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 thriller with a couple of very good railway scenes thrown in. Sadly, little is actually known about the film itself, which was believed destroyed in 1924, and even the actors names are not recorded. The first railway scene consists of a very good shot of an LSWR suburban train arriving at Walton-on-Thames 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. The loco could be an L12 Class 4-4-0 and 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. Great stuff!

This is thought to be Walton-on-Thames and the train is just arriving on the far right
As the camera continues to roll the loco is revealed to be No.553, an A12 Class 4-4-0, and a rare loco on screen
This is thought to be London Road, Guildford, and the loco of the train appears to be an L12 Class 4-4-0. Notice the passengers peering out inquisitively.
Oh the joy of early silents when absolutely everything was the genuine thing. This is one of several fine sequences showing the footplate crew at work.