Candleshoe
Filming on the SVRSevern Valley Railway
Candleshoe was the second major movie to include scenes filmed on the SVRSevern Valley Railway, following The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) which was released the year before. Filming on the SVRSevern Valley Railway took place in October 1976, using GWR Small Prairie 4566 and three GWRGreat Western Railway carriages. In the final chase scene, 4566 is first seen leaving 'Hambleden' (Arley).
The train leaves 'Hambleden'
As the train leaves, the car sets off from Arley Station Bridge in pursuit. The chase sequence then includes several scenes of the car filmed on local roads in the area, intercut with the train filmed from the lineside between stations. The train is then seen crossing Hay Bridge as the car approaches on the road below.
The chase at Hay Bridge
Continuing north, the train is next seen passing Eardington station with the car on the adjacent road. The scene was filmed from the Eardington Road Bridge.
The chase at Eardington
The train is then seen crossing Victoria Bridge.
The train crosses Victoria Bridge
The Rolls Royce then arrives at Waterworks Crossing where Niven's character parks the car on the crossing and flags the engine to a stop.
David Niven and other cast members at Waterworks Crossing
As is common in movies, the scenes are geographically out of sequence on the railway, with Victoria Bridge being south of Arley and Waterworks Crossing being south of Hay Bridge and Eardington.
The day of filming which ended at Waterworks Crossing was the subject of an article by Brian Moone in SVRSevern Valley Railway News 43. All the shots in the film featured the 'real' 4566 apart from the final shot of David Niven being sandwiched between the locomotive’s buffers and the car, for which a wooden mock-up of the front of 4566 was made and mounted on a permanent way trolley, which was pushed by hand to ensure it was stopped in the correct position. Graham Nangreave and Roger Scanlon were the driver and fireman on the day; SVRSevern Valley Railway members Tom McGee and Gilbert Cooke appeared in those roles as 'extras' while other SVRSevern Valley Railway members including Syd Anderson and Columb Howell were also featured.[2] The chase sequence can be seen on YouTube.
See also
List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway
