GB 1964 1hr 25mins Dir: Philip Ford Starring: Charles Tingwell and Jane Barratt
The adventures of a Great Dane and her adoption by the family who come to live in her old home
This family adventure film from the CFF was adapted from a television series that was originally broadcast as six episodes entitled ‘Danger, Keep Out’, ‘The Dog Catchers’, ‘The Rescue’, ‘The Fugitives’, ‘The Dog Prison’ and ‘The Battle’. The version I watched was a Geman production in three seperate parts that were all interlinked into an 85 minute film, but whatever its origins, the ‘tail’ has some good railway scenes towards the end where Junia the Great Dane makes her way home by train. These scenes were all filmed at Brighton with a 2 BIL EMU and 3D DEMU No.1304 seen departing. The shot of the latter is particularly good and gives us a rare glimpse of these DEMUs in their original condition. There is also a brief shot of the frontage to Worthing Central station though no actual filming took place here.
As the sign clearly states, this is Brighton station
The children discuss their travel plans outside the station having discovered they do not have the 11 shillings required to get to Worthing
As the sign clearly states, this is British Railways Worthing Central
Junia makes her way into the station. This is probably Brighton.
Brighton, and a good crisp shot of a surprisingly deserted concourse. The sign on the wall on the left reads ‘GUARD’S JOURNALS East Croydon, Waterloo, Cannon Street’. It would be interesting to know the history behind this as neither Waterloo nor Cannon Street were directly served from Brighton.
A less than interested looking ticket collector awaits custom at the platform barrier with a Mark 1 coach in the platform beyond
Having been given the right away, the guard boards his van of a DEMU at platform 10 of Brighton station.
This excellent shot shows 3D DEMU No.1304 departing platform 10 at Brighton, almost certainly on a service to Uckfield via Lewes. No.1304 was built in 1962 and is in original as-built condition.
This slight continuity error shows the dog arriving back at Brighton having ridden unnoticed in the brakevan. Presumably, this is also Class 3D unit No.1304. 3D was the Southern Region designation for these units and referred to their originally planned main operating sphere – 3 car OxteD line stock. They were more conventionally classified Class 207 under TOPS, with 1304 becoming 207004.
This final shot shows a 2 BIL EMU departing from platform 9 at Brighton on an East Coastway service to Lewes and beyond. Platforms 9 and 10 were closed in 1969 although this platform is still ‘extant’ as it provides pedestrian access to the car park built on the redeveloped platform 10. Prior to closure, this pair of platforms were almost exclusively the reserve of East Coastway services.
