Vintage railway film - Making Tracks - 1956

This vintage railway film, produced by British Transport films in 1956, details the relaying of a section of mainline track, using pre - fabricated track panels.

[@neilclayton2780]

This type off film is fantastic it must never be lost its history these men of which my dad was one are never to be replaced

[@peterjhillier7659]

The Work Site is to Brimacombe. Thank you for sharing, a Sunday Day Shift, it often rained, mind the Length Gang would have opened out and fettled during the Week and prepared for the Weekend Work. Takes me back to when I worked in the P. Way, one of the best Jobs I ever had, worked with some really grand Lads, hard Work too sometimes, also nice to hear Holst’s March, as well as a Curlew.

[@yogiyogesh815]

I admire this tough men's such hard working people of the 40s, 50s and 60s , my Dad worked with the Malayan railways for 36 years from 1949 to 1985 !

[@markkirton4883]

What a fantastic film! Made two years before I was born. How nice to see men working in suits and leather shoes and no bloody Hi-Viz. Wonderful stuff

[@rogeralsop3479]

Love the sound of the birds.

[@Pjs75]

Another excellent episode looking back to my childhood. The organisation and employment of so many workers underpinned the running of many industries, but the railways ability to operate in a safe and timely fashion depended upon not unnecessarily delaying future traffic patterns. Mechanisation and automation, even today, grows out of analysing Pre-existing patterns of working. Great film: thanks for sharing from your library.

[@martynbuzzing3327]

Very interesting. I had to hunt it down again and watch again. The crane wagon would make an interesting model subject.

[@stuarthall6631]

Thank you for this fascinating, period upload! These are especially appreciated in the U.K. for their nostalgia as much as for their historical content.

[@ianjones4116]

Single section related crane WOW !!!! Now we have one train to do everything. Brilliant these old films. I remember doing rail adjusting, to remove tight gaps. Plates off, cut 6 inches off the rail, drill new holes, plates back on, then chase the gap down. Un key rails, keep pulling back till all gaps are the same. Hard but good says . Thanks for sharing. 😎👍

[@mervynsands3501]

A fascinating informative piece of film, quite rare to find and very useful to see how they did things in the past.👍

[@user-gb6lr6qd2d]

i love learning about things like this

[@FerroequinologistofColorado]

Me too

[@DrivermanO]

Health & Safety in the 50s at 1.27! Chap with a bugle/horn, one blow, no hi-vis jackets, no line closure. Fantastic!

[@keithwoodburn7895]

No gloves or hearing protection for those handling the rails in the yard. Health an Safety generally gets a bad press but it’s there to protect the workforce. Better then than now?

[@stephenrice4554]

Everyone looked out for eachother , still applied in the mid eighties when I started on the tracks . Great job .

[@craigruddlesdin9561]

I currently work on track an I wish that they would make it this easy bloody brilliant keep finding these gems please hopefully network rail will take note

[@neilbarnett3046]

And you'd bring back "diddely-dum, diddely-dum, diddely-dum, diddely-dum"!

[@millomweb]

@@neilbarnett3046 :)

[@millomweb]

I guess nowadays they'd only replace the rails most of the time.

[@craigruddlesdin9561]

@@millomweb they do replace everything it’s called a core renewal but it’s not done like this anymore

[@millomweb]

@@craigruddlesdin9561 Seems daft - not even really understandable with wooden sleepers - many repurposed after rail use for other things. Concrete sleepers should last even longer. Surely only rails wear - and so it'd make sense that they should be easy to unclip, replace and reclip in the new ones.

[@5mnz7fg]

No gloves, no hearing protection but the engineers wear suits and ties in the field. ^_^

[@lmn28021992]

Fantastic upload! Please keep them coming!

[@robertgift]

Thank you, BBR, for sharing these films. Much appreciated. 14:41 Nice hearing change ringing!

[@theoutsider4066]

Very interesting. And a valuable archive item too.

[@paulbennett4548]

Fascinating trip back in time, keep up the good work Doctor.

[@Ass_Burgers_Syndrome]

Would you like a jelly baby?

[@GT-lv1xg]

Lovely footage mate!

[@glitchyvlogs1472]

Bruh I’m started watching these in 5th grade and idk why but I’m just hooked on to how technology has evolved.

[@glitchyvlogs1472]

And I’m an American!

[@robnewman6101]

Wow. Interesting.

