A British crime novelist travels to France for inspiration, but becomes a party to murder
This Anglo-French erotic thriller has an opening scene that was filmed at an unknown Northern Line station of the London Underground with 1995-built tube stock featuring. There are also scenes filmed onboard a Central Line train of 1962-built tube stock. Some of these trains later
worked the Northern Line but the maps inside the carriage are for the Central.
THE SWIMSUIT ISSUE (see ALLT FLYTER)
*THE SYSTEM (aka THE GIRL-GETTERS)
GB
1964
1hr 33mins
Dir: Michael Winner
Starring: Oliver Reed and Barbara Ferris
In a seaside village, a group of local young men mingle among the seasonal tourists in search of sexual conquests
This drama features some excellent railway scenes during the opening credits, depicting a railway journey in the West Country. Although this is ‘all at sea’ for continuity, it is very interesting none the less and includes a couple of real rarities. First, some young men join the train at Churston station on the Kingswear branch, which arrives as a Class 118/119 DMU combination and then departs as a Class 120 DMU, the latter being particularly rare for a feature film. As the train continues there are some very good shots of green-liveried ‘Warship’ diesel-hydraulics passing the beach at Dawlish. Finally, the journey ends at Brixham station, terminus of the short branch from Churston, and there is an exceedingly rare view of a disc-headcode fitted Class 22 diesel-hydraulic arriving with a train. These scenes were filmed during 1964 and Brixham station had already closed, having been removed from the national network in May 1963. The station was specially spruced up for filming and was renamed ‘Roxham’. Churston station, incidentally, survived until 1972 when it was purchased from British Rail and it now forms part of the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway. This sequence also includes shots onboard Mk1 coaching stock.
*SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL (aka ONE PLUS ONE)
GB
1968
1hr 50mins
Dir: Jean-Luc Godard
Starring: Iain Quarrier and Anne Wiazemsky
Various scenes of revolutionary action mixed in with the Rolling Stones recording
This very odd musical-documentary is a typically abstract concoction from the famous French director. It was originally titled One Plus One by
the film director and was distributed under that title in most of Europe but not in the UK. The film chronicles The Rolling Stones recording Sympathy for the Devil in London’s Olympic Sound Studios, interwoven with seemingly unrelated political meanderings. Some scenes were shot in a scrapyard at Lombard Wharf on the south bank of the River Thames in Battersea and in the background of one of these, a green Class 33 passes over Chelsea Bridge on a West London Line freight. Several other freight trains are seen but they are edited in such a way that they merely form part of the background and are not identifiable.
T
*TAFFIN
IRE
1988
1hr 36mins
Dir: Francis Megahy
Starring: Pierce Brosnan and Alison Doody
A debt collector in a small Irish town rises up against ruthless industrial developers
This Irish thriller is based on the Lyndon Mallet book series. It features a scene with Ronan Wilmot collecting a bag of cash from the left luggage office at Dublin Connolly station. Irish Rail Mk3 coaches are visible in the platform though no locomotives are seen. It is also interesting to see that on a number of occasions Pierce Brosnan holds office in what appears to be a derelict rail served goods shed close to Wicklow harbour!
*TAKE A GIRL LIKE YOU
GB
1970
1hr 41mins
Dir: Jonathan Miller
Starring: Oliver Reed and Hayley Mills
A young Northern girl comes to teach in London but soon becomes the centre of male attention
This comedy is based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Kingsley Amis and the opening scenes feature Hayley Mills travelling by train. The opening shot is of a shabby two-tone green-liveried Class 47 passing through the countryside on an express, followed by a good scene with Mills arriving at Slough station and Class 35 ‘Hymek’ D7058 is bringing a train (headcode 1A20) into the Windsor branch bay platform. Note the bay siding containing a four-wheel van and a motorail flat that has a bubble car on its deck. One of the BR Mk.1 coaches in the consist of the train is SK No.25051. Slough masqueraded as ‘Hendge’ and appears again later in the film with period London Midland Region posters. There is also a shot of Oliver Reed waiting in his car at Pooley Green level crossing, Egham, with a formation of four 2 BIL EMUs crossing (though the rear unit maybe a 2 HAL). The train is working headcode 36 (Waterloo-Reading via Richmond fast) and there is an excellent shot of the signalbox before its closure in 1974.
*TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
GB
1981
1hr 22mins
Dir: Dave Robinson
Starring: Lee Thompson and Mike Barson
A movie charting the formation of the music group Madness
Marketed as ‘The “Madness” Film’, Take It or Leave It is a film about the British ska/pop band Madness. The genre of the film is somewhere between documentary, drama and comedy, and although it is one of a popular theme of documentary-style music films that were made available throughout the 1970s and 1980s, today they hold little intrinsic value other than to showcase their talent to their fanbase. There is a scene where the recently formed band are running around causing mayhem on the Underground. This was filmed on the Northern and Victoria lines at Camden Town, Euston and Highbury & Islington stations with 1967 and 1972 tube stock featuring. The earlier scene with two of the band using temporary track lighting as light sabres whilst waiting for a train was filmed at Aldwych station, masquerading as ‘Euston’, and one should take note of the wooden tunnel gauging devices clearly visible stacked up against the platform wall. Some proper trains, however, also appear. Just before Lee Thompson drives his van under a low bridge a pair of Class 305 EMUs are passing overhead whilst in another scene filmed in Mark Bedford’s bedroom, the rear of a passenger train formed of BR blue & grey Mk.1’s is just passing out of shot. As a footnote, the official music video for the band’s hit single Our House opens with a rooftop view over North London and a Class 501 EMU is passing through the landscape.
*TAKE MY LIFE
GB
1947
1hr 19mins
Dir: Ronald Neame
Starring: Hugh Williams and Greta Gynt
A woman journeys to Scotland to prove her husband innocent of murder
This crime film was adapted from Winston Graham’s 1947 novel of the same name and features a couple of stock shots from Brief Encounter (qv), with expresses hauled by an unrebuilt LMS ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0 and a streamlined ‘Duchess’ passing Watford Junction. Later, there is an additional shot of an LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 on an express but the station scenes at Edinburgh, York and London King’s Cross are all studio sets.
*TALE OF THE MUMMY (aka RUSSELL MULCAHY’S TALE OF THE MUMMY and TALOS – THE MUMMY)
GB / US
1999
1hr 55mins
Dir: Russell Mulcahy
Starring: Sean Pertwee and Lysette Anthony
An Egyptian prince rises from the grave and attempts to gain immortal power
This Anglo-American horror has a very interesting scene filmed at Old Street station on the Northern Line. This features 1972 Mk1 tube stock in the very last months of Northern Line operation. One train that arrives into the platform is one of the two ‘blue-doors’ four-car units (either No.3227 or 3518), instantly recognisable as being the only such deep-level tube trains to carry the experimental colour scheme of silver with blue doors. By this stage, only four trains of 1972 stock were still operating on the Northern Line. One of the other sets seen in this sequence, No.3202, was painted in what was later chosen to become the standard LUL corporate livery. The film received a theatrical wide release on 13th February 1999 yet rather curiously, the North American version is only 88 minutes in length, considerably shorter than the European version of 115 minutes.
TALES FROM THE BEYOND (see FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE)
TALES FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (see FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE)
TALES FROM THE CRYPT II (see THE VAULT OF HORROR)
*TALIESIN JONES (aka SMALL MIRACLES)
GB
2000
1hr 33mins
Dir: Martin Duffy
Starring: Griff Rhys Jones and Geraldine James
A lonely boy, from a broken family, becomes inspired by faith healers
This family drama was originally entitled The Testimony of Taliesin Jones, the name of the 1996 Rhidian Brook novel on which it is based and, although the title was shortened before release, the full title is still often seen in the credits. The film features a number of contemporary railway scenes, mostly filmed at Pontypridd station. First, there is a shot of a Class 150/2 ‘Sprinter’ DMU leaving, then scenes filmed onboard a unit. However, a scene at Barry Town station features an arrival with a Class 142 ‘Pacer’ DMU so John-Paul Macleod (who plays Taliesin), has had a change of train en route. Later scenes at Pontypridd show Class 150/2 ‘Sprinter’ DMU No.150276 arriving, and then a scene on the platforms with a pair of 150/2s coupled together. In the film, Pontypridd was renamed ‘Cwmderwen’ and Barry Town became ‘West Haven’.
TALK OF THE DEVIL
GB
1936
1hr 16mins
Dir: Carol Reed
Starring: Ricardo Cortez and Sally Eilers
A dishonest shipbuilder plans to frame his half-brother for his own criminal activities
This crime film was the first to be completely made at Pinewood Studios and it features two shots of Southern Railway trains. The first depicts ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 No.859 Lord Hood passing with a Pullman express and the second shot depicts a scene at London Victoria station, with N15 Class ‘King Arthur’ 4-6-0 No.772 Sir Percivale awaiting departure.
TALOS – THE MUMMY (see TALE OF THE MUMMY)
*A TASTE OF HONEY
GB
1961
1hr 40mins
Dir: Tony Richardson
Starring: Rita Tushingham and Murray Melvin
A Salford teenager becomes pregnant by her black sailor lover, who then abandons her
This gritty social drama was an adaptation of the play of the same name by Shelagh Delaney. Most of the film is set in Salford and there are
some shots around the docks with Manchester Ship Canal wagons visible. There are several scenes filmed on the banks of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal in Salford and in one of these, what looks to be a Cravens Class 105 DMU speeds past just as the shot closes. The canal is now largely abandoned but the railway line still exists and is the route from Salford Crescent-Bolton. The scenes in Blackpool feature some middle distant shots of passing trams and there is a scene filmed beneath the arches of the imposing Stockport Viaduct.
*TAWNY PIPIT
GB
1944
1hr 21mins
Dirs: Bernard Miles and Charles Saunders
Starring: Niall MacGinnis and Rosamund John
Residents of a small English village collaborate when the nest of a pair of rare tawny pipits is discovered there
This beautiful and quite atmospheric war film features a good shot of 4500 Class 2-6-2T No.5518 arriving at Stow-on-the-Wold station, on the Banbury & Cheltenham cross-country route. The birds in the film that are central to the plot are not Tawny Pipits but are instead Meadow Pipits.
TEARS FOR SIMON (see LOST)
TEMPTATION HARBOUR
GB
1947
1hr 31mins
Dir: Lance Comfort
Starring: Robert Newton and Simone Simon
A railway signalman sees the murder of a man and steals his suitcase full of money
This decent crime drama is the English version of Henri Decoin’s L’Homme de Londres (The Man from London), both of which are based on the 1947 novel Newhaven-Dieppe by Georges Simenon. The signalbox in the film, though actually supposed to be representing Newhaven, was in fact Folkestone Harbour. There are a couple of ex-SECR R1 Class 0-6-0Ts visible in the film plus a shot of a train leaving the Harbour station behind an ex-SECR C Class 0-6-0.
*10 RILLINGTON PLACE
GB
1971
1hr 51mins
Dir: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Richard Attenborough and Judy Geeson
The story of the Christie murders of the 1940s and ’50s
This brilliant but disturbing crime film is based on the book Ten Rillington Place by Ludovic Kennedy. The film dramatises the case of British serial killer John Reginald Halliday Christie, who committed many of his crimes in the London terraced house located in Notting Hill. There is a sequence where Timothy Evans (played by John Hurt) returns to Wales, and there is a brief glimpse of Merthyr Vale station on the Abercynon-Merthyr Tydfil branch. Although no trains are seen, lingering smoke and sound effects of a departing steam train belie the fact that it was 1971. One doesn’t always need to see a train for the atmosphere to be recreated. Also, the use of the location is deliberate as Merthyr Vale was Evans’ hometown. There is also a brief sequence filmed inside a compartment of a coach but, if this was not a set, then it is not known where it was shot.
THE TENTH MAN
GB
1936
1hr 08mins
Dir: Brian Desmond Hurst
Starring: John Davis Lodge and Antoinette Cellier
A crooked businessman tries every possible trick to be re-elected as an MP
This drama is based on the play of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham and opens with a shot looking up Ludgate Hill in London, with a Southern Railway suburban EMU crossing the railway bridge heading for Holborn Viaduct. This bridge, which obscured the view up Ludgate Hill to St Pauls Cathedral, was removed in 1990 but has appeared in many films over the years. Despite this, it is rare to actually see a shot of a train crossing it. At the end of the film there is a scene filmed at London King’s Cross station and an LNER A1 Class 4-6-2 is visible at the bufferstops.
TERM OF TRIAL
GB
1962
2hrs 10mins
Dir: Peter Glenville
Starring: Laurence Olivier and Simone Signoret
An alcoholic schoolteacher is accused of rape by a schoolgirl
This drama is based on the 1961 James Barlow novel of the same name and features a scene at an unknown terminus station with LMS and BR
Mk1 coaches visible but no locomotives.
*TERMINUS
GB
1961
33mins
Dir: John Schlesinger
Starring: Margaret Ashcroft and Gertrude Dickin
A day in the life of Waterloo station
This British Transport Film documentary shot in August 1960, was the first cinema film directed by John Schlesinger and presents a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ look at an ordinary day at Waterloo station in London. This now revered piece of cinematography was rightly awarded no less than 14 international film honours, including best short film at the British Film Academy Awards and the Golden Lion for Best Documentary at the Venice Film Festival. The film was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary – Short Subject in 1963 but after the nominations were announced, it was discovered that the film had already been released and the nomination had to be withdrawn. It’s inclusion in this A-Z stems from the fact that many of the supposedly ‘reportage’ shots were in fact staged. Schlesinger makes a cameo appearance as a passing, umbrella-carrying business man, and a tearful and apparently lost child, Matthew Perry, was temporarily abandoned deliberately by his mother Margaret, an actress relative of Schlesinger. Some other people appearing were also actors, including the handcuffed convicts and a confused elderly woman, though no one in the film was credited. Set to the accompaniment of Ron Grainer’s music and Julian Cooper’s songs, the film captures to perfection the atmosphere of the station, its travelers and its trains. Unsurprisingly, almost every possible part of the station is covered, from the rooftop beehives to the basement lost property office, and the station announcers glazed enclosure to the signal box outside. Amongst all the Southern Region coaching stock and 4 SUB electric units, plenty of locomotives have been captured, and they appear in the following order (all are of SR origin unless otherwise stated): a boat train leaves the platform with an ex-GWR ‘Siphon G’ ventilated van on the back and it is being pushed from the rear by a Class S15 4-6-0; a close-up view of the cab of BR Class 5MT 4-6-0 No.7304?; the Pretoria Castle boat train arrives at Platform 11 behind a ‘Lord Nelson’ Class 4-6-0 complete with ‘UNION CASTLE EXPRESS’ headboard; a ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 passes behind passengers on the platform; an M7 Class 0-4-4T is pushing a train out; an excellent shot of ‘Lord Nelson’ Class 4-6-0 No.30864 Sir Martin Frobisher leaving the station; another BR Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 at the head of an excursion, the route headboards of which are placed over the smokebox numberplate which ends in a ‘6’; a shot of ‘Merchant Navy’ Class 4-6-2 No.35003 Royal Mail standing at the bufferstops; ‘Lord Nelson’ Class
4-6-0 No.30852 Sir Walter Raleigh arriving with another boat train; a night shot of a smoky Bulleid Pacific; and a similar view of BR Class 5MT 4-6-0 No.73116 Iseult. This last was one of the 20 Southern Region based members of the class that were given names from withdrawn ‘King Arthur’ Class locos thus earning them the sobriquet ‘Standard Arthurs’. One of the Pullman Cars seen in the film is Niobe, a 1928-built brake, and there is a brief sequence filmed ‘down below’ on the Waterloo & City Line with Class 487 EMU’s present.
*TERROR
GB
1978
1hr 24mins
Dir: Norman Warren
Starring: John Nolan and Carolyn Courage
An undead witch takes revenge on her persecutor’s descendants
This horror movie includes a rather curious scene with Carolyn Courage onboard a train of 1972-built tube stock. As the train arrives at a station she exits onto a completely darkened platform and we then see her walking out of the main building of Barnes station!
*TERROR BY NIGHT
GB
1946
1hr
Dir: Roy William Neill
Starring: Basil Rathbone and Renee Godfrey
Sherlock Holmes recovers a stolen jewel on board the London-Edinburgh express
This Sherlock Holmes crime film is mostly an original story not directly based on any of Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales. This Hollywood-made mystery contains a pretty random collection of shots that are intended to depict the journey to Scotland, but it is an even more ramshackle collection than usual. All of these shots are studio sets and models, with American stock, German and French locomotives (!), though there are a couple of stock shots of real British trains, one of an LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 leaving London Euston and one of a passing GWR express, edited so that only the coaching stock is visible.
TERROR ON A TRAIN (see TIME BOMB)
TERROR STREET (see 36 HOURS)
*TESS
GB
1979
3hrs 06mins
Dir: Roman Polanski
Starring: Nastassja Kinski and Peter Firth
A strong-willed young peasant girl attracts the affection of two men
This epic drama, based on Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles, features several railway scenes towards the end that were filmed on the Bluebell Railway including Horsted Keynes station. Trains that appear are hauled by ex-SECR H Class 0-4-4T No.263. The film premiered in France in 1979 at a length of 186 minutes and the following year premiered in the US at a re-edited length of 170 minutes. Later overseas releases of the film ran to as little as 136 minutes.
*TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
GB
2014
2hrs 09mins
Dir: James Kent
Starring: Alicia Vikander and Kit Harington
A British woman recalls coming of age during World War I
This drama film is based on the First World War memoir of the same name written by Vera Brittain. The railway station scenes, the train interiors, and the scene in the railway cafe were all shot at Keighley station, using trains of LNER coaches provided by the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. Ex-LMS Class 4F 0-6-0 No.43924 is visible in several shots but it’s cabside number has been removed, possibly as an aid to authenticity though the loco wasn’t built until 1920, after the war had ended. In one departure scene, ex-L&YR ‘Coal Tank’ 2F Class 0-6-2T No.1054 is revealed to be standing in an adjacent platform at the head of vintage L&YR coaching stock, but the overall roof above has been added by computer generation to give the effect of a much larger terminus station in London. No.1054 is seen again later in another atmospheric departure scene. The landscape shots of period trains were filmed on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and consist of a rake of LNER teak carriages hauled by ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 No.61264, not built of course until 1947, after the Second World War had ended!
THE TESTIMONY OF TALIESIN JONES (see TALIESIN JONES)
*TEZZ
GB
2012
2hrs 01mins
Dir: Priyadarshan Soman Nair
Starring: Anil Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut
To revenge his past, a man plants a bomb on a train endangering the lives of all onboard
This Hindi-language action thriller is based on the 1975 Japanese movie The Bullet Train and the name translates literally to ‘fast’ or ‘speed’. The story centres around a disgruntled illegal immigrant who returns to the UK to blow up a train. The film is a bit like the movie Speed for if ‘London-Glasgow Train 112’ drops its speed below 60 mph, then the bomb will detonate. It is quite unforgettable and the director in typical Bollywood style has taken considerable liberties in the way that railway operations and procedures are portrayed (and even geography, 10 hours from London-Glasgow whilst travelling at 100mph for instance!). The faults and failings occur far too often to repeat here but, unsurprisingly, there is a lot of railway material in the film. The railway scenes open with a sequence filmed at Southwark Underground station on the Jubilee Line with a train of 1996-built tube stock arriving. This is particular pleasing as the station, with its glass roof and walls, is probably the best of the stations built for the Jubilee Line extension. There are scenes filmed at London Euston and Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ EMU No.390005 City of Wolverhampton provides the centrepiece of these after which the main action begins. There is a whole plethora of shots of ‘Pendolinos’ passing through the countryside though some locations are recognisable. These include an aerial shot of one passing through Watford Junction with a pair of Class 350 ‘Desiro’ EMUs in an adjacent platform; one passing over Bushey Arches; another aerial shot of a Class 390 passing through a station this time Tring, with another Class 350 ‘Desiro’ visible; a shot that shows a ‘Pendolino’ passing some sidings where a DB Class 66 and a First Group-liveried Class 90 electric are stabled and an aerial shot of Linslade Tunnels just north of Leighton Buzzard. There are also a couple of scenes filmed in a railway yard and amongst all the wagons there is a glimpse of another DB Class 66 and a First Group-liveried Class 90 (the same two perhaps?), plus a Class 67. This is thought to have been filmed at Wembley. Scenes towards the end were shot at London St Pancras station which inexplicably merges in with other shots of London Euston with a ‘Pendolino’. Perhaps most odd of all though is the random shot of a Class 170 ‘Turbostar’ DMU crossing the Forth Rail Bridge, part of the story of course, but nothing at all to do with the journey! Initially, a pre-planned explosion to show the bomber’s intent uses a Class 66 hauled Freightliner train (known as London-Manchester Goods Train 509 which exploded near York!!). There are a couple of shots of actual Freightliners passing hauled by Class 66’s (one of which is 66585) but the explosion is a computer-generated sequence using 66546. There are lots of scenes filmed onboard a ‘Pendolino’, but the in-cab sequences used a simulator. Finally, Network Rail’s Aérospatiale AS355F1 Ecureuil 2 helicopter G-NETR is also seen in several sequences, though with ‘POLICE’ branding.
