Thirty Million Letters

The Driving Force

Britain operates the most experienced diesel and electric railway in tne world. A century and a half ago she invented the steam engine and introduced a new system of transport; and in only nine years British Rail and the British locomotive industry designed, built and tested enough diesel and electric locomotives to replace fifteen thousand steam engines. The transition from steam to new forms of motive power, and its effects on rallwaymen and passengers, is the subject of this film. Produced in association with the Central Office of Information, the British Locomotive Allied Manufacturers' Association and the British Electrical Manufacturers' Association.

Link Span

Twenty-four hours in the story of the British Railways Channel ferryboats, the 'link spans' directly joining the roads and railways of Britain with those of France and all the Continent. The Lord Warden laden with an assortment of road vehicles from Dover, and the Night Ferry from Newhaven carrying passengers bound for Paris, Vienna or Rome are two of the ferries illustrated in this film; and freight is not forgotten.

Blue Pullman

Blue Pullman is a 1960 short documentary film directed by James Ritchie, which follows the development, preparation and a journey from Manchester to London on new British Railways Blue Pullman units. As with earlier British Transport Films, many of the personnel, scientists, engineers, crew and passengers were featured in the 20 minute film. It won several awards, including the Technical & Industrial Information section of the Festival for Films for Television in 1961. The film is also particularly noted for its score, by Clifton Parker, which, unlike the earlier Elizabethan Express is uninterrupted by any commentary.

Berth 24

In the Hull Docks, the steamer S.S. Bravo arrives from Gothenburg with cargo.

The Long Night Haul

The history of the BRS (British Road Services), the general haulage network of the UK. Part of BFI collection "Points and Aspects."

Every Valley

A look at the transport system in the South Wales Valleys and how it effects peoples livelihoods and everyday lives.

The England of Elizabeth

A romantic overview of England in the Elizabethan Age.

Elizabethan Express

Originally intended as an advertising short, this film follows The Elizabethan, a non-stop British Railways service from London to Edinburgh along the East Coast Main Line. A nostalgic record of the halcyon years of steam on British Railways and the ex-LNER Class A4.

Ocean Terminal

Southampton, a deep-water port with four tides a day, is an ocean terminal for the world's largest liners. Their coming and going, and the people who work with them are the subject of this film as they reflect in their personal lives some of the drama and romance of its situation. Among them are a tug skipper and his crew, a stewardess on a Cape ship, an assistant wharfinger in charge of handling baggage and freight, a taxi driver, and a pilot taking a great liner down Southampton water at night.

Robbie

Young Robbie, a keen footballer and a railway enthusiast, is persuaded by his big brother to go through a hole in a railway fence on to the track for some reason. His laces become caught on the tracks and he has an accident so serious that he will never play football again. A film for showing to eight to eleven-year old children and their parents, which points out the folly of breaking railway fences and trespassing on the line, and illustrates the immediate dangers. Part of BFI collection "The Age of the Train".

The Finishing Line

When a schoolboy's day-dream of a fantasy sports day includes events where acts of vandalism and trespass are required, dire consequences ensue. Originally created as an educational film, this somewhat surrealist short has a serious message at its core. This won't be a lesson you'll forget in a hurry.

Rail Report 13: On Track for the Eighties

A review of innovation and development within BR and its businesses, including: modernisation of freight facilities and service to new companies; progress of the Bedford/St. Pancras electrification project; paved track and permanent way maintenance; Sealink's "Galloway Princess"; Seaspeed's SRN4; and the Research department's magnetically levitated vehicle. For general showing.

Promises Promises...

Features the 07.55 from Sheffield to St Pancras. The camera follows to Leicester, where a young man is late for a job interview thanks to a variety of incidents including a freight train blocking the line and an improperly secured door at Derby. The film is a modernised version of an older theme for British Transport 'Right Time Means Right Time', where the accumulation of many minor delays on the part of BR staff soon add up down the line to make a train very late.

Track 125

The complex technology of modern rail track is shown, covering component manufacturers, current methods of laying track and its maintenance.

Farmer Moving South

A record of a winter journey, when a farmer decides to move his whole stock by rail from Yorkshire to Sussex.

Mining Review 2nd Year No. 12

The 24th issue of the long running industry cinemagazine, featuring the articles: 'Holiday Camp', 'Beside the Sea', 'Up River' and 'Pitmen's Derby'.