GB 1962 1hr 28mins Dir: Robert Lynn Starring: Spike Milligan and Barbara Shelley
A country postman is transferred to London, where he manages to foil a major robbery
There are quite a few, varied sequences in this comedy that feature railway scenes, the best of which were shot on the ex-GER Buntingford branch in Hertfordshire with a ‘mail train’ hauled by ex-LNER J15 Class 0-6-0 No.65460. The scenes with Spike Milligan departing from the village on his way to London where filmed at West Mill station on the branch, renamed ‘Upper Fringly’ for the film, and No.65460 also appears in these scenes accompanied by a couple of Gresley suburban coaches. The London scenes feature some quite unusual shots. The first is an aerial view of London Marylebone station with a local train arriving behind an ex LMS 2-6-4T, whilst down at platform level a second loco is seen arriving, but it is unfortunately too dark to make out an exact identity. A mail train is being loaded prior to its departure with BR GUV No.W86078 in its formation. The ‘W’ prefix denoted it belonged to the Western Region but more interesting is another carriage seen at the station behind Spike Milligan in one shot. It is numbered SC 5572M, the ‘M’ suffix denoting Midland Region but the ‘SC’ prefix referred to the Scottish Region! I was not aware that both M and SC should appear together in the same number. In addition to these scenes, there is a shot of ex-LMS ‘Coronation’ Class 7P 4-6-2 No.46241 City of Edinburgh on Camden shed and a comedy sequence with Spike Milligan on the London Underground. The station entrance that features is that of Moorgate, but the ‘interior’ shots and those of the platform with 1962-built tube stock used Aldwych. No surprise there then!