Carrie's War

DVD Cover for Carrie's War
Carrie's War is a 1973 British children's novel written by Nina Bawden. The story follows two children, Carrie and her younger brother Nick, who are evacuated from London to a Welsh mining village during World War II. The BBC dramatised the novel in a 5-part serial broadcast in 1974.

Filming on the SVR

Filming on the SVR took place on 5-6 November 1973, principally at Highley. At that time the SVR had only opened for passenger services between Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth; the LRO had not yet been transferred so a BR inspector had to be in attendance during the filming.[1] The footbridge which appears in the scenes at Highley was demolished shortly before reopening in April 1974.The train used consisted of GWR Pannier 5764 (facing north) and five GWR coaches - GWR Collett Brake Corridor Third 5787 and GWR Collett Composite Corridor 7285, GWR 7284 Composite, GWR 1087 Full Third and GWR 6562 Brake Composite. The train made several journeys between Highley and Hampton Loade, including "run pasts" at Alveley Sidings.[2] LNER 223162 Mineral Wagon was also repainted in a fictitious Welsh private owner livery for the occasion.

A number of SVR personnel took part in the filming including station master Malcolm Broadhurst, guard Peter Jordan, signalmen John Frodsham and Jack Richards, and footplate crew John Hill and Jim Bodfish. Broadhurst and Jordan were filmed giving the 'right away' in Episode 5.[3]

Episode 1 opens with a shot of the train passing through Hampton Loade northbound. A group of evacuees including Carrie and Nick are filmed aboard the train. On arrival at an unnamed Welsh station (Highley) they leave the train and assemble on the platform. The entire party of some 20 children then leaves the platform through the door to the station exit – actually the booking office which must have been very crowded as it has no exit!

A shot of the train passing through open countryside is used under the opening titles of the other four episodes. Although the evacuees are heard singing the same song as in episode 1, 5764 is running bunker first, unlike the scenes at Highley.

In Episode 5, Carrie and Nick leave Wales. 5764 and the train are seen entering Highley in the same direction as Episode 1. After they board, the train is given the right away and leaves (presumably taking the children further into Wales!).

The SVR waived fees for the filming, anticipating that the publicity would be sufficient. It was during filming that the BBC’s Chris Rowlands met his future wife Avril; some years later they would be involved with the SVR again with the filming of God's Wonderful Railway.[3]

A DVD of the series is commercially available. The BBC also produced another adaptation of Carrie's War in 2004.

See also

References

  1. Barry Geens, private correspondence
  2. SVR News 31 pp. 1,15.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Jordan, P., 'My Moment of Glory', SVR News 203

Links

SVR Wiki

Main Page

From SVR Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

Welcome to the Severn Valley Railway Wiki

From this week's featured article
Trimpley Reservoir can be seen to the west of the line between Bewdley and Arley. The reservoir, which is managed by Severn Trent Water, was opened in 1968 and covers 29 acres. It is open to the public and is used by the Trimpley Sailing Club, while other activities include angling, wildlife watching and walking. (Full article...)
Schematic Map of the SVRSevern Valley Railway
BridgnorthEardingtonHampton LoadeCountry Park HaltHighleyThe Engine HouseArleyVictoria BridgeNorthwood HaltWyre Forest LineBewdleyStourport BranchBewdley TunnelConnection to Network RailKidderminsterMaps#Schematic maps of the pre-closure SVRMapandlinks.png
Click on the map for a
larger interactive version

For 101 years between 1862 and 1963, the Severn Valley Railway formed part of the national railway network, running for 40 miles between Hartlebury and Shrewsbury. Established as a separate company, it was mainly operated by the Great Western Railway (GWRGreat Western Railway) and later by British Railways (BRBritish Rail or British Railways).

The present day Severn Valley Railway (SVRSevern Valley Railway) was established in 1965 to preserve part of the line as a heritage railway. Today it has six stations and two halts and runs for 16 miles along the Severn Valley between Bridgnorth in Shropshire and Kidderminster in Worcestershire, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route. Operations involve a mixture of steam and heritage diesel-hauled services.

This unofficial website is a project aimed to collect information and record events relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both past and present.

For timetables, fare information, and news about special events, please visit the SVR Official Website. Other news and information of interest to members, shareholders and enthusiasts can be found on SVRLive.

In April 2023 the SVRSevern Valley Railway announced the launch of a Survival Fund to enable it to overcome the current financial crisis and implement longer-term plans for its future. Information and details of how to donate may be found on the SVRSevern Valley Railway's Survival Fund page.

Categories of article

History of the Severn Valley Railway

Current events on the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Information about the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Miscellaneous


Query Corner

Unsurprisingly, there are a large number of questions about the SVRSevern Valley Railway, both in pre-preservation days and for a number of historical items since then. Take a visit down to Query Corner to see if you have a recollection relating to some long forgotten event, or know of a reliable source (maybe an early edition of the SVR News?) that might have the information we need!

Adding to this Wiki

This site, or "wiki", is a collaborative effort, and anyone who has any knowledge relating to the SVRSevern Valley Railway should feel free to contribute. Once you have created a user account and logged in, you can modify any page by clicking the "Edit" button in the top right hand corner. For some tips on how to format pages, and some guidelines on how to make this wiki accessible can be found on Tips for contributing to the SVR Wiki.

Alternatively, if you don't feel confident editing this Wiki (although there is no reason you shouldn't!!), each article also has a "Discussion" page, which can be accessed by clicking the relevant button in the top left hand corner. This allows you to make additions, suggestions, or corrections to a page without making any change to the article itself.


Navigation menu