Leeds Engines in Film
All | Kitson | Manning Wardle | Hunslet | Hudswell Clarke | John Fowler | Booth
Locally made engines can be found in a number of big screen roles. The city itself has a strong connection to the early days of the film industry. This pioneering film work is covered in the displays of the Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills
Bridge on the River Kwai: Hunslet Engine 725 and 727 of 1901 and 1900
This classic World War II based film was in fact shot in Sri Lanka, or Ceylon as it was still called back in 1957 when the film was made. Filmed on the 2' 6" gauge Kelani Valley line, two of the Hunslet tank engines built for that line were used in filming. CGR No 104 (Hunslet 725 of 1901) bore the brunt of the filming being destroyed in the process as it plummeted in to the gorge for the dramatic climax to the film. CGR No 106 (Hunslet 727 of 1900) was a standby engine for the filming but survives today, just about. It was last heard of rusting away at Dematagoda shed near Colombo and surprisingly not one of the first choices for the country's small railway museum given its connection to this famous film.
The Great St Trinians Train Robbery: Hunslet Engine 3207 of 1945 and another LMR Austerity
This comedy was filmed on the Longmoor Military Railway in Hampshire. A pair of Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST's featured prominently in this classic film. 3207/1945 was heavily mocked up as J50 68961 along with another one marked as 68011.
Runaway Railway: Hunslet Austerity
Easier than arranging filming sessions on the British Railways system, the Longmoor Military Railway was used for several films and one of their Austerity tank engines made an appearance in this 1964 film staring Ronnie Barker and Graham Stark.
The Magnificent Two: Hunslet Austerity
This well known Morecambe and Wise film from 1967 also featured an appearance of one of the Longmoor Military Railway Austerities
Aliens: Hunslet ATT77 Tractor
In the late 60s and early 1970s the Hunslet Engine Co diversified in to producing a series of rubber tyred tractors for use in mines, on Navy ships, airport runways, e.t.c. One of these tractors, an ATT77 model built as an airport tractor and previously employed 'shunting' Boeing 747s around Heathrow Airport was used as the basis for an armoured vehicle of the future in the Aliens Film.
The somewhat disguised Hunslet airport tractor from Aliens
Much more about this unusual vehicle can be found on the Internet Movie Cars Database site