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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 TunnelThe Kiss in the Tunnel
Comedy 1899 2 minsSilent
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 HeadA 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 DragThe 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 FilmsGreat North of Scotland Railway Films
Amateur film 1963 26 minsSilent 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.
TerminusTerminus
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 TractorThe Stronach-Dutton Road-Rail Tractor
Sponsored film 1925 21 minsSilent
Is it a car? Is it a train? No, it's a super Stronach-Dutton road-rail tractor!
Rails To TalsarnRails 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 RailwayThe Country Railway
Current affairs 1976 5 mins Location: Buckfastleigh
David St John Thomas talks about his book The Country Railway
Ovaltine - TrainOvaltine - 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 MailMidnight Mail
Crime 1915 9 minsSilent
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 StationKing George V and Queen Mary at a Railway Station
Non-Fiction 1914 0 minsSilent
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. RailwayConway Castle - panoramic view of Conway on the L.& N.W. Railway
Non-Fiction 1898 2 minsSilent 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 BlackwellRailway 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 RailwayDarlington 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 SmashFatal Train Smash
Non-Fiction 1931 1 minsSilent Location: Linslade
The clean-up begins after a Royal Scot Class express passenger train derails near Leighton Buzzard
Birmingham Terrible Railway SmashBirmingham Terrible Railway Smash
Non-Fiction 1915 2 minsSilent 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 minsSilent
Dramatic newsreel showing the mangled wreckage of an express train being hoisted from the track
Operation BluebellOperation 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 BasketI Am a Litter Basket
Public Information Filler 1959 6 mins
A heartfelt cry on behalf of the world's litter-baskets.
Sale of Railway FittingsSale 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 CentenaryThe Official Film of the Railway Centenary
Non-Fiction 1925 19 minsSilent 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 StationNeville Chamberlain Opens New Railway Station
Non-Fiction 1926 4 minsSilent 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 FutureTo 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.