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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!
Documentary19707 mins
Sir John Betjeman reminisces about the phasing out of the mainline steam operation.
The Kiss in the TunnelThe Kiss in the Tunnel
Comedy18992 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 Image19674 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
Documentary196351 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 film196326 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
Documentary196135 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 film192521 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-Fiction19624 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
News19765 mins Location: Buckfastleigh
David St John Thomas talks about his book The Country Railway
Ovaltine - TrainOvaltine - Train
Advert19851 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
Crime19159 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-Fiction19140 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-Fiction18982 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
Non-Fiction19724 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
Documentary196013 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-Fiction19311 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-Fiction19152 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-Fiction19291 minsSilent
Dramatic newsreel showing the mangled wreckage of an express train being hoisted from the track
Operation BluebellOperation Bluebell
Amateur film19607 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 Filler19596 mins
A heartfelt cry on behalf of the world's litter-baskets.
Sale of Railway FittingsSale of Railway Fittings
Non-Fiction19645 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-Fiction192519 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-Fiction19264 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
Promotional19547 mins Location: Loughborough
Through blazing sun and monsoon rain new British built diesel locomotives keep communications open on the far off island of Ceylon.
Night MailNight Mail
Documentary193624 mins Location: Euston Sta
The flagship of the GPO Film Unit's output and a cornerstone of British documentary, featuring music by Benjamin Britten and the verse of W.H. Auden.
LocomotionLocomotion
Documentary197516 mins
Geoffrey Jones's extraordinary accelerating montage celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, scored by Steeleye Span.
Snowdrift at Bleath GillSnowdrift at Bleath Gill
Documentary195510 mins Location: Bleathgill
Snowploughs are readied to rescue a snowbound train - in one of the most popular of all British Transport Films.
The Third SamThe Third Sam
Training film/TV programme19629 mins
Trainee train driver Sam Smith is in trouble when his locomotive breaks down, and has to summon up three sides of his character to deal with the emergency.
Farmer Moving SouthFarmer Moving South
195217 mins
The true story of a farmer who transported his entire livestock from Yorkshire to Sussex via train - on the coldest night of the year.
The Scene from Melbury HouseThe Scene from Melbury House
Documentary197315 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.
Explore further
Romance of Rail
The passionate affair between film and the train has given us some of the most moving moving images ever shot.
Going Places
See Britain by train! There's no better way to explore your own country - as train companies have never been slow to remind us.
Train to the Future
All change! The railways embodied the spirit of modernity in the 19th century, and technology has wrought huge changes ever since.
Watching the Trains Go By
A trackside view: see the railway as witnessed by the passenger, the enthusiast and the amateur cine-camera.
Building a British Railway
The railways are one of the glories of British engineering, and their maintenance remains a Herculean task.
The Man in Seat Sixty-One: Railways on Film
Mark Smith, 'The Man in Seat Sixty-One' (www.seat61.com) with the invaluable website for travelling anywhere by train, selects his favourite films from the Railways on Film collection.