Famous people at heritage railways

I was wondering who would bring that one up Alex,
did anyone on any of the railways get a role as an extra in any of the films shot on heritage railways ?

 

Possibly not in the production Alex mentioned...
Perhaps the most famous extra is Graham Mitchell (Ex KWVR chairman) in The Railway Children
‘Right Away Mr Mitchell’
‘Thank you Mr Perks’
Apart from the ‘Daddy, My Daddy’ scene when Bob Cryer deputised.
Graham Mitchell had gone back to teach in Dudley he taught one of my elder friends when he was younger at Gilbert Claughton (of LNWR fame)

 

In scene in 'The Thirty Nine Steps' filmed on Victoria Bridge where Richard Hannay escapes from the train, the the driver shouting out "Come on, there's another train due, come on!" was the SVR's John Price.

 

There are quite a lot of the on-loco scenes in the ITV remake of The Railway Children have Clive Groome as the driver.

Tom

 

Appearances as footplate crew are probably fairly common. A slightly odd one from the SVR was the railway chase scene in Disney's 'Candleshoe' where Graham Nangreave and Roger Scanlon were the actual driver and fireman on the day but SVR members Tom McGee and Gilbert Cooke were employed as extras in those roles. Apparently Tom and Gilbert better met the director's opinion that a GWR driver and his mate should be of 'mature years'.

 

During a photo charter on the Welsh Highland Railway in 2008 this fella and his crew turned up (I mean John Craven on the right) . Bob Branch starred in Countryfile a few weeks later with a glimpse of the rest of us too. JC got his shoes and trousers very muddy as I remember.

 

Hasn’t Ian Latimer made a few appearances in a few films? I’m sure he was in ‘Goodnight Mr Tom’

 

He's certainly credited on IMDb as the Station Master in Howards End which means he was included in the film's credits. That might be somethng to do on a wet afternoon during lockdown - how many other volunteers are listed on IMDb...
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104454/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

For those that don't know Ian, he has served as Station Master at Arley since 1983. His predecessor there was Barrie Geens who also appeared as a policeman in The Thirty Nine Steps, for which he recalled he was paid £7 a day for the week, plus "lots of free food".

 

The guard in the "Daddy, my Daddy" scene was Bob Cryer, not Robert Adley.

 

I've driven several celebs round at Audley End, but I'm not going to name them - some of them are regular visitors and they are just there to have an enjoyable trip out with their families and most people (including other passengers) respect that.

 

Family connection I believe, nothing more!!!

I'll edit if I find the details but I believe there was a station master connection (pre-preservation)

Will

 

My apologies sorry, I did mean Bob Cryer. For some reason got my MP’s named Robert mixed up.

 

Not seen him myself, but am I right in thinking ex ITV News Presenter Nicholas Owen was involved with the Bluebell Railway in some capacity or another? (& possible the Volks Electric Railway in Brighton...?)

Ben

 

He is a volunteer with both I think and he's done a number of appeal videos and other things for the Bluebell. I also took a trip on the Volks a few years back on its last trip of the season and he drove the train to Black Rock.

I do remember Mark Williams filming a large chunk of his On The Rails series on the Bluebell as well.

 

'Longitude', 'Charlotte Grey', 'A Dance to the Music of Time'....

My best was the first where I am the porter waking across the opening shot at Horsted Keynes looking at my watch. My Mum loved it!

Robin

 

Most of the Royal family one time or another on the Swanage branch. The royal train would be stabled overnight on the Worgret end of the branch if there was an early start for either visiting the Army at Lulworth or Bovington or the Navy at Portland.

 

..........

 

Very good. There is a later sequence with me as the ticket inspector walking down the train corridor that then cuts to the Nigel Havers character.

Robin

 

You are a famous person actually on this post. Well done !

 

Now there’s a coincidence. Post No. 100. The speed achieved by the thread starter’s namesake down Wellington Bank in 1904 .