THE GUINEA PIG

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). The opening scenes meanwhile appear to show Victoria station in London.

This looks to be a real station. Is this Waterloo?
This excellent shot shows ‘King Arthur’ Class 4-6-0 No.448 Sir Tristram arriving into Sherborne station as the signalman watches attentively from the door of his box behind.
However, the arrival scene shows a different locomotive in the form of a Bulleid ‘Merchant Navy’ in original condition, in Sunshine’ livery, and with Bulleid’s non-conformist Continental style numbering. The loco is 21C6 Peninsular & Oriental S.N. CO., soon to become 35006 in the standard BR numbering scheme.
This is the frontage to Sherborne station, almost exactly the same today