Vintage railway film - Look at Life - Draw the Fires - 1963

This vintage railway film, produced in 1963 by the Rank Organisation, details how UK railways were changing, with coal-powered steam being phased out and replaced by diesel engines by 1972. Crowds pay their respects to the Flying Scotsman's last departure from Kings Cross as it is replaced by a 33-horsepower diesel. The network is being modernised by new signalling, longer continuous track on concrete sleepers and flyovers, and controversial closures of lines.

[@althejazzman]

The optimism of this era seems so short-lived.

[@kevinfowkes2327]

Yes, it's a fascinating insight into the flawed mentality of BR just prior to the Beeching era. You can see why the governments of the 1960s got so frustrated with them. An obsession with machines and hardware with hardly any thought about how the world was changing and what would be required to change with it. The idea that "the diesels will help get the railways out of the red" was of course absurd. The railways are inherently loss-making, always have been since the railway mania of the mid-1800s, and always will be, whether nationalised or privatised.

[@simongleaden2864]

I work for the company that was once run and largely owned by Alan Pegler, the Saviour of Flying Scotsman. We rail enthusiasts all owe him our gratitude for saving Flying Scotsman from being scrapped.

[@stephenchappell7512]

Should have been a 'Sir'

[@stephencope7178]

A shame that certain locos were cut up and didn't find their way to Barry Island. The V2 for instance...a numerous class, but only Green Arrow survives and there are no plans so far to restore it.

[@spankflaps1365]

0:59 There’s Scotsman on its final service run, at 40 year old. After this run, it went to Doncaster for a heavy overhaul (which was done in 3 weeks, nowadays this would take 10 years). Most locos were withdrawn after 30 years, so this is another reminder of Scotsman’s heavy working life.

[@MePeterNicholls]

Well a heavy steam overhaul would take that now because it would be highly specialised task, where as back then it was run of the mill. Like wise, heavy overhaul of electric and diesel take only a few weeks these days

[@bendoherty4416]

Interesting to hear of the general working life of the locomotives in England. It’s not unknown here in Ireland for the smaller private run companies to have operated locomotives for far longer. One 0-6-4T built by Beyer Peacock, worked from 1882 to 1952!

[@stephencope7178]

The Riddles 9F 2-10-0 was withdrawn far too soon and some of the replacement diesels were no competition.

[@Tinker1950]

​@@MePeterNicholls Try again. In English this time.

[@MePeterNicholls]

@@Tinker1950 edited

[@peter_holton]

Prof. Eric Laithwaite at 8:53. I grew up with him on the BBC, a good explainer and engineer.

[@brianhepke7182]

1963... a very memorable year for British Railways... some nice footage here. Thanks for posting.

[@TheStickCollector]

Such fine footage from such a vintage area. Older than most people

[@melodymonger]

Brilliant slice of history, thank you for putting this up 😊👍

[@kevincollis4768]

You could afford to use the trains then . Now it’s line the shareholders pockets !

[@damiendye6623]

Most fares are controlled by the department for transport as such they will charge what they are told hence why tickets are way cheaper off peak.

[@Bungle-UK]

Every train fare in the UK is heavily subsidised and hardly any rail companies make any money….but don’t let’s facts get in the way of your rant 😂

[@brianhepke7182]

And if you are not put off by the cost of the fares... you have to pick a day when they are running. Then when you can afford the ticket and nobody is downing tools, you arrive at the train you are to board and you find your allocated coach has been taken off and you end up standing in the vestibule from London to Doncaster... more cattle class than economy. Hey, but who's complaining? :()

[@22pcirish]

Show me a spreadsheet!

[@22pcirish]

@@brianhepke7182Almost all trains operate on the east coast are multiple unit, so therefore not easy to remove a coach.

[@barrykeen5643]

Back in 1963 they intended to remove all steam by 1972. In reality it was over by 1968 and in their place was a rag bag of diesels, most of which were redundant within 10 years such was the hurry to get rid of steam. The Western Region was allowed to go its own way with untested diesel hydraulic engines which in hindsight were a total failure and cost and enormous amount to replace with the much better, tested diesel electrics

[@damiendye6623]

Not quite true what made it possible to get rid of Steam was the massive damage done by breeching with this only task by Marples get rid of the railway. Look that's that's done for us today we have zero capacity. Hence why we had an excess of diesels also

[@Bungle-UK]

⁠@@damiendye6623I love people that make things up….Beeching never closed anything, ministers did. Indeed, the majority of closures happened under a Labour government, long after Beecing and Marples were gone.

[@22pcirish]

What got rid of steam in a hurry was the clean air act of 1964!

