Civil Engineering

Synopsis

A compilation of 5 films from the British Transport Films collection. Volume 7 in the series.

Series

British Transport Films Collection, The: Series

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2001

Year of production

1956-1975

Subjects

Engineering; History; Media studies

Keywords

bridges; British Transport Films; civil engineering

Distribution Formats

Type

VHS

Format

PAL

Price

£15.99 inclusive

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

98 min

Year

2002

Sections

Title

Under the river

Synopsis

(1959) The dramatic story of the outstanding Victorian engineering feat of Thomas Andrew Walker which made possible the construction of the Severn Tunnel - the longest underwater tunnel in the world at that time. The film pays tribute to the six magnificent Cornish beam engines which kept the tunnel free of water for over seventy years.

Duration

27 mins

Title

Making tracks

Synopsis

(1956) Of the 51,000 miles of railway lines then in operation, over 1,800 miles were renewed every year. Mobile cranes remove the old track, complete with sleepers, and replace it with prefabricated lengths. This made the work less arduous, and the period of line closure was considerably shortened.

Duration

17 mins

Title

Operation London Bridge

Synopsis

(1975) London Bridge is the oldest of London’s railway stations and the focal point for a great complex of suburban and coastal services covering the South East. The film shows the reconstruction of the station and its approaches to provide easier, more reliable services for the thousands of people who travel into London Bridge.

Duration

18 mins

Technical information

Title

Britannia - a bridge

Synopsis

(1973) Robert Stephenson’s Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1970. The reconstruction of the bridge, with steel arches supporting and eventually replacing Stephenson’s wrought iron tubes, is the subject of this film.

Duration

19 mins

Technical information

Title

Railways conserve the environment

Synopsis

(1970) Report No. 11 in a series of 13 films documenting the modernisation and re-equipment of British Railways. In European Conservation Year this report covered the contribution made by railways to the conservation and improvement of the environment. The conversion of former railway property - including London’s Round House - is shown, and other imaginative schemes for the re-use of railway land.

Duration

17 mins

Production Company

Name

British Transport Films

Notes

Some BTF films are distributed by Beulah.

Distributor

Name

BFI Video

Email

video.films@bfi.org.uk

Web

http://www.bfi.org.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7957 8957

Fax

020 7957 8968

Address

21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

 

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