The Titfield Thunderbolt location

[Chevyman]

Bit of trivia..........................

The night scenes were filmed in daylight using heavy filters.

One of my favourite films

[jennifer.jenkins 10]

what happend to dans house.

[Chevyman]

Originally Posted by jennifer.jenkins 10 what happend to dans house.

The coach that formed Dan's home and was pressed into service after the crash, is thought to be a studio made prop.

From Titfield Thunderbolt

Welcome

[Lord Lucan]

A few years ago I decided I wanted to visit the location of this great old Ealing film. I made some enquiries and discovered the location was a couple of miles south of Bath however, after giving the idea a bit of thought I decided against the trip because after more than fifty years the chances are the location will now be a trading estate or shopping centre, or an immigrant reception center and the image I have of Titfield would be shattered forever.

Progress...Ha.

[PaulPlowman]

I find that going to locations often shatters my image of the onscreen version anyway, even if not much has changed.

Your brain makes up how you imagine the surroundings outside the camera's view to be, and frequently you visit the real place and are struck by how it's not at all like how you imagined.

[Mr Martin]

Originally Posted by JamesM Some regional tv company made a documentary two years ago about the locations of Titfield Thunderbolt. Douglasx Slocombe (cinematographer) made his hime movies of the making of the film for this doc. Pity that Warner Home Video could not release the film on DVD with this already produced doc and with a Slocombe commentary instead of the poor vanilla copy in that boxset. I had problems with the film's premise, nationalisation of the railways brings closure of train service. I think the reverse would be more likely to have caused such closure.

Just found this posting from a few years ago. - One of my first postings was about finding these home movies and I did not realize there was specific Doumentary made including this footage. I have just noticed that HTV made the Documentary, but has it ever been shown ? and also as you say above - Can this important Behind the Scenes Film be made available on DVD.

Regarding the locations for the film - There are some good Out-Takes on a John Huntley video?DVD with some info given in the commentary

[alan gowdy]

Originally Posted by Lord Lucan A few years ago I decided I wanted to visit the location of this great old Ealing film. I made some enquiries and discovered the location was a couple of miles south of Bath however, after giving the idea a bit of thought I decided against the trip because after more than fifty years the chances are the location will now be a trading estate or shopping centre, or an immigrant reception center and the image I have of Titfield would be shattered forever. Progress...Ha.

Not so - you'd be surprised to find how little many of these particular locations have changed - an exception to the rule I admit. The actual railway bits are of course long gone.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by alan gowdy Not so - you'd be surprised to find how little many of these particular locations have changed - an exception to the rule I admit. The actual railway bits are of course long gone.

Possibly not an exception to the more general rule. I have visited the locations for quite a few different films (mainly P&P ones) and the locations, whilst changed somewhat, are still often easily recognisable.

They probably have more cars there nowadays. The rooftops now have TV aerials on them, but many places are still recognisably as they were 50 or more years ago.

Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

Originally Posted by alan gowdy Not so - you'd be surprised to find how little many of these particular locations have changed - an exception to the rule I admit. The actual railway bits are of course long gone.

Woodstock, where the Thunderbolt is driven down the street, certainly hasn't changed much.

[Moon Raker]

As previous respondents have stated, most of the locations around Bath where this film was shot are still recognisable. I live locally, near Bath. The rail line used was the Camerton Branch which linked Limpley Stoke on the Bath to Westbury line with Hallatrow on the Radstock to Bristol line. Most of that line was in Somerset and it was built to carry out coal from the Somerset coalfields though some passenger services were also available. It closed in 1952, just months before it was used for filming. Incidentally Arnold Ridley's The Ghost Train and Kate Plus Ten were also filmed on this line. Arnold Ridley - best known as Pte Godfrey in Dad's Army - was born in Bath.
What is now platform 2 at Bristol Temple Meads masquerades as Mallingford. And of course Monkton Combe station became Titfield. A visit to Limpley Stoke (where the station is long-closed but still partially in existence) shows where the branch line on an earth viaduct curves away from the main line, this features in the film. The rushes from each day's filming were taken to a mill here (just opposite the station) for processing and viewing. The mill building still exists but is now used as offices by a software development Company. A bit further on the line passed next to the playing fields at Monkton Combe public school, and the pupils are featured in the film playing cricket. The line nowadays just widens the road there but the course is still recognisable. Next is Midford which features in several of the scenes. Much of the viaduct carrying the Camerton line is now gone, as is the bridge over the main road (B3110) but the course of the other railway there (Somerset & Dorset) whose express train passed over the Thunderbolt in the opening titles is still intact but disused since 1966. The S&D viaduct is now a listed structure and the trackbed is used as a cycle path. Part of the 'rail locomotive versus steamroller' duel was filmed on the B3110 at Midford.
Further on is Monkton Combe - if you visit the pub here, the WheelWrights Arms, then the road leading down from there is easily seen to be the approach road to 'Titfield Station' and although nothing is left of the station the scenes are still very recognisable. Monkton Combe village also featured in some of the film's scenes as did other local villages Hinton Charterhouse, Combe Hay and and Freshford.
After that the line becomes more difficult to follow, many of the embankments have now been removed and cuttings in-filled. However the bridges where the line crossed the minor roads around Bath can still be found including my favourite - where the tall chimney on the rail carriage was lowered by string to pass under the road bridge! Further on the line connects the various Somerset collieries and little is left of them. Some more filming of the 'duel' scene I mentioned above took place at Dunkerton Colliery but I have not been able to find that exact location.
Incidentally the train drivers featured in short dialogue parts at the end of the film were real train drivers from Westbury M.P.D. (long since closed).
This is a gem of a film - in my opinion, the best Ealing Comedy. The local interest just adds to its value for me. If any other members have specific questions concerning the locations feel free to post them in this thread and I will try to answer.

[alan gowdy]

Excellent info Moon Raker. Are the two entrance gateposts at Monkton Combe station still there? When I visited they were literally the only remnant of the station recognisable from the film and placed rather incongruously in front of a garage.

[stevie boy]

Originally Posted by Steve Crook Possibly not an exception to the more general rule. I have visited the locations for quite a few different films (mainly P&P ones) and the locations, whilst changed somewhat, are still often easily recognisable. They probably have more cars there nowadays. The rooftops now have TV aerials on them, but many places are still recognisably as they were 50 or more years ago. Steve

and double yellow lines

[alan gowdy]

Originally Posted by stevie boy and double yellow lines

I find that, even if there has been little or no actual development, scenes can appear radically altered for a multiplicity of reasons. Aerials and yellow lines indeed. But also trees and hedges growing or disappearing. Road or footpath widening or realigning. Extensions and significant other alterations to buildings. Much more street signage and clutter. More barriers (by that I mean more walls and fences dividing properties. I could go on. It's one of the fascinations of comparing then-and-now photographs.

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by stevie boy and double yellow lines

Most location units have strips of material that they can lay over those to hide them and match them to the roadway

Steve

[Steve Crook]

Originally Posted by alan gowdy I find that, even if there has been little or no actual development, scenes can appear radically altered for a multiplicity of reasons. Aerials and yellow lines indeed. But also trees and hedges growing or disappearing. Road or footpath widening or realigning. Extensions and significant other alterations to buildings. Much more street signage and clutter. More barriers (by that I mean more walls and fences dividing properties. I could go on. It's one of the fascinations of comparing then-and-now photographs.

Yes, in towns and cities it can be harder. Especially if the films you like are 60+ years old. A lot can change in that time.

But in the countryside, the hills don't tend to change much

Steve