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GB 1959 1hr 35mins Dir: Sidney Gilliat Starring: Ian Carmichael and Alastair Sim
A television personality becomes a Conservative candidate at a by-election
This satirical comedy features a number of railway scenes. Ian Carmichael takes a journey to his constituency by train at the start of the film. He leaves London Marylebone onboard Mk.1 coaching stock, but no locomotive is visible. En route, we see the familiar stock shot of ex-LMS ‘Royal Scot’ Class 4-6-0 No.46100 Royal Scot on Bushey troughs, seen firstly in Cage of Gold (1950 qv). The arrival scenes were filmed at Windsor & Eton Central station, masquerading as ‘Earndale’, with an ex-GWR ‘Hall’ Class 4-6-0 at the head of the arriving train and a rake of GWR suburban stock in an adjacent platform, with a 9400 Class 0-6-0PT at the front. Windsor & Eton Central station appears again on several further occasions, with a near identical shot of another train arriving behind a ‘Hall’ with a 9400 Class Pannier Tank in the adjacent platform.
Ian Carmichael walks across the concourse at London Marylebone
Moyra Fraser and Ian Carmichael embrace on the platform
The train departs Marylebone with the smoke from the unidentified loco clearly visible
Royal Scot on Bushey Troughs. Although it would be interesting to know where this shot first originated, it can also be found in Cage of Gold (1950), Escapade (1955), Beat Girl (1960) and Hide and Seek (1964).
This is Windsor & Eton Central, playing the part of the fictitious ‘Earndale’ on this occasion. This shot shows to good effect what a fine station Windsor & Eton Central once was.
The arrivals road again, in a view slightly further to the right of that above
The approaching train is arriving behind an ex-GWR ‘Hall’, whilst a 9400-series Pannier Tank is visible at the front of the coaching stock on the right
Although the train arrives into Windsor there is a slight continuity error here as Ian Carmichael and Patricia Bredin are initially seen alighting back at Marylebone!!
Patricia Bredin and Ian Carmichael are now definitely on the platform at Windsor
In this closer view of proceedings, Patricia Bredin and Ian Carmichael have been joined by Eric Barker and Richard Wattis
In a near identical shot to earlier, another train arrives hauled by a ‘Hall’. The coaching stock is different and there is no cloud of white smoke so it is a different train that is arriving. However, the train on the right looks not to have moved at all in the intervening period!! Both these platforms are now all that remain of this once grandiose station, but only that on the right has track. This platform has had the track removed and has been somewhat truncated.
This final view shows Windsor & Eton Central from a slightly different angle
