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Watching the Trains Go By
A trackside view: see the railway as witnessed by the passenger, the enthusiast and the amateur cine-camera.
Sir John Betjeman, for one, wrote movingly about the glorious indulgence of watching trains go by. For others, the joy of this hobby was enhanced by a particular piece of equipment - hail the railway enthusiast with a cine camera! The decline of steam traction and the mass line closures of the 1950s and 60s coincided with the introduction of affordable film cameras, and many enthusiasts took to the rails to record scenes that would soon change beyond recognition. Their films, however crude or shaky, are now priceless history.
Among the Rails of WalesAmong the Rails of Wales
Amateur film 1952 12 mins Location: Welshpool/Y Trallwng
Jim Fraser of Bristol, with great affection for his subject, introduces the viewer to the βquaint little railways and tramwaysβ of Wales.
Trail of The Iron HorseTrail of The Iron Horse
Amateur film 1966 37 mins Location: Maldon
Shy and testy retired signalman Wally Trigg chats to amateur filmmaker and railway enthusiast Chib Thorp, as Micky the Collie happily ambles along the overgrown railway line.
The RocketThe Rocket
Amateur film 1929 4 minsSilent Location: Darlington
A full size replica of Robert Stephensonβs world famous locomotive, The Rocket, steams up a 1920s crowd at the North Road Works in Darlington.
Railway with a Heart of GoldRailway with a Heart of Gold
Documentary 1965 15 mins Location: Talyllyn Railway
At the heart of the Talyllyn Railway are the volunteers β e.g. schoolboys, bus drivers, actors β whose commitment ensures the lineβs continuance, despite the odd derailment.
A Special EventA Special Event
Amateur film 1958 2 minsSilent
The West Sussex Downsman railtour visits Midhurst, eminent Victorians appear in Petersfield and part of the town's railway fabric is demolished just before its centenary
Railway VicarRailway Vicar
News 1978 7 mins Location: Royal Leamington Spa
Church bells, organs and choirs are all sounds you'd expect to hear at a church - but what about the sound of a steam locomotive at full tilt?
John Betjeman Goes by Train: King's Lynn to HunstantonJohn Betjeman Goes by Train: King's Lynn to Hunstanton
Travelogue 1962 10 mins
John Betjeman revels in the pleasures of travelling along the small branch line from King's Lynn to Hunstanton.
Open Day at Brighton StationOpen Day at Brighton Station
Amateur film 1974 3 minsSilent Location: Brighton
There's an impressive line-up of preserved steam at Brighton Station in this film from the early seventies
From Colleges to CoursesFrom Colleges to Courses
Amateur film 1967 12 minsSilent Location: Cambridge
A train journey beginning at the Cambridgeshire capital and terminating at the tiny station of Kennett, where the train staff enjoy a cup of tea.
The Selsey TramwayThe Selsey Tramway
Amateur film 1928 2 minsSilent Location: Chichester
This amazing footage captures a unique little railway at work during its declining years in the late 1920s
Carmarthen Railway ActivitiesCarmarthen Railway Activities
Amateur film 1950 1 minsSilent Location: Carmarthen/Caerfyrddin
A young boy, fascinated by town life after being brought up in a mining village, captures on film the comings-and-goings at Carmarthen Railway Station.
East Somerset Railway Open DayEast Somerset Railway Open Day
Current affairs 1976 1 mins Location: East Somerset Railway
The East Somerset Railway opens its cabs
Ffestiniog Railway - Rough CutFfestiniog Railway - Rough Cut
Amateur film 1956 10 minsSilent Location: Ffestiniog Railway
Coach restoration, weed killing and Bessie Jones, wearer of Welsh costume, gathering visitors for tea at her station cottage at Tan-y-Bwlch on the Ffestiniog Railway.
