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Railways on Film
Tracking shots: cinema and the railways have enjoyed a long journey together, starting in the Victorian era and yet to hit the buffers.
Cinema's railway obsession goes back to the dawn of the medium, when French pioneers the Lumière brothers filmed the arrival of a train at la Ciotat in 1895. British filmmakers soon took to the tracks, beginning a long and happy relationship between railways and film. Rail gave film all it could wish for: movement, energy, exotic adventure and its own special romance. Our collection travels far and wide, from amateur enthusiasts to the polished work of big studio productions and the official British Transport Films.
Railways for Ever! Railways for Ever!
Documentary 1970 7 mins
Sir John Betjeman reminisces about the phasing out of the mainline steam operation.
The Kiss in the Tunnel The Kiss in the Tunnel
Comedy 1899 2 mins Silent
A snatched kiss in a railway tunnel, played by real-life married couple GA Smith and Laura Bayley
A Mug's Game, Or, How to Squash a Lemon Head A Mug's Game, Or, How to Squash a Lemon Head
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1967 4 mins
Yo-yo, Pogo and Splat (guess which one's the lemon head?) feature in this innovative stop-motion railway safety film
The Long Drag The Long Drag
Documentary 1963 51 mins Location: Settle
Not just a chance to see locomotives steaming over viaducts, with the axe hanging over both, here we have the full glory of the Settle to Carlisle line, and its place in rural life.
Great North of Scotland Railway Films Great North of Scotland Railway Films
Amateur film 1963 26 mins Silent Location: Aberdeen
Train enthusiast David Gordon, Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, films a stunning array of steam engines as they whistle through the colourful Scottish countryside in the 1960s.
Terminus Terminus
Documentary 1961 35 mins Location: Waterloo Sta
The daily rhythms and dramas of Waterloo station are captured in John Schlesinger’s influential early film.
The Stronach-Dutton Road-Rail Tractor The Stronach-Dutton Road-Rail Tractor
Sponsored film 1925 21 mins Silent
Is it a car? Is it a train? No, it's a super Stronach-Dutton road-rail tractor!
Rails To Talsarn Rails To Talsarn
Non-Fiction 1962 4 mins Location: Talysarn
Horse-drawn railway: 'Prince' and 'Corwen' pull slate wagons from Pen-yr-Orsedd quarry to Tal-y-sarn station, guided by Mr Oswald Jones, guard/driver.
The Country Railway The Country Railway
Current affairs 1976 5 mins Location: Buckfastleigh
David St John Thomas talks about his book The Country Railway
Ovaltine - Train Ovaltine - Train
Advert 1985 1 mins
Ovaltina will pick you up! With an electronic 80s synth and a catchy theme tune, Ovaltina parachutes in to save the day
Midnight Mail Midnight Mail
Crime 1915 9 mins Silent
Knowledge of Morse code and having a train driver as a sweetheart come in handy in this ‘race to the rescue’ crime thriller.
King George V and Queen Mary at a Railway Station King George V and Queen Mary at a Railway Station
Non-Fiction 1914 0 mins Silent
Leaving the station becomes a right royal affair when the King and Queen travel by train
Conway Castle - panoramic view of Conway on the L.& N.W. Railway Conway Castle - panoramic view of Conway on the L.& N.W. Railway
Non-Fiction 1898 2 mins Silent Location: Conwy Castle
Conwy's bridge, castle and station glide past, as if in a dream, in this beautiful phantom train ride film (no ghosts but apparently no train either) from 1898.
Railway Cottages at Blackwell Railway Cottages at Blackwell
News 1972 4 mins Location: Blackwell
Would you be able to cope if 500 tonnes of diesel hauled express train hammered past your front window every few minutes? Seems as if you get used to it!
Darlington Railway Darlington Railway
Documentary 1960 13 mins Location: Darlington
A documentary ballad of the Darlington North Road locomen who keep the engines rolling as the age of steam gives way to diesel on the railways.
