The LNER Encyclopedia

A long forgotten railway themed television drama/play shown over 50 years ago does anyone remember seeing it?.

Does anyone remember a very long forgotten television drama/play that was possibly only shown once on probably the BBC back in either 1967 or 1968 which had a British railways trades union theme concerning railway signalmen who voted on taking industrial action over a railway dispute?. From very vague memory the play featured maybe a younger and a older railway signalmen both attending a union meeting with other railwaymen and all of them voting on taking industrial action but the interesting segment of the play is towards the end when the older signalman accidently causes an accident due to worries that he had on his mind and from very vague memory this man the older signalman in his signal box is seen exhibiting a green hand lamp at night from his box to a steam loco driver with the outcome of the train that received the green light from the older signalman crashing into the rear of possibly a loose coupled goods train and brake van which featured a staged low speed train crash at night but it wasn't as dramatic as it sounds which involved amazingly from memory either a Britannia loco a few 'Brits' were still in traffic during 1967 with no.70013 Oliver Cromwell still in traffic into 1968 or if it wasn't a Britannia loco it may have been a 9F as a small number were still in traffic until early 1968 anyway after the crash I vaguely recall either the fireman or loco driver is seen laying down on the footplate between the cab and tender and possibly suppose to be dead or seriously injured after the accident?. After the train crash and in daylight both the younger signalman and the older signalman who is in a state of shock are seen walking in the 4ft along ahead of the crashed loco. I presume this drama/play was only shown once on television and the tapes were probably wiped by the BBC as was usually the case back then.

If anyone remembers this television drama/play from either 1967 or 1968 do you remember it being shown and also do you have a name for it?.

After re-thinking about this long forgotten television drama/play from either 1967 or 1968 the loco concerned may well have been a Britannia loco that was involved in the accident in the television play?. Coincidently Britannia no.70017 Arrow was also involved in a accident after running into the rear of a loose coupled goods train at Carlisle in July 1966 and was withdrawn from traffic shortly afterwards although it's impossible to say if that accident involving Britannia no.70017 Arrow had any bearing or influence on the making of the television play from this distance in time?.

I do vaguely recall this Mickey (along with The Signalman's Apprentice), but none of the detailed stuff with any confidence.

However after some trial-and-error keyword searching via Goggle, I've an idea that what you want is a 1967 edition of The Wednesday Play apparently called Public Inquiry, some info. of which you will hopefully find at the other end of this hyperlink : -

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0496376/

A very interesting piece of info Stevie and the only bit that I can ad after looking up The Wednesday Play for that episode is that it appears to have been filmed somewhere in Wales with a number of the actors in the episode having Welsh sounding surnames anyway the episode concerned mite still be around somewhere although the BBC may have wiped it as they did with many of BBC television shows, series and episodes back in the 1960s although a private television collector of old television series and shows may have recorded it also considering it was probably only shown the once on 'the telly' about 53 years ago and it is still remembered by one or two people is quite amazing in it's self.


https://railphotoprints.uk/p69735062/h6A55F94C#7993F926