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 and 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. There are a couple of truly excellent shots 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.

The opening railway shot of this film is quite good. ‘Lord Nelson’ Class No.854 Howard of Effingham passes through Folkestone Warren.
On the dockside, goods are unloaded from the hold of a ship as a pair of parcels vans stand in the background. The locomotive at the front is obscured by the gantry leg of the crane, but the shape of the tender lends one to believe it is an O1 Class 0-6-0
Out on the quayside and two locomotives are visible between the car and the gentleman
The very unusual and rather unexpected shot from the footplate of a train as it enters Dover Marine station.
The train pulls into the platform with all its contemporary signage. Note the open firebox door bottom right. Dover Marine was renamed Dover Western Docks in 1979 and closed in late 1994-early 1995. The listed structure is now a cruise terminal.