[@P61guy61]

Thank you for posting

[@FerroequinologistofColorado]

The track relaying crane is a pretty impressive piece of technology.

[@RHR-221b]

*That's all there is to it...* 👍 Thank you, BBR et al. Stay free. 😎 🎄 🍻

[@deancorney3058]

Brilliant film.

[@dennisroyhall121]

The narrator calls to mind the warm voiced and generous tones of Bernard Miles...

[@Bandicoot803]

0:51 - I love the mechanical motion recorder, the same thing as a seismograph!

[@squeaksvids5886]

The chap looking out of the window at the beginning looks like a modern passenger with the face mask on.

[@manmeetsinghmahajan6183]

Nice and very informative one.

[@Paul.kl23]

Love those old films ❤

[@robertw5316]

The bird sounds are nice.

[@tomhiggins4124]

Excellent film !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .

[@walsakaluk1584]

Enjoyed that.

[@trainsntile]

Extremely interesting film!!! Cool how everything goes in order, like being military. A question about that huge hacksaw near the end- At first, it looked like a tree saw. How was it powered? By steam? I don't think those rails could be cut by hand. Thank you for a great history lesson. This film was produced 2 years before I was born.

[@charlesgault3777]

I never knew they had pre assembled track way back in the 1950's. I thought that was something from the late 80's/ early 90's.

[@fabshop6359]

Excellent!

[@mikehaldane4061]

Health & Safety 1956 style, despite all the heavy bits of wood and metal getting moved about there was not a pair of gloves to be seen until we see the boss guy, who does the commentary, at the track laying- not that he gets hands on. They were tough in the old days.

[@vanderleimartins1915]

E fantastico assistir esse filme, obrigado por compartilhar.

[@sirrliv]

This has long been one of my favorite British Transport Films. Any chance you could get your hands on "A Farmer Moves South" (1952)?

[@Beatlefan67]

That measuring machine near the beginning of the film is wonderful - I hope it's been kept for posterity.

[@mce_AU]

Brilliant.

[@sivanandadas4761]

Thankyou sir.

[@NemoBlank]

I'll bet the seismograph measures and records the length, depth and integrity of the rails as well as the condition of the sleepers today.

[@mattbates481]

This video is a treasure....The full bodied western accent narration, with passionate enginnering is what Great britian was bulit on. What a shame this level of detail isn't exercised in todays enginerring.

[@andycapp8843]

We look back through a nostalgic eye and comment on the lack of PPE etc, yet many of these workers didn’t live much after retirement at 65yrs. H & S has, it is admitted gone beyond the norm but they would have worked in all weathers with little or no protection and I reckon Arthur Itis was the friend of many at a very early age. They had a job, somewhere to go and something to do with a pay packet at the end of the week. I have watched many of these films and quite frankly am fascinated by it all, the regulated manner all these tasks were carried out with the simplest of tools and the all important rule book. Had no idea just how complex the railway system was and no doubt remains, I am so pleased that retirement has allowed me to look at life through broad angled lenses at long last. Bennett Brook Railway, you are doing a sterling job. Thank you.

[@Cssquarepants]

10:34 what efficiency, makes me proud of railways

[@train4905]

Fantastic

[@BennettBrookRailway]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Jimyjames73]

This was in the days b4 Health & Safty went mad with Hi-vis!!! 🙂🚂🚂🚂

[@tomt9543]

Back then, you’d get fired for showing up without a suit and tie on!

[@Jimyjames73]

@@tomt9543 Looks like it!!! 😉🚂🚂🚂

[@wendydavies6456]

Any one with more info on the Tractor with scarifier i would like to hear from you please , we got 1 that we need to restore and need to get correct colours and badging and the 2 roundels on the bonnet , we got the oval one with the pwms number on. Thanks

[@kevinstaddon8517]

Saw this one a part of training for P-Way in 1982

[@mikedrown2721]

I turned 10 years old in 1956😊

[@Finglesham]

Not a power tool in sight - apart from the crane amd hack saw. Kept everyone fit

[@welshpete12]

I worked on the railway over here in Britain all my life . These days they have a special train that goes through checking the track . It's a bit more technical these days . Using computers , but they can still print out what a section of line run is like and if uneven . I remember seeing red or yellow paint . That the computer splashed out on the track. So the PW or track maintenance gang , will know where to do track packing.

[@jonka1]

I understand why uneven track is a problem but how is metal fatigue checked for?

[@billyodea8557]

@@jonka1 ultra sonic train and manual testing

[@jonka1]

@@billyodea8557 Thanks.