*THAT SINKING FEELING
GB
1979
1hr 33mins
Dir: Bill Forsyth
Starring: Robert Buchanan and John Gordon Sinclair
Four penniless bored and unemployed teens in a dreary, rainy Glasgow, steal stainless steel sinks from a warehouse
This Scottish comedy set in Glasgow features two brief railway scenes. The first opens with two of the characters walking down the steps to Springburn station, and a Met-Camm Class 101 DMU is standing in the platform. The two characters are then seen standing on the platform at Bishopbriggs station and there is a very good shot of top-and-tail Class 27s passing through on a Glasgow-Edinburgh express, a rare loco for a feature film and here we get two! The blue & grey coaching stock passes the camera in extreme close up. In the other scene, Robert Buchanan is
running from a policeman down Hunter Street and the overhead electric wires of the Bellgrove to High Street section of the North Clyde railway
line can be seen on the other side of the wall, along with the roofs of Class 303 EMU’s. The young actors in the film were all members of the Glasgow Youth Theatre, co-producers of the film.
THAT’LL BE THE DAY
GB
1973
1hr 31mins
Dir: Claude Whatham
Starring: David Essex and Rosemary Leach
A school dropout leaves home and drifts through a succession of dead-end jobs until he finds an outlet for his frustration in rock ‘n’ roll
This musical drama was partially filmed on the Isle of Wight and in one scene towards the end, David Essex leaves Meaders Road in Ryde and heads towards St. John’s Road. The parapet of the railway bridge over the Island Line is visible in the background and in the railway cutting below there is a partial view of a Class 485/486 EMU in BR blue. Albeit brief, this is so far, the only known incidence of any part of the Island’s railways appearing in a feature film, although the old Pier Tramway did make a brief appearance in the 1960 movie There Was a Crooked Man (qv). That’ll be the Day proved a success and was followed by the 1974 film Stardust (qv).
*THAT’S YOUR FUNERAL
GB
1972
1hr 19mins
Dir: John Robins
Starring: Bill Fraser and Sue Lloyd
A rival Funeral Directors firm is used as a front for drug smuggling
This comedy was adapted from the 1971 BBC sitcom of the same name by Hammer Films. It should perhaps have been buried itself for it was not a success, though some of the talent on show does keep it ticking over nicely. There are several shots of the forecourt of Windsor & Eton Central station, and scenes filmed on Windsor & Eton Riverside station with BR blue-liveried EPB EMUs at the bufferstops.
THEATER OF BLOOD (see THEATRE OF BLOOD)
*THEATRE OF BLOOD (aka THEATER OF BLOOD)
GB
1973
1hr 44mins
Dir: Douglas Hickox
Starring: Vincent Price and Diana Rigg
A Shakespearean actor murders the critics who have given him bad reviews
This critically acclaimed and well worked horror features one scene in Wandsworth with a 4 SUB EMU crossing the bridge over The Causeway.
*THEIR FINEST
GB
2016
1hr 57mins
Dir: Lone Scherfig
Starring: Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin
A scriptwriter for propaganda films joins the cast and crew of a major production while the Blitz rages around them
This largely successful wartime comedy drama is based on the 2009 novel Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans. Set in 1940 and the London Blitz it is unsurprising that Aldwych station features, decked out once again as an underground air raid shelter. On this occasion the station masquerades as Edgware Road, and in addition to the platforms there is a rare scene filmed in the ticket office and shots of its street level entrance.
*THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
GB
2014
2hrs 03mins
Dir: James Marsh
Starring: Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones
A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife
This biographical romantic drama was adapted by Anthony McCarten from the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde
Hawking. There is a scene filmed at a railway station, supposedly Cambridge but in reality the ever-popular Horsted Keynes on the Bluebell
Railway, and although there are good shots of BR Green-liveried Mk1 coaches, no locomotives feature.
THERE IS NO ESCAPE (see THE DARK ROAD)
THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN
GB
1960
1hr 47mins
Dir: Stuart Burge
Starring: Norman Wisdom and Susannah York
A naive explosives expert is tricked into working for a criminal gang
This comedy is the only Norman Wisdom film that has not had a video or DVD release. It had one TV showing on ITV on Boxing Day in 1965 and was then shown publicly for the first time in over 40 years in Darwen (pronounced Darren), Lancashire, where it was filmed, in 2008. There is an excellent shot of a train arriving at Darwen station behind an ex-LMS Class 2-6-4T, and later a car speeds along Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight and to the right there is a brief glimpse of a signal and a vehicle belonging to Ryde Pier’s tramway, which closed in 1969. This is the only known appearance of this tramway in a feature film.
THERE’S ALWAYS A THURSDAY
GB
1957
1hr
Dir: Charles Saunders
Starring: Charles Victor and Frances Day
A clerk’s new-found fame as the director of a racy lingerie firm is misreported, and earns him the reputation of a suburban Romeo
This short comedy features an elevated view of the concourse of London Victoria station, but no trains feature.
THESE ARE THE DAMNED (see THE DAMNED)
THESE FOOLISH THINGS
GB
2006
1hr 47mins
Dir: Julia Taylor-Stanley
Starring: Andrew Lincoln and Eve Myles
A young actress seeks to follow in her famous mother’s footsteps
This comedy drama is based on Noel Langley’s 1936 novel There’s a Porpoise Close Behind Us and features a station scene near the end that was in fact filmed in the transfer shed at the Didcot Railway Centre, with GWR 4500 Class 2-6-2T No.5572 in the platform.
THEY CAME TO A CITY
GB
1944
1hr 18mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: John Clements and Googie Withers
The tale of various people who have come to live in an “ideal” city and their hopes and reasons for doing so
This fantasy drama is adapted from a J. B. Priestly play of the same name with many of the original actors taking roles in the film. Two of the characters find themselves transported to the city while on a train journey. There is a rail-level shot of GWR 6100 Class 2-6-2T No.6108 passing with a passenger train, and a very interesting shot of a double-headed parcels or milk train entering a tunnel hauled by a GWR ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 and a 2301 Class ‘Dean Goods’ 0-6-0.
*THEY MET IN THE DARK
GB
1943
1hr 44mins
Dir: Karel Lamac
Starring: James Mason and Joyce Howard
A cashiered Royal Naval officer and a young woman join forces to solve a murder and hunt down a German spy ring
This thriller was based on the 1941 novel The Vanishing Corpse by Anthony Gilbert and includes some good railway scenes filmed on the
Midland Main Line. Passing trains can be seen hauled by LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s and there are several unusual footplate shots from a
2-6-4T on the approach to Elstree Tunnels (1058 yards). There are also scenes filmed in Liverpool which include some shots of the old Liverpool Exchange station, one of the station frontage with a tram passing, and one from the platforms with a train arriving behind yet another ‘Black Five’. In a later street scene there are very brief glimpses of two Liverpool trams, one of which is working Route 6A, Bowring Park to Pier Head via Broadgreen Road. These scenes were filmed close to the Cunard Building and the Royal Liver Building at the Pier Head and in the background of one shot, a bridge of the Liverpool Overhead Railway can be seen. Early in the film there is a train departing a station at night but this, along with the train interior shots, are probably detailed studio sets.
*THEY WERE SISTERS
GB
1945
1hr 55mins
Dir: Arthur Crabtree
Starring: James Mason and Phyllis Calvert
The problems of three married sisters
This successful melodrama, based on Dorothy Whipple’s 1943 novel of the same name, features a scene at Baynards station with a branch passenger train hauled by ex-LBSCR D3 Class 0-4-4T No.2372.
*THINGS ARE LOOKING UP
GB
1935
1hr 17mins
Dir: Albert de Courville
Starring: Cicely Courtneidge and Max Miller
A bubbly and lively circus worker has to pose as her dour schoolmistress sister
This wonderful musical comedy features a scene towards the end that is filmed at an unknown Southern Railway station with a train in the
platform that is hauled by a Maunsell 2-6-0.
THINK DIRTY (see EVERYHOME SHOULD HAVE ONE)
THE THIRD KEY (see THE LONG ARM)
*THE THIRD VISITOR
GB
1951
1hr 25mins
Dir: Maurice Elvey
Starring: Sonia Dresdel and Guy Middleton
A suave but conceited recluse receives several callers to his isolated house, and the next morning his corpse is found
This crime film is based on a play by Gerald Anstruther and features an early view looking up Ludgate Hill towards St Pauls Cathedral. A mixed freight is crossing the now removed Ludgate Hill Viaduct, but it is edited in such a way that the locomotive is just passing out of shot and is thus not identifiable.
*13 EAST STREET
GB
1952
1hr 12mins
Dir: Robert Baker
Starring: Patrick Holt and Sandra Dorne
A detective poses as an escaped convict in order to catch a gang of warehouse robbers
This thriller includes a scene where a couple of criminals escape from a speeding express train. This studio-bound sequence features a shot at dusk of an express on an embankment hauled by an ex-GWR 4-6-0 and another brief glimpse of a passenger train as the criminals make their escape.
*30 IS A DANGEROUS AGE, CYNTHIA
GB
1968
1hr 25mins
Dir: Joseph McGrath
Starring: Dudley Moore and Suzy Kendall
A piano player and composer decides to write a musical and marry before he reaches his thirtieth birthday in six weeks time
This romantic comedy has two good shots of passing expresses on the LSWR main line hauled by Bulleid Pacific’s, one of which is ‘Battle of
Britain’ Class No.34060 25 Squadron. There is also a scene overlooking the Regents Canal basin at St Pancras and a Class 27 is shunting in the background with possibly another loco behind. The glimpse of the 27 is rare as by 1969 the entire class was concentrated in Scotland. There is a view from the gasometers overlooking Holloway Bank, but no trains are visible, and there are two scenes filmed in unknown goods yards. The first features a rake of four wheel vans, and is possibly filmed at King’s Cross Goods Depot, whilst the other at night is home to an interesting array of stock; a ‘Toad’ brake van, a bogie bolster and a Pullman coach are all visible with a scene also filmed onboard the Pullman.
*THE 39 STEPS
GB
1935
1hr 26mins
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll
A man wrongly pursued for murder flees to Scotland to find the real killer
This classic Hitchcock thriller is one of three films based on The Thirty-Nine Steps, the 1915 adventure novel by the Scottish author John Buchan. Although the 1935 film departs substantially from the novel it is widely regarded by critics as the superior film version. The quick pace, slick direction and brilliant acting have seen it rank amongst the Top Ten best British films of all time, and rightly so. The film is memorable for the sequence where Robert Donat makes his way to Scotland by train and jumps out on the Forth Bridge to avoid detectives, but it is ironically also the version that uses the least actual railway footage with the majority of the journey taking place in the studio. None the less it is quite a well
constructed set with some considerable effort made to make it look authentic. The shot where Robert Donat opens the carriage door and clings to the side of the carriage to enter the next compartment uses a section of wooden mock-up and back projection from a train crossing the Forth Bridge. The scenes of the train stopped on the bridge were also all studio bound, (believed to have actually been filmed on the roof of Islington Studios!), though there is a real shot taken from the bridge looking down at the waters of the Firth, with a small boat passing beneath. There is also a general establishing shot of the bridge as the police make a radio message looking for the wanted man. Earlier in the film when Robert Donat begins his journey, there are some real shots at London King’s Cross station with a couple of LNER teak coaches present. These scenes include a couple of shots of the ‘Flying Scotsman’ departing behind LNER Class A1 4-6-2 No.2595 Trigo. After this, however, the stock-shots used ruin all attempts at continuity. There is first a shot of a GWR ‘King’ Class 4-6-0 leaving a tunnel and then a shot looking out of a train on a single track line. This looks like it maybe a line in the West Highlands as the locomotive at the head of the train appears to an LNER K2 Class 2-6-0. Finally, there is a distant shot from ground level of an ex-NBR 4-4-2 taking a train across the Forth Bridge.
*THE 39 STEPS
GB
1959
1hr 33mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Kenneth More and Taina Elg
A diplomat returns home to London, only to become inadvertently embroiled in the death of a British spy
This first remake closely resembles the Hitchcock original but again bears little resemblance to the novel. However, despite being generally regarded as the poorest of the three film versions in terms of handling and style, this colour film is the best in terms of accuracy and general excellence of the railway scenes. Two advantages that this film has over the original is that the journey north depicts real ECML expresses and the film makers clearly had full co-operation from BR Scottish Region to use the actual Forth Bridge. An A4 Class 4-6-2 on a rake of maroon-liveried BR Mk1s was run a number of times over the bridge with a flat wagon attached to the rear that was used by the film crew to shoot the back-projection scenes where Kenneth More hangs onto the sides of the coach. Back projection also appears where More is clinging to the girders of the bridge. He eventually escapes through an inspection hatch in the four-foot and, scrambling over steelwork high above the Firth, makes his perilous way down to South Queensferry. In a link with the 1935 film, another boat is seen passing beneath on the waters of the Firth. In these dramatic scenes, More has close encounters with two ex-LNER A3 Class 4-6-2s, Nos.60147 North Eastern and 60162 Saint Johnstoun. Earlier in the film there are some nice atmospheric shots taken at Edinburgh Waverley station as Kenneth More joins a northbound express hauled by an A4 Pacific. Featured A4s are No.60012 Commonwealth of Australia, 60024 Kingfisher and 60027 Merlin. The frontage to London King’s Cross is also seen in the film. With regards to the carriage scenes, those during the journey were a set with the traditional back projection, but there are plenty of good shots of maroon stock of various types at Edinburgh Waverley including Gresley vehicle SC 16277E. An amusing parody of the Forth Bridge scene appears in Carry on Regardless (qv) and stock footage of this movie appears in others, including Upstairs and Downstairs (qv).
*THE THIRTY NINE STEPS
GB
1978
1hr 42mins
Dir: Don Sharp
Starring: Robert Powell and Karen Dotrice
A further remake of the famous Buchan thriller
This film is generally regarded as the closest to the book, being set at the same time as the novel was, pre-Great War, but it still bears little resemblance to Buchan’s original story. The railway scenes are also quite different as it was clearly no longer possible to use the Forth Bridge so Rank used the Victoria Bridge on the Severn Valley Railway instead. As elegant as it is, it’s not quite the real thing. None the less, despite the obvious inaccuracies regarding the railway journey, the scenes in the film are actually quite good. Robert Powell boards a train in London at what is supposed to be St Pancras but what is in fact a heavily dressed up Marylebone. The departing train though was filmed on the Severn Valley Railway and GWR coaches are visible through the window. All other railway scenes used the preserved line. The train itself used BR Ivatt Class 2MT 2-6-0 No.46443, painted all-over black and numbered 644, hauling five coaches of the line’s LMS maroon running rake with ‘MIDLAND’ legends on their sides and mock BR-style ‘First Class’ totem stickers in the windows (LMS Open third No.27218 is identifiable in one scene on the bridge). Shots of the train en route include several passing through the countryside and one of it crossing the five-arch Oldbury Viaduct near Bridgnorth. There are also interesting shots of a fast run through both Arley and Bewdley stations. The main station scene on the line was filmed at Highley. The film is set in 1914 and the train is highly anachronistic. The loco was built at Crewe in 1950 and the earliest coaches of the rake were not built until 1945! Lastly, Robert Powell’s return journey from Scotland uses a stock shot of a night express hauled by a rebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ Class 4-6-0 and a brief glimpse of a drivers-eye view on the approach to a tunnel at dusk. A shot of the Ivatt appears in the 1980 movie The
Elephant Man (qv).
36 HOURS (aka TERROR STREET)
GB
1953
1hr 23mins
Dir: Montgomery Tully
Starring: Dan Duryea and Elsie Albiin
An American jet pilot on leave is framed for the murder of his estranged wife
This film noir features a shot of a train on the New Romney branch in Kent with a branch train hauled by ex-LBSCR Class A1X ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No.3. The shot was taken from the 1947 film The Loves of Joanna Godden (qv).
*THIS HAPPY BREED
GB
1944
1hr 55mins
Dir: David Lean
Starring: Robert Newton and Celia Johnson
Life between the wars with a London suburban family
This Technicolor drama has become a minor classic and is based on the 1939 play of the same title by Noël Coward. The title, a reference to the
English people, is a phrase from John of Gaunt’s monologue in Act II, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s Richard II. Some railway shots appear in the film, these include general shots of Paddington Goods depot with various wagons on view, shots of the lines in the Clapham Junction area, a shot of a GWR signal box, and a locomotive shrouded in steam which, although not entirely identifiable, could be of GWR origin. Later, there are
some scenes filmed on Clapham Common and a London tram can be seen skipping along in the background.
*THIS IS ENGLAND
GB
2006
1hr 42mins
Dir: Shane Meadows
Starring: Thomas Turgoose and Vicky McClure
An 11-year old boy gets involved with skinheads in the Thatcher era
At the start of this drama there is a montage of clips from news stories of the 1980s and among them is a brief rear-view shot of the planned destruction of Class 46 ‘Peak’ No.46009 in the staged ‘nuclear crash’ at the Old Dalby test site. It is an interesting glimpse of a scene that is of historical importance today but is erroneous for the movie, which centres on young skinheads in 1983. The Old Dalby test crash took place in 1984. For the record, the Class 46 had in tow a train of three Mk1s; Nos 25254, 4514 and 25564.
THIS IS MY STREET
GB
1964
1hr 34mins
Dir: Sidney Hayers
Starring: Ian Hendry and June Ritchie
A bored housewife has an affair with her next-door neighbour, only for him to have an affair with her sister
This well-written drama is based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Nan Maynard. Filmed largely on location in Battersea, a number of shots feature Southern Region and BR slam-door EMUs passing above the streets on viaducts. There is also a shot of the frontage to West Ruislip Underground station.
THIS OTHER EDEN
GB
1959
1hr 20mins
Dir: Muriel Box
Starring: Leslie Phillips and Audrey Dalton
Passions stir when a small Irish town erects a monument in memory of an IRA rebel killed during the Irish War for Independence
This Irish comedy drama was filmed on location in Ireland and there is one shot of a branch train hauled by a Metro-Vick A Class diesel, the exact
location of which is not known.
*THIS SPORTING LIFE
GB
1963
2hrs 14mins
Dir: Lindsay Anderson
Starring: Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts
A miner becomes a successful Rugby League player but finds his romantic life is not as successful as his sporting life
This classic feature film is based on the 1960 novel of the same name by David Storey. It includes a scene where Richard Harris wanders through a goods yard at night. Mineral and van wagons are visible and although the location of this scene is not known it was possibly shot in the Wakefield area.
THIS YEAR’S LOVE
GB
1999
1hr 48mins
Dir: David Kane
Starring: Ian Hart and Kathy Burke
A group of thirtysomethings flit around Camden Town swapping partners in search of love, lust and life
This ‘rom-com’ features a scene filmed at Camden Town Underground station.
*THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD
GB / US / CAN
2000
1hr 24mins
Dir: Britt Allcroft
Starring: Peter Fonda and Mara Wilson
Thomas the Tank Engine’s railway is threatened by an evil diesel
The Reverend W. V. Awdry’s famous stories had already been adapted into a very popular and hugely successful television series and it was inevitable that they would eventually get the big-screen treatment. The result, however, was a transatlantic mish-mash incorporating characters from the US series Shining Time Station. The unfamiliarity of the US series to the British critics may have led to the unduly harsh reception in the UK, but the story none the less bears little resemblance to any of Awdry’s stories and only half of the original ‘characters’ from the books appear in the film, joined by a number of ‘modern’ intruders. Given all this, it is perhaps a little surprising to actually find that a real UK loco does appear in the film. Part of the rather inconsistent plot centres on the magical lost engine called Lady, which is kept under lock and key by Burnett Stone, played by the overly depressed Peter Fonda. Burnett Stone’s workshop was in fact the goods shed at Port St Mary on the Isle of Man Railway and Lady was played by Dübs & Co. 0-6-0T No.15 Caledonia, given a fictitious cerise pink and gold livery for the film. The Isle of Man loco
appears later in the movie in ‘Isle of Sodor’ form (i.e. as a model).
THOR THE DARK WORLD
US
2013
1hr 52mins
Dir: Alan Taylor
Starring: Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman
When Dr. Jane Foster gets cursed with a powerful entity known as the Aether, Thor is heralded of the cosmic event known as the Convergence
This American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Thor has a brief scene in which Thor finds himself teleported into Charing
Cross Underground station, where he asks for directions to Greenwich and boards 1996-built tube stock!
*THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES; OR, HOW I FLEW FROM LONDON TO PARIS IN 25 HOURS
11 MINUTES
GB
1965
2hrs 18mins
Dir: Ken Annakin
Starring: Stuart Whitman and Sarah Miles
An English press magnate offers £10,000 to the winner of the Daily Post air race from London to Paris
This brilliant all-star spectacular, the full title of which is as shown above, has a memorable comedy sequence in which Terry-Thomas lands his Avro Triplane IV on top of a moving French steam train, only for it to then be destroyed when the train enters a tunnel. The scene was filmed on the already closed Bedford-Hitchin line (closed in 1964) and the train was formed of preserved Highland Railway 4F Class ‘Jones Goods’ 4-6-0 No.103 (with ‘NORD’ on its tender to represent a Chemin de Fer du Nord locomotive) and a rake of Caledonian Railway coaches. The tunnel was the 882 yards long Old Warden Tunnel. Look to the right of Terry-Thomas as he walks along the carriage roof and in some shots, you can make out Goldington Power Station, two miles east of Bedford. This was opened in 1955 despite the film being set in 1910! Earlier in the film, the competitors head for the coast by road and ‘cross the railway line to Dover near Tonbridge’. The exact location of this level crossing situated on a
double-track line is not known.
THOSE WERE THE HAPPY TIMES (see STAR!)
