This film is part of Free
Railways Today
Is nationalisation the answer to Britain's post-war railway problems? The Labour government thinks so.
Documentary 1947 16 mins
Overview
It's full steam ahead for the Transport Act of 1947. Wartime restrictions, cuts and damage left the railways of Britain with little chance of an immediate return to their pre-war golden age. The Labour government thinks nationalisation is the answer, but not everybody is in agreement. Here, the March of Time cinemagazine investigates if there's anything to learn from railways on the other side of the pond.
Subjects
Related
The March of Time
Inside Nazi Germany Inside Nazi Germany
Documentary 1938 16 mins
A genuinely historic film, which caused much controversy at the time: the first commercially -released American motion picture to explicitly attack Hitler and Nazism.
Amoskeag Amoskeag
Anthology 1937 20 mins
A bankrupt mill-town, the evils of political patronage and Hawaii’s struggle for statehood. Three ways of looking at the same question: how to change society for the better?
Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here
Documentary 1949 18 mins
Round-the-clock fun is the order of the day in this whirlwind survey of the tourist industry in 1949: from a mass Hokey Cokey at Butlin’s Pwllheli, to stand-up comedy in the Catskills.
It’s in the Groove It’s in the Groove
Documentary 1949 18 mins
Witness the rise of the record industry, from its primitive beginnings to the unveiling of the formats that would revolutionise the world of popular music: the LP and the single.
On Stage On Stage
Documentary 1949 18 mins
Drama on-stage and behind the scenes, from auditions to first night reviews, as The March of Time raises the curtain on the 1948 Broadway production of ‘Anne of the Thousand Days’.
General Douglas Macarthur; Geneva; The Invasion Of Ethiopia General Douglas Macarthur; Geneva; The Invasion Of Ethiopia
Anthology 1936 20 mins
A sinister, bearded figure walks the streets of Paris at dawn. Follow French public executioner Pierre Deibler, as he travels with his guillotine, to perform his deadly trade.
New
Blue Pullman Blue Pullman
Industry sponsored film 1960 24 mins
A new luxury express is put through its paces. This film looks over the shoulders of the select band of craftsmen, engineers and operators, whose combined skills try to ensure that a train journey is a delightful experience.
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.
Fully Fitted Freight Fully Fitted Freight
Industry sponsored film 1957 20 mins
Illustrating the efficiency of express freight trains, and how they link manufacturers with their customers at the other end of Britain.
Train Time Train Time
Documentary 1952 30 mins
Examining a day in the life of what was then the busiest railway system in the world – British Railways.
This Is York This Is York
Travelogue 1953 21 mins Location: York
The Stationmaster at York guides us through a typical day, from dawn to dusk.
A Future on Rail A Future on Rail
Industry sponsored film 1957 9 mins
A 1957 film examining the future for British Railways, and some of the opportunities provided by a new modernisation plan.