This film is part of Free

Glengarry Cinema Topical News No.5

Come to Liverpool to celebrate a century of railway history.

Amateur film 1930 15 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for North West Film Archive

Overview

The grand rail exhibition at Liverpool's Wavertree Park on 20th September 1930 marked the centenary of the Liverpool and Manchester railway. In this fascinating glimpse of a significant event in railway history, enthusiasts admire the gleaming locomotives, which include North Star and a replica of the Rocket as well as more contemporary models from the LMS, LNER, GWR and Southern rail companies.

This 'Topical News' film also includes the departure of the new White Star liner MV Britannic on its maiden voyage from London to New York on 28th June 1930. The filmmakers - identical twins Sidney and Harold Preston - were skilled amateurs and transport enthusiasts who began filming around the North West in the 1920s. This footage was then edited into topical newsreels named after Glengarry, the family house in Bramhall, where they had a small news theatre and screened the films to raise money for local charities.