SHINING THROUGH

US
1992
2hrs 12mins
Dir: David Seltzer
Starring: Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith

A secretary from Queens is transformed into a WWII government spy after discovering her attorney boss and lover is in fact a secret agent

This hugely forgettable American war drama has a couple of brief sequences said to be set in Switzerland, but which actually use London St Pancras station masquerading as Zürich Hauptbahnhof. Benches marked ‘Schweizerische Bundesbahnen’ (German for ‘Swiss Federal Railways’) were placed on the platform with the flags of many countries draped down from above, but all this regalia was spoiled somewhat by the BR digital clacker clock that was still visible, and the train itself. The train was formed of ex-LMS Class 5MT ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.44932 on a short rake of green-liveried coaches consisting of a Mk.1 BCK and four Mk.2 Met-Camm Pullman’s. No.44932 was renumbered 919 138 for filming and had additional Imperial eagles added to the cabsides, whilst BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.80080 was present in an adjacent platform with two further Met-Camm Pullmans. Despite all this effort, little in the way of details are visible in these scenes, though there is a shot of the ‘DR’ eagle embellishments on the carriage sides. The ‘Black Five’ was not built until 1945 and the BR Standard Tank was built in 1954, both of course too young for the period in which the film was set. The scenes onboard the train and the journey itself used the German and Austrian railway systems but, in an unusual piece of continuity, the German ‘pacific’ hauling the train is also numbered 919 138. Coupé News No.34 (December 2005) lists the following rolling stock as being used in the film; 44932 had Pullmans 347, 348, 349 and 350 along with Mk.1 BCK 99129 (21272) which were all painted green on one side. The Met-Camms with 80080 were given as No.s 335 and 354. Filming took place on 16th December 1990. The movie, which was vigourously slated by the press, was based on the 1988 novel of the same name by Susan Isaacs.

Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas among the crowds at St Pancras, which is masquerading as Zürich Hauptbahnhof (or Zürich HB). Behind the pair is the tender of ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0 No.44932. The smoke emanating from the tender is a mere trick of the eye. It is in fact coming from BR Standard 4 tank No.80080 in the adjacent platform!!
The green carriage in the background to this shot is a BR Met-Camm Pullman, the first of which came out of the factory in 1961. The rolling stock was painted green on this side for filming.
Another feature applied for filming is this Imperial eagle emblem of Deutsche Reichsbahn, applied to the side of the BR Mk.1, in the doorway of which stands John Geilgud.
In this night shot of St Pancras we can not really make much out. Despite the efforts of the producers to film several scenes at St Pancras, little of the station has really been captured in the final cut. The bench in the foreground is a prop marked Schweizerische Bundesbahnen. Vexillologists among us will recognise at least the flags of Greece, Switzerland, Sweden and Holland hanging on the left.
The lights in the station have now been extinguished, thus making it difficult to make out the two steam locomotives. These are ‘Black Five’ No.44932 again with BR Standard Class 4MT 2-6-4T No.80080 just about visible to its right.