[@SubvenioArguo]

5:49 What if someone strikes the edge of the track? Take it up, start again?

[@ironmatic1]

7:55 Hi, ho, the boatman row!

[@nemo6686]

Old-style coats and old-style hats and not a hi-vis to be seen; however did they survive?

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The shunteris is one of the 5 Permanent Way Machines built by Ruston & Hornsby at Lincoln for the Western Region. Only one of the class had been built by the time this was filmed PWM650 (later 97650). It survives today at the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway. The twin boom crane is one of 3 built at Swindon in 1953 by converting surplus Warwell wagons. These were originally number DW274 - DW276 (later DRB78114 - DRB78116), but which one I can't say. As for the flat wagons, I think they might be Ganes (the Engineering Deptartment telegraphic code for this type of wagon). These were a GWR design that BR continued to build. They 62' long and designed to carry, amongst other things, 60' track panels. The BR development of the Gane was the Salmon.

[@ryansock8269]

Would you be able to link to any photos of the cranes? I came across them here and I'm fascinated by them, but can't find any other pictures of them outside of this video

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@ryansock8269 sorry, I've not been able to find any for this crane, most railway photographers of this era only occasionally bother to photograph unusualwagons or coaches leaving the photographic records a bit sparse in places. Paul Bartlett has photos of similar cranes, but not this type.

[@BuzbyWuzby]

Note at 4:00 - table is headed "Malvern Worcester". So which station appears in the film?

[@richardchandler9905]

The Track is being re-laid on the down line between Brimscombe West Signal Box towards Ham Mill Halt. Also seen in the film is the staggered platforms of Brimscombe Bridge Halt. All were closed in October 1964.

[@idioticbeanz5322]

If you know what railway are they building?

[@TheStickCollector]

Anyone know the piece at 4:35 ? And 8:32 ? And the rest of the potential track list?

[@dineshbugalia7297]

Looks like the British have a special affinity to Railways 😂😂

[@rogersponge6153]

They invented them!

[@3xfaster]

I know it’s a real song, but what is the rail crane “theme” song? Edit: it’s Holsts March! I knew I recognized it from middle school when the chamber orchestra was always practicing it during study period.

[@davidemery7059]

Anybody noticed the br logo facing the wrong way around on the crane

[@wendydavies6456]

Yes saw that! i was trying to work out the colour of the tractor with the scarifier and the totems on it , need to restore one of the PWM,s tractors , only 1 i now off ? if any on can help pleas get in touch . Many Thanks

[@chairmakerPete]

Sadly, all too often, they lifted the track and forgot to put anything back. Not hard to see where considerable efficiency improvements can be made with modern technology. Terrific film - thank you!

[@tony2682]

And c/o The Mad Doctor all Ripped up 10 years later.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

This line is still in use.

[@ridleyscurry2480]

I love the music. Is there a way of getting it?

[@pondconker1]

tape recorder

[@jonka1]

Read Peter J Hillier just below.

[@crwnguy]

First and Second Suites for Milirary Band by Gustav Holtz. Lots of recordings available.

[@neohistoryfan1014]

Did North American RR’s use pre-fabricated track?

[@jimthorne304]

Very attractive film; I recognize the music as Vaughan Williams, but I don't know the name of the piece/

[@gwr5029]

I think it's from his 'Variations for Brass Band'

[@mdonahue26]

English Folk Song Suite

[@crwnguy]

Actually, it is first and second Suites for military band by Gustav Holtz.

[@jimthorne304]

Thanks for your comments guys.

[@xekussy]

"Back to the latest crisis"

[@kiwitrainguy]

Back then it was Suez, now it's Covid19.

[@crwnguy]

Holst First and Second Suites for military band as music...

[@aaronwilkinson8963]

I do that today well the process has changed. We still use a crane like that to lift the old sections out but they are self driving. Then the ballast is dug out and dropped in a ballast train. A bull dozer with a level censor level the bed. Concrete sleepers are dropped and spaced out. We put out the rubber pads and clips and a machine with rollers puts the Rail into the slots on the pads and flexes in. With bars we line it up. Put all the clips in. Another day you go back and stress it because its welded

[@aaronwilkinson8963]

Ah yeah I forgot the ballast train drops the new ballast. Forms the shoulder. We have to level the 4 foot ballast profile and all that

[@dahliagreen5919]

