British Pathe

C/U of a railway pole being raised to an electrified wire; M/S of an electric train travelling along; interesting M/S from inside the drivers cabin looking out as we run along the tracks. M/S from the side of the driver in the cabin as he works the controls. M/Ss from the moving train looking at the...

C/U of a railway pole being raised to an electrified wire; M/S of an electric train travelling along; interesting M/S from inside the drivers cabin looking out as we run along the tracks. M/S from the side of the driver in the cabin as he works the controls. M/Ss from the moving train looking at the electric wires as we speed along; M/Ss of the passengers inside the train compartment; three women middle-aged talking and looking out of the window.

L/S panning left of the marshalling yards; we can see a few steam trains puffing away in the distance. M/Ss of the yards with two long steam freight trains - one coming towards us, one going away from us; a signal box; then inside the signal box of the operator at his control desk as a goods train moves slowly past. C/U of the console as he turns a switch. Commentator says this is "Temple Mills... most modern marshalling yard in Europe, with novel features like what appear to be robot trucks operating themselves", as we see in M/S a freight truck moving along seemingly by itself.

M/Ss of two more wagons going down the track by themselves; C/U as we see one going over the automatic primary retarders "that ensure that wagons descend from the hump at the optimum speed for safe shunting" - this equipment is attached to the railway track. C/U of the bell-like retarders as the wagon goes over the track. M/Ss inside the signal box as we are told "secondary retarders are operated from the control tower", and of the wagon coming to a halt behind a line of others on the track.

M/S of a new goods loading depot at Peterborough panning left to show wagons outside as men are unloading them. High angle M/Ss inside the shed as we see men unloading boxes from a long conveyor belt; M/S from the moving conveyor belt as parcels are stacked onto a trolley.

M/S of an old type of wooden signal box, panning left to show the new modern boxes that are replacing them; C/U of the new box - all square and glass - I much prefer the old one! M/S inside this box, panning left to show a large console and huge board showing the rail network (this box could be at Wilmslow, controlling area between Crewe and Manchester). M/S of a man cleaning a signal light.

M/S of the electrical control room at Canterbury; two men sit at a control desk while another walks towards a huge map of the railway network that is taking up a whole wall. One of the seated men gets up and walks to the map to press a button. C/Us as he presses the button under a section marked 'RECULVER' and adjusts other switches, then presses it again. M/Ss of the control room as the men walk from the wall map; the man at the control desk speaks into first one and then another telephone. M/S as a man walks past the wall map.

Nice point of view M/S taken from the front of a moving train as we enter a tunnel and come out onto a tree-lined railway track. M/S of construction work on a new station as an electric train enters at the right, panning left to show extensive building work going on - part of which seems to be over a bridge - in a built-up urban area.

M/Ss of exterior station construction work at Manchester's Oxford Road (it isn't clear whether the previous construction shots were of this station or another); a train is seen pulling out of the station as we tilt down to show three large wooden arches and building work below; lots of wooden and steel (?) arches - Sydney Opera House-style - as well as workmen pushing wheelbarrows about.

M/S of exterior of Central Station showing people walking in and out (no clues as to which Central Station it is - possibly Oxford Road again, or London Road, Manchester?).

M/Ss and C/Us of a scale model of the new plans for Leeds City station. Various labels are placed on different parts of the model saying 'New south entrance and concourse', 'Railway offices', 'Overhead car park', 'Office block (for letting)', 'Power operated signal box', 'Parcels Depot' and 'Overhead barrow-way'. The whole thing looks very modern (for 1960) and very unattractive - to me anyway!

M/S of a diesel train coming towards then speeding past camera in the countryside.

Note: check copyright; according to documentation on file it belongs to British Transport Commission/Films; on file is the commentary for a film 'Report on Modernisation' which seems to be where this footage comes from, also possibly the origin of CP 273 'Railway Modernisation'.