Moving Images

To date, "Moving Images" is the only book that has been produced that attempts to give the whole story about the history of British Transport Films. Published in 1990 as part of the BTF40 celebrations, the book is out of print but we understand that copies may still be available from Beulah. However, these are the main details of this wonderful little publication that no BTF devotee should be without...

Title: Moving Images
Author: John Reed
Published: 1990 by Capital Transport
ISBN 185414 124 4
Price: £4.95
Format: A5 Landscape
Extent: 80 Pages (black and white)
Still Images: 98

Contained at the back of the book is a listing of all BTF productions in sequential order and although extensive, this is not 100% complete. Additionally, a few minor errors have crept into the list of which the following are known and are noted for the record. Further information on other omissions and ammendments are welcomed.
Compiled by Nick Wheat, Richard Worswick and Robin Carmody.

Omissions
BT??? 1961 Caerphilly Castle (see below)
????? 1961 Modernisation on Southern Region
BT494 1961 The Travolators
BT524 1962 Measured For Transport
BT??? 1965 Train Driver (not to be confused with 'Electric Train Driver')
BT904 1968 Container Port
????? 1978 Make A Train
????? 1979 Family Railcard
????? 1979 The Freight Mandate
????? 1979 GATTS
????? 1980 HST Paddington - Reading
????? 1980 The MORI Report
????? 1980 Performance and Prospects
????? 1980 Salestrack 1980 - The Age Of The Train
????? 1980 Tomorrow's Freight World
????? 1981 The Eighties - The Age Of The Train
????? 1981 Operational Warning Systems
Part 1 - Civil Engineering Rail Cranes
Part 1 - High Capacity Rail Cranes
????? 1982 Faraday Lecture - Railways Have An Electric Future
MW??? 1985 Brunel's Railway Today

Ammendments
BT549 = 1961 not 1969
BT101 "Rail Report 8 - The New Tradition" should be BT901
BT555 "The Third Sam" should be BT603
BT622 "The Coach travellers" should be BT662
BT650 "Courtesy" should be BT605
BT704 "Container Port" should be BT904
BT835 "Dynamics of Railway Vehicles" was produced in 1965

Other Notes
BT101 "Rail Report 8 - The New Tradition" unlikely to have such an early production number for a film shot in 1968.
BT71 "Scottish Highlands" of 1953 was retitled "Highland Journey" in 1957 and there may have been some re-editing involved.
"Caerphilly Castle" was filmed in 1961 but was never completed. A soundtrack was never added, although the film was kept. A narration was added for video release in 1993. There are no opening or closing titles/ credits. The only soundtrack is a minimal commentary.
"Port Of Newhaven" (1975) was made for ILEA (clearly on a shoestring budget - it was filmed in black and white as late as 1975) for showing in London schools.
"The Channel Tunnel Project 1973-75" (1976) was a co-production with Movietone for the COI.
The last two films might not be regarded as a "full" or "true" BTF film.
Probably several miles of footage was taken throughout the time of BTF's existence and not used in finished films. Some of this footage has found its way into a selection of home videos.