Along the Line

The romance – and reality – of working on the railways in a handsomely produced recruitment film made shortly before nationalization

Jobs galore on the railways! The engine driver may be every school boy's hero, but as this railways recruitment film makes clear, the job of station master, signalman, parcel porter or shunter is just as important. Made at a time when the rail industry was modernizing – with electrification and mechanization replacing steam power and manual labour – the film seeks to reassure potential recruits with the promise of a secure 'job for life'.

This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.