THEY CAME TO A CITY

GB
1944
1hr 18mins
Dir: Basil Dearden
Starring: John Clements and Googie Withers

The tale of various people who have come to live in an “ideal” city and their hopes and reasons for doing so

This supernatural fantasy drama is adapted from a J. B. Priestly play of the same name with many of the original actors taking roles in the film. Two of the characters find themselves transported to the city whilst on a train journey. There is a rail-level shot of GWR 6100 Class 2-6-2T No.6108 passing with a passenger train, and a very interesting shot of a double-headed parcels train entering a tunnel hauled by a GWR ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 and a 2301 Class ‘Dean Goods’ 0-6-0. The continuity may all be wrong, but at least they are both GWR!

The approaching train is hauled by GWR 6100 Class 2-6-2T No.6108. In 1965, a slightly truncated version of this shot cropped up in The Avengers episode The Town of No Return (Series 4 Episode 1).
What appears to be a GWR ‘Star’ Class 4-6-0 is entering a tunnel in this going-away shot. If it is a ‘Star’ then it is quite rare on film.
It transpires that the loco is double-heading with a ‘Dean Goods’ 0-6-0