A THOUSAND KISSES DEEP
GB
2011
1hr 24mins
Dir: Dana Lustig
Starring: Dougray Scott and Jodie Whittaker
A young woman travels back through time and pieces together the events that led to her own death
This rather bizarre fantasy thriller features two shots of railway stations. The first shows Jodie Whittaker boarding a train of London Transport C stock at East Putney District Line Station whilst the second is a shot of the entrance to London Waterloo station. There is also a very brief glimpse of Whittaker onboard the C stock train.
*THREE AND OUT (aka A DEAL IS A DEAL)
GB
2008
1hr 35mins
Dir: Jonathan Gershfield
Starring: Mackenzie Crook and Gemma Arterton
A tube driver finds that compensation can be paid for suffering three fatalities in one month, and seeks to find the third
The central plot to this black comedy sees Mackenzie Crook as a tube driver who has accidentally killed two people whilst driving his train. He is then told by his colleagues about a little-known ‘rule’ at London Underground that no-one talks about: three ‘under’ within a month and you lose your job, earning yourself ten years’ salary in one lump sum. Therefore, he aims to find someone who wants to commit suicide by diving under his train. Understandably, the film provoked a fair deal of controversy, with complaints from tube drivers and union bosses, but beneath all this, the film really wasn’t very good anyway. Most of the filming was done on the Jubilee and Northern Lines with Crook in the cab of 1990s-built tube stock. Crook did do some driving, at slow speed in Highgate depot, but during the main sequences the trains were driven by an instructor who was crouched out of sight behind Mackenzie Crook. The first death scene features a man accidentally killed after he is pulled on to the tracks by his dog. This was filmed at Charing Cross (Jubilee Line). The second passenger killed by falling on to the tracks after having a heart attack, was filmed at East Finchley (Northern Line). The tracks here, that run to and from Highgate depot, feature prominently at the end and there are some decent shots of 1995-built stock. Yet other stations do feature in the film. There are some shots of Camden Town on the Northern Line, as well as a scene filmed at London Marylebone station (masquerading as Liverpool Lime Street!), with a Class 165 ‘Turbo’ DMU visible in the platforms. In another scene, Mackenzie Crook is standing on the roof of Camden Roundhouse and a Virgin Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ passes by in the background and in a scene towards the end, Colm Meaney is having a shave, and visible through the bathroom window is a train passing on a viaduct in the background. It is not entirely clear as to what it is, but it could be an Underground train of A or C stock. Finally, the staff ‘messroom’ overlooks the platforms of Harrow-on-the-Hill station, and a number of trains of A stock can be seen passing beneath. Northern Line driving vehicles that are identifiable in the film include No’s.51513, 51617, 51626 and 51635. As part of the extras available on the DVD, there is a ‘Making Of’ documentary and some additional shots of the trains feature, showing that the leading driving vehicle at Charing Cross is vehicle No.96072.
*THREE BUSINESSMEN
GB / NED / US
1998
1hr 20mins
Dir: Alex Cox
Starring: Miguel Sandoval and Alex Cox
Two art dealers set out in Liverpool in search of a meal, and end up in a whirlwind trip around the Earth in search of food
This surreal comedy drama opens with a scene filmed at Liverpool Lime Street station. The entrance features in several shots but a lot of trains are visible in those filmed inside. A whole plethora of Class 142 ‘Pacer’ DMUs can be seen in the platforms, along with a Class 156 DMU, a Class 86 locomotive, and Mk 3 coaching stock. Perhaps a little surprising is the fact that Miguel Sandoval alights from Class 323 EMU, No.323209. It is often overlooked that the Hunslet-built Centro units regularly ran on services between Birmingham and Liverpool. Later, there is a very curious scene filmed on the Merseyrail system. Class 507 EMU No.507027 arrives at James Street station, Wirral Line Platform, and the two businessmen join. There then follows a short scene filmed onboard the train and as the lights flicker, it turns into the Rotterdam Metro!
THREE HATS FOR LISA (aka ONE DAY IN LONDON)
GB
1965
1hr 39mins
Dir: Sidney Hayers
Starring: Sidney James and Sophie Hardy
Three young Cockneys take a day off work to meet an Italian movie star at Heathrow Airport
This film features a number of railways in the background of several shots though no trains are actually seen. There is a scene in Wandsworth on
the bridge over the River Wandle and the viaduct which takes the Clapham Junction-Putney line over The Causeway is in the background. There are a number of scenes filmed in London’s docklands and sidings owned by the Port of London Authority are visible in several of these, and finally, there is a scene filmed at the old West London Air Terminal in Kensington and in the cutting below, the tracks of London Transport’s
District Line can be seen passing at the back of the buildings on Cromwell Road.
THE THREE LEAVES OF A SHAMROCK (see THE RISING OF THE MOON)
*THREE ON A SPREE
GB
1961
1hr 23mins
Dir: Sidney J Furie
Starring: Jack Watling and Carole Lesley
A man stands to inherit £8,000,000; but only on condition he spends the first million in sixty days
This comedy features a confusing scene filmed on the London Underground. Jack Watling enters Shepherds Bush Underground station and descends to the Central Line platforms where 1923 tube stock is present. He boards the train and has his umbrella destroyed in the train doors before being taken beyond his stop. After he has trouble getting off, the hapless fellow finally arrives at his destination. He leaves again via the same entrance at Shepherds Bush! The film is based on the 1902 novel Brewster’s Millions, which has been adapted into many films.
*THUNDER IN THE CITY
GB
1937
1hr 28mins
Dir: Marion Gering
Starring: Ralph Richardson and Luli Deste
An American salesman helps a duke promote a non-existent metal
There is one railway scene in this drama that features a shot of a passing LMS express on water troughs. The footage is very grainy, and it is edited over another frame during a montage sequence. This means that although we see the locomotive, it is impossible to identify which type it is. The scene with Edward G Robinson and the crew on the footplate of an express engine uses a very detailed and quite effective studio mock-up of a GWR tender loco cab with back projection.
THUNDER OVER TANGIER (see MAN FROM TANGIER)
*THURSDAY’S CHILD
GB
1943
1hr 21mins
Dir: Rodney Ackland
Starring: Sally Ann Howes and Stewart Granger
A child becomes a film star and her success threatens her family life
This comedy drama features some scenes on the London Underground, a mixture of studio sets and real footage of 1938-built tube stock arriving at Finchley Central on the Northern Line. Later in the film there is a scene at London King’s Cross station with a close up of the bufferbeam of LNER A1 Class 4-6-2 No.4472 Flying Scotsman. This is probably stock footage taken from the 1929 movie The Flying Scotsman (qv). There is also a passing shot of another A1 on an express.
*TIGER BAY
GB
1959
1hr 43mins
Dir: John Lee Thompson
Starring: John Mills and Horst Buchholz
A Polish seaman in Cardiff kills his girlfriend and then kidnaps the young girl who witnesses it
The early scenes of this classic crime drama depict Horst Buchholz using the Newport Transporter Bridge and walking past an ex-GWR 5700-series 0-6-0PT and a number of open wagons in Newport Docks. The film is based on the short story Rodolphe et le Revolver, by Noel Calef.
TIGER BY THE TAIL (aka CROSS-UP)
GB
1955
1hr 20mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Larry Parks and Constance Smith
An American journalist works to expose a criminal gang in London
This crime film is an adaptation of the 1941 novel Never Come Back by John Mair and features quite a number of good railway scenes. There is an early fight scene near a railway line which results in one of the villains being thrown under a train. It is not known where this thrilling scene was filmed but it was somewhere on the Western Region as a couple of ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0s pass by on expresses as well as a 5101 Class 2-6-2T on a freight. A station is just visible in the background to one shot and as it is filmed on a four-track mainline it is probably in the Thames Valley, possibly Taplow, and the goods yard has on display a fine collection of period wagons. There is a scene filmed on a Southern Region suburban station which is ‘Cannon Street’ in the film, though in reality is Walton-on-Thames. In another scene at the very end the main frontage to Richmond station in Surrey along with the Station Hotel opposite can just be made out. Meanwhile, the movie has several good scenes filmed on the London Underground at both High Street Kensington and Gloucester Road stations, with Q-stock trains formed from a mix of vintage clerestory stock and Q38 flared stock. Gloucester Road is said in the film to again be ‘Cannon Street’. Confusingly, the ‘real’ Cannon Street station in London does appear in several other scenes, though no trains are visible.
*TIGER IN THE SMOKE
GB
1956
1hr 34mins
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Donald Sinden and Muriel Pavlow
Ex-commando criminals search London for hidden loot
This crime film is based on the 1952 novel The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham and features a very atmospheric opening scene filmed at London Fenchurch Street station with BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.80136 on the stop blocks. The loco was brand new at the time of filming and is now preserved.
TILL DEATH US DO PART
GB
1969
1hr 40mins
Dir: Norman Cohen
Starring: Warren Mitchell and Dandy Nichols
The life of Alf Garnett during and after the Second World War
This big screen spin-off was based on the BBC television series Till Death Us Do Part and was deemed successful enough for a sequel to be produced, The Alf Garnett Saga (qv) in 1972. There is one scene in this comedy that depicts Alf Garnett and his wife sleeping rough in the Underground during the London Blitz. Although some sources attribute this location to Aldwych station, visible decorative tiling patterns show that it is in fact the platform at Holborn serving that branch. It is masquerading as ‘Old Street’ and a train of 1938-built tube stock is present.
*TIME BANDITS
GB
1981
1hr 53mins
Dir: Terry Gilliam
Starring: John Cleese and Sean Connery
A young boy accidentally joins a band of time travelling dwarves as they jump from era to era looking for treasure to steal
This off-the-wall fantasy adventure opens and closes with an unusual stock shot of a housing estate as viewed from the air. This is Harlington in Bedfordshire, and the Midland main line can be seen running across the top left-hand corner of the screen, with Harlington station in the top right. A bit tenuous perhaps, but a British railway none the less!
TIME BOMB (aka TERROR ON A TRAIN)
GB
1953
1hr 13mins
Dir: Ted Tetzlaff
Starring: Glenn Ford and Anne Vernon
A saboteur places a bomb on an ammunition train
This tense and effective thriller contains some excellent railway scenes but is sadly forgotten and largely overlooked despite being widely available. The terrorist smuggles a bomb aboard a night freight carrying naval mines from Birmingham to Portsmouth and hides under a tarpaulin in one of the wagons. There is a brief shot of an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 passing in the opposite direction but the motive power of the ammunition train is ex-LMS Class 8F 2-8-0 No.48600. The 8F is very much the star of these scenes with some very good atmospheric shots of the loco passing back and forth as it shunts the train into sidings. These sidings are those at the old Hammersmith & Chiswick Goods Depot, closed in 1965, though ‘Felsworth East’ is in fact Willesden Carriage Sidings South signalbox, located in Willesden Brent Yard. The history behind Hammersmith & Chiswick Goods Depot is worth recalling. It opened as a passenger branch off the North & South Western Junction Railway between Acton Central and South Acton, but passenger services ceased as early as 1917. It remained open for freight until 1965 and was redeveloped in the 1980s. The sidings at the depot were crossed on a viaduct by the Piccadilly and District Railways just west of Stamford Brook station and this bridge forms the backdrop to a number of scenes. The sidings also crossed the Bath Road, and the level crossing and signalbox at this location (called ‘Felsworth Siding’ in the film) are also seen towards the end. The terrorist, played by Victor Maddern, is later arrested by police on Platform 1 of Portsmouth & Southsea (Low Level) station. There are some really good shots of the platforms and concourse, and of trains of western region suburban stock arriving behind an ex-LSWR T9 Class 4-4-0 and an ex-SR U Class 2-6-0. Finally, earlier in the film there are some scenes on the concourse of the original Birmingham Snow Hill station prior to its closure in 1972, and then subsequent reopening and complete redevelopment. The use of locations in Birmingham and Portsmouth ties in nicely with the story, a rare attempt at effective continuity, though ‘Birmingham’ signalbox seen at the beginning is believed to be one on the Chiswick branch.
TIME GENTLEMEN PLEASE!
GB
1952
1hr 19mins
Dir: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Eddie Byrne and Hermione Baddeley
A lazy tramp is a nuisance to an otherwise ‘perfect’ village which is expecting a visit from the Prime Minister
This comedy was shot on location in Thaxted, Essex, and there is a good, rare, overall shot of Thaxted station near the start, but no trains are present. The only railway ‘vehicle’ visible is the ancient grounded body of a former Great Eastern Railway coach that served as a waiting room on the single platform. Thaxted was located at the end of the branch from Elsenham but was lightly used and closed completely in 1953 just one year after filming.
*TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
GB / FRA/ GER
2011
2hrs 07mins
Dir: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Gary Oldman and Colin Firth
In 1970s London, a deadly hunt takes place for a Soviet double agent at the top of the British secret service
This Cold War espionage film is based on John le Carré’s 1974 novel of the same name. There is not much worth reporting, either about the film or it’s so called railway scenes, neither of which quite add up to the total sum of their parts. When Gary Oldman buys a train ticket to Oxford the ticket window is not at a railway station at all but is instead a mock up inside the Grand Hall at Olympia on the Hammersmith Road. The shot of a railway bridge with St Paul’s Cathedral behind is in part a recreation. The bridge carries the railway between Kentish Town West and Gospel Oak across Wilkin Street in NW5 (note the overhead wires just visible) but the dome of St Paul’s is a CGI addition as is the ‘European’ style railway carriage that is seen crossing! The only real shot is a randomly obscure one of a pair of EMUs weaving their way across pointwork. Judging by the rooflines these appear to be a Class 455 (on the left) with a Class 442 on the right.
*THE TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT
GB
1952
1hr 24mins
Dir: Charles Crichton
Starring: Stanley Holloway and John Gregson
After British Rail put up a closure notice for their local branch line, the villagers offer to run it themselves
This Technicolor Ealing comedy is one of the best known and best loved of Britain’s railway movies, the fact that the film was shot in colour helps. By showing trains passing through the verdant English countryside in all its finery, it reminds one perfectly of a lost era. The film was shot on the Limpley Stoke-Camerton branch in Somerset, with Monkton Combe as ‘Titfield’ and Bristol Temple Meads as ‘Mallingford’. ‘Thunderbolt’, the main star of the film, was 1838-built Liverpool & Manchester Railway 0-4-2 Lion, at the time the oldest British steam locomotive still capable of being steamed. The loco’s maroon and dark green livery was repainted nursery red and bright green for the film. The famous opening scene was filmed at Midford, where the Somerset & Dorset passed over the Camerton branch, and an S&D express hauled by Bulleid ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 No.34043 Combe Martin passes over Midford Viaduct as the branch train passes beneath. The branch train consists of a 1400 Class 0-4-2T hauling an ancient coach with a ‘Toad’ brake van at the rear. Two 1400s were used in filming, Nos.1401 and 1456, though both were numbered 1401 for continuity purposes. Another 1400, No.1462, appears later in the film when it is stolen from Oxford shed. Driven off the turntable and then through the Oxfordshire town of Woodstock, this sequence used a very effectively disguised lorry, the chassis of which is only just about visible in some scenes (though it ‘bounces’ on its suspension which is something that a heavy loco with rigid underframe would not do). A 4500-series 2-6-2T can also be made out in the background of the scenes at Oxford shed. The 1400 was stolen from Oxford as a replacement loco for the one on the branch which was destroyed, along with its coach, in an act of sabotage by the local bus operators. The night-time shots of the train being moved out of the station by Harry Hawkins (played by Sid James) so that it free wheels down the line to crash, were filmed during the daytime using strong filters, although effective enough, the contrast and the shadows give it away as a daytime scene. The crash was, of course, filmed in the studio using highly effective scale models. The coach which is used in the early part of the film, until it is ‘wrecked’ in this crash, dated from 1884 when it was one of a pair acquired for use on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway where they were numbered 7 and 8. After passenger services on the tramway ceased in 1928 they were transferred to the Kelvedon & Tollesbury Light Railway where they remained until that line closed on 5th May 1951. They were then stored at Stratford Depot in East London. No 8 was used for filming and was returned to Stratford when filming ended with the intention of preservation, but this did not happen, and it was broken up sometime during 1954. The grounded coach that formed the home of Dan Taylor (played by Hugh Griffith) which is pressed into service after the crash is thought to be another very good studio made prop. The town museum from where the ‘Titfield Thunderbolt’ was liberated from was filmed in the old Imperial College building (now demolished) opposite the Royal Albert Hall in South West London. All these shots were made using a studio-built model. There is some apocryphal evidence that this model was held back after the conclusion of filming and passed into BBC ownership when they brought the studios two years later in 1955 but no further evidence of this has come to light. The real Lion was already 114-years old at the time of filming and it was felt that it could not be used in the scene where it is ‘rolled’ down the steps of the museum. Nevertheless, the loco was unfortunately damaged during a heavy shunt in filming, a collision which is clearly visible in the film. It displays evidence of its bent bufferbeam to this day. No longer a viable steaming option, the loco has been placed into peaceful retirement and currently resides in the Museum of Liverpool. Towards the end of the film when Lion joins the main line at Fishers Crossing near Limpley Stoke, an ex-GWR ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 roars past on an express and the final climatic scenes take place in the Fish Dock at Bristol Temple Meads station to a chorus of loco whistles. A couple of ‘Halls’ are visible in the background on Bath Road shed, as well as ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 No.4056 Princess Margaret. Driver Ted Burbidge, fireman Frank Green and guard Harold Alford were not actors: they were British Railways employees from Westbury depot, provided to operate the branch train on location. Charles Crichton spoke with them during filming and realised they ‘looked and sounded the part’, so they were given speaking roles and duly credited. Other Western Region footplate staff are visible in the final scenes at Bristol. The steam roller / steam loco battle scene was filmed at the site of the old Dunkerton Colliery near Carlingcott. The steam roller used was a 1904 Aveling & Porter 5 n.h.p. 10ton Type R10 Steam Road Roller named Maid Marion, a vehicle that is still extant today. Despite being well-loved by railway enthusiasts, the critical opinion of ‘Titfield’ has always been rather mixed. The main criticism voiced is that compared to other Ealing comedies it lacks ‘bite’, the satire is rather tame, and it uses eccentric, make believe characters rather than anyone the audience can really identify with. The fact that the volunteers get their financial backing from the local wealthy landowner by telling him they can legally operate a bar while the train is running so he will not have to wait for the local pub to open, only highlights this point! Another criticism is that it celebrates an outdated railway for the sake of it. Although this was eleven years before Beeching’s report on Britain’s railways resulted in rationalisation of Britain’s rail network, BR was already trimming branches, with a number of closures already taking place at the time of filming. The Camerton branch had already closed. It lost its sporadic passenger service as early as 1925 and closed permanently to freight in 1951. The fact that the railway in the film is saved because it is so slow only serves to solidify this feeling. However, what is overlooked is that the film was actually ahead of its time in a number of attitudes. The idea of volunteers taking over and running a railway with ancient stock predates what really began a decade later with the preservation movement. In fact, ‘Titfield’ took considerable inspiration from the book Railway Adventure by established railway author L. T. C. Rolt, published in 1952, about the restoration of the narrow-gauge Talyllyn Railway in North Wales. Most tellingly, perhaps, is the scene which takes place at the public enquiry into the closure of the line where John Gregson gives an impassioned speech about what will happen to the village when the railway closes, and road transport is king. Seen today, it is an astonishingly far-sighted spectacle. Lion had appeared in a feature film only the year before when it starred in The Lady with a Lamp (qv), but it had also been used in Victoria the Great (1937) and even briefly appears in the 2002 movie 24 Hour Party People (both qv). There are a couple of little gems worth mentioning. In one scene a parcel marked ‘Fragile’ is thrown onto the platform to the sound of breaking glass and in the scene where Stanley Holloway and Hugh Griffith set off on a hand powered pump trolley to steal the replacement locomotive, the pair of them whistle the Eton Boating Song while drunk!
*TO CATCH A SPY (aka CATCH ME A SPY and KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED)
GB / US / FRA
1971
1hr 34mins
Dir: Dick Clement
Starring: Trevor Howard and Marlène Jobert
A young British schoolteacher heads to the Eastern Bloc to try to locate her husband, only to be detained by Soviet intelligence as a spy
This spoof spy movie was based on the 1969 novel Catch Me a Spy by George Marton & Tibor Méray. It features some good shots of the closed Loch Awe station on the Oban branch from Crianlarich. The station had opened with the line in July 1880 only to close in November 1965. The line had stayed open and the station reopened in May 1985. No trains are seen in the film.
*TO SIR, WITH LOVE
GB
1967
1hr 45mins
Dir: James Clavell
Starring: Sidney Poitier and Patricia Routledge
A trainee engineer takes up a position teaching a group of unruly students in an east London school
This drama was based on E. R. Braithwaite’s semi-autobiographical 1959 novel of the same name and features two brief railway shots. During
the opening credits there is a shot of the frontage of Wapping Underground station, then part of the East London section of the Metropolitan Line but now redeveloped to form part of the London Overground network. This is then followed shortly after by a shot of Sidney Poitier walking down Johnson Street in Shadwell looking towards the London, Tilbury & Southend line viaduct and a BR blue-liveried Class 302 EMU can be seen crossing.
