Rare Railway Films made available online by BFI
- Thread starter Osgood
- Start date
Mike W
Western Thunderer
Copies of many of these have been available for some years, but only if you knew where to look and who to ask. I am however disappointed that no attempt has been made to identify them correctly. For example, "Building a Locomotive 1905" is in fact a film by Charles Urban made for the LNWR Publicity Department in 1910 showing the building of George The Fifth locomotive at Crewe. The Georges were not introduced until 1910. I obtained a copy of this one from the North West Film Archive 15 years ago for the LNWR Society.
It is a fabulous film and well worth a look.
Mike
It is a fabulous film and well worth a look.
Mike
AJC
Western Thunderer
It is a very interesting collection, but I fear that you over-estimate the amount of cataloguing expertise available to the BFI Mike (it's expensive - generally conducted by archiving or cataloguing specialists in small numbers who have to know a little something about everything - requires significant research time and rolling out the BFI player seems to be using a lot of resources) and the usual problem with researching railway matters for non-specialists: the appalling standard of referencing endemic (but not universal) in publications about railway matters.* That said, I'm sure they'd be interested to hear of that provenance - and the link to the NW film archive collection.
Adam
* Pretty much every non-specialist historian I encounter in my day job mentions this. It frustrates me and I *do* know something about what I'm looking for!
Adam
* Pretty much every non-specialist historian I encounter in my day job mentions this. It frustrates me and I *do* know something about what I'm looking for!
Mike W
Western Thunderer
I guess you are right Adam and full marks to them for getting these on-line. I actually first saw that particular film (Crewe) at the BFI in London and asked for a copy but they said copyright prevented them from selling it, so they recommended the NWFA who were extremely helpful and didn't have such problems. I did make both bodies aware of the identification but I guess it was lost in time somewhere.
But I don't want this to sound negative and it is great that they are available. I hope they will digitise some of the other Charles Urban films of the period like a ride along the North wales coast behind a Precursor, or building a carriage at Wolverton ... and the Lumier Brothers films too.
Mike
But I don't want this to sound negative and it is great that they are available. I hope they will digitise some of the other Charles Urban films of the period like a ride along the North wales coast behind a Precursor, or building a carriage at Wolverton ... and the Lumier Brothers films too.
Mike
Mike W
Western Thunderer
Just in case anyone is interested in these arcane things, the LNWR Gazette for 1913 listed the films as follows. It is stated that they had been made by Charles Urban during the previous eight years, which means they started c1905. (I note that the Publicity Department was formed in 1904)
Titles available:
1. Picturesque North Wales
2. Holiday haunts in North Wales
3. Beautiful Erin
4. Dublin and the Wicklow coast
5. Wild Western Ireland
6. Bonny Scotland
7. Scotch games at Oban
8. Scenes at Blackpool
9. Scenes at Southport
10. Scenes in the Isle of Man
11. Spas of Central Wales
12. English Lake District
13. Building the Coronation engine
14. Scenes at Wolverton carriage works
15. Scenes in Shakespeare's, Franklin's and Washington's countries
Note No.13 is the one now available and it is indeed the engine "Coronation" which dates it pretty accurately! The scenic ones were presumably made to entice people to travel there and the only way they could get there was ... by the LNWR!
Mike
Titles available:
1. Picturesque North Wales
2. Holiday haunts in North Wales
3. Beautiful Erin
4. Dublin and the Wicklow coast
5. Wild Western Ireland
6. Bonny Scotland
7. Scotch games at Oban
8. Scenes at Blackpool
9. Scenes at Southport
10. Scenes in the Isle of Man
11. Spas of Central Wales
12. English Lake District
13. Building the Coronation engine
14. Scenes at Wolverton carriage works
15. Scenes in Shakespeare's, Franklin's and Washington's countries
Note No.13 is the one now available and it is indeed the engine "Coronation" which dates it pretty accurately! The scenic ones were presumably made to entice people to travel there and the only way they could get there was ... by the LNWR!
Mike
Focalplane
Western Thunderer
I enjoy BFI films when in the UK. In France I get a 404 message. I suppose there is a reason.
Focalplane
Western Thunderer
True, Dave, but my old VPN kept being shut down and could be very slow. Same with BBC despite being paid up license members.
oldravendale
Western Thunderer
The documentaries around this time frequently employed technicians who went on to make successful career in motion picture dramas. Sadly there's no credit on this film for Sound, but one of the cameramen was the late David Watkin who I got to know quite well during my working years. He was known to his friends and in fact called himself "Wendy". He was English and lived in Brighton. I first met him on the set of White Nights. He was a most creative, kind chap and had a couch in his caravan where he'd sleep between takes - he said there was nothing else worth doing while scenes were set up. Picking a few of his more famous films I include Catch-22, Chariots of Fire, Out of Africa and Memphis Belle although there are many, many more.
Brian
Brian