Film and tv railway errors

[Steamport Southport]

If I remember rightly it's footage shot by Ivo Peters.

 

I believe the BBC might have rights to show it without paying extra copyright and that's why they use his films quite often on news items or documentaries. It's usually the S&D, Shap or the Welsh slate quarries that get shown as stock footage.

 

 

 

Jason

[009 micro modeller]

If I remember rightly it's footage shot by Ivo Peters.

 

I believe the BBC might have rights to show it without paying extra copyright and that's why they use his films quite often on news items or documentaries. It's usually the S&D, Shap or the Welsh slate quarries that get shown as stock footage.

 

 

 

Jason

I thought that might be the case. I just found it slightly odd that they'd seemingly managed to find so much film of the correct subject and yet still decided to add that in as well. I'd quite like to see a documentary in that style about the IoM railways but I think it might be too niche.

[Andy Kirkham]

I haven't seen the film of On Chesil Beach, but the novel on which it is based includes a tragic accident that takes place at Princes Risborough station, and involves a service from Marylebone to Watlington. Ian McEwan evidently did a certain amount of railway research, but not quite enough.

Edited August 24, 2018 by Andy Kirkham

[unravelled]

A bit late with the Murdoch observations, but at least once stock footage of a Hall class on a train has been used.

 

More recently on a documentary series about canal history, comments about the effects of the railways on the canals have been illustrated by clips of american trains.

 

Slightly off topic, one of the things which catches my eye these days, in '50s set programs like Father Brown is the over large backplate for light switches, used to disguise a modern square switch.

 

Dave

[Worsdell forever]

Just watched the Peter Rabbit film, now, I know they've been having problems on the Windermere branch this year, but hiring in trains from New South Wales is a bit extreme...

 

https://i.redd.it/pdb15jmk42k01.jpg

[Enterprisingwestern]

Captain America.

Where to start!

 

Mike.

(Yes, I know it's a fantasy film).

[luckymucklebackit]

I see the Great Central Railway have been benefitting indirectly from Loan Sharks, the latest Payday Loan advert clearly features Loughborough Central and their 101 DMU, substituting for a present day commuter train.

 

Jim

[009 micro modeller]

I see the Great Central Railway have been benefitting indirectly from Loan Sharks, the latest Payday Loan advert clearly features Loughborough Central and their 101 DMU, substituting for a present day commuter train.

 

Jim

In other questionable heritage railway filming news: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-32149393

[GeoffAlan]

For most "War" films like The Guns of Navarone, Von Ryan's Express, or Where Eagles Dare. she wouldn't have been far wrong: they're essentially "caper" movies set against a mythical version of the war, but the Dambusters was one of the real exceptions to that along with The Cruel Sea and a few others.

 

I have to say that my favourite anachronism (apart from the 141Rs in The Train but they're not glaring) in a war set in WW2  is the scene in The Battle of Britain where Ian McShane and Robert Shaw are leaving the latter's house and there in full view alongside the surprisingly modern front door is an even more modern 1970s plastic bell push. I'm not sure if a house like that in rural England in 1940 would even have had an electric door bell and quite possibly not even electricity. 

 

 

Yes I have the DVD and that bell push jumps out every single time!

[The Stationmaster]

In other questionable heritage railway filming news: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-32149393

 

I bet nobody will admit to watching that film to spot the railway errors   

[Clearwater]

Via Twitter:

[TheQ]

Just watched "The Key" a 1958 film, set in WW2 practically the last shot is a locomotive reversing out of a station. At least they painted over the BR totem on the tender, pity it was still visible..

[009 micro modeller]

I bet nobody will admit to watching that film to spot the railway errors

The railway's management have told passengers of steam trains that they may need to shield their eyes to avoid smuts, etc, etc.

[GeoffAlan]

Back to Battle of Britain, the merlin engined 'Me109s' and 'Heinkel 111s' are bad enough but the hodge-podge of Spitfire marks, most from much later in the war is hard to ignore.

[PhilJ W]

Back to Battle of Britain, the merlin engined 'Me109s' and 'Heinkel 111s' are bad enough but the hodge-podge of Spitfire marks, most from much later in the war is hard to ignore.

And the very few Hurricanes which outnumbered Spitfires by more than two to one.