TOLSTOY’S ANNA KARENINA (see ANNA KARENINA (1948))
*TOM & VIV
GB / US
1994
2hrs 05mins
Dir: Brian Gilbert
Starring: Willem Dafoe and Miranda Richardson
The story of American poet T.S. Eliot’s marriage and his wife’s mental health problems
This period drama is based on the 1984 play of the same name by British playwright Michael Hastings. It features a couple of brief and rather pointless railway shots. There is a distant landscape view of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway with an approaching train obscured by foliage with only the smoke visible, which is immediately followed by a very brief, close-up image from track level of a passing train filmed on the Bluebell Railway. The train is being hauled by ex-LSWR 0415 Class 4-4-2T No.488 in BR livery as No.30583. This is a clear example of the apparent need for film directors to shoot a railway scene. No doubt to film on an actual railway would have been too time consuming yet these two shots give nothing to the story. They are quite probably stock shots and the film would have been none the worse without them.
*TOMMY
GB
1975
1hr 48mins
Dir: Ken Russell
Starring: Roger Daltrey and Oliver Reed
A deaf, dumb and blind child is cured and becomes a rock star
This surreal musical fantasy is based upon The Who’s 1969 rock opera album of the same name. It includes a night scene filmed on the Bluebell
Railway with a train hauled by BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 No.75027.
TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT (see HAPPY EVER AFTER)
*TOP SECRET!
US
1984
1hr 30mins
Dirs: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker
Starring: Val Kilmer and Lucy Gutteridge
A rock star finds himself embroiled in espionage behind the Iron Curtain
This spoof action comedy was quite well received and features opening scenes that involve a train journey in East Germany. It was in fact filmed on the Nene Valley Railway with the Swedish Railways (SJ) B Class 4-6-0 No.101 used as motive power. Unfortunately, some of the sequence was filmed at night and several other shots are just of the wheels and motion so the views of the loco are not all that clear. However, the final scene depicts a good shot of the whole train passing through the countryside alongside the River Nene. As is the case with the movies from the ZAZ stable (Airplane!, Hot Shots!) the scenes are accompanied by some good visual gags.
A TOUCH OF LARCENY
GB
1959
1hr 33mins
Dir: Guy Hamilton
Starring: James Mason and Vera Miles
A naval commander deliberately disappears so that he can be branded a traitor and sue for libel
This comedy is based on the 1956 novel The Megstone Plot by Paul Winterton and features a couple of stock shots of streamlined LMS ‘Duchess’ Class 4-6-2s passing Watford Junction on expresses. These are the ubiquitous stock shots filmed originally for Brief Encounter (qv).
A TOUCH OF LOVE
GB
1969
1hr 47mins
Dir: Waris Hussein
Starring: Sandy Dennis and Ian McKellan
A young London girl studying a doctorate in the British Museum spends her nights trying to avoid the sexual admiration of the men in her life
This drama was adapted by Margaret Drabble from her 1965 novel The Millstone and it includes a scene filmed at London Marylebone station, but no trains are visible.
*TOWN ON TRIAL
GB
1957
1hr 36mins
Dir: John Guillermin
Starring: John Mills and Barbara Bates
A whole town comes under suspicion when two grisly murders are carried out
This crime mystery was shot on location in and around the town of Weybridge, Surrey. Early in the film there is a scene looking down onto the
station from the cutting above and a couple of 2 BIL EMUs are present in the platforms. The station is called ‘Oakley Park’ in the film.
TRAIN OF EVENTS
GB
1949
1hr 28mins
Dirs: Sidney Cole, Charles Crichton and Basil Dearden
Starring: Jack Warner and Valerie Hobson
A train disaster is told as four short stories to give character studies of the people involved, how it will affect them, and how they deal with it
This was one of a series of ‘portmanteau’ films that appeared from various companies in post-war Britain in which a number of stories are all linked to a certain event, in this case a train crash. A large amount of fascinating railway footage was filmed for the production on the West Coast Main Line with a mixture of locomotives in both LMS and the then new British Railways liveries. The bulk of footage is split between departures from London Euston station, the section between Euston and the top of Camden Bank, Willesden Shed and in the Home Counties around Bushey including the water troughs there. Most of the footage was never used, and a lot appears hidden behind opening screen titles, although throughout the next two decades the odd shot would appear in other films that required a scene of a passing train, most notably The Gold Express (1955 qv). Indeed, all this footage has since been collected together and released by Video 125 in their Steam on 35mm DVD. The main locomotive in this film is ex-LMS rebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0 No. 46126 Royal Army Service Corps and to highlight the earlier point about the reuse of footage, a stock shot of this loco from this film appears in No Love for Johnnie (1961 qv). The ‘Royal Scot’, which is numbered ‘4612’ in some scenes, hauls the doomed train which collides with a lorry on a level crossing. The crash scene itself used models, though the aftermath of the wreckage was filmed at Wolverton Works using old coach parts from scrap stock. Throughout the film many other locos are seen, but only a few can be readily identified. A number of other ‘Royal Scots’, both rebuilt and unrebuilt appear, along with Class 5XP ‘Jubilee’ and ‘Patriot’ 4-6-0s, Class 7P ‘Coronation’ 4-6-2s, Fowler Class 4F and Johnson 2F 0-6-0s (the latter were an ex-Midland design that are rare in feature film), 2-6-4Ts of various design, Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s, Class 8F 2-8-0s and an ex-LNWR Class G2 ‘Super D’ 0-8-0. Of the ‘Jubilees’ two are identifiable in the form of No.45588 Kashmir and No.5613 Kenya. Two Class 3F ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0Ts are also prominent in this film, No.47675 and No.47327 (the latter is referred to by Jack Warner as ‘Old Lizzie’ and has since been preserved). A Ransomes & Rapier 45T Steam Breakdown Crane is also seen ‘on shed’ in several shots including an excellent panoramic one of Willesden shed. It isn’t all LMS or Midland though as quite unintentionally there is a scene earlier in the film which sees two of the characters go to a flat in ‘Camden’. This overlooks the railway, and an express train passes by hauled by an ex-SR Bulleid ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2! There is also a scene in the film with the same characters outside Strand Underground station prior to its rebuilding as Charing Cross and a shot of the GWR tracks in the Westbourne Park area. Jack Warner agreed to take on the role as train driver, but only if it could be made as authentic as possible. As a result, he was given the enviable task of driving the express out of Euston, not very far and not very fast, but under tuition he got it moving without slipping. In those far off days of cinema, actors really were aloud full reign of the facilities on offer. However, not all was plain sailing as Warner was left with a painful reminder of this film when he overbalanced in one shoot and fell awkwardly in the cab, injuring his back. The pain remained with him for the rest of his life – ironic when you consider that the film was about a train crash. Another interesting footnote is the use on some of the movie posters of a picture of another rebuilt ‘Royal Scot’ in the form of No. 46151 The Royal Horse Guardsman.
*TRAIN TO LYMINGTON
GB
1987
4mins
Dir: Richard Simpson
Starring: Christopher Good and Claire Parker
A tale of lies and deceit between two travelling companions
This short four-minute comedy drama of two people alone in a railway carriage is a right little gem and features just the two characters listed above. Perhaps a little confusingly it does not feature Lymington, or any other location in Hampshire for that matter. It is in fact filmed on the old GW & GC Joint Railway through Buckinghamshire, featuring Princes Risborough and Saunderton stations, and Class 115 DMUs in blue and grey livery. Perhaps we will never know why Lymington was used in the title?
*TRAINSPOTTING
GB
1996
1hr 33mins
Dir: Danny Boyle
Starring: Ewan McGregor and Kelly Macdonald
Four Scottish friends suffer the highs and lows of heroin addiction
This phenomenally successful black comedy drama of the 1990s includes a famous scene at Corrour station on the West Highland Line with a Class 156 ‘Sprinter’ DMU departing. Corrour station is the highest station in the UK. It is also one of the most remote stations in the country, located at an isolated spot on Rannoch Moor not accessible by any public road – the nearest road is 10 miles away. During the opening scenes as Ewan McGregor is running through the streets of Edinburgh he passes through the arch that carries Waterloo Place over Calton Road. Lying straight ahead is Edinburgh Waverley station, though it is distant and easily missed. There is also a brief shot of a Class 87 passing on a West Coast Main Line express. The film is based on the book of the same name by Irvine Walsh, first published in 1993. The title is a reference to a scene (not included in the film) where Begbie and Renton meet ‘an auld drunkard’ who turns out to be Begbie’s estranged father, in the disused Leith Central railway station, which they are using as a toilet. He asks them if they are ‘trainspotting’. 21 years later the film was followed by its sequel – T2 Trainspotting (qv) and in this, the infamous scene is recreated in dream format.
THE TRAVELLER BEWITCHED (see THE JONAH MAN)
TREAD SOFTLY STRANGER
GB
1958
1hr 30mins
Dir: Gordon Parry
Starring: George Baker and Diana Dors
Two brothers in a northern town rob a steel works
This gritty northern crime drama was adapted from the 1953 stage play Blind Alley by Jack Popplewell. It has a good number of atmospheric
railway scenes. George Baker gets off the train at ‘Rawborough’, actually a rare view of Parkgate & Rawmarsh station, Rotherham, which closed
on 1st January 1968. The train is hauled by an ex-LMS Class 4P ‘Compound’ 4-4-0 (one ex-LMS suburban coach is No.43296) and there are
further shots of the station approach road and the station hotel on Aldwarke Road. Most of the action takes place in the Park Gate Iron and Steel Company’s works and there are quite a number of industrial 0-4-0STs visible on coal and steel trains. There is one good shot early on in the film of Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No.28 crossing Aldwarke Road with a coal train. Later in the film there is a night shot of an ex-LNER 0-6-0 tender loco, either a J10 or a J11 Class crossing a bridge with a mineral train, and a daytime shot of a mixed freight hauled by an ex-LMS Class 8F 2-8-0.
It is not known exactly where either of these scenes were filmed, but it is believed to be in Rotherham.
TREE OF HANDS
GB
1989
1hr 29mins
Dir: Giles Foster
Starring: Helen Shaver and Peter Firth
A woman is attempting to cope with her son’s tragic death when her mother arrives on an ill-timed visit with her own remedies
This drama is based on the 1984 novel The Tree of Hands by Ruth Rendell and features a scene in East London with a Class 315 EMU passing on a viaduct.
*THE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE (aka THE MAN WITH THE GREEN CARNATION and THE GREEN CARNATION)
GB
1960
2hrs 03mins
Dir: Ken Hughes
Starring: Peter Finch and Lionel Jeffries
Oscar Wilde sues the Marquis of Queensbury for libel with disastrous results
The screenplay for this drama is based on the play The Stringed Lute by John Furnell. The final scenes where Oscar Wilde leaves England for France take place at London Marylebone station, and although a rake of suburban coaches is prominent, the loco is not visible. For a scene supposedly taking place in 1897 the coaches are inaccurate, though a degree of authenticity is lent by the LC&DR lettering on one.
*TRIO (aka W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM’S TRIO)
GB
1950
1hr 31mins
Dirs: Ken Annakin (Mr. Know-All)
Harold French (Sanatorium)
Starring: Naunton Wayne and Anne Crawford (Mr. Know-All)
Roland Culver and Jean Simmons (Sanatorium)
A compendium of three W. Somerset Maugham stories
This anthology film has three segments, each based on a story by William Somerset Maugham, and each with a different cast and director. The
second story, Mr. Know-All, is about an obnoxiously pushy and irrepressibly boorish dealer of jewellery who alienates all his fellow passengers on an ocean cruise despite his cheerful nature and generosity. There is a brief glimpse of a busy port and a whole host of wagons are present on the quayside. Some are lettered ‘LMS’ so it is likely to be Liverpool. The third story, Sanatorium, is about a writer who is sent to a sanatorium for his health only for him to become acquainted with the lives and dramas of the residents. The story was originally included in the 1947 collection of Maugham stories Creatures of Circumstance and takes place in the Scottish Highlands. There are a couple of opening shots of a railway journey with two trains featuring. The first is a going away shot of a West Highland Line service hauled by an ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 and the second is a very rare glimpse of an ex-NBR 4-4-0 arriving at an unknown station. Trio was the second of a film trilogy, all consisting of adaptations of Maugham’s stories. It was preceded by Quartet (qv) in 1948 and followed by Encore in 1951.
*TROG
GB
1970
1hr 33mins
Dir: Freddie Francis
Starring: Joan Crawford and Michael Gough
A sympathetic anthropologist uses drugs and surgery in an attempt to communicate with a primitive troglodyte discovered living in a cave
This science fiction horror was Joan Crawford’s last motion picture, though she sadly did not leave on a high. The film is pretty dreadful, even by the standards of classic seventies horror, which often left a lot to be desired. There is a scene filmed outside the police station on Station Hill in Cookham, Berkshire, and the railway station is clearly visible in the background. The footbridge is still present showing that the station still had two platforms serving the through route to High Wycombe, truncated at Bourne End the year this film was made.
*TROTTIE TRUE (aka THE GAY LADY)
GB
1949
1hr 36mins
Dir: Brian Desmond Hurst
Starring: Jean Kent and James Donald
A Gaiety Girl of the 1890s marries a Lord and becomes a Duchess when he succeeds to the dukedom
This musical comedy is a rare British Technicolour film of the period that is now largely forgotten. One of the few successful British musical films, it is a true delight, even if it is a little light-weight. It includes a scene with Jean Kent departing on a train from an unknown station. Although the locomotive is not visible, there are good shots of the green Southern Region suburban stock.
*THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE
GB
2005
1hr 40mins
Dir: John Hay
Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt and Dougray Scott
A faltering husband has an affair with his own wife
This romantic comedy has a quite unforgettable final scene when Dougray Scott stops a departing train that he is onboard, simply because ‘he has
fallen in love’ (why couldn’t he just call her?). The scene was filmed at Cardiff Central station, with an odd continuity error that shows Jennifer Love Hewitt initially running up to the main entrance of Bristol Temple Meads. None the less there are good views on the platform of Dougray Scott’s train, formed of a pair of Arriva-liveried Class 158 ‘Sprinter’ DMUs, Nos.158818 and 158833. Earlier in the film, however, there is a very brief glimpse of something a little more unusual. One scene is filmed outside a block of flats on Bristol harbourfront and a railway line is just visible. Even though it is dark it is possible to just about make out a couple of open mineral wagons, lurking amongst the shadows. This is the only known appearance so far in a film of the Bristol Harbour Railway.
*T2 TRAINSPOTTING
GB
2017
1hr 57mins
Dir: Danny Boyle
Starring: Ewan McGregor and Anjela Nedyalkova
After 20 years abroad, a former Scottish heroin addict returns home to reunite with his friends
This sequel to Trainspotting (qv) is deliberately self-referential, with film-clips, music and echoes from the first film. The screenplay is loosely based on Porno, the follow-up novel to Trainspotting, with characters and elements lifted from the first novel. It has quite a bit more in relation to railways than the first film did 21 years previously. The classic scene at Corrour in Trainspotting was recreated for this film, with a Class 156 DMU pulling out, but at the beginning there are some good, albeit brief shots of Edinburgh Trams, with a roof-mounted camera offering some very unusual views. The Port Sunlight pub in the film is in fact the former Globe Hotel in Clydebank and in a couple of scenes trains pass by on the line between Clydebank and Yoker stations. Although they are largely unidentifiable a Class 334 ‘Juniper’ EMU is visible in one. In addition to these there is a shot of a passing Virgin Trains liveried HST, a distant shot of a pair of Class 156 DMUs crossing Rannoch Moor, and a scene filmed at Leith Docks with abandoned railway lines in evidence. As an aside, there is a scene where Ewen Bremner looks through the arch that carries Waterloo Place over Calton Road in Edinburgh and lying straight ahead is Edinburgh Waverley station. This is one of only two locations that appeared in both Trainspotting movies, the other was of course Corrour station but unlike the first movie, Edinburgh Waverley does later feature briefly in the film, and there is also a shot of a Class 91-hauled ECML express arriving at the station in the deleted scenes. The Corrour and Rannoch scenes also reappear in the deleted scenes on the DVD release, as does an additional one filmed onboard a ‘Sprinter’ DMU, a good ground level shot of an Edinburgh tram, and a lengthy scene filmed in the abandoned and derelict former Shrubhill tram depot in Leith.
*TUBE TALES
GB
1999
1hr 24mins
A collection of nine short films based on the true-life experiences of London Underground passengers as submitted to Time Out magazine
This drama is best broken down into its nine separate stories as each one features the London Underground as its setting. The person who originally submitted the details of the experience to Time Out magazine is credited below as the ‘Originator’. The title of each film appears on a different article at the start: Mr Cool was written on the back of a jacket, Horny was a newspaper headline, Grasshopper was displayed on a ticket, My Father the Liar was graffitied on a wall, Bone was written on the case of a double bass, Mouth was written on a chip, A Bird in the Hand was displayed on a poster, Rosebud was on a squashed cardboard sweet carton and Steal Away was written on a bank note.
Mr Cool
Director: Amy Jenkins Writer: Amy Jenkins Originator: Sue Smallwood Starring: Jason Flemyng and Kelly Macdonald Synopsis: After failing to impress his dream girl, Mr Cool suffers the embarrassment of becoming trapped on a train to nowhere
The first film features a scene at Holborn station with 1973-built tube stock in the Aldwych branch platform and a night shot of 1972 stock passing through East Finchley station ‘on its way to the depot’. Finally, there is a very interesting panoramic view of both 1959 and 1972 stock trains stabled in the sidings of Highgate Depot at dusk. This is a good attempt at continuity, because Highgate depot is reached from East Finchley, the
only problem is that the train seen passing through East Finchley has come from the depot.
Horny
Director: Stephen Hopkins Writer: Stephen Hopkins Originator: Alex Piro Starring: Denise van Outen and Tom Bell Synopsis: A young woman uses her sexuality to avenge a businessman’s sleazy desire of her
The second film features some quite confusing scenes. The Aldwych branch platform at Holborn represents ‘Bank’, ‘Bethnal Green’ and ‘Liverpool Street’ stations on the Central Line, with 1973-built tube stock present at ‘Bethnal Green’ and 1962-built tube stock arriving at ‘Liverpool Street’. There is also a shot of Mornington Crescent station with 1959-built stock in the platform.
Grasshopper
Director: Menhaj Huda Writer: Harsha Patel Originator: Gary Dellaway Starring: Stephen Da Costa and Alicya Eyo Synopsis: In a bizarre case of mistaken identity, two ticket inspectors close in on a suspected fare dodger
The third film features opening scenes at Southgate station and a scene filmed onboard 1972 tube stock (notice the guard door operating panel in
one shot of vehicle No.3229). 1959-built tube stock is then seen arriving at ‘Marylebone’ station, which is in reality Mornington Crescent. ‘Piccadilly Circus’ station was thought to be the Aldwych branch platform at Holborn. The ticket hall featured is that at Oxford Circus.
My Father the Liar
Director: Bob Hoskins Writer: Paul Fraser Originator: Christine Barry Starring: Ray Winstone and Edna Doré Synopsis: A young boy and his father witness an incident that causes the father to lie to his son in order to protect him
The fourth film featured a suicide scene at Shoreditch, the shabby northern terminus of the East London Line which closed in 2006. There is a
brief shot of the wheels and underframe of an A stock train arriving as well as a final scene filmed onboard an A stock train.
Bone
Director: Ewan McGregor Writer: Mark Greig Originator: Sam Taggart Starring: Nicholas Tennant and Kay Curram Synopsis: A musician invents a fantasy world surrounding the owner of a lost travel card displayed in the window of a ticket office
The fifth film features an opening scene in the ticket hall of Temple Underground station, though its entrance with ‘prop’ Underground sign is a set. The scenes at ‘Marylebone’, ‘Great Portland Street’ and ‘Oxford Circus’ stations all used the Aldwych branch platform at Holborn with 1973-built tube stock. Great Portland Street was an odd error as it is a sub-surface station on the District/Circle Line and not on the deep level tube network as depicted. There are shots of both the passageway and the Travelator leading from the booking hall down to the Waterloo & City Line platforms at Bank and a cross passage and stairwell of Holborn are also seen. Finally, there are some shots of Northern Line 1959-built tube stock, but it is not known where these were filmed.
Mouth
Director: Armando Iannucci
Writer: Armando Iannucci Originator: Peter Hart Starring: Mark Frost and Daniela Nardini Synopsis: The passengers on a crowded train are drawn to an attractive well-groomed woman, but she doesn’t live up to their expectations
The sixth film features scenes filmed onboard Northern Line 1972 stock along with a scene at East Finchley station.
A Bird in the Hand
Director: Jude Law Writer: Ed Allen Originator: Jim Sillavan
Starring: Alan Miller and Cleo Sylvestre
Synopsis: When a trapped bird stuns itself on a window, passengers debate the bird’s fate before an elderly man liberates it above ground
The seventh film features a final scene at Highgate station on the Northern Line with 1959-built tube stock present. It is not known at which station the opening scenes were filmed at, but again it is on the Northern Line with 1959 stock in the platform.
Rosebud
Director: Gaby Dellal Writers: Gaby Dellal and Atalanta Goulandris Originator: Tracey Finch Starring: Ian Puleston-Davies and Rachel Weisz Synopsis: As a mother searches frantically for her lost daughter, the child discovers a surreal wonderland in which to play
The eighth film was largely shot at Mornington Crescent station and opened with a good aerial establishing shot of the Leslie Green-designed
station building on Hampstead Road. The scene on the escalators was filmed at Chancery Lane as Mornington Crescent only has lifts. 1959-built tube stock features in the platform scenes at Mornington Crescent.
Steal Away
Director: Charles McDougall
Writer: Nick Perry Originator: TJ Austin Starring: Don Warrington and Emma Cunniffe Synopsis: Two young opportunists steal a briefcase laden with money and escape onto an unused platform, where they board a mysterious train
The ninth and final story features a scene at a deserted and eerie Aldwych station with a train of 1973-built tube stock. There is also a scene filmed at what is believed to be London Bridge station, Northern Line.
