James Ritchie

A New Approach to Hong Kong

A look at British involvement in the construction of the new double-track railway from Kowloon, on Hong Kong's harbour, to the Chinese border.

Promises Promises...

Features the 07.55 from Sheffield to St Pancras. The camera follows to Leicester, where a young man is late for a job interview thanks to a variety of incidents including a freight train blocking the line and an improperly secured door at Derby. The film is a modernised version of an older theme for British Transport 'Right Time Means Right Time', where the accumulation of many minor delays on the part of BR staff soon add up down the line to make a train very late.

Track 125

The complex technology of modern rail track is shown, covering component manufacturers, current methods of laying track and its maintenance.

The Train Makers

The achievements of BREL - British Rail Engineering Limited - are celebrated in this promotional film looking at two of the company's 13 workshops, at Horwich in Lancashire and Crewe, in which locomotives and carriages are built for British Rail and companies overseas.

Safe at Work?

Made for senior and middle British Rail management and supervisory staff, to stimulate discussion and provoke action, by alerting them to their responsibilities for staff safety, and the pressing need to reduce accident figures.

Rail Report 13: On Track for the Eighties

A review of innovation and development within BR and its businesses, including: modernisation of freight facilities and service to new companies; progress of the Bedford/St. Pancras electrification project; paved track and permanent way maintenance; Sealink's "Galloway Princess"; Seaspeed's SRN4; and the Research department's magnetically levitated vehicle. For general showing.

Robbie

Young Robbie, a keen footballer and a railway enthusiast, is persuaded by his big brother to go through a hole in a railway fence on to the track for some reason. His laces become caught on the tracks and he has an accident so serious that he will never play football again. A film for showing to eight to eleven-year old children and their parents, which points out the folly of breaking railway fences and trespassing on the line, and illustrates the immediate dangers. Part of BFI collection "The Age of the Train".

A New Age for Railways

In a world growing ever shorter of energy, railways are well suited to satisfy the world's future transport needs. This is the story of the new railways in Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Poland and Italy.

The Stage is Yours

Promotional tourist film, presenting a history of Britain concentrating on landscape and Inter-City travel.

Computer Aided Train Planning

Introduces the principle of newly developed computer techniques for planning train movements, crew and locomotive rosters and for producing and printing timetables. Explains the programmes, shows the equipment in action and some of the changes in working methods. Intended for British Rail staff involved in train movement planning, overseas railway audiences and specialist computer-application, non-railway audiences.

The Finishing Line

When a schoolboy's day-dream of a fantasy sports day includes events where acts of vandalism and trespass are required, dire consequences ensue. Originally created as an educational film, this somewhat surrealist short has a serious message at its core. This won't be a lesson you'll forget in a hurry.

Woodland Harvest

A study of British forests, and the benefits that responsible management of their resources can bring in terms of ensuring constant renewal.

Sea Road to Britain

Intended for European audiences to encourage them to drive to Britain for their holidays. Shows the travel facilities offered by Sealink, and suggests some of Britain's tourist attractions.

What’s Tops

British Rail's wagon control system and how it works, concentrating on the information most useful to the specific wagon operating staff.

The Key to Britain

“Promotes trade with Britain among other countries in the European Community after the UK's entry on 1st January 1973. Kelloggs is given as an example of how major British companies worked at this period.” - Robin Carmody.

Corporate Planning in British Railways

A largely animated exposition of the need for, and methods of improvement, in British Rail Corporate Planning.

British Rail Is Travelling

A compilation film on the recent technical achievements of British Rail; made for screening in Washington on the signing of the 'Budd' contract. Material obtained from various BTF films directed and shot by others.

The Driving Force

Britain operates the most experienced diesel and electric railway in tne world. A century and a half ago she invented the steam engine and introduced a new system of transport; and in only nine years British Rail and the British locomotive industry designed, built and tested enough diesel and electric locomotives to replace fifteen thousand steam engines. The transition from steam to new forms of motive power, and its effects on rallwaymen and passengers, is the subject of this film. Produced in association with the Central Office of Information, the British Locomotive Allied Manufacturers' Association and the British Electrical Manufacturers' Association.