Railway 200 on screen: British cinema’s great train journey

From the early days of cinema, the image of a train thundering down the tracks has captivated audiences, symbolising speed, modernity, escape and sometimes danger. Nowhere is this connection more deeply felt than in the history of British film, where railways and cinema have developed a mutually enriching relationship. Both arose during the Victorian era, both transformed society, and both have mirrored Britain’s evolving cultural identity. 

The celebrations for Railway 200, marking the bicentenary of the first passenger railway, are in full swing and across the curatorial team here at the BFI National Archive we’re climbing on board. Over a new series of short features, we’re going loco about railways on screen.

The 19th century saw the rise of two great innovations: first the railway and then motion pictures. Trains were already reshaping Britain, connecting rural and urban landscapes, while cinema emerged as a new way to capture the rapidly changing world.

One of the earliest and most iconic film sequences ever shot was the Lumière brothers’ L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat (1895), which reportedly caused audiences to flinch or even leap from their seats as a steam train approached the camera. This scene set a precedent: trains would become a recurring motif in cinema, and British filmmakers quickly adopted this imagery.

During the 1930s to 1950s – the so-called golden age of British cinema – railways became more than just modes of transport. They were dramatic settings, metaphors for transition, and sometimes characters in their own right.

One of the most famous dramas is David Lean’s Brief Encounter (1945), currently enjoying its own 80th birthday. Set almost entirely on Carnforth railway station, the film uses the quiet routine of rail travel to contrast with the internal emotional turmoil of its two protagonists. The station becomes a stage for stolen glances, restrained passion and moral conflict. Without the anonymity and rhythm of the railway, their love story might never have transpired.

Railways also appear in the celebrated Ealing comedies, such as The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953), which humorously portrays a group of villagers saving their local line from closure. This film not only reflects postwar nostalgia for steam travel but also a deep British affection for rural life and community spirit. It’s also loosely based on real events that sparked the beginnings of the steam railway preservation movement.

In many British films, trains symbolise escape, journey or transformation. In The Lady Vanishes (1938), Alfred Hitchcock stages a suspenseful mystery aboard a train, transforming it into a microcosm of political tension and espionage in pre-war Europe.

Decades later, Trainspotting (1996) would use trains in a vastly different context – juxtaposing the movement and freedom of rail travel with the stagnation of drug addiction. Though not literally about trains, the title and key scenes suggest a generation’s uneasy relationship with progress and escape.

British railway films haven’t only been fictional. One of the foundation stones of the British documentary film movement is the lyrical Night Mail (1936) produced by the GPO Film Unit. It documents the work involved on a nightly postal service running between London and Scotland. After the Second World War, the railways had their own official film unit, British Transport Films (BTF), which produced hundreds of short documentaries celebrating the railways’ role in society. These films, such as Elizabethan Express (1954), Snowdrift at Bleath Gill (1955) and Blue Pullman (1960), were not only technically innovative but also served to preserve the visual and cultural history of Britain’s railway network.

Today, the link between railways and cinema continues. Heritage railways often serve as filming locations for period dramas, and the nostalgic pull of steam trains still draws audiences. Productions like Downton Abbey, The Railway Children (1970 and its 2022 sequel), and Murder on the Orient Express (2017) keep the imagery alive.

Meanwhile, railway stations themselves – like King’s Cross, Paddington and Goathland – have become iconic through their appearances in films, most notably in the Harry Potter series. There’s plenty of modern imagery and drama still to be found on the railways. From Unstoppable (2010) to the Mission: Impossible series, there’s never long to wait for a train.

The small screen has plenty to keep that bond on track too, with Michael Portillo and Tim Dunn both hosting several popular series about the railways, while on children’s TV there’s the likes of Chuggington and the Reverend Awdry’s cheeky blue tank engine Thomas, who is now a global phenomenon.

Cinema and railways in Britain have journeyed together for over a century, reflecting shared themes of modernity, emotion and transformation. They have captured the British imagination, not just through stories told on screen, but also in the sounds of wheels on rails, station announcements and the unique drama of arrivals and departures. 

Together, they represent both movement and memory – a pair of parallel tracks carrying us through the past and into the future. Step onboard as we journey through a series of upcoming articles celebrating steam on the screen.