Trains, the Deep Dyffryn Diddler and the East Moors Works DemolitionTrains, the Deep Dyffryn Diddler and the East Moors Works Demolition
Home movie 1979 17 minsSilent Location: St Fagans
Enthusiasts take their places in coal wagons for a tour of the NCB's internal rail network between Newport and Cardiff, the wagons hauled by both diesel and steam engines.
The Ffestiniog RailwayThe Ffestiniog Railway
Amateur film 1957 16 minsSilent Location: Ffestiniog Railway
Itβs all go to get the Ffestiniog Railway back on track after its 8 year closure (1946-1954). The Ffestiniog Railway Company, the new owner, is undertaking its restoration.
Holidays with Train Driving LessonsHolidays with Train Driving Lessons
Factual TV 1979 4 mins Location: North Norfolk Railway
βItβs a living creature, not just a load of metal. Itβs alive and warm - youβve got to nurse it.β Tom fulfils his ambition to drive a steam locomotive.
Future UncertainFuture Uncertain
Amateur film 1968 8 mins Location: King's Lynn
A whistle-stop venture from Kings Lynn to Hunstanton via rail, in the company of Chib Thorp, amateur filmmaker and rail enthusiast from Leigh on Sea.
Rails Into Ghost TownRails Into Ghost Town
Amateur film 1966 20 mins Location: Woodford Halse
Amateur filmmaker Chib Thorpe clutches his train bible β a British Railways timetable, accompanied by willing travellers, wife Edna and Micky the Border Collie.
Llanfair RailwayLlanfair Railway
Home movie 1960 11 minsSilent Location: Welshpool & Llanfair Light Rly
Beware the iron horse β locomotive 822 [The Earl] β lumbering through the streets of Welshpool, no barriers to keep it at bay, and emerging, ghost-like, from its shed at night!
Bousfield Personal Film 2: Colour ScrapbookBousfield Personal Film 2: Colour Scrapbook
Amateur film 1937 17 minsSilent Location: Dulwich
An aptly named scrapbook film featuring a train spotter's view of King's Cross around 1937, river journeys and Home Guard training
Glengarry Cinema Topical News No.5Glengarry Cinema Topical News No.5
Amateur film 1930 15 minsSilent Location: Liverpool
Come to Liverpool to celebrate a century of railway history.
Steam Museum at Cadeby VicarageSteam Museum at Cadeby Vicarage
News 1973 5 mins Location: Cadeby
At a vicarage in Leicestershire a little bit of the old Great Western Railway lives on.
Last years of Victoria to Portsmouth expressesLast years of Victoria to Portsmouth expresses
Amateur film 1977 3 minsSilent Location: Dorking
There's slam-door action aplenty in this film which chronicles the end of mid-Sussex expresses being routed through Dorking Station
Miniature Railway - StaplefordMiniature Railway - Stapleford
News 1975 6 mins Location: Stapleford Park
At Stapleford Park near Melton Mowbray Lord Gretton has fulfilled a dream in running his own railway.
Wrexham Central to Ellesmere Line 1962Wrexham Central to Ellesmere Line 1962
Amateur film 1962 12 minsSilent Location: Wrexham/Wrecsam
The last passengers to travel the Wrexham Central to Ellesmere Line on 8/9/1962 are recorded by a railway and film enthusiast.
A Steam Train Returns to the RailsA Steam Train Returns to the Rails
Amateur film 1988 3 mins Location: Belfast
Plumes of smoke join the clouds again as a steam train races across Northern Ireland. If steam trains retired in 1970 is this one is eighteen years late?
SS Mona's Isle VSS Mona's Isle V
Amateur film 1978 3 minsSilent Location: Portadown
Amateur film maker A.H. Martin captures the SS Monaβs Isle V at work two years before the ship stars for Hugh Hudson in βChariots of Fireβ.
Hardboard HotelHardboard Hotel
Amateur film 1970 3 minsSilent Location: Belfast
Feast your eyes on this buffet for transport lovers. Squeeze in a visit to the βhardboard hotelβ between your train and plane spotting.
