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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Topic: John Peel RIP
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 10-30-2004 04:50 AM
quote:
Geez Mark, that looks like 30 lb (per yard) rail. That wouldn't even support Thomas!
25-30 Lb. is probably about right. Does anybody know where this was? The track looks like it might be 15 inch gauge; we have a number of 15 inch gauge lines, there is one which I can't remember the name of, but it was re-gauged to 15 inch after the time when this programme would have been made.
There's the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, in Kent, web page which is probably the best known, but this doesn't look like that.
In Cumbria there's the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railwayweb page which I haven't seen, but this doesn't look like one of their locomotives. The RH&DR uses vacuum Brakes, abd the R&ER uses single pipe air brakes, both with hoses and couplings (on the hoses, not the trains) which are smaller versions used on the same systems on full size trains, but I cannot see any brake pipe in any of the pictures.
Both of these are 'proper' railways, just very small ones. The track is slightly over one quarter of standard gauge, but the locomotives are rather larger, about one third scale. The rolling stock obviously has to be large enough for 12" to one foot scale passengers to sit in, so it is rather taller, relative to its width, than main line stock would be.
The RH&DR serves the three towns in its name, plus Dungeness, which is a weird place, possibly best known as the home of film maker Derek Jarman, where his garden is still preserved. web page The light there always seems to have a strange look to it, there are a number of small cottages dotted about, all different, and with the pebbles which form the beach for miles around coming right up to the walls. There are various broken concrete structures which are left-overs from wartime defences.
Most of the RH&DR locomotives are based on those of the London & North Eastern Railway, which operated between London and Scotland between 1923 and 1947, but they do have one, 'Dr. Syn', which is based on American practice. web page
quote: Steve Kraus
Tying her near a turnout (or is that 1 ft gauge track?) eliminates the kinky spread-eagle effect you'd get across two standard gauged rails. TV in the 60's morals I guess.
I don't think that was the reason. 'The Avengers', like another well-known series of the time, 'The Prisoner', tended to feature strange people and locations. I'm quite surprsed that this wasn't done at Dungeness, which would have had the perfect atmosphere for it. A woman about to be killed by a tiny train would have fitted in with the feel of the program much better than a woman about to be killed by a full size one. There was a chip from 'The Avengers' shown on television a few weeks ago which I had seen many years ago. It featured two people attacking somebody. The two attackers were both dressed as clowns, you could tell that there was something sinister going on, and the inappropriate clown costumes and faces added to this. I think the use of the miniture railway was something similar.
quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
Yea, you're right and one of that gauge probably weighs in excess of 4 to 6 tons.
The RH&DR locomives are about 5-8 tons, Dr. Syn is 8.75 tons, but these are quite large locomotives for the gauge, so you are about right.
Despite this weight, one of the locomotives was derailed, and the driver killed, when it was involved in a collision with a car on a level crossing last year. web page
I had an afterthought that this might possibly be the 12 inch gauge Ruislip Lido Railway, on the outskirts of London. There are, or were, several studios not too far away, and the lido, actually a reservoir built as part of the canal system, has been used in several films, including the model scenes of the RMS Titanic in 'A Night to Remember'.
One of the pictures does have what could be water in the background. I've never seen the railway, they have no locomotive like the one shown listed now, but all of the ones they do have are quite recently built. The track also looks somewhat different, but what it was like 30 or so years ago, I don't know. web page
[ 10-30-2004, 06:27 AM: Message edited by: Stephen Furley ]
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Gordon McLeod
Film God
Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 10-30-2004 01:12 PM
That is what the website says that it was filmed there
quote that site http://www.fsmr.org.uk/avengers.html
"In October 1965, the Stapleford railway was used for part of an episode of "The Avengers", by ABC Television
The episode was called "The Gravediggers" and was one of the most memorable of the monochrome episodes
During the plot, Emma Peel played by Diana Rigg was tied to the track of the railway on the lakeside part of the bank up to the tunnel, by the deranged owner, who was to run her over!
John Steed, played by Patrick MacNee needless to say
rescues her just in time!
A cast plate was presented to the railway by ABC TV at the time, and is still placed at the spot during running days. We do get occasional requests to see the location, by Avengers fans.
(left to right)
The late Lord John Gretton watches on as Patrick MacNee observes Ronnie Frazer studying the controls of "Blanche of Lancaster", prior to filming.
This engine now runs at the Trago Mills railway in Newton Abbot, Devon, still in her blue livery and markings, although her green twin sister engine, John H Gretton is still at the SMR
All rights to the series are now owned by Canal Plus, France.
An excellent website covering this episode and all other Avengers resources is found at
The Avengers .tv"
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 10-30-2004 01:42 PM
quote: Gordon McLeod
This engine now runs at the Trago Mills railway in Newton Abbot, Devon..
What a coincidence! When I lived in Exeter (about 15 miles from Newton Abbot) we had someone working at the cinema who, I later found out (after he'd left) had another life, so to speak: driving the miniature train at Trago Mills (I guess you'll know who I'm talking about, Peter). Presumably that was the one.
I've actually got very fond memories of Trago Mills, but cannot say very much about them because of this site's 'no politics' rule. Trago Mills is a chain of shops in the south-west of England which sells mainly DIY stuff, hardware, furniture, and in some of their costal stores, chandlery. The Newton Abbot site also has a sort of theme park at the back, hence the miniature railway. The owner of the business has what could only be described as a pathological hatred of the European Union. To this end, Trago Mills publishes a full-page advert in the local paper where its stores are. Half of it advertises the latest stuff they're offering at a bargain price; the other half consists of a ranting Europhobic essay by the owner. Suffice as to say that I would be first in the queue to buy my Exeter Express & Echo every Thursday... ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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