[@stephensmith799]

About half the Modernisation Plan diesel electric designs were duds, exactly as you say. DMUs seem to have been more reliable by comparison. Baby Deltics, Co-Bos and the Claytons were the obvious worst cases, but yes, the excursion into hydraulic transmission also an expensive mistake. These errors however, are a lot smaller than the expensive disaster that is Privatisation… a railway that costs taxpayers FIVE TIMES more to run than British Rail. What a drip John Major was.

[@22pcirish]

@@stephensmith799 The railways was nationalised for less than 50 years. Or the majority of its existence it’s been in private hands. As a railway employee of nearly 38 years, the freight side of the business has absolutely boomed, and has been a success.

[@marvwatkins7029]

With Bluebell and York, there was hope.

[@christopherbentley5216]

Good planning. Build the Bletchley flyover, then close the line it carrys!! A few years later

[@ziggyrainbow4107]

The guy narrating this film Tim Turner was the uncredited actor for Jason in the 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts. As the actor who played Jason was American Todd Armstrong and the film was British, they didn't want an American accent, so Tim Turners voice was dubbed over Todd Armstrongs voice.

[@martingillard6572]

The signalman's haircut was a look to behold!

[@stephencope7178]

Those people, such as Marples and Beeching would change their opinions if they could now see the state of our overcrowded roads. Railways are our future, not something to be consigned to history!!

[@snowflakemelter1172]

Short journey railways are not economic .

[@stokes8762]

@@snowflakemelter1172 what is

[@snowflakemelter1172]

@@stokes8762 tarmacing over unprofitable railways and using them as dedicated coach ways.

[@bobtudbury8505]

they shut nothing , labour did from 1965...they also closed all the pits in the 60.'s and saved none in the 90's / they also cancelled and ruined the uk British aircraft building / industry ( wilson ) etc all labour, careful who you vote for

[@joshhemingwaythewlismetcalfe96]

This is a great documentary

[@simongleaden2864]

06:54 I think that's where the West Coast Main Line runs alongside the M1 near Watford Gap service station.

[@chompette_]

0:23 first time I've seen DP2 in one of these classic railway productions

[@stephencope7178]

I was allowed into the cab of DP2 at Grantham. Two years later it was involved in the collision that wrote it off!

[@marknichols7861]

What a wonderful film. I was playing with my new Kato M2 track and Kato locomotive just to see if it would run. Had to clean some contacts and the locomotive is running great. Interesting to see how really dirty the old steam engines were. The blackened bridges. Thanks for the video.

[@martyn6792]

Really great film, thoroughly enjoyed it

[@CasaOsso]

Thank you for uploading I love the old coloured documentaries

[@martinmarsola6477]

Thank you for a view into the past. Appreciate seeing a steam model on your platform. Cheers to all! ❤😊

[@davidahugill99]

I remember seeing brand new Deltics at York , the very cold winter of 63 , and seeing the Rolling Stones at Morecambe Floral Hall . Also , there was no problem carrying your bicycle by train then . I was 17 then ! Cheers DaveH , Carnforth. Ps Happy New Year

[@johanswanepoelswanies7483]

Thank you for sharing

[@christopherbutler7588]

Great Piece of film😊

[@simonfunwithtrains1572]

I enjoyed the Little Cookie near the end of this film of Westerham Station, where I used to get off to go to school.

[@stilettoheelslover]

Here we are, 60-years of "progress", and getting trains to run on time is now basically utterly impossible. That's "progress" for you....

[@PaulSmith-pl7fo]

Hi Bennett(?). Wishing you and yours a very happy New Year.

[@Lord-DJ]

That signalman would be best back at his old job, pulling leavers and walking around rather than his newer sedentary position!

[@EtonieE25]

£3,000 for The Scotsman! 😳

[@nicholasdunbar3378]

£90,000 is £1.888 million in todays value

[@yalova84]

1963 - a year that will live in infamy! Beeching Cuts

[@bobtudbury8505]

beeching cut nothing , he did a report . labour acted on this and culled BR from 1965

[@SumNumber]

Pretty cool . It is a very strange thing that has taken hold of societies around the world decade after decade and that is the idea that you must get somewhere faster and faster If one pushed that idea to it's limit it might be something like , Open your eyes in the morning and instantly be where you wanted to go having had a shave and shower and dressed and driven there in a blink of an eye and then , in an instant , start over again . WHAT FOR ? What is this great push that is influencing everyone and what is it's purpose ? Thanks for the share . :O)

[@davidlee6720]

love to spend time relaxing and looking out of the English countryside myself, what do you do better with the time you have saved? Rush of somewhere else?

[@thusgordonplot4721]

Wow

[@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx]

Sadly, with the appalling disaster that was the ideologically-driven privatisation of our publicly-owned rail network, the optimism was not to last after the 1990s.