*TURN THE KEY SOFTLY
GB
1953
1hr 21mins
Dir: Jack Lee
Starring: Yvonne Mitchell and Kathleen Harrison
Three women are released from Holloway Prison with the chance to go straight
This excellent drama features a shot of the frontage of Holloway Road Underground station, but the quite lengthy scene which then follows
below ground was actually filmed at Holborn and used the Aldwych branch platform and a train of 1923 ‘Standard’ stock. There is also a scene filmed at the entrance to Leicester Square Underground station.
*TURTLE DIARY
GB
1985
1hr 37mins
Dir: John Irvin
Starring: Ben Kingsley and Glenda Jackson
Two lonely Londoners decide to release back into the wild, turtles from London Zoo
This drama about ‘people rediscovering the joys of life and love’ is based on a screenplay adapted by Harold Pinter from Russell Hoban’s 1975 novel Turtle Diary. It features a scene with Ben Kingsley onboard District Line D stock and alighting at an unknown station, plus another shot of a similar unit in a night time run by. Finally, there is a shot of Glenda Jackson sat on a bench on the banks of the River Thames close to Hungerford Bridge and looking up in one scene, there is an obscured view of an EPB crossing.
*28 DAYS LATER
GB
2002
1hr 53mins
Dir: Danny Boyle
Starring: Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris
Most of the population of Britain become infected with a vicious and highly infectious rage inducing virus
This post-apocalyptic thriller ingeniously uses scenes of a deserted London to disturbing effect. In one sequence some of the characters hide out in
an empty Canary Wharf Underground station, though only the escalators are seen. Later, they walk along the Docklands Light Railway and leave via South Quays station. Successful both commercially and critically, the film spawned a 2007 sequel, 28 Weeks Later (qv).
*28 WEEKS LATER
GB / SPA
2007
1hr 40mins
Dir: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Starring: Robert Carlyle and Rose Byrne
London is getting back to normal when another virus outbreak erupts
Near the start of this sequel to 28 Days Later (qv) there are some good shots of the Docklands Light Railway system and trains, including P89 set No.13 arriving at Canary Wharf station. Set No.57 is also visible in these scenes. Later, there are shots outside East India DLR station and a shot of the frontage to Moorgate Underground station. There are then some scary moments filmed at both the closed Aldwych and Charing Cross stations. These scenes confusingly flit between the two, with 1972-built stock in the platform at Aldwych and 1996-built stock in the platform at Charing Cross. Some additional scenes filmed at Charing Cross using the 1996-built train appear in the deleted scenes section on the DVD.
*24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE
GB
2002
1hr 57mins
Dir: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Steve Coogan and Shirley Henderson
In 1976, Tony Wilson sets up Factory Records and brings Manchester’s music to the world
This biographic comedy drama is quite surreal at times and is a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, urban legends and
the imaginings of the scriptwriter. Amongst all this there is one surprising shot of a train. Part of the film features a montage of events used to portray Manchester’s industrial rise and the coming of the railways is depicted with a very brief glimpse of Lion, the Liverpool & Manchester
Railway 0-4-2. The shot is part of the original black and white footage taken from the Liverpool & Manchester Railway Centenary celebrations of
1930, held in Wavertree Park, Liverpool, and filmed by W J Bassett-Lowke, the famous toy manufacturer. Lion had played a much more telling role in three other feature films; The Lady with a Lamp (1951), The Titfield Thunderbolt (1952) and Victoria the Great (1937) all (qv).
*24 7 TWENTYFOURSEVEN
GB
1997
1hr 36mins
Dir: Shane Meadows
Starring: Bob Hoskins and Justin Brady
A man opens up a boxing club for bored local youths
This very underrated drama features an opening scene where Bob Hoskins is living rough in the burnt out remains of a BR brakevan! In an early flashback scene soon after, Bob Hoskins is living inside a derelict four-wheel BR van, which is coupled to a small Simplex 0-4-0DM shunter, believed to be works No.2028 built in 1920. In a later scene, he has repaired the van and is painting it! These scenes were all filmed at an overgrown and derelict Rushcliffe Halt on the Great Central Railway line to Ruddington. The site at Rushcliffe was still owned by BR at the time of filming but had been mothballed after the freight traffic to East Leake and Ruddington had ended in the 1980s. It has since been reopened for use as a heritage line, initially by the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre (who owned the stock seen in the film), and the refurbished halt was reopened in June 2000. The title of the film is shown as it appears in the opening credits but has been variously spelled 24:7 TwentyFourSeven, 24/7 TwentyFourSeven or just plain TwentyFourSeven.
*29 ACACIA AVENUE (aka THE FACTS OF LOVE)
GB
1945
1hr 23mins
Dir: Henry Cass
Starring: Gordon Harker and Betty Balfour
A group of young people are having a good time until their parents return home unexpectedly from holiday
Based on an original play by Denis and Mabel Constanduros, this popular comedy drama features one brief going-away shot of a Southern Railway 3 SUB EMU filmed somewhere on the South Western Division. The train interior scene is a studio set.
*23 PACES TO BAKER STREET
US
1956
1hr 43mins
Dir: Henry Hathaway
Starring: Cecil Parker and Vera Miles
A blind playwright searches for kidnappers after overhearing their plot
This American mystery thriller is a minor masterpiece of film-making and was shot in Cinemascope on location in London. At the beginning there are some views from a balcony of the Savoy Hotel overlooking the Thames. Some steam-hauled trains are visible on Hungerford Bridge, but they are too far off to identify. There is also a shot of Queen Victoria Street at the junction with New Bridge Street, Blackfriars, and a partly-obscured steam-hauled passenger train is crossing the roads above.
TWICE ROUND THE DAFFODILS
GB
1962
1hr 29mins
Dir: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Juliet Mills and Donald Sinden
A new group of patients arrive at a hospital to be treated for tuberculosis where they all take a fancy to one of the nurses
This comedy drama was adapted from the play Ring for Catty by Patrick Cargill and Jack Beale. Carry On Nurse from 1959 was based on the
same play. The cast and production team of Twice Round the Daffodils create a noticeable similarity with the Carry On films, but the film is not an official member of the Carry On series. There are good shots of Seer Green and Jordans station at the start with a Class 115 DMU arriving.
TWICE UPON A YESTERDAY (see IF ONLY)
*TWIN TOWN
GB
1997
1hr 39mins
Dir: Kevin Allen
Starring: Rhys Ifans and Rachel Scorgie
Two brothers take revenge on a local businessman for the death of their parents and sister
This very successful Welsh black comedy crime film was set in and around Swansea and there are several scenes filmed outside Swansea station. In the background of one, an HST power car can be seen through the booking hall standing at the bufferstops. The film also highlights the phrase ‘ambition is critical…’ inscribed into the paving slabs outside the station. The phrase is often thought to have been the words of the Swansea poet Dylan Thomas, but the attribution is an urban myth and the line is in fact from a poem by retired social worker David Hughes.
TWINSANITY (see GOODBYE GEMINI)
TWO LEFT FEET
GB
1963
1hr 33mins
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Michael Crawford and Julia Foster
A callow youth is desperate for a date with any girl who can offer him the experience he lacks
This comedy drama is based on the 1960 novel In My Solitude by David Stuart Leslie. It features a railway journey sequence where a party boards
a train at Windsor & Eton Central station formed of a Class 121 single-car DMU with trailer. There is then a good shot of another Class 121 en route along the branch, and a shot of the train arriving at its destination…. Windsor & Eton Central again!!
TWO MEN WENT TO WAR
GB
2002
1hr 49mins
Dir: John Henderson
Starring: Kenneth Cranham and Leo Bill
The story of two Royal Army Dental Corps soldiers who sneak off on their own personal invasion of France
This wartime drama, based on a true World War II story from Raymond Foxall’s book Amateur Commandos, features some good railway scenes as the two soldiers head from Aldershot to Plymouth by train. Filmed on the Bluebell Railway, Sheffield Park doubled as ‘Aldershot’ and Horsted Keynes as ‘Plymouth’, and the train was hauled by Bulleid ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 No.21C123 Blackmoor Vale (a loco not built until 1946). When in France, the two men derail an ammunition train by getting into a signal box. These scenes were filmed on the Mid-Hants Railway at Ropley with a train hauled by Maunsell N Class 2-6-0 No.31874, disguised for filming as it was running as No.5 James from Thomas the Tank Engine at the time! Unlike the Bulleid ‘Pacific’, this loco is more appropriate for a film set in the Second World War as it was built in 1925. The wreckage after the crash was filmed using models.
*TWO ON THE TILES (aka SCHOOL FOR BRIDES)
GB
1951
1hr 13mins
Dir: John Guillermin
Starring: Herbert Lom and Brenda Bruce
An unscrupulous butler blackmails the couple who employ him when they both face temptations when separated for a few days
This comedy features good shots of the ‘Golden Arrow’ at London Victoria station, with a suitably decorated streamlined ex-SR ‘Merchant Navy’ Class 4-6-2 at the helm. The railway scenes open with some fine views of the station frontage and include shots filmed onboard the Pullman stock.
TWO-WAY STRETCH (aka NOTHING BARRED)
GB
1960
1hr 23mins
Dir: Robert Day
Starring: Peter Sellers and Lionel Jeffries
Three convicts break jail to commit robbery
This splendid crime comedy with a clever plot has quite rightly become a minor classic. It also features a number of good and quite interesting railway scenes. The actual robbery takes place at an overbridge where an armoured car is hijacked, and Peter Sellers uses a railway steam crane to lift the jewel van. This was filmed at Dawney Hill, in Brookwood, Surrey. There is a comedy sequence filmed at Windsor & Eton Central station with Peter Sellers & Co. departing on a train formed of a Class 117 DMU, though Wilfrid Hyde-White gets left behind as he was sitting in an uncoupled coach, and a scene where Bernard Cribbins has to take the stolen loot with him onto the roof of a train to avoid the attentions of the police. This sequence was filmed on the Pulborough-Midhurst line in West Sussex which had closed to passengers in February 1955 though it remained open to freight until May 1963. The short train is hauled by a vintage ex-LB&SCR C2X Class 0-6-0 and the jewel bag is dropped by Bernard Cribbins as the train passes through Fittleworth station.
U
*U.F.O.
GB
1993
1hr 19mins
Dir: Tony Dow
Starring: Roger Lloyd Pack and Sara Stockbridge
Feminist aliens kidnap Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown for telling offensive jokes
The infamous stand-up comic Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown stars in this irreverent, science fiction spoof. Performing one night at the end of Blackpool Pier, ‘Chubby’ is beamed up to a spaceship populated by feminist aliens. Put on trial for crimes against women and quickly found guilty, the unapologetic misogynist is condemned to become pregnant every year for the next thirty years. You are either a fan of Royston Vasey or you’re not, and the author isn’t. The film however is not as bad as it sounds and is quite amusing in parts. Although filmed largely in Blackpool hardly anything tram related appears except for one very good close up run by of English Electric Streamline Railcoach No.678.
*ULYSSES
GB / US
1967
2hrs 12mins
Dir: Joseph Strick
Starring: Milo O’Shea and Barbara Jefford
Life in Dublin with a Jewish newspaperman and a poet
This drama is loosely based on James Joyce’s 1922 novel of the same name. Although the complex novel was set in Dublin in 1904, the film features the city during the 1960s. Given the fabulous complexity of the original text it is perhaps unsurprising that the film bore little resemblance to Joyce’s work, but the harsh criticism it received is unjustified. It is astonishing and heartening to watch the cream of the Irish acting profession of the 1960s daring to utter and enact Joyce’s hugely transgressive text, the film is quite ‘filthy’, and Barbara Jefford is very sexy. The film includes some rare shots of CIE 1950s-built 2600 Class AEC DMUs at Dublin Pearse station, though it seems that some shots were also filmed at another unknown location. One of the 2600s is possibly No.2654.
*UN CHÂTEAU EN ITALIE (aka A CASTLE IN ITALY)
FRA
2013
1hr 44mins
Dir: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Starring: Louis Garrel and Céline Sallette
A middle-class family is forced to sell their home in Italy
This French drama features a scene that was filmed adjacent to the side of St. Pancras station, as viewed from the adjoining Pancras Road, with the redeveloped entrance to King’s Cross St. Pancras Underground station opposite.
*UNDER SUSPICION
GB
1991
1hr 39mins
Dir: Simon Moore
Starring: Liam Neeson and Laura San Giacomo
A private detective works on falsifying adulteries for use as evidence in divorce cases, but becomes the chief suspect when his wife is murdered
This crime thriller was a success, but it rarely threatens to excite. Set in Brighton during 1959 there is one shot of the frontage to Brighton station.
*UNDER THE SKIN
GB
1991
1hr 22mins
Dir: Carine Adler
Starring: Samantha Morton and Claire Rushbrook
Two sisters deal with the death of their mother in different ways
This drama features a scene filmed on the concourse of Liverpool Lime Street station but no trains are visible.
UNDERCOVER (aka UNDERGROUND GUERRILLAS)
GB
1943
1hr 20mins
Dir: Sergei Nolbandov
Starring: Tom Walls and Mary Morris
In occupied Yugoslavia, partisans fight the Nazis
This major war propaganda film was made by Ealing Studios in the middle of the war and part of the story involves the sabotage of Nazi supply
trains. With filming in Occupied Europe completely out of the question British rolling-stock was used, and although a German ‘Pacific’ does
appear in one shot, it is thought to be a model. One, maybe two, LNER A3 Class 4-6-2s were modified with smoke deflectors and stovepipe chimneys to appear as Continental locos (somewhat ironic of course, given that German style smoke deflectors were fitted to the A3s during the 1960s) and in various shots the loco appears to be numbered ‘274’ and ‘743’ so it is probably just 2743 Felstead with one number blacked out in different takes so as to give the impression that it is a different loco. Incidentally, all the original A1 Class locomotives were rebuilt to the improved specifications of the A3s but Felstead was the first of the A3s as built from new when delivered in August 1928. There are some shots that appear to have been filmed in the sidings of a quarry with an LNER J52 Class 0-6-0ST in the background and some other shots were filmed in a tunnel at night, and this was probably Welwyn. A later scene where the ammunition train was blown up was filmed at Ravenscourt Park coal sidings in west London.
*UNDERGROUND
GB
1928
1hr 24mins
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Brian Aherne and Elissa Landi
Two Underground workers fight for the attentions of the same girl
Although this film was not the first to feature the London Underground, that accolade probably went to the Hitchcock silent drama Downhill (qv) which came out the year before, this silent melodrama was the first to make extensive use of the system. Throughout the film there are scenes shot at London Waterloo station, on the escalators, in the booking hall, and on the Bakerloo Line platforms with extremely rare shots of 1920-built Watford Joint Tube Stock, built for the service to Watford along both the Bakerloo Line and the London North Western Railway. As a result, the cars were owned jointly by both the Underground and the LNWR though the scenes filmed onboard the carriages used a studio set. The final chase sequence climaxes in a lift at Covent Garden station at night though the location for the tunnel entrance is not known. It isn’t all ‘Underground’, as Grosvenor Bridge is visible in the background of one of the outdoor scenes and distant Southern Railway steam-hauled services are visible. The title of the film is displayed after the opening credits in the form of a very large ‘UNDERGROUND’ sign attached to the retaining wall of Putney Bridge station. This magnificent movie is now much respected by silent movie historians with regular showings at Silent Film Festivals where it is considered one of the very best of the genre. Some footage from this film reappears in the 1931 Hitchcock movie Rich and Strange (qv).
UNDERGROUND GUERRILLAS (see UNDERCOVER)
UNDERWORLD INFORMERS (see THE INFORMERS)
UP FOR THE CUP
GB
1931
1hr 16mins
Dir: Jack Raymond
Starring: Sydney Howard and Joan Wyndham
A Yorkshireman comes to London to watch the Football Association Challenge Cup final, but loses his money and tickets on the way
This comedy features ‘railway scenes on the LMS’, but it is not known what these constitute. Director Jack Raymond made an appearance in the film as a railway clerk, and he remade the film in 1950. It is not known if any trains appear in the remake.
UP JUMPED A SWAGMAN
GB
1965
1hr 29mins
Dir: Christopher Miles
Starring: Frank Ifield and Annette Andre
An Australian singer in London tries to hit the big time
This marvellously entertaining, tongue-in-cheek musical romp features a scene with Frank Ifield at London Marylebone station. However, there are a number of continuity errors with this. When he runs to get on the train it is made up of BR Mk1 coaching stock, but when it departs it has become a Class 115 DMU. The shot of the green-liveried 115 is particularly good and the 2B74 headcode is for a Marylebone-Aylesbury service via the Met, yet Ifield is actually catching a train to London!!
*UP THE CREEK
GB
1958
1hr 23mins
Dir: Val Guest
Starring: Peter Sellers and David Tomlinson
A well-meaning but accident-prone naval officer is put in charge of a mothballed vessel with a disreputable crew
This comedy was shot largely at the now completely redeveloped Columbia Wharf in Grays, Essex, and in several of the early scenes on the quayside various wagons can be seen, along with a couple of rail-mounted cranes. There is also a short comedy sequence filmed at the entrance to Brickett Wood station. The film was immediately followed by Further Up the Creek (qv), which has a little bit more in the way of railways.
*UP THE JUNCTION
GB
1968
1hr 59mins
Dir: Peter Collinson
Starring: Suzy Kendall and Dennis Waterman
A well-off girl goes to live with the working class in Clapham
This drama was the movie version of the BBC TV play that originally aired in 1965 is an episode of the BBC anthology drama series The Wednesday Play. Both in turn were based on the 1963 collection of short stories, released under the same title, by Nell Dunn. As the title suggests various railway scenes appear that were filmed around Battersea with contemporary electric units of the time featuring. The opening scenes pan across Grosvenor Bridge with plenty of green EMU’s visible, including 2 BIL, 4 EPB, 4 CIG and 4 SUB types. There is also a very nice shot filmed at Clapham Junction station with a Class 207 DEMU arriving. Perhaps the best of all though is panning shot at dusk, this time of a Class 73 electro-diesel working a short parcels train. The film ends with another shot of Grosvenor Bridge but this time with only one unit visible. For the record, the 1965 film was directed by Ken Loach and has much less in the way of railway shots. There is an opening scene featuring a 4 SUB unit and a BR Standard Class 3 2-6-2T on empty coaching stock, and then a close up of a passing Standard Class 3 No.82024, but nothing else of note.
*UPSTAIRS AND DOWNSTAIRS
GB
1959
1hr 41mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Michael Craig and Anne Heywood
A married couple struggle with their live-in domestics
This comedy drama features a railway journey that includes a slightly speeded up shot of an express passing on an embankment hauled by an ex-GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0. During this journey there are a number of unusual shots from outside the window of a moving train and in one of these an express train passes hauled by what might be an ex-LNER A3 Class 4-6-2. There is a scene filmed with red-liveried ex-GWR suburban stock at Windsor & Eton Central station and, near the end, a departure from what is supposed to be London King’s Cross station, but which is in fact Edinburgh Waverley. Ex-LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 No.60012 Commonwealth of Australia is at the head of a train, but this is stock footage taken from the same year’s The 39 Steps (qv). Note that the close up shot of the engine whistle blowing is actually the cab of an unidentified LMS loco! The carriage interior scenes were filmed on quite an elaborate set.
URGE TO KILL
GB
1960
59mins
Dir: Vernon Sewell
Starring: Patrick Barr and Ruth Dunning
A psychopathic killer murders three girls before police catch him
This B-movie serial killer short has become something of a minor cult film thanks to its unrelenting shabby grimness and some unintentionally comic, dated, and politically incorrect dialogue. The film is based on the novel Hughie Roddis and the play Hand in Glove, both by Gerald Savory, and in one scene, Terrence Knapp wanders into railway sidings to collect some junk. Plenty of 16T open mineral wagons are visible and although the exact location of this scene is not known, it has been suggested that it could be Lots Road Power Station, Chelsea.
V
*V FOR VENDETTA
UK / US / GER
2006
2hrs 12mins
Dir: James McTeigue
Starring: Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman
A totalitarian British government is opposed by a terrorist in a Guy Fawkes mask
This dystopian political thriller was based on the 1988 DC/Vertigo Comics limited series of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. The film’s climax depicts a tube train loaded with explosives being driven under and destroying the Houses of Parliament. These scenes were filmed at the abandoned Aldwych station using 1972-built tube stock and a 1/7th scale model of Parliament. There are a number of other random shots in the film that feature railway content. During a TV news bulletin there is a shot of the original Piccadilly Rly building to Aldwych station, or Strand as the tiling proclaims, plus a shot of the entrance to Aldgate Underground station. There is also a computer held image of a mock newspaper front cover reporting a virus attack on the tube network which shows a photograph of the 1972-built tube train at Aldwych. In addition, there is an earlier shot looking into Farringdon station from Cowcross Street and a most unusual aerial view of Wembley Central Junction, the former Sudbury Junction just south of Wembley Central station, with several trains present in the yard. These include two freight trains with a Class 66 diesel and a Class 92 electric on the front, and a third which has an EWS-liveried Class 90 electric at the head of a rake of Virgin Mk3s. Finally, there is a brief shot of freight wagons being unloaded in a yard and a high angle shot of a fight on Regents Park Road bridge across the WCML, with a very brief glimpse of a Freightliner train passing on the railway beneath. More shots of Aldwych and its train can be found on Freedom! Forever!, the short featurette on the making of the movie found on the two-disc DVD.