[PhilJ W]

In 'Lawrence of Arabia' I spotted several vehicles dating from WW2 or later. And in a scene set near the Suez canal a vessel on the canal was a modern diesel ship.

[phil-b259]

Back to Battle of Britain, the merlin engined 'Me109s' and 'Heinkel 111s' are bad enough but the hodge-podge of Spitfire marks, most from much later in the war is hard to ignore.

 

True - but what else were the producers to do. Fancy CGI wasn't available in those days to visually correct such matters (its a lot harder to change a Spitfire to an earlier version than it is to remove a 1970s plastic doorbell for example) and while it may have been possible to find some audio of a genuine German engine, without todays advanced audio editing options it is unlikely to have been suitable for the actual film footage.

[The Stationmaster]

Just watched "The Key" a 1958 film, set in WW2 practically the last shot is a locomotive reversing out of a station. At least they painted over the BR totem on the tender, pity it was still visible..

 

I refer you sir to Post No.199 on the preceding page which duly identifies said engine and the location.

[brianusa]

True - but what else were the producers to do. Fancy CGI wasn't available in those days to visually correct such matters (its a lot harder to change a Spitfire to an earlier version than it is to remove a 1970s plastic doorbell for example) and while it may have been possible to find some audio of a genuine German engine, without todays advanced audio editing options it is unlikely to have been suitable for the actual film footage.

 

WADR, the average moviegoer who outnumber the critical enthusiast by a wide margin, don't worry too much over such minutiae; the difference between a Heinkel and a Junkers is lost on them as is the correct engine roar.  There have been a lot of movies in the past that were exciting enough without relying on CGI, using what was available at the time.  I am of an age to remember a lot of original war films with planes, ships, tanks and other arms authentic to the WW2 period but that doesn't diminish the enjoyment of later films on the subject.

 

Brian.

[griffgriff]

Just watched the Peter Rabbit film, now, I know they've been having problems on the Windermere branch this year, but hiring in trains from New South Wales is a bit extreme...

 

https://i.redd.it/pdb15jmk42k01.jpg

Any train on the line to Windermere has been, I’m afraid to say, a work of fiction for much of the year

[Chris M]

I watched the new BBC bodyguard series. The first scenes were about a suicide bomber on a train. It is set in the present day and, due to the stock being used, I thought these scenes were a flash back to earlier in his life. When our hero asked the guard if she could unlock the doors while the train was moving I couldn’t help but laugh - the external shots were mk1 coaches.

[russ p]

I watched the new BBC bodyguard series. The first scenes were about a suicide bomber on a train. It is set in the present day and, due to the stock being used, I thought these scenes were a flash back to earlier in his life. When our hero asked the guard if she could unlock the doors while the train was moving I couldn’t help but laugh - the external shots were mk1 coaches.

The mid Norfolk railway provided its blue and grey mk2 set.

The coach used was a mk2 FO aircon.

Stretching things a bit but there is still coaches similar to this in service.

Not sure what the guards panel was supposed to be but pure fiction as was the button on the door.

There is nothing to stop you unlocking the doors while the train is moving. You probably won't have a job for long if you do it but no interlock with brakes on loco hauled stock

[ejstubbs]

the external shots were mk1 coaches.

 

There was some Mk1 stock at the location where the anti-terrorism police were waiting for the train.  That might be what confused you.  It confused me for a brief moment.  The external shots of the train on which DS Budd was travelling when he tackled the suicide bomber were all of the Mk2 stock.

 

There is nothing to stop you unlocking the doors while the train is moving. You probably won't have a job for long if you do it but no interlock with brakes on loco hauled stock

 

I was prepared to write that off as acceptable poetic licence, but thanks for clarifying.

Edited August 28, 2018 by ejstubbs

[John M Upton]

I saw that in an online social media trailer for the series which I had intended to catch until the sheer nonsense about being able to unlock the doors without stopping the train, you open the doors on any interlock fitted stock (Okay not the fifty pence from B&Q brass things that they bodged on the inside of Charter Mk1's!) and the train stops, plain and simple.

[griffgriff]

Some rather uncharitable thoughts about the ‘Bodyguard’ .... saw a 47 on mk2s earlier and I didn’t have a go at the station staff about it being out of order in the 21 century

 

Griff