The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
This film is part of Free
Your New Railway
The first electric train glides out of the rebuilt New Street Station in Birmingham - the culmination of years of engineering work that brought a new standard of travel to Britain.
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Overview
A brand new railway, cutting journey times and introducing new electric trains, is launched after years of engineering and construction work, from track laying to new signal systems. No, it's not the HS2 project but its predecessor: the electrification of the London Midland service in 1967. This film, made by ATV, marks the completion of the project while also looks at the rebuilding of New Street Station in Birmingham, the demise of steam and the closure of old routes.
A short montage showing the final years of steam power on the railways appears without sound in this film. This mute section is as it appears in the only existing film copy of this title. Prior to electrification the main line from Birmingham to London was the Great Western route from Snow Hill to Paddington. New Street Station in Birmingham is the busiest British station outside London. A new rebuilding scheme on the station was completed in September 2015.
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