Fatal Train Smash Fatal Train Smash
Non-Fiction 1931 1 mins Silent Location: Linslade
The clean-up begins after a Royal Scot Class express passenger train derails near Leighton Buzzard
Birmingham Terrible Railway Smash Birmingham Terrible Railway Smash
Non-Fiction 1915 2 mins Silent Location: Birmingham
Scenes of carnage across the west coast main line as carriage compartments are turned inside out - a mysterious rail accident with a tragic outcome
A Smash on the L.N.E.R. A Smash on the L.N.E.R.
Non-Fiction 1929 1 mins Silent
Dramatic newsreel showing the mangled wreckage of an express train being hoisted from the track
Operation Bluebell Operation Bluebell
Amateur film 1960 7 mins Location: Bluebell Railway
Enjoy this charming film from Trevor White which charts the birth of the Bluebell Railway - from the germ of an idea into a fully functioning steam railway
I Am a Litter Basket I Am a Litter Basket
Public Information Filler 1959 6 mins
A heartfelt cry on behalf of the world's litter-baskets.
Sale of Railway Fittings Sale of Railway Fittings
News 1964 5 mins Location: Derby
A sentimental sale or simply for profit? British Railways sells off the history that doesn't fit with the swinging sixties.
The Official Film of the Railway Centenary The Official Film of the Railway Centenary
Non-Fiction 1925 19 mins Silent Location: Darlington
A grand parade of locomotives to celebrate 100 years of railways and the world’s first passenger trains
Neville Chamberlain Opens New Railway Station Neville Chamberlain Opens New Railway Station
Non-Fiction 1926 4 mins Silent Location: Welwyn Garden City
Empire News Bulletin record the Conservative Minister Neville Chamberlain at Welwyn Station's official opening ceremony.
To Build an Island's Future To Build an Island's Future
Promotional 1954 7 mins Location: Loughborough
Through blazing sun and monsoon rain new British built diesel locomotives keep communications open on the far off island of Ceylon.
Night Mail Night Mail
Documentary 1936 24 mins Location: Euston Sta
The flagship of the GPO Film Unit's output and a cornerstone of British documentary, featuring music by Benjamin Britten and the verse of W.H. Auden.
Locomotion Locomotion
Documentary 1975 16 mins
Geoffrey Jones's extraordinary accelerating montage celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, scored by Steeleye Span.
Snowdrift at Bleath Gill Snowdrift at Bleath Gill
Documentary 1955 10 mins Location: Bleathgill
Snowploughs are readied to rescue a snowbound train - in one of the most popular of all British Transport Films.
The Third Sam The Third Sam
Training 1962 9 mins
Trainee train driver Sam Smith is in trouble when his locomotive breaks down, and has to summon up three sides of his character to deal with the emergency.
Farmer Moving South Farmer Moving South
1952 17 mins
The true story of a farmer who transported his entire livestock from Yorkshire to Sussex via train - on the coldest night of the year.
The Scene from Melbury House The Scene from Melbury House
Documentary 1973 15 mins
British Transport Films record the varied daily lives of their neighbours as seen from the high roof of their building in London’s Marylebone.
Romance of Rail
The passionate affair between film and the train has given us some of the most moving moving images ever shot.
Going Places
See Britain by train! There's no better way to explore your own country - as train companies have never been slow to remind us.
Train to the Future
All change! The railways embodied the spirit of modernity in the 19th century, and technology has wrought huge changes ever since.
Watching the Trains Go By
A trackside view: see the railway as witnessed by the passenger, the enthusiast and the amateur cine-camera.
Building a British Railway
The railways are one of the glories of British engineering, and their maintenance remains a Herculean task.
The Man in Seat Sixty-One: Railways on Film
Mark Smith, 'The Man in Seat Sixty-One' (www.seat61.com) with the invaluable website for travelling anywhere by train, selects his favourite films from the Railways on Film collection.