DR. MORELLE THE CASE OF THE MISSING HEIRESS

Image result for Dr Moreele: The Case of the Missing Heiress 1949

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

Adapted from a play by Wilfred Burr this was a film version of the popular BBC Radio series about a doctor-turned-sleuth, and there are some really good railway scenes from the early BR transition period in what is only a cheaply made B-movie mystery. There is a very good and rather rare shot of an ex-GWR ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 leaving London Paddington and two shots of passing expresses. Both are hauled by ex-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 the Marlow 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.

This is the scenic shot of a branch line that appears early in the film. The exhaust of an approaching train is quite clear in the centre distance
This shot of passengers at Paddington station…
…is followed by this rare glimpse of a ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 about to leave on an express
The first shot of a passing express, with stencil headcode ‘180’, hauled by a ‘Castle’ Class 4-6-0. Maidenhead East signal box is on the left.
The second shot of a passing Western Region express hauled by another ‘Castle’ Class locomotive. The train is different to the shot above as it does not display a headcode but it is likely filmed at the same location.
This fine shot depicts an auto-train scuttling along a branch line with the ubiquitous 1400 Class 0-4-2T on the front. The train is heading away from Bourne End towards Marlow, and is thus the ‘Marlow Donkey’.