Elizabethan Express

Elizabethan Express is a 1954 British Transport Film that follows The Elizabethan, a non-stop British Railways service from London to Edinburgh along the East Coast Main Line. Although originally intended as an advertising short, it now acts as a nostalgic record of the halcyon years of steam on British Railways and the ex-LNER Class A4.

Background

The Elizabethan was a non-stop service in celebration of the new 'Elizabethan' era of the 1950s. It was run only during the summer in the spirit of the pre-war non-stop service along the East Coast mainline.

Synopsis

The film follows the preparation behind the service, as well as focussing on one particular journey. The 'star' of the film is undoubtedly the Gresley A4 60017 Silver Fox, although the film makes a point of featuring many railway employees, for example the maintenance men, the driver and fireman and the station master at Waverley Station "who has a very high sense of occasion".

It was directed by Tony Thompson, with a commentary written by Paul Le Saux. It is also notable for its music by Clifton Parker, who also wrote the score for Blue Pullman and several other British Transport Films. He was later to write the music for the 1959 version of The Thirty-Nine Steps, which also featured an A4.

Relevance today

It is still well regarded in railway enthusiast circles for its genuinely well filmed sequences showing the A4 as it was in mainline use, for example showing the water scoop and corridor tender, although the newsreel-style poetical commentary dates the work considerably. However, it is a useful record of fashion and people in the 1950s, albeit in a romanticised portrayal.

External links

• British Transport Films website
• Screenshots from the film at the BTF website
• Moving History website, including clips of the film