Train Time

How They Dug the Victoria Line

March 1969 •English

First transmitted in 1969, this documentary follows the construction of the world’s most advanced underground system. Macdonald Hastings narrates the story of one of the most complex tunnel engineering feats of its time. He reveals the isolation felt by the miners who spent six years burrowing deep beneath the streets of London, shows what they did beneath one of London's most famous department stores and explains why the ground at Tottenham Court Road had to be frozen during the hottest weeks of 1966. The result is a brave new world of transport with automated trains, two way mirrors, automatic fare collection and closed-circuit television, all choreographed by a computer programme played out by an updated version of a pianola located in a control room somewhere near Euston station.

Elizabethan Express

January 1954 •English

Originally intended as an advertising short, this film follows The Elizabethan, a non-stop British Railways service from London to Edinburgh along the East Coast Main Line. A nostalgic record of the halcyon years of steam on British Railways and the ex-LNER Class A4.

Model Citizens

January 2016 •English

Somewhere in the world right now--much closer than you think--people are playing with trains. You might not see them at first, but they're there. In basements. In garages. In converted Army barracks. They're among the world's most compelling underground communities.

Cavalcade of San Francisco

September 1940 •English

This Traveltalk series short celebrates San Francisco, past and present.

EMD at 100

December 2022 •English

For a century, EMD has built the majority of diesel locomotives in North America and the world. Noted videographer Rich Luckin looks at this builder's origins, growth and development, supremacy, and its role today as an arm of Progress Rail. This documentary includes the history of EMD, exclusive footage at the Indiana plant, many interviews with employees, and more!

Love Those Trains

May 1984 •English

Enjoy the romance of railroads as you ride on the Orient Express, climb the Andes, cross the U.S. on the Salad Bowl Express, and meet the Hobo King, who calls himself "Steamboat." From steam engines to sleek diesels, experience the majesty and adventure of trains past and present. Remember the days when thundering trains bridged the world's continents, nourished the pioneer spirit, ferried our troops to war, and provided politicians with mobile campaign platforms. Then settle into a first-class seat aboard the luxurious Orient Express, and glide through storybook cities from Paris to Istanbul. Celebrate a slice of history and ride the rails of the world. A National Geographic Production.

3rd Ave. El

January 1955 •English

Impressionistic picture of the Third Avenue Elevated Railway in Manhattan, New York City, before it was demolished. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.

Night Mail 2

January 1987 •English

An updated version of the classic 1936 "Night Mail", this time using an aeroplanes and vans as well as trains, and with poetry by Blake Morrison.

The Autobiography of a 'Jeep'

November 1943 •English

The invention and use of a jeep are described, from the viewpoint of one of the vehicles.

Trains: Two Centuries of Innovation

February 2017 •French

Nearly 200 years ago, the train revolutionized our lives. It redrew the maps of states and nations, and changed concepts of distance and time like no other invention before. What visionaries imagined the development of the railroad? How did we get from the first chugging locomotives to the smooth giants of speed we see today? How does France's extensive rail network keep running smoothly, 24/7?

Gare du Nord : La Plus Grande Gare d'Europe

July 2018 •French

À l'horizon des événements

May 2023 •French

The Seattle-Tacoma Interurban Railway

January 1996 •English

This rich, historical documentary captures the story of the high-speed, electric transit system that sparked the growth and development of Puget Sound's twin cities during the first quarter of the 20th century.

The London Underground Killer

June 2024 •English

In a South London police station, officers are shocked to discover a man has been murdered in a locked cell. The suspected killer is his cellmate, a homeless man named Kieran Kelly, in custody for theft. Police interview 53-year-old Kelly, who has a long rap sheet for petty crimes, and he calmly confesses to killing the man in the cell, but detectives are unprepared for what comes next.

Under Night Streets

December 1958 •English

After the last train at night and before the first in the morning, 800 people are hard at work behind the scenes making London's Underground fit to travel on. Including brushing dust from ventilation ducts, ‘fluffers’ cleaning up rubbish, routine rail replacement and fixing a broken rail discovered at 3.30am.

How to Fix a Railway

March 2023 •English

A multibillion-pound investment is underway to make our railways bigger, better and faster. Over three years, we go behind the scenes with Wales’s newest rail body as they try to make ambitious promises a reality.

TGV, la réussite française

June 2017 •French

Tshiuetin

September 2016 •French

Take a breathtaking train a ride through Nothern Quebec and Labrador on Canada’s first First Nations-owned railway. Come for the celebration of the power of independence, the crucial importance of aboriginal owned businesses and stay for the beauty of the northern landscape.

Panoramic View of Conway on the L. & N.W. Railway

January 1898 •

A hand-colored ride along the Bangor-Conwy-Colwyn Bay railroad filmed from an express train from the London and North Western Railway; Stations, vistas and a tunnel under the Conwy Castle (misspelled in the title) in North Wales.

End of an Era

March 1962 •English

A documentary on the passing of the steam locomotive as the primary means of transportation in the United States