Beech Hurst Miniature Railway Under ConstructionBeech Hurst Miniature Railway Under Construction
Amateur film 1974 27 minsSilent Location: Haywards Heath
Join these ardent amateur navvies as they attempt to double the size of the Beech Hurst Miniature Railway
Moving Motorways: The Spoil Train to BelfastMoving Motorways: The Spoil Train to Belfast
Amateur film 1967 10 minsSilent Location: Magheramorne
Celebrate the final years of steam by chasing the Spoil Train across Antrim, as yesterdayβs quarry waste becomes todayβs busiest motorway.
Kingβs Wimbledon Presentation, WimbledonKingβs Wimbledon Presentation, Wimbledon
Amateur film 1935 1 minsSilent Location: Wimbledon
Short extract from a home movie featuring children from Kingβs College School, Wimbledon, visiting the station and seeing the Kingβs Wimbledon locomotive.
A Railway MiscellanyA Railway Miscellany
Amateur film 1970 11 minsSilent Location: Rainhill
Railways great and small, past, present and preserved - a snapshot of rail in Britain in the 1970s.
West London LineWest London Line
Amateur film 1961 16 minsSilent Location: Old Oak Common
A variety of hard working Great Western motive power is on display in this impressive and atmospheric film shot during the twilight years of steam in West London
Steam Smoke & SentimentSteam Smoke & Sentiment
Amateur film 1982 16 mins Location: Bluebell Railway
Steam, smoke, grime and oil add to the atmosphere of this award winning film about a day in the life of the Bluebell Railway
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
Bluebell Railway through the yearsBluebell Railway through the years
Amateur film 1970 32 minsSilent Location: Bluebell Railway
Twenty years of the Bluebell Railway are chronicled in this film - featuring open days, journeys on low-loaders, the Golden Arrow Pullman service and even Stephenson's Rocket
NYMR News No. 1NYMR News No. 1
Non-Fiction 1973 4 mins Location: Pickering
No money incentives required for the dedicated volunteers bringing the defunct Whitby to Pickering up to speed for re-opening, and for the arrival of the iconic Flying Scotsman.
NYMR News No. 2NYMR News No. 2
Non-Fiction 1974 9 mins Location: Grosmont
Rails are lifted, fishplates fitted and keys hammered into place, as another Sir Nigel Gresley, saved from the scrapyard, gets a second life on the North Yorkshire Moors.
NYMR News No. 3NYMR News No. 3
Non-Fiction 1975 22 mins Location: Pickering
A railway year to remember, with celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Stockton to Darlington line, the opening of the National Railway Museum and steam engines aplenty.
NYMR News No. 4NYMR News No. 4
Non-Fiction 1976 14 mins Location: Grosmont
Beeching may have had his way in devastating the railway network, but thankfully many railway enthusiasts were on hand to save at least some lines, as here on the North York Moors.
NYMR News No. 5NYMR News No. 5
Non-Fiction 1977 10 mins Location: Pickering
All aboard the Silver Jubilee special in the company of Leon Brittan as it wends its way across the North York Moors pulled by a steam loco with the famous name of George Stephenson.
Steam Again in DevonSteam Again in Devon
Amateur film 1973 1 minsSilent Location: Torbay
Steam Again in Devon - the Iconic Flying Scotsman
David and GoliathDavid and Goliath
Non-Fiction 1926 1 minsSilent
A gleaming giant of steam and its cute Lilliputian cousin are an even match in this newsreel battle of the trains
Once upon a LineOnce upon a Line
Documentary 1947 10 mins
Model husbands prove that size isn't everything as they get steamed up over Lilliput locomotives
Rowntrees Kit Kat: Model TrainRowntrees Kit Kat: Model Train
1957 1 mins
Tri-ang model railways are a lure for children and big kids, but Kit Kat gets the grown-ups' attention
Railway Scenes - WilmslowRailway Scenes - Wilmslow
Amateur film 1959 16 minsSilent Location: Wilmslow
From diesel to electrification - a miscellany of railway footage in Cheshire.