When welded rail began to appear on that line from about 1971, it was put down in the same way. The following weekend, the 60' lengths were unclipped and replaced with long lengths. A hole was flame cut in the end of new rail on the flatbeds, and a hook and chain attached to a pair of rails, looped around the track at the other end. The engineering train eased forward and the rails were dragged off, levered into place with slewing bars, Pandrol clipped, and welded. In those days, the welder left a larger protruding web sprue. No TATA steel either, the rails came from Glengarnock, Workington and Colvilles. The earlier Skol, Fishtail and Mills railclips soon gave way to Pandrols. The new section seen in the film, 110 lb/yard flat-bottomed on BR1 baseplates with elastic spikes was in place until about 2000. A few chains of 96lb/yard bullhead further down survived until 1997. The crane seen in the film or one of its two Swindon built classmates was still in use when a bullhead section about 3 miles west was replaced in 1980. For some reason, it fascinated me to watch as a youngster, though I knew railway photographers and shared the interest. Far more efficient a process now, but lacking the character of times past. Anyone else remember how a strong wind sounded, yowling through telegraph wires?

[@aaronwilkinson8963]

I have just got back home from a Rail stressing job

[@walsakaluk1584]

"They took our jobs!" All done with computers and big robots now. Fisch plates, those is old. No thermite shown. They didn't show the reballasting slog.

[@neilbarnett3046]

I remember trying to get to my gran's house on a Sunday and finding that we were having to change a couple of times and going slowly along little branch lines because the main line was being relaid (or electrified). Of course, when this film was made, there were far more lines than now, so the trains *could* go a different way, rather than being a replacement bus. And steam engines with a driver AND fireman.

[@michaelhawthorne8696]

This was great to watch....PPE...what's PPE.., HiVis?... What's HiVis.....lol. How this process has changed.....laying 600 M lengths at a time automatically with practically no human intervention

[@beardyface8492]

There was PPE, the guy leaning out the open window had a cloth mask to filter the coal smoke.

[@warmstrong5612]

0:46 "Back to the latest crisis". Suez?

[@MyTROLLEYBUS]

Love the in-period awful tune-less background music that attempts to mirror what's on the screen yet fails miserably.

[@graemehay5714]

I do so agree and it explains why this and other films of the same time are so wonderful to watch. Just the bird song from the surrounding hedgerows: delightful. So much better than omni-present awful "music" sounds.

[@welshpete12]

@@graemehay5714 The country side is still the same .

[@crwnguy]

These we are actually Suites for military as ry band written by Gustav holtz, about 50 years before this film....

[@robinholmes571]

Thanks for mentioning that ! I used to play it in the band and couldn’t remember what it was called or who by. I can look it up know. @@crwnguy

[@stephenholmes1036]

Wgen we had a proper railway

[@MachenLand]

hey! i remember pencils and paper and doing math in your head.. oh oh and cursive writing and wearing our pants correctly.. and saying please and thank you and and and ...

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

No Gym required

[@ThePanzer6]

No Hard Hat's either

[@mattbates481]

Common sense and real men was in abundance then, now workers cry if its too cold or they lose their lip balm

[@Altepeter]

I wish I was an Englishman.

[@yeoldeseawitch]

0:47 2020 in a nutshell

[@jaminova_1969]

Back to the latest crisis!

[@kiwitrainguy]

Back then it was Suez, now it's Covid19.

[@dambuster6387]

Noting no use of GPS or computers just tape measure and chalk and note pad. and no health and safety yellow jackets and hard hats.

[@4dri18]

Tesvido cullll i subsekar

[@4dri18]

i sub cribed

[@admiralcraddock464]

Just think of the massive train movement back then; thousands of passenger, mixed freight and coal trains. With little more than notepads, tape measures and telephones the timetables were, for the most part, kept on time. Now we have thousands of miles less track plus computers, GPS systems and mobile phones etc yet the railways are now a crock of shit

[@millomweb]

Well of course they are dear. It's to match the justice and healthcare systems.

[@markcarey8426]

You saying privatisation was bad? You a commie?

[@kiwitrainguy]

@@markcarey8426 So what if he is?

[@markcarey8426]

@@kiwitrainguy I am too :-)

[@4dri18]

1956mikakek

[@themodelrailwayrepaircentr297]

Adverts suck

[@timpriddy349]

irish narrator

[@eoj2495]

Yes, that is some horrible music!

[@philipblick8887]

Garbage soundtrack especially the brass-band music !!