[@snowflakemelter1172]

BR was a shambles, you never knew if you would get to work and the carriages were filthy with junk and rubbish littering the trackside.

[@stephenchappell7512]

​@snowflakemelter1172 They did a lot for a fraction of the subsidies given to the 'privatised' companies of today

[@daffyduk77]

Passengers with warm clothes on at 7:21 🙂 Followed by the inimitable uber-boff Prof Laithwaite. A true visionary.

[@charlesfrancis6925]

In India the steam locomotive lasted until 1996!

[@marvwatkins7029]

Don't think that other 'tube train' had any future, at least for now. Perhaps in 2063.

[@65gtotrips]

Wow, only 3000£ ? That was only like about $30,500 in 1963. Not exactly pocket money but not insurmountable.

[@johnward374]

The picture at 3.04 must be a still, as although they are appearing to be going forward the direction handle is in reverse.

[@johnd8892]

Use a colon and not a decimal point to make a timestamp work and be useful. Like the other working time stamps here.

[@johnward374]

​@@johnd8892 I'm not that interested in colons but I do know" The Elizabethan" was not a new name. If fact used from 1953 A4 steam hauled till September 1961. Besides colons, what do you know about Deltics? I have drove them none stop 07 30 Leeds to London Kings X. Even all Azumas now stop at Wakefield.

[@johnd8892]

@@johnward374 you might seek professional help with your problems not wanting to improve knowledge.

[@johnward374]

​@@johnd8892I have no idea why your looking at this video. Clear off to some English grammar sites, and bore someone else there instead of me.

[@graemekornicki6810]

Never seen tbis film what dvd is it on btf?

[@andybray9791]

Imagine all diesels withdrawn from mainline service soon

[@hornet1068]

Can anyone identify the station at .18 please, it looks a bit like Newark Northgate

[@kevinmothers904]

Hard to see the running in board at 0.16 but it could well be Newark North Gate as it was then displayed.

[@davidreed9671]

Definitely Newark Northgate looking South.

[@hornet1068]

@@davidreed9671 Thought it was, thank you, if you look just beyond the signalbox on the left side of the picture, you can just make out a house. My Nan lived there, its in this picture,

[@stephenwilliams926]

No hi-viz in them days 😮

[@bobbysenterprises3220]

In 1917 the us had 254 thousand miles of track

[@Ass_Burgers_Syndrome]

That might be because it's just ever so slightly bigger than Britain, not much, just a little.

[@asteroidrules]

And by 1960 steam had been fully withdrawn from regular service in the US.

[@krazytroutcatcher]

@@Ass_Burgers_SyndromeTake into account that this video states 48,000 miles of track back in 1963, and this was amid the Beeching cuts. I wonder how many miles we had earlier.

[@mattaustin2128]

And the US has lost almost half that, with 160 thousand miles of track today. Given US population of 103 million in 1917 and 336 million today, that means the US has gone from 13.02 feet of railway track per person in 1917 to 2.51 feet of railway track per person today.

[@rhondastead5252]

I really enjoyed this film. Unfortunately it highlights government's shortcomings and blase attitude to taxpayers money. I have happy memories of going train spotting with my dad, complete with anoraks.! We saw the flying scotsman. through t

[@Lucky_Red_Fish]

Too expensive to travel by train these days!

[@skintslots]

Yet we subsidise the maintenance of the infrastructure while the private companies rake in the profits.

[@dougalmcdougal8682]

By 1972 steam locos will be gone …. Beat that target by 5 years 👍

[@marvwatkins7029]

Mag lev: 2100.

[@keithnaylor1981]

The way ahead - more powerful, more faster, more cleaner, and less interesting, less exciting and less fascinating.

[@Kaidhicksii]

The move away from steam towards dieselization wouldn't have been as bad if Britain's diesels weren't _f!cking _*_ugly._* They're just boxes. Least original idea anyone ever had.

[@stokes8762]

They weren't ugly in the 50's and 60'S but they're horrific now

[@petergrossett6763]

The great modernisation con.

[@damiendye6623]

Modernisation was fine it was breaching that was the con, put in place by the usual Torry scum bags

[@Toby_the_Glen]

Privatisation was a bigger con?

[@johnallen7807]

And not a single bit of "diversity" in sight!!!

[@simongleaden2864]

By that time there were probably quite a few New Commonwealth immigrants working for BR, but not many on the North Eastern Region of BR where much of this film was shot.

[@johnallen7807]

You're probably, the Labour government opened the floodgates with the Immigration Act in 1948@@simongleaden2864

[@johnallen7807]

Bet it's changed now!@@andrewrussell4707

[@stokes8762]

the world I was born into, different from the one I'll die in