Nature on Rails

Quintinshill: Britain's Deadliest Rail Disaster

May 2015 •English

Neil Oliver describes the worst ever railway accident in the UK, which happened a hundred years ago on 22 May 1915, in which three trains collided at Quintinshill near Gretna Green. One of the trains was a troop train taking soldiers to fight in World War I at the Battle of Gallipoli: many of the dead were in this train which caught fire due to escaped gas from the archaic gas lighting in the carriages. The cause of the crash was attributed to a catastrophic signalman's error, but Neil examines whether there were other contributory factors and whether there was a cover-up to prevent investigation of them, making convenient scapegoats of the signalmen.

1917, The Train from Hell

November 2019 •French

1917, The Train from Hell is an historical documentary about a train accident during WW1.

Berliner Stadtbahnbilder

February 1982 •German

Documentation on the Berlin S-Bahn, which threatened to fall into oblivion as a result of the division of the city.

ICE - Der neue Zug

January 1987 •German

Short documentary about the new ICE. On March 19, 1985, the ICE was officially handed over to the Bundesbahn at Krupp in Essen during a rollout ceremony attended by invited guests, experts and media representatives.

Empty Harbours, Empty Dreams

December 1976 •English

The film explores how the three British colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island became provinces of Canada and charts the subsequent decline of their economies after Confederation. Photographs, archival drawings, cartoons and interviews with Maritime historians are used to document the case.

Secrets of the Dead: Death on the Railroad

January 2013 •English

Spains Worst Rail Disaster

November 2013 •English

Vlak č. 101

January 1947 •Czech

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.

Railroaders

January 1958 •English

A film about winter railroading in the Canadian Rockies and the men who keep the lines clear. The stretch between Revelstoke and Field, British Columbia, is a snow-choked threat to communications. The film shows the work of section hands, maintenance men, train crews and telegraph operators.

Hitler's Steel Beast

January 2017 •French

Trace the history of Hitler's armored private train, a 15-car mobile headquarters boasting state-of-the-art communications and anti-aircraft cannons.

Haramain: The Train of the Desert

April 2021 •Spanish

The pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the most important religious journeys for millions of people around the world. But how to get there? This documentary shows us how 12 companies met the immense challenge of running a high-speed train through Saudi Arabia's sandy rocky desert in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. A true marvel of engineering and cooperation, and together, overcoming obstacles.

Oceľová cesta

December 1950 •Slovak

Documentary film about the Slovak Youth Line - a railway line built by the Czechoslovak youth from Hronská Dúbrava to Báňská Štiavnica and Letovice.

Last of the Giants

January 1959 •English

A Union Pacific production outlining the Big Boy locomotive and the history of the last great steam engine to rule the rails

A Great Railroad at Work

January 1942 •English

A documentary outlining railroad work and the effects on the lives impacted by the iron horse

New Horizons

January 1948 •English

Production for the Seaboard Railroad company outlining their railroad activities in the 1940s and heading into the 1950s

Big Trains Rolling

January 1955 •English

A production of the association of American Railroads outlining the wonders of America's rail system.

Mainline U.S.A.

January 1957 •English

A documentary on the railroads of America produced by the Association of American Railroads

Safe Roads

January 1935 •English

A production by Chevrolet from 1935 on safety around trains

Rolling the Freight

January 1947 •English

Film on the movement of material from the Chicago and Northwestern System.