Vintage railway film - Giants of steam - 1963

In this vintage railway film, produced by British Transport Films in 1963 film, photographs and old prints are used to tell the story of the creation of the railways of Britain, and the heyday of the steam locomotive.
Britain invented the steam locomotive, which, for more than a hundred years, was to reign supreme on her railways. Her engineers carved out of the countryside a new iron-age architecture of unparalleled grandeur and audacity. This film seeks to capture the spirit of an era. A tribute to the men who built British Railways.

[@metno.1thetankengine373]

This is one of the best movies ever made.

[@almac414]

The poetry and music in these older films is just so timeless and gives them so much more class and grandeur than the nonsense we see in more modern productions.

[@QLDrailfan798]

everything about older machines and films in general had a lot more grandeur, I mean compare engines such as flying Scotsman or mallard to the more modern trains we have today.

[@earlknightjr.6161]

WHAT A SHOW AND NARRATION!! BRINGS TEARS FROM WHEN PEOPLE WERE REAL IN NATURE !!! THE MUSICAL SCORE WAS SECOND TO NONE!!! AND YOU CAN ADD THE BRITISH SPECIAL EFFECTS ,TOO!!!! EXCELLENT ON ALL COUNTS!!!!! Earl of El Barrio,NYC,NY. 8/27/23

[@jcmgt]

What a wonderful film and the poem at the end, oh my!

[@charlesclager6808]

It is said that when you die your life passes before you. When I die I am sure that my memories of the steam locomotives which I witnessed many times at the old Union Station in Columbus Ohio will be in that memory. The steam blasting in my face, the acrid aroma of the belching smoke filling my nose are memories I will never forget. Excellent video, I learned a lot today. Thank you ever so much for posting.

[@eliotreader8220]

my Granny told me when I was little about the time when she went to Crewe on a steam train. when I was 17 I remember her telling me not to sit away from the engine. I imagine she loved them as much as I do despite the time's she must have seen my hands covered in ashes and oil

[@terryashton3541]

Mate I did my trainspotting days back in the 1950s in the UK and can identify completely with your comments, even now nearly 60 years later I can still remember vividly the smoke scenario.

[@QLDrailfan798]

this is my favorite documentary period, music 10/10, narration 10/10, and overall gets 100 out of 100 flying Scotsman's, also the bounciness of 11:00s music deservers more recognition.

[@Nick-Emery]

Oh how I’d love to see this in colour

[@zeddboy46]

Fabulous film and music from a time when pride mattered in England.

[@dickot]

Fitting score by Ron Grainer - who went on to do The Prisoner...

[@kenstevens5065]

I witnessed the end of steam but most people in the sixties young and old wanted to sweep away anything old for the new so we ruined our environment with brutalistic high rise architecture as we sprinted into the future. I was one of those people but now realise how wrong we were. Thank goodness for Woodhams scrapyard and the heritage railway movement who have enabled us to have so many heritage steam railways in the UK. Modern build architecture can be attractive too.

[@eliotreader8220]

my Mum was a baby when this film was made. my Granny witnessed the last days of steam on BR

[@petercooper2387]

Just listen to that Ron Grainer sound track. Suits the subject down to the ground!

[@jamesanderton344]

A grand film that has stood up very well over 60 years

[@thomastsangthomas1616]

Even though it is somehow stereotypical in gender roles, referring back in the earliest days of railway being built. There were also a plenty woman and kids, girls or boys pulling coal underground, even horses helped with railway work too. It's not only the so-called perfect kind to work on railways, "MEN".

[@thomastsangthomas1616]

However, we can see tons of famous locomotives like the Streamline A4s, The Flying Scotsman and the classic Victorian Era Raiwlay Trains.

[@atilllathehun1212]

How have I not seen this before? What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

[@Vincent-ow9lj]

Brings a tear to ones eye

[@TheTouristLine]

Fantastic, I am 33 so I never got to see the glory days. Films like this are great for showing how it was!

[@GroveDave]

Love this film. Being about ten years old at the time back in the sixties I remember this film being broadcast on TV.

[@wattck]

I remember this being broadcast when I was a 9 year old kid, the music stuck in my head and I've never seen it since despite trying to find it, neither the music, nor the film. Certainly a blast from the past!!

[@terryashton3541]

Ah this takes me back to my old trainspotting days, sadly when this was done from 1963 my days were over, I did all my trainspotting back through the 1950s and what a great era, I just love these old memories and reminiscing, touring old sheds in the middle of the night around Glasgow and the London area, back then health and safety took a back seat, there was nothing more exciting than being on Doncaster station and hearing and then seeing the `streaks` speed by on their scotch expresses, sadly British railway steam engines were not very well maintained in those days, this is why today 2022 I'm amazed to see 3 cyl `jubs` pulling 10 and 11 coach trains unassisted, it speak volumes for the staff who maintain these beautiful engines.

[@Finglesham]

Plenty of Heritage Railways left fortunately. I live near the Great Central. A great day out and today's gala had 8 different locos in steam.

