The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Buffer Stop Tests at Bradford
What with all the loose shunting, it isn’t surprising that buffer stops were given a gruelling examination, although both the buffers and the tests are rather unconvincing.
From the collection of:
Overview
As if the war hadn’t caused enough damage to the railway, here we have the LNER tearing up track and smashing wagons (no wonder they were nationalised). The permanent way workers here in Bradford in 1945 must have really enjoyed watching this wanton destruction, even if all in the interests of safety. It looks as if it is a close call between the London Heavy type and the York straight rail type of buffer stops; although the scientific methodology of the tests seems a bit dubious.
This is one of a large collection of British Rail, and some pre- British Rail, films inherited by the track renewals company Fastline in 1996, and passed on to Fastline Photography when they folded in 2010. The information which came with the film just states that this was taken in Bradford. The sign near the sidings for Isaac Sowden and Sons, manufacturers of worsted based at Cannon Mills, initially suggested that this is the large goods yard at Great Horton, Bradford. However, we have it on good authority that the tests were carried-out in the former City Road Goods Yard (now occupied by Grattan's automated warehouse), and that some of the buildings seen in the film are still there.”
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