Vintage film - how valid are these issues today?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AbK_zqauzU

This vintage railway film, produced by British Transport Films in 1969, details an insufferable journey by  'The Pain Train', showing how seconds lost by staff, for one slight reason or another, can quickly add up, causing a train to be seriously late even on a relatively short journey.

[CyclingSid]

As a counterpoint to those who go on about "the good old days".

[Chris from Nailsea]

Wow! 

Thanks for finding that, grahame - it was absolutely brilliant! 

What I found amazing, though, was the number of scenes where groups of railway workers were standing trackside, even in the adjoining four-foot, within inches of a passing full-length train.  Scary! 

[JayMac]

And back then just an orange, not very reflective, bib. Not head to toe in orange hi-vis with highly reflective striping and piping, like today.

[Electric train]

Wow! 

Thanks for finding that, grahame - it was absolutely brilliant! 

What I found amazing, though, was the number of scenes where groups of railway workers were standing trackside, even in the adjoining four-foot, within inches of a passing full-length train.  Scary! 

And back then just an orange, not very reflective, bib. Not head to toe in orange hi-vis with highly reflective striping and piping, like today.

Orange HiVi did not become mandated until the late 1970's.

Working or standing in an adjacent 4 foot did not seem scary at the time, every one had faith in the very experienced guys who were appointed as Lookouts, even in 1969 trains were still quite slow and noisy it was not until the IC125 that BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) started to change its working practices.

The adoption of full orange and the removal of "unassisted Lookouts" is a good thing, trains 55 years on from the film are faster and quitter.



Area Managers should still wear bowlers 

[GBM]

The adoption of full orange and the removal of "unassisted Lookouts" is a good thing, trains 55 years on from the film are faster and quitter.

Think graham's autocorrect needs updating

[chuffed]

These days the narrator at 8 min 33 secs in, would find himself up before the Patronising, middle class white male complaints board !