[@simonhattrell5321]

Absolutely brilliant. To think that I lived in the dying days of steam and remember those mighty beasts. Ron Grainger's music was superb for this outstanding documentary. I laughed at Wellington's remark about the common folk being able to get about. Tutt tutt!

[@eoj2495]

Ron Grainer did the music for ‘Terminus’ 1961

[@MrTonyHeath]

Wow. I've never seen this before. Wonderful.

[@nicks4934]

Great video. Thanks!

[@archiebald4717]

Beautiful! Reminds me of the days when I was young and handsome.

[@pauldormont4470]

That was great! I felt like I was back in the classroom again watching a cross between "The Avengers" and National Geographic.

[@a11csc]

superb

[@lesperry5327]

Charles Dickin's reaction to the railway strikes a chord as to what is happening with HS2.

[@pgcroc8484]

Fantastic. Many thanks.

[@petertate8366]

John Slater who did the narration was in the film Passport to Pimlico in the late 40s and finished off his career in Z cars.

[@DisleyDavid]

I am sure he wasn't that bad in Z Cars.

[@stevehessle1959]

I have strong memories from the early to mid 60's towards the end of steam. Particularly remember the Duchesses and on holidays, the King's, Castles and Bulleid Pacifics. At the age of 7, I saw our station pilot at Cleethorpes going to the scrapyard under it's own power leaking steam badly. I was more than happy in 1991 to be part of the crew rebuilding her to main line standards. Wasn't happy on first post restoration movement under steam ...... I was bloody ecstatic.

[@TheRWS]

Which class was she?

[@stevehessle1959]

@@TheRWS a Thompson B1

[@TheRWS]

Funny to see that as a station pilot but who am I to know eh?

[@stevehessle1959]

@@TheRWS well it was at the end of steam and Cleethorpes was very busy with excursions when I was small. Up to 20 on an average Summer Sunday. They used to hold the trains at extensive sidings that are long gone behind New Clee Station, about a mile from Cleethorpes terminus. Remember seeing several classes of locomotive, mostly steam and saw the decline. Lost a LOT of interest when it became diesel only. I must be one of the youngest to remember steam in action doing what it was meant to do. Thank God for the early preservation its who saw the light.

[@TheRWS]

A well needed movement to save the past but keep the present in tandem

[@GNRA1GreatNorthern1470]

i love the renditions of ron grainer's music in this

[@novakingood3788]

Thought I recognised the voice (John Slater) although it's much more RP than many of the characters he played.

[@motard811]

Remarkable film, thanks for making it available. And congratulations for your excellent channel

[@Sam_Green____4114]

Richard Trevithick actually receives the credit he deserves for being the first in 1802 !!! A very rare happening!! Even more so in modern times !!!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

But who invented the modern steam engine? PS it wasn't Newcomen.

[@Sam_Green____4114]

@@neiloflongbeck5705 PS it wasn't Stephenson !!!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@Sam_Green____4114 no he developed the steam locomotive to be more efficient than those who went before him. No, I'm talking about the man who invented the modern stationary steam engine, the man that Newcomen had to pay royalties to for infringing his patent.

[@datguymiller]

He madebth first high pressure steam, not the first steam ent

[@Sam_Green____4114]

@@datguymiller No he Trethevick made the FIRST railway locomotive in the world and NOT Stephenson !! Stephenson always gets the credit !! This is the one time l ever seen that Trethivick gets the rightful credit he deserves!!! That is point l am making !!

[@christpf1]

Very nice! I love all the music

[@philipholt9112]

Hi my name is Phil I did 50 years on footplate i started on 4 April 1961 at edgeley shed I finished my time out at longsight in 2011 Regards Phil.

[@acampbell8614]

Thanks Phil, I expect my family were your passengers many times.

[@OKFrax-ys2op]

Oh those lefthand drives!

[@laurenceskinnerton73]

Indeed.

[@johncarold]

Fantastic

[@MrCptjohn]

I was 13 yrs old in 1963,my uncle was a steam train driver at Boston Lincolnshire who lost his job when dr Richard beeching closed so man6 line’s east coast ,having the same surname was a nightmare for me and dad in those days.

[@bobtudbury8505]

beeching closed nothing, the closures was the labour party

[@MySteamChannel]

Thanks for the cool film - greets from South Oz

[@MrTantrums007]

The loss of the magnificent Stanier Pacific's in the early 1960s was sad moment in railway history.

[@Mounhas]

Today in Camborne Cornwall is Trevithick Day, April 27, 2024.

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

*railroads are the backbone of every nation!* From here in Florida in the United States, to the grand station of Kings Cross in Britain, to Moscow in Russia, the railroads keep the world going.

[@johnfellows2867]

John Slater, not heard his name for many years !

[@MarkInLA]

lower the light on your screen for sharper black and white and glossiness of rails and liveries.

[@imapaine-diaz4451]

George Stephenson was me wifes great great grandfather

[@metno.1thetankengine373]

Your wife is a legend!

[@mikejohannessen9772]

Interesting to see a video from 1963, as opposed to a film. I'm surprised at the image quality. It certainly has a different "feel" from film: no dust or jitter, and a very clean soundtrack. I guess this must have been one of those rare tapes that didn't get erased and reused.