VACATION FROM MARRIAGE (see PERFECT STRANGERS)
VALLEY OF SONG
GB
1953
1hr 20mins
Dir: Gilbert Gunn
Starring: Mervyn Johns and Clifford Evans
Fierce rivalries flare to the surface in a small Welsh town over a coveted role in the local choir
The opening title sequence for this Welsh comedy drama is taken from the front of a train on the Carmarthen-Aberystwyth line near Conwil. The entire phantom ride footage without credits to spoil the view appears on Video 125’s Steam on 35mm DVD. There is more, equally rare footage in this film, of ex-GWR 2251 Class 0-6-0-hauled trains on the Carmarthen-Llandeilo line with good shots of Drysyllwyn and Golden Grove stations. The stations, along with the Carmarthen-Llandeilo line, closed in 1963.
*VALUE FOR MONEY
GB
1955
1hr 30mins
Dir: Ken Annakin
Starring: John Gregson and Diana Dors
A Yorkshire businessman falls for a London showgirl whilst ignoring the love of his true girlfriend
This Technicolor comedy romance was largely filmed in Batley, West Yorkshire, and features a darkened shot of a local passenger train on an embankment hauled by an ex-LMS 2-6-4T, followed by an arrival of a similar train at Batley station, masquerading as ‘Barfield’. There is then a final shot of the station frontage.
*THE VAN
IRE
1996
1hr 40mins
Dir: Stephen Frears
Starring: Colm Meaney and Caroline Rothwell
A redundant baker starts a mobile fish and chip business with his friend
This enjoyable Irish comedy drama was the third instalment of Irish author Roddy Doyle’s The Barrytown Trilogy, following The Commitments (qv) and The Snapper. Set largely in and around Dublin there is one good close up run by of a pair of original 8100 Class DART EMUs, but look closely, and another pair can also just be seen passing in the background of another shot. These scenes were filmed at locations just to the north of Kilbarrack station which have since been redeveloped.
*(THE) VAULT OF HORROR (aka FURTHER TALES FROM THE CRYPT and TALES FROM THE CRYPT II)
GB
1973
1hr 23mins
Dir: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Tom Baker and Terry-Thomas
Five men trapped in the basement vault of an office building share visions with each other of their demise
This Amicus anthology horror features five interlinked stories. The fifth and final tale is called Drawn and Quartered and features a brief shot of the frontage to St Margarets station.
*VENUS
GB
2006
1hr 35mins
Dir: Roger Michell
Starring: Peter O’Toole and Vanessa Redgrave
Life for a pair of veteran actors gets turned upside down after they meet a brash teenager
This comedy drama was largely well received, and it features some good shots of the modern railway. The film includes a scene on the banks of the Thames near Blackfriars Bridge with Class 465 EMUs passing over the river in the background. Jodie Whittaker’s flat is located in the Gospel Oak area close to the North London Line and in some shots, Silverlink Class 313 EMUs are passing. There are two at night (with the sound of a Class 66 as a backing track!) and one during the day. Also, a Freightliner train is passing in another day time scene but has unfortunately been edited so that only the wagons are seen and not the locomotive. When Peter O’Toole and Jodie Whittaker make a final journey to the seaside it is rather unusual and probably unique. It starts with a view from a train window of the platforms at London Victoria and more Class 465 ‘Networker’ EMUs are present. Then, the train moves off and the view outside is at lightning speed with a call at several stations including what appears to be Rochester. They end up at Whitstable station in Kent, with a Class 375 ‘Electrostar’ EMU departing.
*VERY ANNIE MARY
GB
2001
1hr 44mins
Dir: Sara Sugarman
Starring: Rachel Griffiths and Jonathan Pryce
After her father suffers a stroke, a woman is forced to take care of him but uses the circumstances to emancipate herself
This Welsh comedy is set partly in the village of Pont-y-Rhyl in the Garw Valley, and there are two scenes with Rachel Griffiths walking along the disused trackbed of the former Blaengarw branch from Tondu, which closed in 1997. It is currently the source of a preservation attempt.
*THE VERY EDGE
GB
1963
1hr 30mins
Dir: Cyril Frankel
Starring: Richard Todd and Anne Heywood
A young married woman finds herself being stalked by a sinister psychopath
This drama should have been so much better, but it is watchable none the less. It also features a good railway scene in which Anne Heywood goes to a railway station to take a train to London, but the station is in fact Broad Street so she’s already there! These are rare views of London’s forgotten terminus which closed in 1986 and the scene portrays a pair of ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0s, one of which is propelling stock out of the platform, and a pair of vintage Oerlikon EMUs.
THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU (see MARTHA – MEET FRANK, DANIEL AND LAURENCE)
VICTORIA THE GREAT
GB
1937
1hr 52mins
Dir: Herbert Wilcox
Starring: Anna Neagle and Anton Walbrook
The film biography of Queen Victoria concentrating initially on the early years of her reign with her marriage to Prince Albert
This hugely successful historical biopic features a railway scene where Victoria and Albert go away on honeymoon by train. The sequence used an historical recreation of a period train, comprising Liverpool and Manchester Railway 0-4-2 Lion with replica L&M coaches, joined in a mix of
actual outdoor shots and period sets. The outdoor filming of the vintage train took place on the Watford Junction-St Albans Abbey branch with a
passing shot and a scene filmed at Brickett Wood station. Lion has appeared in several other feature films, most notably The Titfield Thunderbolt (1952) (qv), whilst the station at Brickett Wood has also been a popular choice for film producers over the years. The film was followed the following year by Sixty Glorious Years (qv), which continued the look at Victoria’s life, and had Anna Neagle and Anton Walbrook reprise their roles.
*A VIEW TO KILL
GB
1985
2hrs 11mins
Dir: John Glen
Starring: Roger Moore and Christopher Walken
James Bond fights a ruthless industrialist with plans to flood the Silicon Valley
This was the fourteenth James Bond spy film, and the last of Roger Moore’s seven appearances as Bond. The final scenes take place at a supposed silver mine in Silicon Valley, in reality the narrow-gauge system at the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum in West Sussex. The railway’s storage tunnel appeared as the entrance to the mine, with Hunslet Hudson 20hp 2ft gauge diesels No.3097 and ‘Blue Star’ making appearances along with narrow gauge tippler wagons. Later, both of the engines were sent to Pinewood Studios along with a quantity of wagons to film scenes ‘inside the mine’. Many of the railway’s skip wagons still carry ‘Zorin Green’ livery from filming to this day.
*VILLAGE OF DAUGHTERS
GB
1962
1hr 26mins
Dir: George Pollock
Starring: Eric Sykes and Scilla Gabel
An English salesman stumbles across an Italian village full of eligible daughters and is forced into choosing a bride
This quite weak comedy is filmed almost entirely on location in Sicily except for the opening montage in London. In this opening sequence there
are some good shots of London Victoria station, including an unusual aerial establishing shot of the station frontage. At platform level, Southern Railway express stock can be seen beyond the ticket barriers and there is an excellent shot of Eric Sykes boarding on such unit, almost certainly a Class 421 4 CIG or similar.
VILLAIN
GB
1971
1hr 38mins
Dir: Michael Tuchner
Starring: Richard Burton and Fiona Lewis
The rise and fall of a sadistic East End gangland boss
This gangster film is based on James Barlow’s 1968 novel The Burden of Proof and features some scenes involving a journey along the North London Line with Nigel Davenport boarding a Class 501 EMU at South Acton station and a shot outside Acton Central station. The back-projection plate through the carriage window as he makes the journey clearly shows the freight yards around the Old Oak Common and Acton areas, yards that would not be passed on such a short journey. The final scenes in the film were shot in the Battersea area, and 2 BIL and 4 SUB EMUs can be seen passing on the viaduct over Culvert Place, with others seen passing the former site of Nine Elms South Goods Depot. An additional panning shot of a 4 SUB EMU crossing a viaduct was filmed for this movie then not used. It can be found on Video 125’s DVD Diesels and Electrics on 35mm.
VIOLENT MOMENT (aka REBOUND)
GB
1959
1hr 01mins
Dir: Sidney Hayers
Starring: Lyndon Brook and Jane Hylton
A deserter from the British Army kills his girlfriend during a fight and then goes on the run
This B-movie drama as typical of the period. The film is based on A Toy for Jiffy, a short story by Roy Vickers, from his Department of Dead Ends series that appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine in 1956. The movie features scenes at the end that were filmed at London Marylebone station with a very good shot of ex-LMS Class 4P 2-Cylinder 2-6-4T No.42618 departing on a train of BR maroon Mk.1’s.
*VIOLENT PLAYGROUND
GB
1958
1hr 48mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: Stanley Baker and Anne Heywood
A Juvenile Liaison Officer in Liverpool tries to solve fire-raising incidents
This crime drama was filmed on location in Liverpool and there is one scene on the now vanished Liverpool Central station, with coaching stock visible, and a scene filmed beneath the Liverpool Overhead Railway with one of the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board 0-4-0STs moving slowly past with some wagons.
*THE VIRGIN AND THE GYPSY
GB
1970
1hr 35mins
Dir: Christopher Miles
Starring: Joanna Shimkus and Franco Nero
The daughter of a clergyman falls in love with a gypsy fortune-teller
Based on the 1926 D. H. Lawrence novella of the same name, this romantic drama relates the story of two sisters, daughters of an Anglican vicar, who return from overseas to a drab, lifeless vicarage in the post-war East Midlands. D. H. Lawrence set the opening scenes of his short story at Cromford station close to where he lived in Derbyshire, and in a rare effort at continuity, this is the actual railway location used in the film though for some inexplicable reason it masquerades as ‘Colgrave’. Interestingly, the scenes at Cromford featured the rare occurrence of a privately preserved steam train being filmed on BR metals during the ‘steam ban’. Industrial Peckett 0-4-0ST No.1999 North Western Gas Board with a Midland Railway six-wheel coach and a Metropolitan Railway coach were all hired from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. The loco came by road, but the two coaches arrived by rail, and the train steamed up and down the Matlock line with a BR crew for a couple of days in June 1969.
THE VIRGIN SOLDIERS
GB
1969
1hr 36mins
Dir: John Dexter
Starring: Nigel Davenport and Lynn Redgrave
Trials of British Army troops on active duty during the Malayan Emergency of 1950
Based on the 1966 comic novel of the same name by Leslie Thomas this war drama was largely shot in Malaya itself, including most of the railway scenes, though the train crash that occurs near the end was filmed on British soil. Using the abandoned Haverhill-Shelford line at Bartlow in Essex, withdrawn ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.44781 was bought by Columbia Pictures and ‘modified’ to look like a Far Eastern locomotive. Equipped with cow-catcher, headlamp, large side tanks (though it retained its tender!) and given the number 531.03, it was ‘derailed’ and positioned in a ditch alongside the wrecked tracks. The Haverhill-Shelford line had closed entirely from 6th March 1967 so Bartlow was already derelict by the time the film crews arrived. Potted palm trees and other foliage were added to make the scene look like a far eastern jungle. The loco meanwhile had merely been placed off-track with great care, as Columbia Pictures thoughtfully believed that the loco could be resold afterwards. It was duly offered for sale by the production team after cessation of filming, and a sale was agreed with a local enthusiast, though the prohibitive costs of removal and transportation eventually saw the loco cut up where it lay.
*VIRTUAL SEXUALITY
GB
1999
1hr 32mins
Dir: Nick Hurran
Starring: Laura Fraser and Rupert Penry-Jones
A frustrated teenage girl creates her perfect man in a virtual reality machine, only for a freak accident to give him life
This comedy was based on the 1994 Chloë Rayban novel Virtual Sexual Reality and features brief scenes outside Earl’s Court Underground station. There is also a view from Markland House tower block and a Hammersmith & City Line train of C stock is passing through the landscape.
A VOICE IN THE NIGHT (see WANTED FOR MURDER)
*THE VULTURE
GB / US/ CAN
1967
1hr 31mins
Dir: Lawrence Huntington
Starring: Robert Hutton and Diane Clare
A mad scientist turns himself into a half-man, half-bird monster to avenge the death of his ancestor
This horror film has a good shot of a maroon-liveried Class 52 ‘Western’ arriving at Chippenham station with a rake of maroon Mk1s, some of which have the short-lived enamel bodyside destination boards. A shot of the train departing is also shown but despite the use of Chippenham, the entrance scenes use Maidenhead station, a fair distance from the Wiltshire town! It is possible that the footage of Chippenham was taken by ITC, as similar shots of a Class 42 ‘Warship’ diesel-hydraulic-hauled express departing Chippenham station appears in Video 125s Diesels & Electrics on 35mm DVD, and in part was used in the 1970 movie One Brief Summer (qv).
W
W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM’S TRIO (see TRIO)
THE WALKING STICK
GB
1970
1hr 36mins
Dir: Eric Till
Starring: David Hemmings and Samantha Eggar
A disabled girl falls victim of an artist with criminal ideas
This crime drama is based on the 1967 Winston Graham novel of the same name and features a scene filmed on the London Underground with 1962-built tube stock. The station is ‘Bond Street’, though in reality it is the ubiquitous Aldwych.
WALTZ OF THE TOREADORS
GB
1962
1hr 45mins
Dir: John Guillermin
Starring: Peter Sellers and Margaret Leighton
A retired military general loses his mistress to his own son
This wonderful comedy was based on a play of the same name by Jean Anouilh, though with its setting moved from France to Sussex. It has a few scenes filmed on the then newly formed Bluebell Railway with a train hauled by an ex-SECR P Class 0-6-0T at Sheffield Park station.
*WANTED FOR MURDER (aka A VOICE IN THE NIGHT)
GB
1946
1hr 35mins
Dir: Lawrence Huntington
Starring: Eric Portman and Dulcie Gray
The son of a Victorian hangman is driven insane by thoughts of his father’s profession
This generally convincing crime film has an opening scene filmed on the platforms of an unknown London Underground station with 1923 ‘Standard’ stock in the platform. This might be Hampstead, though the entrance to that station seen in the film is a studio set. There is also a shot of Eric Portman crossing the road on the Victoria Embankment and an F1-type tram passes on a Route 31 trip bound for Battersea.
*THE WAR LOVER
GB
1962
1hr 45mins
Dir: Philip Leacock
Starring: Steve McQueen and Shirley Anne Field
In 1943 an American Air Force commander antagonises everyone at an East Anglian airfield
This black-and-white war film was loosely based on the 1959 novel of the same title by John Hersey. It features some good scenes filmed at London Liverpool Street with ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 No.61378 entering the station with Steve McQueen on the footplate. Some attempt has actually been made to give the loco a 1940s look, despite the fact that this particular loco was one of the 136 B1s built post-war by BR. ‘NE’ transfers have been applied to the tender and the BR ‘6’ prefix has been removed from the cabside number. In the following shots another B1 can be seen in the platforms in the background, with plenty of other rolling stock visible. There is also a stock shot of an East Coast main line express hauled by a ‘named’ LNER V2 Class 2-6-2, rare given the fact that only eight members of the total fleet of 184 were given names. Identifiable via its nameplate, the locomotive in question is No.4844 Coldstreamer. The carriage interior is the usual studio mock up.
THE WARE CASE
GB
1938
1hr 19mins
Dir: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Clive Brook and Jane Baxter
A financier is accused of murder after his brother-in-law is found dead in his garden pond
This melodrama is an adaptation of the 1915 play of the same name by George Pleydell Bancroft, which had previously been made into two silent
films in 1917 and 1928. There is a shot of a Southampton-bound boat train leaving London Waterloo station with an SR N15 Class ‘King Arthur’ 4-6-0 on the front.
A WARM DECEMBER
US
1973
1hr 41mins
Dir: Sidney Poitier
Starring: Sidney Poitier and Esther Anderson
A doctor in London falls for a dying girl
This romantic drama features a scene at an unknown Southern Region station with a 4 EPB EMU in the platform.
*WATERFRONT
GB
1950
1hr 20mins
Dir: Michael Anderson
Starring: Robert Newton and Kathleen Harrison
A sailor abandons his family in the Liverpool slums only to return years later to cause family frictions
This drama was filmed on location in Liverpool and was adapted from a 1934 novel by John Brophy. During the titles, an establishing shot of Liverpool’s docklands is seen with an overhead railway train running between Langton Dock and Alexandra Dock stations. There are also shots of Liverpool Overhead Railway sets arriving at an unknown station, including original set No.44 and refurbished set No.16. Some Liverpool trams are also on view in several of the street scenes.
*WATERLAND
GB / US
1992
1hr 35mins
Dir: Stephen Gyllenhaal
Starring: Jeremy Irons and Sinéad Cusack
The story of an anguished English-born Pittsburgh high school teacher in 1974 going through a reassessment of his life
This mystery drama film was based on Graham Swift’s 1983 novel of the same name and includes some scenes filmed on the North Norfolk Railway, one of which sees Lena Headey and Ethan Hawke have hot, swift, sex in a compartment! The train is hauled by ex-LMS Class 3F ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T No.47383. The locomotive is owned by the Manchester Rail Travel Society and was on loan from the Severn Valley Railway. The station in these scenes is Weybourne, which masquerades as ‘Hockwell’.
WATERLOO BRIDGE
US
1940
1hr 48mins
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy
Starring: Robert Taylor and Vivien Leigh
A story of a dancer and an army captain who meet by chance on Waterloo Bridge, as told in an extended flashback narration
This was the 1940 remake of the 1931 American drama film also called Waterloo Bridge, adapted in turn from the 1930 play of the same name. It includes one shot of a passing GWR express hauled by a ‘King’ Class 4-6-0.
*WATERLOO ROAD
GB
1945
1hr 13mins
Dir: Sidney Gilliat
Starring: John Mills and Jean Kent
A soldier goes AWOL to sort out his wife’s relationship with a crook
This wartime romantic drama has stood the test of time rather well and as its name suggests, was set in and around the confines of London Waterloo station. There are some very, very, good shots of trains passing into and out of the terminus during the opening credit sequence and amongst the 4SUB electric units, an M7 Class 0-4-4T leaves with one van and ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 No.864 Sir Martin Frobisher leaves on an express. V Class ‘Schools’ 4-4-0 No.932 Blundell’s is seen arriving and a real rarity in the form of N15X ‘Remembrance’ Class 4-6-0 No.2332 Stroudley is pulling out with another express. Only seven N15Xs were ever built. John Mills escapes the military police by leaping from a departing 4 COR EMU and runs across the tracks narrowly missing an H Class 0-4-4T running light. The 4 COR is set No.3145 and it is working a headcode 8 route, Waterloo-Portsmouth Harbour (not stopping at Havant) via Woking. Also visible at various other points in the film are another ‘Lord Nelson’ and a ‘King Arthur’ N15 Class 4-6-0 along with many pre-war suburban three and four-car EMUs. Perhaps not surprisingly some London trams appear, including a good shot of one working Route 33 (Manor House-West Norwood), and there are also some scenes depicting an air raid shelter purportedly filmed at Waterloo Underground station, though most of it appears to be a set.
WEB OF EVIDENCE (see BEYOND THIS PLACE)
*WEDDING REHEARSAL
GB
1932
1hr 24mins
Dir: Alexander Korda
Starring: Roland Young and Kate Cutler
A young bachelor foils attempts by his grandmother to find a wife
This rather pleasant early romantic comedy includes a scene filmed at Cole Green station on the Welwyn Garden City-Hertford line, with a train hauled by LNER N7/2 Class 0-6-2T No.2655. There are very good shots of the steam loco and equally good shots of the station, which include a fine overall view of it from the surrounding fields. The scene onboard the train is a set, complete with lace LNER antimacassars!
WEDNESDAY’S CHILD (see FAMILY LIFE)
WEE GEORDIE (see GEORDIE)
*A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF MARTIN CLUXTON
IRE
1971
1hr 16mins
Dir: Brian Maclochlainn
Starring: Bill Foley and Dearbhla Molloy
A working-class teenager, released from Borstal, finds that his background and e ducation prevent him from finding work
This award winning social realist drama features lots of jazz music, a bad job interview, isolation, lousy parents, high-angled zoom shots, boredom and chatty neighbours. The film depicts not only the tedium that inner city teenagers endured at the time but also has some very good shots of Irish trains. The railway scenes start shortly after two minutes in and include shots inside a Cravens coach and a 24xx Buffet Car along with a good shot of Mk1 Generator coach No.3172. In the scene shot from Liberty Hall the train was headed by an A Class Metro-Vick loco as it crosses the viaduct through the streets, but this had morphed into single-cab GM 121 Class loco No.B130 by the time it entered Dublin Pearse station, the interior shots of which give a particularly good view of the old station infrastructure. There is a good close up shot of the station entrance and the railway bridge across Westland Row and note that as the train passed over the River Liffey there were ships moored almost right up to the railway bridge. In a later scene, Martin Cluxton (played by Derek King) is caught hiding in a box van in a railway yard close to the docks and as he runs away in escape, there is a shot of 421 Class single-cab shunter No.E422 parked next to a level crossing. A whole myriad of freight stock is visible in this scene which was probably filmed in North Wall Yard, adjacent to Dublin Port.
*WEEKEND
GB
2011
1hr 37mins
Dir: Andrew Haigh
Starring: Tom Cullen and Chris New
A young man begins a short but deep gay relationship which has far reaching consequences
This romantic drama has some very good contemporary scenes at the end which were filmed at Nottingham station, and a couple of East Midlands Trains Class 158 ‘Sprinter’ DMUs are present. Earlier in the film there are some scenes filmed onboard the Nottingham Express Transit, with Incentro 5-section trams 209 and 215 visible in street scenes.
