Engine Shed (and something inspired by it)
I recently watched a whole bunch of old railway films, and I decided to share one of them here - because I feel like this is the sort of thing a lot of you folks would enjoy.
This particular film, dating from 1938 is Engine Shed - an instructional film intended to remind drivers, firemen and other staff on proper working methods within a locomotive depot. There's loads of stuff here to sink your teeth into, especially from an operational standpoint.
An abridged 10-minute version of the film has been available online for some years, but the full 25-minute version was uploaded a few months ago, and that's the version linked below:
The film's pretty interesting in its own right, but it got me thinking about how something similar could work in the world of Thomas. I actually wrote a brief-ish synopsis for such a story - provisionally entitled Stage, Screen & Steam - which reads as follows:
One day, word gets out that the railway's film unit - the aptly-named NWR Films - is looking for engines to star in its latest production. Everyone is excited at the prospect of appearing in a film, but only a few engines can be spared to take part in the production, and over the next few days, the film crew make their choices...
James ends up being one of the chosen engines, and needless to say, he's delighted at the chance to appear on the silver screen. So delighted, in fact, that he becomes even more conceited than usual. He goes on and on about his impending stardom, and even fantasizes about what role he might play - from an action hero, to a private investigator, and even a secret agent: Codename 005!
James' boasting lasts the whole week leading up to the shoot, and he eventually annoys all his friends to the point where they won't speak to him. He becomes determined to put things right, and gets his chance when he has to collect the film crew's equipment after it gets delivered to the wrong station. The director is so pleased that he decides to give James one of the more major roles in the film.
James is thrilled...until he discovers that the film is being made for staff training purposes, showing drivers and firemen what to do when working in a depot - and that he himself will be helping to demonstrate what not to do! Naturally, he is incensed that his big-screen debut is not as glamorous as he'd expected, and his mood doesn't improve when the finished film is screened some weeks later, and the other engines laugh at his performance.
For a long time afterwards, James is extremely touchy on the subject of film, and when anyone else tries bringing it up, he only has one thing to say: CUT!
