THE BUTTERCUP CHAIN

GB
1970
1hr 35mins
Dir: Robert Ellis Miller
Starring: Jane Asher and Hywel Bennett

Fearing that their intimate relationship may become incestuous, two cousins decide to find lovers for each other

This depressingly modish drama is an adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same name by Janice Elliott and was entered into the 1970 Cannes Film Festival. It features an opening scene at London St. Pancras with past and present shots combining to form an interesting juxtaposition of rolling stock. A young girl departs on a train formed of old LMS corridor stock in maroon, before arriving back in the station on a train formed of BR blue & grey Mark 1’s. There is also a scene filmed at West India Dock in East London with some four-wheel vans visible on a railway viaduct in the background.

This departure scene at St. Pancras has maroon corridor coaching stock in the platform. No.13139 is on the right.
Moments later, and we move forward to 1970. The arriving train is now formed of blue & grey Mk.1’s but the number of this vehicle is unlegible.
This is West India Dock Road, E14, with the background viaduct carrying the line between Limehouse Junction and Millwall Junction on the former London & Blackwall Railway. At the time of filming the line was used for storing wagons, as evidenced by the line of vans top right but, since 1987, the Docklands Light Railway has followed this route.