*A WEEKEND WITH LULU
GB
1961
1hr 29mins
Dir: John Paddy Carstairs
Starring: Leslie Philips and Shirley Eaton
A group of British tourists experience misadventures whilst caravanning in France
This quite delightful comedy, the name of which refers to the caravan that is hitched to the back of an ice cream truck, features a sequence whereby Lulu is accidentally parked on a flat wagon with the party subsequently finding themselves on a train heading for France. The sequence was filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway with one of the line’s Hunslet WD ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0STs on a delightful assortment of freight stock. All the ‘French’ scenes, including the shot of ‘Chateauron sur Bois’ signal box, were all filmed on the LMR, probably in the yard at Longmoor itself, but to aid continuity there is a decent shot of a French ‘Pacific’ passing on an express as Leslie Philips hangs out of the caravan door. The ‘Pacific’ is correctly running on the left, but the scene is actually a stage set up with back-projection added. The French countryside seen in several shots is also a moving backcloth. It is not all filmed on the LMR though, there is an aerial shot of an Toton Marshalling Yard, and then some scenes filmed in Feltham station goods yard with a number of 16T mineral wagons present. Despite the inconsistencies this is a well thought out, and quite well executed railway sequence.
WE’LL MEET AGAIN
GB
1943
1hr 24mins
Dir: Philip Brandon
Starring: Vera Lynn and Ronald Ward
A young dancer trying to make it in London during World War II discovers that people like her singing voice
This rarely seen musical centres around the ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’ and is a slice of nostalgia that seems difficult to observe today. It features one stock shot taken from a signal box of a passing LMS express hauled by a ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0.
WEST 11
GB
1963
1hr 33mins
Dir: Michael Winner
Starring: Alfred Lynch and Kathleen Breck
A man down on his luck is recruited into crime by a local conman
This crime film was based on the Laura del Rivo play The Furnished Room and was set in West London, taking its title from the W11 postcode. There is one scene filmed at the entrance to London Paddington station but no trains are seen. Paddington station, incidentally, is in postcode W2.
*WETHERBY
GB
1985
1hr 42mins
Dir: David Hare
Starring: Tim McInnerny and Vanessa Redgrave
Passions are released after the death of an enigmatic young man
This rather good mystery drama is set in Wetherby, North Yorkshire, but features a scene of Tim McInnerny onboard an HST, which is then followed by a very good close up shot of an HST set passing through a rather barren looking Biggleswade station before electrification.
*WHAT A CARVE UP! (aka NO PLACE LIKE HOMICIDE)
GB
1961
1hr 27mins
Dir: Pat Jackson
Starring: Sidney James and Shirley Eaton
A mad family man starts to kill off members of his family
This comedy horror is in the style of the Carry On films and was loosely based on the 1928 Frank King novel The Ghoul. A previous version titled The Ghoul was filmed in 1933 but was not a success. What a Carve Up! is excellent fun and features an extremely rare shot of an LNWR Special Tank 0-6-0ST arriving at an unknown single platform station at night. The Special Tanks were a Saddle Tank version of the LNWR DX Goods Class 0-6-0 locos and 278 were eventually built. What is rare is that only five survived into BR ownership in 1948 and all five were in Departmental use as works shunters. They had been withdrawn by 1959 so the footage must have originally been filmed for a much earlier production, possibly in the 1930s. The origin of this stock shot is not known.
*WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE (aka GIRL TROUBLE)
GB
1969
1hr 42mins
Dir: Menahem Golan
Starring: Norman Wisdom and Sally Geeson
A middle-aged banker picks up two young free minded women on his way to a banker’s convention and falls head over heels for one of them
Despite being a comedy, this film sees Norman Wisdom playing against his usual slapstick role, with mixed results. There is a scene where
Wisdom is driving down a road adjacent to a four track railway. The road is the A562 as it passes beneath the A561 Speke Boulevard, and the
railway is the main Runcorn-Liverpool route before electrification. The location of the shot is just east of the Halewood car factory. Incidentally, there was also a German dubbed version of the film which bears the title Öfter Mal Was Junges!! This version is 27 minutes shorter than the UK version running to 75 minutes instead of 102 minutes.
*WHAT’S UP NURSE!
GB
1978
1hr 17mins
Dir: Derek Ford
Starring: John Le Mesurier and Kate Williams
Sexual adventures of a new doctor at a provincial hospital
This 70s sex comedy features a train journey at the start of the film, and there is an excellent panning shot of a Class 55 ‘Deltic’ on an express on the ECML. This is followed by scenes onboard an EMU, possibly a Class 302, and extremely brief drivers-eye views of the entrance and exit to a tunnel. Most of the film was shot in and around Southend-on-Sea and there is a brief scene outside Westcliff station where a blue-liveried EMU, almost certainly a Class 302, can just be seen departing. There is also a scene at the end where Nicholas Field and Felicity Devonshire are driving down a dual carriageway in an orange Triumph Spitfire and pass beneath a railway viaduct, the location of which isn’t known.
*WHEEL OF FATE
GB
1953
1hr 12mins
Dir: Francis Searle
Starring: Bryan Forbes and Sandra Doone
Two brothers working at their father’s petrol station fight over the same girl, and over the cash that their disabled father keeps in his bedroom
This short drama is based on an original story entitled Nightmare by Alex Atkinson. It has some good railway scenes near the end with Bryan Forbes running across the tracks in front of a train at night. The locomotive in question is slow-moving ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0 No.61106 but it is not known exactly where this scene was filmed. Also making an appearance is another ex-LNER loco in the form of L1 Class 2-6-4T No.
67786 on a passenger train along with the ubiquitous stock shot of a streamlined LMS ‘Duchess’ Class 4-6-2 taken from Brief Encounter (qv).
WHEN BOYS LEAVE HOME (see DOWNHILL)
*WHEN SATURDAY COMES
GB
1996
1hr 38mins
Dir: Maria Giese
Starring: Sean Bean and Emily Lloyd
A brewery worker dreams of becoming a professional footballer
This sporting drama features one dramatic scene with Sean Bean contemplating suicide. As he walks along a single track line he is nearly run down by Loadhaul-liveried Class 56 No.56039 ABP Port of Hull on a short rake of MGR wagons. The exact location of this scene is not known, but it would have been a freight-only branch or connecting spur somewhere in the Sheffield area. Later, there is a scene filmed inside the offices at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane football ground and one of the nameplates of LNER B17 ‘Footballer’ Class 4-6-0 No.2849 is prominent.
*WHEN THE DEVIL DRIVES
GB
1907
4mins
Dir: Walter Robert Booth
Starring: Actors unknown
The devil blights a family’s day trip
This early, special effects silent short, was designed solely to thrill audiences with the Devil taking charge of a train and driving it under the sea before spinning it around in the sky! Most of this makes use of a Bassett-Lowke O-gauge model and painted-on effects. Look closely at the scene where the train travels along the sea-bed and you can see the cameraman reflected in the glass of the fish tank! The film is made in the style of Georges Méliès’ fantastical journeys such as Voyage a Travers l’Impossible (France, 1904) using optical tricks and a combination of painted backdrops and models with a live cast but there are some real railway scenes. As can be expected for these early silent movies they give a wonderful insight into the pre-grouping era with some very rare shots indeed. This film is no exception and there is a shot taken outside what is reputed to be Pershore station on the GWR. There is then a shot of an LNWR 4-4-0 arriving at Llandudno Junction station and a very, very, rare shot of an LNWR 3-cylinder Compound 2-2-2-2 on an express, probably also in the vicinity of Llandudno. There is then one final shot of an LSWR 4-4-0 on an express taken from another train travelling in the opposite direction. All this footage appears on Video 125’s Trains from the Arc’ DVD.
WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD
GB
1991
1hr 56mins
Dir: Charles Sturridge
Starring: Rupert Graves and Barbara Jefford
After a rich Edwardian widow dies in childbirth in Tuscany, her English in-laws try to gain custody of the baby
This drama is based on the 1905 novel of the same title by E. M. Forster but was largely seen as a disappointment. Although a large chunk of it
was filmed in Italy there are a couple of British railway scenes. These were filmed on the Bluebell Railway, with Horsted Keynes station posing as ‘Sawton’, and a train hauled by ex-NLR 75 Class 0-6-0T No.58850.
*WHERE THE BULLETS FLY
GB
1966
1hr 28mins
Dir: John Gilling
Starring: Michael Ripper and Dawn Addams
A secret agent is assigned to get the formula for a process that can drain nuclear energy
This comedy spy drama, clearly imitating the James Bond style popular at the time, has action scenes filmed at Staines West station and along the branch with Mk1 coaches hauled by a Class 35 ‘Hymek’. There are also shots of WR expresses that are used to depict a train journey, two are hauled again by ‘Hymek’s’ whilst a third is hauled by a ‘Warship’, though only the wheels and underframe are visible of the latter. Finally, there are some shots filmed at London Waterloo station with maroon-liveried Mk1’s and a green Bulleid vehicle present.
*WHERE THERE’S A WILL
GB
1955
1hr 20mins
Dir: Vernon Sewell
Starring: Kathleen Harrison and George Cole
A London family inherit a ramshackle Devon farm but have reservations about moving to the country
The screenplay for this comedy was adapted by R. F. Delderfield from one of his plays and features a lovely shot of a South Devon Railway branch train arriving at Staverton station long before the arrival of the preservationists. The train is made up of ex-GWR 1400 Class 0-4-2T No.1439 and auto-coach No.W244W. The station looks a little worse for wear but still had three years left before closure.
*THE WHISPERERS
GB
1967
1hr 45mins
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Starring: Edith Evans and Eric Portman
An elderly eccentric lady living in poverty comforts herself with fantasies
This bleak northern drama is dismally sad, hauntingly depressing and emotionally exhausting. It was filmed on location in Oldham, Lancashire, but despite this however there is a single stock shot of an express hauled by SR ‘Lord Nelson’ LN Class 4-6-0 No.859 Lord Hood, passing through the centre roads of an unknown station. This shot had previously appeared in the 1958 film Carry On Sergeant (qv). The scene which follows has Eric Portman in the toilet on the train and it is very much a genuine shot and not a set, confirmed by the camera bucking around all over the place.
WHISPERING SMITH HITS LONDON (aka WHISPERING SMITH vs. SCOTLAND YARD)
GB
1952
1hr 17mins
Dir: Francis Searle
Starring: Richard Carlson and Rona Anderson
An American detective investigates a London murder
This crime mystery features some scenes at the end that were filmed at London Paddington station and although no locos are seen, there are good shots of GWR Hawksworth-designed coaches.
WHISPERING SMITH vs. SCOTLAND YARD (see WHISPERING SMITH HITS LONDON)
*THE WHISTLE BLOWER
GB
1986
1hr 40mins
Dir: Simon Langton
Starring: Michael Caine and James Fox
A war veteran tries to investigate the murder of his son who was working as a Russian translator for British intelligence during the Cold War
Near the start of this spy thriller there is a scene filmed at Bank station on the Waterloo & City Line with a passenger getting pushed under a train
of 1940-built stock that is arriving. Other scenes then follow that were filmed at Cheltenham Spa station. Michael Caine is pictured first onboard an HST, and then getting off a similar set at Platform 2. This is then followed by a number of shots within the station and a final shot of the frontage. The film was based on the 1984 novel of the same name by John Hale.
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND
GB
1961
1hr 39mins
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Starring: Alan Bates and Hayley Mills
After taking refuge on a farm, a murderer on the run is mistaken by three children as the Second Coming of Christ
There is one scene in this classic drama which shows Hayley Mills running onto a railway track and into a tunnel. This was the 144 yards long Newline Tunnel, near Bacup in Lancashire, the route through which closed at the end of 1966.
*THE WHITE BUS
GB
1967
46mins
Dir: Lindsay Anderson
Starring: Arthur Lowe and Patricia Healey
An impassive young girl travels from her mundane London life back to her home in the north of England where she boards a surreal bus tour
Seen through the poetic eye of the camera, this short drama is a commentary of doomed British morbidity. The screenplay was jointly adapted with Shelagh Delaney from a short story in her collection, Sweetly Sings the Donkey (1963) and was originally commissioned by producer Oscar Lewenstein as one third of a ‘portmanteau’ feature entitled Red White and Zero, with the other sections from the other short stories by Shelagh Delaney. There are scenes filmed at both London Paddington and Manchester Piccadilly stations with good shots of maroon-liveried BR Mk1 coaches at both, but no locomotives. Class 104 BRCW DMUs are visible in the background of one shot at Piccadilly but despite this, the exterior
shot is that of Manchester Exchange. There is also a fairly lengthy musical scene filmed inside a Mk1. Incidentally, the factory sequences in this film were shot in Trafford Park, including the Metropolitan-Vickers works, birthplace of the Class 28 Co-Bo’s. The ‘red’ part of the film also features trains, see Red and Blue (qv).
*WHITE CARGO
GB
1973
1hr 17mins
Dir: Ray Selfe
Starring: David Jason and Imogen Hassall
A bumbling civil servant rescues some strippers from the sex trade
Forget the plot, this film has one purpose only now and that is as the forgotten film which David Jason once starred in. The film itself is not an exception in being tedious or embarrassing, in-fact it’s part of the norm of early 1970s British Comedy Films in being truly awful. There are a couple of good shots of Woldingham station though, with Class 207 DEMU No.1317 departing in one, and a scene at an unknown location on an industrial estate, possibly in the Twickenham area, with a couple of SR suburban EMUs passing.
*WICKED AS THEY COME (aka PORTRAIT IN SMOKE)
GB
1956
1hr 34mins
Dir: Ken Hughes
Starring: Arlene Dahl and Philip Carey
A poor but beautiful woman sets her sights on rising to the top, and lets nothing stand in her way
There is one shot in this crime drama of an Eastern Region express hauled by an ex-LNER B1 Class 4-6-0.
WICKED WIFE (see GRAND NATIONAL NIGHT)
*THE WILD AND THE WILLING (aka YOUNG AND WILLING)
GB
1962
1hr 50mins
Dir: Ralph Thomas
Starring: Virginia Maskell and Paul Rogers
University students form relationships and perform pranks with disastrous consequences all round
This brilliant romantic drama was filmed on location in Lincoln but despite this fact, the station frontage seen in one night shot is thought to be Slough station in Berkshire. It is masquerading as ‘Kilminster’.
WILD FOR KICKS (see BEAT GIRL)
THE WILD LITTLE BUNCH (see THE 14)
*THE WILDCATS OF ST. TRINIAN’S
GB
1980
1hr 31mins
Dir: Frank Launder
Starring: Michael Hordern and Sheila Hancock
The schoolgirls form a union and plan to kidnap girls from other more respectable colleges
The Wildcats of St. Trinian’s was the fifth comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian’s School. It poked fun at the British trade union movement which had been responsible for the recent wave of strikes that culminated in the ‘Winter of Discontent’, but it was not a critical success and no further films were produced. This was a shame because the movie was actually rather funny, and it featured a number of good railway scenes alongside a superb performance by Sheila Hancock. There are two passing shots of HST’s, and scenes filmed at Slough and Windsor & Eton Central stations with white and blue refurbished Class 117 DMUs. Windsor & Eton Central has been renamed ‘Embernage’ and Slough plays the part of ‘Victoria’. If you look really carefully in the background of one of the Slough scenes, a freight train can just be seen passing on its way towards London. There is a final scene filmed at the ‘real’ London Victoria with 4 EPB and Class 411 4 CEP EMUs visible in an aerial shot of the platforms. Of the four other St. Trinian’s films, three in the form of The Belles of St Trinian’s (1954), Blue Murder at St Trinian’s (1957) and The Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery (1966) all feature railway content (all qv), the odd one out being The Pure Hell of St Trinian’s (1960). The 2007 release St. Trinian’s was considered a rebooting of the franchise and not a direct sequel.
*THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (aka MR. TOAD’S WILD RIDE)
GB
1996
1hr 27mins
Dir: Terry Jones
Starring: Eric Idle and Steve Coogan
Weasel property developers threaten the homes of Mole and Toad
This enjoyable and light-hearted children’s movie is only a loose adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 classic novel of the same name, and it
received some unjustified criticism as a result. It includes a spectacular railway sequence filmed on the Bluebell Railway, effectively standing in as the South Eastern & Chatham Railway. Toad has escaped from prison with the police in pursuit and he heads for the railway station. Seeing the moving, steaming, monstrous engine, he gets all worked up and boards the footplate as it arrives. He is forced to take the controls after losing the crew with the police shooting from the carriages behind. The highly complex scenes, with special equipment attached to the loco, tender and carriages to allow the film crew and actors room to move around, used ex-SECR C Class 0-6-0 No.592 and the vintage train rake from the Kent & East Sussex Railway. Horsted Keynes is the station where Toad and his friends board the train and much of the filming, where Toad drives the train up to 106mph (!), takes place between Monteswood Lane bridge and Waterworks bridge, with West Hoathley Tunnel (731 yards) also appearing in one scene. The final dramatic climax where the by now uncoupled engine leaves the rails used a very realistic wood and fibreglass replica of 592’s tender placed next to the line in the trees as well as a lot of speeded-up trick photography.
*THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY
GB / IRE
2006
2hrs 06mins
Dir: Ken Loach
Starring: Cillian Murphy and Orla Fitzgerald
Two brothers are caught up in the troubles of 1920s Ireland
This widely-praised drama set during the Irish War of Independence takes its title from the Robert Dwyer Joyce’s The Wind That Shakes the Barley, a song set during the 1798 rebellion in Ireland and featured early in the film. The film is heavily influenced by Walter Macken’s 1964 novel The Scorching Wind but it is not a direct adaptation. It features one scene early on where British soldiers attack the crew of Irish J15 Class
0-6-0 No.186 working a short train of three coaches. This brutal scene was filmed at Killarney station on the Mallow to Tralee line.
*WINDBAG THE SAILOR
GB
1936
1hr 29mins
Dir: William Beaudine
Starring: Will Hay and Moore Marriott
A sea captain entertains his audiences with tales of his days at sea, even though navigating a coal barge was the extent of his experiences
This Will Hay comedy was filmed in Falmouth and the railway lines on the Eastern Breakwater are visible in a number of shots, though no railway related items feature.
*A WINDOW IN LONDON (aka LADY IN DISTRESS)
GB
1940
1hr 17mins
Dir: Herbert Mason
Starring: Michael Redgrave and Sally Gray
A construction worker thinks he sees a murder from a train
This decent little thriller includes a number of scenes on the sections of London Underground that are shared by Piccadilly / District Line services
in the areas around Barons Court and Earl’s Court, as well as the Lillie Bridge diveunder. Good shots of Underground trains feature and include a couple of shots of the older 1920s-built clerestory-type sets, a more modern oval-window unit, a shot of an R stock train and a glimpse of 1923 ‘Standard’ stock on a Piccadilly Line service. Filming took place between Earl’s Court and Barons Court stations (the apparent murder taking place in a window of a flat overlooking the lines near Barons Court) and there are shots of the frontages of Westminster, Chiswick Park and Earl’s Court Underground stations. The shots of the train interior are studio sets. The opening scenes depict aerial shots of Hungerford Bridge and the elevated signal box of Charing Cross station is visible. Finally, the film makes excellent use of the construction site for the new Waterloo Bridge and there are a couple of shots of the standard-gauge railway built to aid construction and a Lister Rail-Truck can be seen shuttling up and down. The film was a remake of the 1939 French movie Metropolitan and was released in the US in 1942 under the title Lady in Distress.
WINGS OF THE MORNING
GB
1937
1hr 29mins
Dirs: Harold Schuster and Glenn Tryon
Starring: Henry Fonda and Irene Vanbrugh
The tempestuous love between an Irish nobleman and the fiery Spanish gypsy during the late 1880s
This was the first ever three-strip technicolor movie shot in England or Europe and although it is not a great movie, it is a good one, and historically is without equal. There is one brief shot in this drama of a London tram crossing Westminster Bridge though it is partially obscured by other traffic.
THE WINSLOW BOY
GB
1948
1hr 52mins
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Starring: Robert Donat and Margaret Leighton
A youngster is expelled from a naval academy over a petty theft, but his parents raise a political furore by demanding a trial to clear his name
This adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s play of the same name is a well-respected drama and it features a good shot of an LNER F6 Class 2-4-2T arriving at an unknown suburban station in London. There is also a scene filmed on the concourse of London Liverpool Street station.
THE WISDOM OF CROCODILES (aka IMMORTALITY)
GB
1998
1hr 39mins
Dir: Po-Chih Leong
Starring: Jude Law and Kerry Fox
A vampire in London is searching for the ideal woman to redeem him
This romantic vampire thriller includes some scenes filmed on the Waterloo & City Line platforms at Waterloo station with 1992-built tube stock present.
*WITHOUT A CLUE
GB
1988
1hr 47mins
Dir: Thom Eberhardt
Starring: Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine
In reality, Sherlock Holmes is a mediocre detective and it is Watson who is the real sleuth
This interesting comedy is a parody on the real Sherlock Holmes stories and features some scenes filmed on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, including Lakeside station itself, with ex-Manchester Ship Canal Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No.31 Hamburg from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway on a train of two Metropolitan Railway coaches from the Vintage Carriages Trust at Ingrow. Despite this, however, there is also a scene filmed onboard a Mk1 coach, presumably also filmed on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite.