[@warwicktregurtha4198]

Video in 1963?

[@christopherdibble5872]

The engineers don't wave from the trains anymore, not like they did back in 1954. From a mansion to the rails.from all that fortune to a county jail.

[@factorylad5071]

Clock the Lion loco near beginning which had been rebuit for the movies

[@stephensmith799]

If its time but a great film. Might be worth saying that the number of horses increased rather than decreased with the growth of the railway; at least to begin with…. Because they were needed to move goods to and from railway stations.

[@andro7137]

An excellent historical documentary, but surely incorrect concerning the Euston arch, which was built by Philip Hardwicke; not the Cubitts, if I heard that correctly. Lewis Cubitt was best known for his neighbouring King's Cross station.

[@antoniocarlosruizfernandes9575]

The fireman surely doesn't see poetry in his tiresome job of feeding that beast

[@MrMoggyman]

The glory of steam may be gone but not for good. Steam locomotives had a greater tractive power than the diesels that replaced them. If another heat source other than coal could be found, steam could return in a more modern form and usurp diesels that are becoming more expensive to operate as oil resources decline.

[@warmike]

The steam engine is very inefficient, so I doubt that's gonna happen. Well, there is a scenario: a if nuclear strike's electromagnetic impact disables the electronics of all modern locomotives, then steam locomotives will save the day.

[@MrMoggyman]

@@warmike In the UK, if that happens, and since the government closed down all the coal mining industry, there will not be any coal to power the steam locomotives.

[@adamthethird4753]

I'm sad I never saw the Steam Age, but I sure wish we had kept passenger lines around. That saddens me more. Edit: I am, of course, speaking from the American Experience.

[@nmccw3245]

You can thank Eisenhower, the interstates , and the automobile for that. Rail freight is very much alive and well.

[@antoniocarlosruizfernandes9575]

Wonderful film. I don't understand why the first locomotives and even further had no cover for driver's protection against wind, rain or snow.

[@Great_King_Rat]

Probably because it was really just seen as a mechanised version of a horse, and hadn't been a major problem before, so no-one thought that weather protection might be a nice idea, until trains got fast enough for it to be a problem?

[@DisleyDavid]

Because the owners didn't want to pay for it.

[@alexwood5425]

So if the Santa's bridge was such a great idea why was it not repeated elsewhere?

[@alexwood5425]

Err, Saltash bridge. Stupid auto 'correct'.

[@127cmore]

Correction, highest point in railways is the Scottish Highlands 😊. Well above what the blinkered narrator says 😊

[@midnightmoses580]

"The railways changed the face of England." Nothing going on in Ireland, Scotland & Wales then.

[@jacobwalker6092]

Any chance that anyone knows the soundtrack to this?

[@petercooper2387]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bH2tmn2sgNCgaq8

[@jacobwalker6092]

@@petercooper2387 Thankyou so much

[@zeddboy46]

Can anyone identify the artwork at 1105?

[@michaelwhalen2442]

The voice sounds familiar. Who is the narrator? Anybody?

[@colingraham1065]

Sounds a bit like Stewart Grainger the actor?

[@sirmeowthelibrarycat]

🤔 The opening credits name him as John Slater.

[@johnmehaffey9953]

Well known actor from the 50,s and 60,s , Google him

[@vancepomerening4794]

7:41 Why it was called "sea coal" back then.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Because it came down the coast from Newcastle.

[@flybobbie1449]

The coal seams were easy to get at on the coast, often sea coal would wash up on the beaches. Not sure were they sea coal at 7:41.

[@flybobbie1449]

The sinking of coal ships to London lead to the Plimsol line and Lloyds insuring ships.

[@cakeskin3333]

Fisherman used to go catch it. Used ironstone as bait

[@JP-su8bp]

Good vid. I would have enjoyed it more without all the cloying adulation from the narrator. That said, the style is part of the time, which makes it a bit of self-documentary.

[@gedhoughton9523]

So a Geordie gave us the railway? And the North West got the first mainline railway

[@thomasm1964]

“… will allow th3 lower classes to move about…” - Klaus Schwab and his WEF minions are still singing the same tune.

[@garryferrington811]

Was this really this bleary and dark, or did you add that? I've seen movies from 1896 on paper prints that look better than this.

[@ZalMoxis]

Jolly good..... excellent footage.... are the splendour of the steam loco... you do realise they just dug most of the infrastructure out of the mud and many of the bridges and tunnels were already there.... their narrative is B.S.

[@derekheeps1244]

"By the second half of the18 th century , the country round Newcastle was thriving on its coal , waggonways and access to the sea " - so that would be many years AFTER the Cockenzie waggonway opened in 1722 ! Again English bias ignoring Scottish supremacy in anything related to technology and science .

[@sdstewart87]

The music makes this unbearable

[@BodhiSmyth]

Written by the same man who wrote the first Doctor Who theme as it happens!

[@alfredfanshaw4786]

More romantic nonsense

[@fenrichlee2867]

1st clip - 'I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, says the loco puffing up the bank