"Terror on a Train" 1953 film: Portsmouth & Snow Hill stations, Chiswick Goods

[whole diary]

[Marlburian]

Just discovered this film about "Canadian" Glenn Ford searching for a time-bomb on a train taking mines to Portsmouth Harbour, with some scenes at the civilian terminus in the city.

The train is diverted to "Felsworth Siding", shown (at 10.51) on a (fictitious) map with Overton and Redhill stations close by. Actually the filming was close to Chiswick Goods Depot.

Then & Now

As well as Victor Maddern - a regular supporting actor in these old British b & w - there's the ubiquitous Sam Kydd as a ticket clerk.

(One would have thought that a team of specialist army or naval bomb disposal experts could have been deployed, but that would have spoiled the film.)

[johnneyw]

Good grief, I actually remember watching this movie on TV^▸ (Thames Valley, or TeleVision, depending on context) one afternoon in the 1970s.  I saw Victor Maddern in another film (probably on Talking Pics) not that long ago and it reminded me then of the film you mentioned.  Curious how memory works.

[JontyMort]

Good grief, I actually remember watching this movie on TV^▸ (Thames Valley, or TeleVision, depending on context) one afternoon in the 1970s.  I saw Victor Maddern in another film (probably on Talking Pics) not that long ago and it reminded me then of the film you mentioned.  Curious how memory works.

Wow! That ?Then and now? is a fantastic time-waster.

[Marlburian]

Yes, the particular pages for "Terror on a Train" do have a larger proportion of "'Now' Required" captions than is usual. I suspect that the website depends on a small number of stalwarts who spend a lot of time walking the streets of Greater London seeking to identify brick walls and gate-pillars that are all that remain from 60-70 years ago. Sometimes buildings haven't changed that much but the numbers of cars parked outside have.