*WOMBLING FREE
GB
1977
1hr 36mins
Dir: Lionel Jeffries
Starring: David Tomlinson and Frances de la Tour
The Wombles of Wimbledon Common make contact with humans
This big-screen version of the classic children’s TV series The Wombles has a number of railway scenes as David Tomlinson goes to work.
There are shots of passing Class 115 DMUs on Chiltern Line services and a scene with David Tomlinson at High Wycombe station with another
Class 115 just visible in the bay platform.
THE WOMAN ALONE (see SABOTAGE)
*THE WOMAN FOR JOE
GB
1955
1hr 31mins
Dir: George More O’Ferrall
Starring: George Baker and Diane Cilento
The owner of a circus sideshow and his prize attraction, in this case a midget, become romantically involved with the same woman
This drama is a real oddity. It is thoroughly un-politically correct but at the same time sincere and unpretentious. Also, the Technicolor production that is so surprising for such a small-scale film from the fifties makes the carnival atmosphere so attractive. The majority of the scenes take place at Pinewood, which included an elaborate circus set, but there are two shots of passing express trains. The first shot shows a train crossing an embankment and bridge hauled by an ex-GWR ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0, whilst the other shows an express leaving the southern portal of Hadley Wood North Tunnel, hauled by an ex-LNER A3 Class 4-6-2. This was three years before the second tunnel was built alongside. The railway station entrance and the carriage interior scenes are very obvious Pinewood creations.
*THE WOMAN IN BLACK
GB / US / SWE / CAN
2012
1hr 35mins
Dir: James Watkins
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Janet McTeer
A young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals
This hugely effective supernatural horror is the second adaptation of Susan Hill’s 1983 novel of the same name, a television production had previously been filmed in 1989. There are a number of railway scenes in the film and these open with a rather nice shot of Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No.1638 on the Bluebell Railway, wonderfully backlight by the setting sun. This is followed by shots of Daniel Radcliffe onboard a train, with fake ‘M & D R’ antimacassars, and then scenes with him sat on Sheffield Park station at night in the pouring rain. The train passing through the countryside at night appears to be a CGI creation, but the second train interior scene is real, and has Daniel Radcliffe sitting inside vintage wooden carriages. The final chilling scenes were filmed at Horsted Keynes station and though Southern Railway coaching stock is present the locomotive is not identifiable. It is fitted with a very large central headlight but freeze framing the scene gives the suggestion that it could be No.1638 again.
*THE WOMAN IN BLACK ANGEL OF DEATH
GB / US / CAN
2014
1hr 38mins
Dir: Tom Harper
Starring: Phoebe Fox and Jeremy Irvine
A group of children evacuated from a blitz ravaged London arrive at a dilapidated country house awakening its darkest inhabitant
This sequel to The Woman in Black (qv) was set 30 years after the first in WWII, but it was seen by many to be an unnecessary deviation from the original. None the less it is quite a potent thriller. It opens with a scene filmed at Aldwych station, which is being used as an underground air raid shelter. This is followed by smoked filled evacuation scenes filmed at King’s Cross. The platforms are full of maroon-liveried Mk.1 coaching stock, most of which is CGI created. Quite a good attempt has been made to recreate a wartime scenario with the overhead wires and other modern paraphernalia all removed, though of course the carriages are too young for such a scene. One is TSO No.4994, built in 1961. Following on from this is another very good backlit shot of Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No.1638 on the Bluebell Railway, almost certainly one filmed for the original 2012 film which was then not used in that production (qv). The railway sequence ends with a scene filmed onboard what is possibly a Bulleid coach, followed by a shot from the roof of a steam-hauled train entering a tunnel, a shot of wheels and motion, and then a final view of a distant steam-hauled train passing through the countryside at night. Officially, the film was not given the number 2 to denote its status as a sequel but it was released in some countries as The Woman in Black 2 Angel of Death.
*THE WOMAN IN THE HALL
GB
1947
1hr 33mins
Dir: Jack Lee
Starring: Jean Simmons and Cecil Parker
A penniless widow augments her slender income by using her children to extort money from the wealthy
Based on the 1939 novel of the same name by G.B. Sterns this drama features a low-level run-by of a Southern Railway express hauled by a ‘Lord Nelson’ Class 4-6-0. This is possibly a Southern Railway promotional shot because the camera is set in the ‘four-foot’ of the adjacent line. The earlier scene filmed onboard a train uses a quite obvious set.
*WOMEN IN LOVE
GB
1969
2hrs 11mins
Dir: Ken Russell
Starring: Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson
The sexual encounters of two sisters during the 1920s
This brilliant romantic drama is a famous adaptation of the 1920 D. H. Lawrence novel of the same name. It was applauded as a good rendering of Lawrence’s once controversial novel about love, sex and the upper class in England and it is just as complex. The film features some dramatic scenes with coal trains hauled by NCB Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0STs. The exact location of these scenes is not known but the colliery pithead in the film was ‘A’ Pit of Bedlington Colliery, Northumberland, closed in 1971. There are also some period scenes filmed on restored double-deck trams at the National Tramway Museum, with a beautiful brass band rendition of I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles as a background accompaniment.
WONDERLAND
GB
1999
1hr 48mins
Dir: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Gina McKee and Ian Hart
Three sisters have man trouble
This admirable drama with the ever-sultry Gina McKee, features a scene at the end that was filmed at London Euston station. An HST is visible
along with Mk3 coaching stock, and DVT No.82129 is at the buffer stops. Elsewhere, there is a night shot of a passing electric-hauled express and some distant views of Southern Region EMUs.
*WORK IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD (aka WORK IS A 4-LETTER WORD)
GB
1968
1hr 33mins
Dir: Peter Hall
Starring: David Warner and Elizabeth Spriggs
A young man gets a job at a power station just so that he can grow mushrooms
This dreamlike satirical comedy includes a very unusual scene at a carriage washing plant of all places. This scene was filmed at Marylebone DMU depot with a Class 115 DMU present. Two shots of the same DMU feature, and vehicle Nos.51879 and 59655 are identifiable. The film was not that well received by critics even though it was based on Henry Living’s award-winning 1964 play Eh?
WORK IS A 4-LETTER WORD (see WORK IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD)
*THE WORLD TEN TIMES OVER (aka PUSSYCAT ALLEY)
GB
1963
1hr 33mins
Dir: Wolf Rilla
Starring: June Ritchie and Sylvia Sims
The lives of two London club hostesses working in Soho
This moody drama features a rather inconsistent scene whereby the gorgeous Sylvia Sims meets her father off a train at London Marylebone station, with Class 115 DMU’s in attendance. The scene is interspersed with a shot of the concourse at London Waterloo combined with an announcement for a train to ‘Apsley, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted’! This is then followed by a scene filmed on the South Bank close to Hungerford Bridge and some BR-built suburban EMU’s are passing by on the viaduct in the background. An additional scene at Marylebone of a Class 115 arriving was shot for this film then not used, but it can be found on Video 125’s DVD Diesels & Electrics on 35mm.
*THE WRECKER (aka DER WÜRGER)
GB / GER
1929
1hr 14mins
Dir: Géza von Bolváry
Starring: Carlyle Blackwell and Benita Hume
A crook wrecks trains in order to discredit the railway companies
This British-German silent crime film, an early Gainsborough production and one of the last ever made as a silent, later had a soundtrack added
and includes a very spectacular train crash. The elaborate crash scene was filmed at Salter’s Ash crossing, near Herriard on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway. A set of six SECR coaches and SECR F1 Class 4-4-0 No.148 were bought from the Southern Railway by Gainsborough Pictures who painted the loco grey with ‘United Coast Lines’ lettering on the tender. After a number of rehearsals, the train was set off under its own steam by its crew who then jumped clear as it slowly accelerated down the incline to collide into a Foden steam lorry. The impact, which destroyed the locomotive and the lorry, was recorded by 22 cameras and has been described as ‘the most spectacular rail crash in cinema history’. Dynamite carried aboard the lorry created a good explosion, whilst the track beyond the crossing was undermined to help aid the derailment. The end result was indeed spectacular, with all but the last pair of wheels on the rear coach leaving the rails. The train was of course empty but was then ‘filled’ with passengers who can be seen alighting from the wreckage in the ensuing aftermath. After filming was completed the wreckage was cut up on site by contractors, although one coach underframe remained in the bushes until the 1950s, long after the closure of the line for the second time in 1932. Even to this day with all trace of the trackbed having disappeared, when the land is turned during cultivation the occasional piece of wreckage is unearthed. Nothing as elaborate has taken place since, with only the planned destruction of a remotely-operated Class 46 diesel No.46009, destroyed in the Old Dalby nuclear flask test crash, coming anywhere close to the levels of destruction involved (a crash seen very briefly in the 2006 film This is England – qv). The crash scene from The Wrecker was later used almost in its entirety in the 1936 film Seven Sinners and again in the 1964 film The Earth Dies Screaming (both qv). The images taken from the cameras at the crossing were used to depict several crashes, with the derailment appearing a number of times throughout the film, but from different angles. Unfortunately, the crash scene has somewhat overshadowed the other railway scenes in the film, which feature a good variety of Southern Railway traction and some of it quite rare. Other locos seen in the film include an ex-SECR D Class 4-4-0, two Maunsell 2-6-0s, one of which is U Class No.803, L1 Class 4-4-0 No.756, ‘King Arthur’ Class N15 4-6-0s No.452 Sir Meliagrance and No.773 Sir Lavaine, a very rare shot of ex-LSWR D15 Class 4-4-0 No.463, the first of only ten built, and an even rarer shot of an ex-LSWR H16 Class 4-6-2T, one of only five built. The freight trains at the end are hauled by an ex-LSWR 700 Class 0-6-0, an ex-LSWR K10 Class 4-4-0 and what appears to be an ex-LSWR Urie-designed H15 Class 4-6-0. Some early 3-car Southern Railway ‘Nutcracker’ EMUs are also visible at London Bridge. Originating from the LSWR, these were the forerunners of the SUB’s. Identifiable locations in the film for these scenes include Sevenoaks Tunnel and Chislehurst, Elmstead Woods, London Bridge and Byfleet & New Haw stations. There are also some good shots at London Waterloo with a surprisingly rare view looking out from the station’s main entrance onto Mepham Street with the viaduct carrying the railway between Charing Cross and Waterloo East in the background, full of period advertising which is history in itself. A number of drivers-eye views feature, one of which passes through the then recently opened Petts Wood station, but it is not known where the train was passing when Joseph Striker climbs over the coal in the tender to warn the driver to stop the train, nor when Benita Hume was clinging to the side of the train! The signal box at ‘Pagham Moor Siding’ is also unidentified, though what looks like a vintage LNWR locomotive pulls up with a freight alongside. This wonderful film was in fact based on a play of the same title by Arnold Ridley and Bernard
Merivale. The Ghost Train of 1923, a play famously made into three films, had also been written by Arnold Ridley.
*THE WRONG ARM OF THE LAW
GB
1963
1hr 34mins
Dir: Cliff Owen
Starring: Peter Sellers and Bernard Cribbins
A new trio of crooks appears in London, dressing as police and stealing from the established criminal gangs
This wonderfully original comedy features a Southern Region level crossing, which was Bushy Park Road in Hampton Wick, a level crossing that has since been closed and removed. It was situated on the Kingston Loop line between Hampton Wick and Teddington stations. Nothing else railway related appears in the film, unless you include the prints of steam locomotives that cover the walls of the police station!
*THE WRONG BOX
GB
1966
1hr 47mins
Dir: Bryan Forbes
Starring: Michael Caine and Cicely Courtneidge
Two elderly brothers are the surviving members of a tontine in which the last member stands to receive a fortune
This quiet little black comedy has a superb cast and the witty script keeps it running along quite nicely, though it is a little on the dull side at times.
It was based on the 1889 novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson and his step-son Lloyd Osbourne. Part of the story involves a head-on crash between two Bournemouth expresses which involved some clever editing and an elaborate set involving a couple of full-size replica locomotives, placed in a jack-knifed position and locked buffer-to-buffer. The replica locomotives, both in LSWR light green, are Adams T3 Class 4-4-0 No.563 and Class A1 ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T No.72 Fenchurch, renamed Franklin in the film. The ‘crash’ was filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway and the wagons and coaches were real, though the smoke entering the loco funnels is interesting and suggests some sort of reversal of shot. Just before the crash there are a couple of shots of one of the approaching expresses which seems to show it hauled by a light green-liveried Class A1X ‘Terrier’ 0-6-0T, which ties in nicely with the mock-up loco used in the crash. This indicates that the scenes of the train moving were filmed elsewhere, probably on the Bluebell Railway (home to the real No.72), and the lengthy scene filmed onboard and the footplate shots do also appear to be ‘real’. Later in the film there is a scene with Dudley Moore at Bath Green Park station with ex-LMS Class 3F ‘Jinty’ 0-6-0T No.47676 at the buffer stops. The loco is again painted light green so as to represent an LSWR locomotive, bringing as it does an unusual diligent attempt at continuity, but in the finished film little of the loco is visible. This was the year that Bath Green Park closed to passengers though it remained open for goods and parcels traffic until 1971.
WRONG NUMBER
GB
1959
1hr
Dir: Vernon Sewell
Starring: Peter Reynolds and Lisa Gastoni
A telephone number dialled in error proves the downfall of a ruthless criminal gang
This short but gripping Merton Park crime thriller has some opening shots of a train journey, depicted with the now ubiquitous stock shots of expresses passing through Watford Junction in the dark, as taken from the original Brief Encounter from 1948 (qv). This film uses two of these stock shots, a Stanier ‘Coronation’ streamliner followed by a ‘Royal Scot’ Class steaming in the opposite direction.
XY&Z
X, Y AND ZEE (see ZEE AND CO.)
*A YANK AT OXFORD
GB
1938
1hr 42mins
Dir: Jack Conway
Starring: Robert Taylor and Maureen O’Sullivan
A cocky American athlete receives a scholarship to attend Oxford University
This enjoyable sporting drama features one pleasing shot of a GWR express running alongside a river hauled by a ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0. The train interior is the usual set with back-projection, the view through the window featuring more GWR coaching stock and an unknown station with very large running in board.
YANKS
GB
1979
2hrs 21mins
Dir: John Schlesinger
Starring: Richard Gere and Vanessa Redgrave
American GIs find romance in a Lancashire mill town during the Second World War
This lavish war drama is beautifully orchestrated in parts, and seriously cliched in others, but is largely an epic worthy of its status and was a successful blockbuster of the time. There are some excellent scenes filmed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, with Keighley station and yard dominating these scenes as troop trains send American soldiers off to war. Locomotives prominent in these scenes are ex-LMS Class 8F
2-8-0 No.8431 (built in 1944), BR Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0 No.75078 (carrying ‘5078’ but built in 1956), ex-SR ‘West Country’ Class 4-6-2 No.34092 City of Wells (not built until 1946) and the line’s big USATC S160 Class 2-8-0 No.5820 as ‘28201’. This US-built loco is by far the most appropriate for filming with an estimated 2120 built by various American builders for the United States Army Transportation Corps. Many saw service on Britain’s railways though this particular loco was not built until 1945!
*THE YELLOW BALLOON
GB
1953
1hr 16mins
Dir: John Lee Thompson
Starring: Kenneth More and Hy Hazell
A small boy thinks he killed his friend only to then be menaced by a real murderer
This very fine, taught little thriller, features some suspenseful final scenes filmed on the Central Line of the London Underground. Although several cross-passages and the ‘bombed’ station were a studio set, the bulk was filmed at Queensway station with 1923 ‘Standard’ stock present. The station masquerades as the closed ‘Weston Road’. The scene with the signal cabin is believed to have used Marble Arch station and the final air shaft sequence may have used Aldwych. There are also several shots of the street level frontage to Queensway Underground station.
*YELLOW CANARY
GB
1943
1hr 38mins
Dir: Herbert Wilcox
Starring: Anna Neagle and Richard Greene
A British Nazi sympathizer travels to Halifax, Canada, and is trailed by spies from both sides
This wartime drama features a railway scene where a train is caught in the middle of a bombing raid. This is mainly studio material, but it does include a couple of shots of passing night expresses. Sadly, the trains are largely indiscernible, though one may be in the hands of an LNER C1 Class 4-4-2. The film was edited down to 84 minutes for its release in the US.
YESTERDAY’S HERO
GB
1979
1hr 35mins
Dir: Neil Leifer
Starring: Ian McShane and Suzanne Somers
An alcoholic former footballer is determined to make a comeback
This needlessly obscure footie melodrama was scripted by Jackie Collins! The entertaining film is currently unavailable in any format and is
given short shrift by many, possibly only for its rather cliched story. The opening scene features a ‘Skinhead’ Class 31 diesel passing a football
ground on a short rake of vans. This was Maidenhead United’s York Road, home to the Club since 1871 and the Football Association have since acknowledged that it is the ‘oldest senior football ground continuously used by the same club’. The 31 was heading towards London on the Great Western main line.
YOU CAN’T DO WITHOT LOVE (see ONE EXCITING NIGHT)
YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER
SPA / US
2010
1hr 40mins
Dir: Woody Allen
Starring: Anthony Hopkins and Gemma Jones
A young woman undergoes a mid-life crisis and marriage break up, just as her parents suffer the same
This comedy drama features one early scene filmed in Lower Marsh Street near Waterloo station and in the background, looking towards Westminster Bridge Road, a South West Trains Class 444 ‘Desiro’ EMU is crossing the bridge on its way out of the station.
*THE YOUNG AMERICANS
GB
1993
1hr 43mins
Dir: Danny Cannon
Starring: Harvey Keitel and Iain Glen
An experienced New York police detective is sent to London to help a local task force investigate a series of gangster killings
This crime drama features some shots of Southern Region EMUs passing in the Borough and Southwark areas of London and these include Class 415 4 EPB, Class 411 4 CEP and Class 423 4 VEP types. Another scene filmed in a churchyard has other EMUs passing in the background. There is also a scene filmed at Holborn Underground station with 1973-built tube stock featuring.
YOUNG AND WILLING (see THE WILD AND THE WILLING)
THE YOUNG LOVERS (aka CHANCE MEETING)
GB
1954
1hr 36mins
Dir: Anthony Asquith
Starring: David Knight and Odile Versois
A US Embassy man falls for the daughter of a Soviet minister
This cold war romance drama features a railway sequence in the latter half as the two lovers flee to the coast by train. There are a couple of stock shots of LMS expresses hauled by a ‘Princess Coronation’ Class 7P 4-6-2 and a ‘Royal Scot’ Class 6P 4-6-0, and some scenes filmed at both London Victoria and Newhaven Harbour stations, with SR 4 COR EMU No.3133 and a 2 BIL EMU appearing.
YOUNG SCARFACE (see BRIGHTON ROCK)
YOUNG WINSTON
GB
1972
2hrs 37mins
Dir: Richard Attenborough
Starring: Simon Ward and Robert Shaw
The early life of Winston Churchill including his time in the Boer War
This successful historical drama was based on the book My Early Life: A Roving Commission by Winston Churchill himself. Much of this lavish epic, deals with Churchill’s time in the British Army in South Africa, which called for a number of elaborate railway sequences. First of these is a scene in which an armoured train comes under attack in the hills. This was shot in South Wales on the Neath-Brecon line near Craig-y-Nos with a heavily disguised ex-GWR 1400 Class 0-4-2T No.1466 borrowed from the Great Western Society at Didcot. The loco was fitted with dummy armour plating, cow-catcher and large headlamp and was barely recognisable. The line through Craig-y-Nos had largely closed in October 1962 but some infrastructure still remained in place. The armoured train was formed of 16T mineral wagons, also with some armour plating, which were used to carry personnel, and several were derailed during the attack, but it seems that other wagons were modified ‘Toad’ brake vans and ‘Siphon G’ ventilated vans with cut down bodywork. It is known that a Class 08 shunter was borrowed from British Rail and used as motive power for a supply train during filming. There are some good rare colour glimpses of Craig-y-Nos (Penwyllt) station, masquerading as Chievely, at the start of the scenes. Later in the film when Churchill is making his escape from imprisonment, there are some scenes filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway using ex-SR USA Class 0-6-0T No.30064, borrowed from the Bluebell Railway, and BR Class 9F 2-10-0 No.92203 Black Prince, owned by the artist David Shepherd and based at Longmoor at the time. Both locos were disguised as South African Railway locomotives, and 30064 escaped fairly lightly with just a cow-catcher and ‘SAR’ on its side tanks. This was possibly because the USA-built loco already looked quite foreign but there was no such joy for the 9F which had its smoke deflectors (and nameplates) removed, and a large fibreglass chimney and dome, cow-catcher and headlight added, together with a large ‘SAR’ motif on its tender and the first and last digits of its number blacked out thus making it ‘220’. The once extensive Longmoor Military Railway had been used for many films over the years but had closed by the time this film was made. Young Winston would become the line’s last ever appearance in feature film.
*ZEE AND CO. (aka ZEE AND COMPANY and X, Y AND ZEE)
GB
1972
1hr 50mins
Dir: Brian Hutton
Starring: Michael Caine and Elizabeth Hurley
A wealthy architect battles with his love-hate marriage whilst seeking an affair
This drama is based on Edna O’Brien’s 1971 novel of the same name and features a scene at London King’s Cross station with a filthy BR green Class 47 No.1934 at the buffer stops together with a real rarity in the form of a Derby-built Class 125 DMU. Blue and grey Mk1 and Mk2 coaching stock can also be seen, one of which is Mk.2B Corridor First No.13487.
ZEE AND COMPANY (see ZEE AND CO.)