Bridge of Song (1955) - extract | BFI National Archive
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ย. 2024
- The British Transport Films Collection Volume 12: The Driving Force is released on two-disc BFI DVD on 24 February 2014 - bit.ly/1ov54IZ
Bridge of Song sees British Transport Films turn their attention to the historical work-songs and popular ballads of transport workers and the latest developments in British transport. This extract looks at the trusty London bus.
All titles on the BFI Films channel are preserved in the vast collections of the BFI National Archive. To find out more about the Archive visit www.bfi.org.uk/...
If only buses so clean and smart with conductors were still on on our streets.
what a pleasant journey it would be
Guessing this is Peckham depot, the home of the 36 and 36b and the 141, been a long long time since the 36 ran to Lewisham. I did sometimes pick up the 36 (by accident) at Victoria if the bus chappy hadn't put the right blind up and what a palaver that caused being all kicked off at New Cross lol The killer journey after the old 12 route which me uncle Stan was driver and clippy on (South Croydon to other side of NE London) was the 141 running from Grove Park to Wood Green managing to catch just about every traffic jam on the way, I remember riding that route often as the RT gave way to the MCW's which were fast, very modern and didn't trundle along with those mighty turbo engine sounds out back, the 36b RT's became Catford based RM's but still a good ride. In a way us Londoners were pretty spoilt with decent clean and reliable, safe buses at a very modest price... just a shame Thatcher decided Londoner's had to pay thru the nose ending subsidised LT transport for all :( In my youth I remember when a kids fare was a penny, then for ages it was 2p end to end then 10p then half the adult fare and charged stop to stop grr.
Great footage. I bet everyone of those buses where on time as well.
London transport never had it so good as when the bus was immaculately presented inside and out
It was a time that was not so much junkie, the names that died in the war were scarce and there were not so many Pakistani
What you're watching are the RT type buses, they were great vehicles . Take route 36 for example, a very busy service from West Kilburn to Hither Green you see looking immaculate in this film, as part of the massive 36 group to lose the AEC RT buses early when the all-conquering Routemaster buses edged them out of Rye Lane and Peckham garages in early 1963.
Oh I do miss those great old open platform RT London buses... apart from being able to hop on and off when convenient, they just had so much character compared to the 'biscuit tin on wheels' monstrosities that ply our city streets today.
Can't wait to buy the DVD of this footage on 28th Feb as described in description.
I could watch this all day.
The black and white photo are good to see how they were then and showing where all the changes have done
magnificent presentation
What the Hell's happened to the world since this was filmed?
Fabulous film.😊
Brilliant. Wish I had lived and worked back then
trust me, you don't.
I love that it had Salad Cream on the side!
For three minutes I was back in heaven, now I've returned to the real world.
The old RT's never seem to have achieved the almost cult status of the Routemaster, although I'm sure they were an equally good bus (just a little smaller I think); they were around into the 1970's.
Love the final view of Waterloo bridge too; I think the area on the S. bank is now partly occupied by the National Theatre.
They were 7'6" wide to the RM's 8', but some of them would do 48MPH to the RM's 40.
th-cam.com/video/drE3lgaTgTA/w-d-xo.html
This is how they used to smash up buses. Absolutely busted the crap out of them with a sledge hammer and then burned the frames.
These were the old pre RT STL buses, but RT and RM could be smashed up with sledge hammers too. A more common way was cut the body pillars and tear them apart with a grab claw.
The RT was the one ! As a schoolboy Number 65 from Ham to Ealing in the 50’s . As it happens I think they were on time as I was never late !
very good shot at 2:40
Next stop: a fascinating little gem from 1955 on the trusty London bus: bit.ly/1krnSZm
Some of the Drivers too I remember.
see 'HOW TO PARK A ROUTEMASTER BUS' on u-tube for handling
How lovely to see England's capital as it should be - full of English people!
What a dumb comment, London has always had a diverse population since the Romans first established it.
The Flanders and Swann song "Transport of Delight" is SO much better than the one featured here. Google it for a TH-cam recording.
Fascinating Modern History video. well done😉👍😉👍😉👍😉
Well maintained and we'll built vehicle. Buity queens on road that to about seventy years back. Awsome looks and technology.
Brilliant. "The gay conductor" cracked me up!
This must be New Cross garage?
This is Peckham garage
Around about the 50 sec mark you can see the conductor issuing tickets. I can't remember tickets like this, only the ones from the Gibson ticket machine. When did the Gibson take over?
Peckham Garage (PM), where this is filmed switched over to Gibson's in December 1954. Although the clip with the conductor is on a 196 which was operated by Camberwell Garage (Q) which didn't convert to Gibson's until August 1959, they were the penultimate garage to covert..
The conductor looks like a young Blakey.
Great vedio. Perfection to the core like the japanese..brgds
Most of the film posters are for High Noon at the Odeon and that was 1952 not 1955.
Get on this route now and You will be the British person on the bleeding Bus!!! What a great Country we used to live in.
Is this Ivor Cutler singing this tune?
Dreadful!!
Upper case-only destination blinds; RT 1955 (convenient!) reversing into the line-up.
All of it a reminder of the Champion London Bus - the one all the cranks rated highest: the RT (and the Leyland RTW & RTL), but the AEC bus with four variations of body was all-London. Pity they didn't inspire the publicity the Routemaster justly received largely because they were the last of London: open rear platform, giving way to boxes.
Is that Robert Shaw's voice narrating?
Yes,He also narrated on many British Transport films.
We need to revert back to the British way of life, with all its wonderful forward thinking strategy. and give a back seat to the things that matters less. like the foreign immigrants.
The Gay Conductor - yes this was often the case as I recall:-) Bless em.
Obviously most of you have forgotten what the 50’s were really like.....buses constantly late, service ending on many routes even before the pubs closed....and a six week strike in 1958,
Look mummy no black peple.....
They didn't have black people or homosexuals in those days.
great pity about the racist comments. On a far more pleasant note, did anyone else notice a couple of STLs?
Nice film, shame about the crap song soundtrack !
Stupid music.......