Set up in 1977, the North West Film Archive preserves moving images made in or about Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Cumbria and offers a variety of access services to users in the public, academic and commercial sectors.
This film is part of Free
Railway Scenes - Wilmslow
From diesel to electrification - a miscellany of railway footage in Cheshire.
From the collection of:
Overview
In this compilation of railway footage from Cheshire, we travel in the front seats of a new diesel railcar heading for Manchester Piccadilly. Shots of steam trains, diesel locomotives and goods trains are followed by reconstruction work on the line in the winter months, and the building of the new station at Wilmslow, marking the start of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line.
Sidney and Harold Preston, identical twin brothers from Stockport, were skilled amateur filmmakers and transport enthusiasts, who began filming around the North West in the 1920s. This footage was then edited into topical film newsreels, named after Glengarry - the family house in Bramhall, where they had a small news theatre and screened the films to raise money for local charities.
Related
Mining Review 19th Year No. 11 Mining Review 19th Year No. 11
1966 11 mins Location: Castleford
Coal touched all our lives, as this issue of the cinemagazine demonstrates with items on a miner's wife turned mayor, a Coal Board chess team and more.
Enginemen Enginemen
Documentary 1959 17 mins
This poetic Free Cinema documentary, filmed near Manchester, reflects on the changing world of the engineman.
Great Northern Railway Works at Doncaster (1901) Great Northern Railway Works at Doncaster (1901)
Documentary 1900 6 mins Silent Location: Doncaster
Countless men, women and children spill out on to the screen from "The Plant" at the heart of the Yorkshire railway town.
Severn Valley Railway Severn Valley Railway
News 1976 7 mins Location: Bridgnorth
Is Chris Tarrant up to shovelling a ton and a half of coal to keep the fire burning and the steam up between Bridgnorth and Bewdley?
Repairing Track After Mustard Gas Attack Repairing Track After Mustard Gas Attack
Industry sponsored film 1939 45 mins Silent Location: Northampton
With the horrific effects of gas warfare still fresh in the memory, rubberised men – like extras from a 1950s British sci fi movie – prepare for more, with 1940s attention to detail.
Railways - Derelict and Preserved Railways - Derelict and Preserved
Amateur film 1975 33 mins Silent Location: Rainhill
Come and see Rocket 150, and visit a selection of railway locations, past and preserved.
Technological Education in Britain Technological Education in Britain
Promotional 1961 39 mins Silent Location: Manchester
Come to Manchester for technology training in an industrial city built for the purpose.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.
New Perspectives: Oldboy New Perspectives: Oldboy
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Discover why Dan George of Northumbria University believes everyone should experience Oldboy at least once.
New Perspectives: Wings of Desire New Perspectives: Wings of Desire
Short documentary 2024 4 mins
Trixie Parkin-Christie of Northumbria University offers fresh insight into why Wings of Desire remains essential viewing.