PRINT OF DEATH

GB
1958
26mins
Dir: Montgomery Tully
Starring: John Warwick and Roberta Huby

Scotland Yard detectives investigate a series of payroll robberies where the criminals are using the prints of a dead man

This short crime film was part of the Scotland Yard series, a series of 39 episodes produced by Anglo-Amalgamated between 1953 and 1961. They are short films, largely half-hour in length, that were originally made to support the main feature in a cinema double-bill. Each film focused on a true crime case, with only the names changed, and featured an introduction by the crime writer Edgar Lustgarten. Print of Death was No.27 in the series. These films should not be confused with the BBC television series of the same name broadcast in 1960 which are unrelated. Print of Death is another of these Scotland Yard shorts that features quite a bit of railway footage. There is a scene filmed on the concourse of London Victoria and a shot of a passing passenger service hauled by an ex-GWR 4300 Class 2-6-0, but the film is most notable for the final climatic sequence that take place in Field Sidings, New Cross Gate. During this climax we get excellent glimpses of two former Billinton-designed LB&SCR steam locomotives. One is E4 Class 0-6-2T No.32474, but the other is a particularly rare view of a Class C2X 0-6-0 ‘Large Vulcan’ in the form of No.32525. The yard is packed full of railway wagons and ancient departmental carriages and the police get to catch the criminal by riding on the running boards of a BR brake van!

Police watch the comings and goings at the left luggage counter of Victoria station in London
A short passenger train passes the camera in the hands of an ex-GWR 4300 Class 2-6-0. This is likely to be stock footage from somewhere.
The chase through the railway yard begins. Here we get to see an excellent glimpse of former LB&SCR Class C2X 0-6-0 No.32525 moving slowly past on a freight. The pretty ancient grounded coach body on the right has clearly seen better days.
Moving further into the yard, we discover that there is a whole rake of grounded coach bodies!! The freshly painted wagons to the right have come from the New Cross repair shops.
After the former LB&SCR C2X we get this much closer view of an E4 0-6-2T in the form of No.32474
In this final view the police have captured the criminal. Perhaps of more interest to the rail enthusiast is the rolling stock on view. This is Field Sidings at New Cross Gate, to the north of the repair sheds, with East London Up Junction signalbox visible in the haze in the left distance.