Push and PullPush and Pull
Non-Fiction 1968 7 mins Location: Keighley
The age of steam lingers on as the `Worth Valley Railway Re-Opening Special' pulls into Keighley station, and hardly an anorak in sight.
Mid Wales Express and Sir HaydnMid Wales Express and Sir Haydn
Home movie 1984 7 minsSilent Location: Bitterne
The Mid Wales Express is on tour with star attraction βSir Haydnβ, a Talyllyn Railway locomotive, the aim being to promote Wales as an ideal location for industry and tourism.
Cader Idris & TalyllynCader Idris & Talyllyn
Amateur film 1957 14 minsSilent Location: Dolgoch
Down Talyllyn way, 22/5/1957, with the Rev W V Awdry of βThomas the Tank Engineβ fame and other Talyllyn Railway notables. J Adams films the BBC filming βNowβ series footage.
Summer Service OnlySummer Service Only
Documentary 1957 13 minsSilent Location: Talyllyn Railway
P B Whitehouse, an authority on railways, extols the virtues of βthe little railwayβ β the Talyllyn - that runs from Rhydyronen to Abergynolwyn and beyond.
Talyllyn Railway Royal Visit 1982Talyllyn Railway Royal Visit 1982
Home movie 1982 6 minsSilent Location: Talyllyn Railway
Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, take a one-station trip on one of the countryβs little trains, Charles riding in the cab from Pendre to Rhydyronen.
The Fathew FlyerThe Fathew Flyer
Amateur film 1979 6 mins Location: Dolgoch
Alan Willmott cranks up the speed on this Talyllyn Railway Special so that those visitors who wish to βdoβ Wales in a day can pack more in!
Miniature RailwayMiniature Railway
Non-Fiction 1926 2 minsSilent
Giants attack steam train! Oh, hold on, itβs a miniature railway.
Camwell Personal Film No. 47: Wales and ScotlandCamwell Personal Film No. 47: Wales and Scotland
Amateur film 1960 12 minsSilent
A journey through the Valleys on the LNWR line from Nantybwch to Risca and the SLS/RCTS Scottish Rail Tour Week.
Camwell Personal Film No. 59: Diesel brake-van TourCamwell Personal Film No. 59: Diesel brake-van Tour
Amateur film 1962 2 minsSilent
From Ipswich depot to Hadleigh station in a brake van: there's standing room only on this Ramblers special.
Camwell Personal Film No. 54: Special Last Train Kidderminster to Woofferton JunctionCamwell Personal Film No. 54: Special Last Train Kidderminster to Woofferton Junction
Amateur film 1961 12 minsSilent
Whirlwind tour across England and into Wales through the lens of renowned railway enthusiast William Arthur 'Cam' Camwell
Camwell Personal Film No. 133: PaddingtonCamwell Personal Film No. 133: Paddington
Amateur film 1964 3 minsSilent Location: Paddington Sta
Panniers and Prairies work valiantly to prepare coaching stock for the West of England expresses.
Camwell Personal Film No. 106: Crewe Sorting Sidings NorthCamwell Personal Film No. 106: Crewe Sorting Sidings North
Amateur film 1965 3 minsSilent
The wires may be up but there are plenty of steam locomotives in the Crewe area - Patriots, Black 5s and Britannias galore!
Camwell Personal Film No. 15: Blc Visit to CadburyCamwell Personal Film No. 15: Blc Visit to Cadbury
Amateur film 1955 23 minsSilent
A reel of Midlands-based locomotive rail tours including a visit to the Cadburyβs shunter depot.
The One-forty-fiveThe One-forty-five
Drama 1962 6 mins
A man, troubled and trapped in a deserted station, misses the only train...
British Rail - Awayday to the SeasideBritish Rail - Awayday to the Seaside
Advert 1976 1 mins
See through the eyes of a seagull who bemoans how easy it is for humans to have a day out at 'his' seaside.