Documentary about the development of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The 747 was a game changer, the airliner that revolutionised mass, cheap air travel. But the first wide-bodied plane was originally intended as a stopgap to Boeing's now-abandoned supersonic jet. This is the remarkable untold story of...
Snow Warrior is a love letter to the splendour of winter. It captures the beauty of a northern city through the eyes of a bicycle courier named Mariah.
The Nine Road is the busman's name for one of London's oldest and most used bus routes, running between Mortlake and Liverpool Street. The film takes us along the route on a summer's day, and shows the operation and control of the Number Nines from early morning until past midnight. Collected in...
This feature length documentary explores the ravages of American suburban sprawl, what America has lost as a result, and the perils we face if we don't change the way in which we build our cities. Americans have been lulled into a false sense of security by cheap energy that has allowed us to...
The pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the most important religious journeys for millions of people around the world. But how to get there? This documentary shows us how 12 companies met the immense challenge of running a high-speed train through Saudi Arabia's sandy rocky desert in temperatures of up...
On 24th March 1968 an Aer Lingus plane carrying 61 passengers and crew crashed into the sea just off the Tuskar Rock lighthouse off the Wexford coast. There were no survivors. Family and friends of those onboard tell their story of loss and the theories of what happened.
A film looking at the first 100 years of the Underground Railway in London from 1863 to 1963. A range of well known people and senior managers speak alongside some excellent archive film.
Day-to-Day Track Maintenance Part II: Switches & Crossings
01952HD
Continuing the study of the normal tasks performed by a permanent-way gang, this film deals with the maintenance of switches, common crossings and obtuse crossings. These are the fundamental units from which all track layouts, however complicated are built up.
The British Railways modernisation programme of the 1960s radically changed the rail network, and the British Transport Films unit and the TV news were there to capture it. Compiled here is never before released colour footage of Southern steam at Waterloo (with Nine Elms depot), all the major...
A journey from London King's Cross to Peterborough on the fastest Inter-City Special - at a speed of well over 1250 mph! A sped-up four-minute High Speed Train journey promoting the use of the trains throughout the old Eastern Region, set to very early 80s synth music. One of the last BTF...
An experimental animation by Kazimierz Urbański about transportation. Combines various techniques: traditional cartoon film, cut-out, documentary photos, animation of objects, and effects caused directly on the tape.
Divided Highways: The Interstates and the Transformation of American Life
01997HD
America's desire for freedom and the open road resulted in the construction of thousands of highways during the Eisenhower administration. Through interviews, archival footage and photography, America's interstate highway system is revealed to have shaped every aspect of American life and affected...
The majority of railway vehicles are fitted with cast iron brake blocks which, although relatively cheap to produce, wear rapidly in service and need frequent replacement. The film shows how an investigation into some of the problems associated with these blocks led to the development of a new type...
A cheerful and very colourful pastiche of live action with combined graphics set to the music of Muir Mathieson. This film typifies the image British Rail was keen to transmit during the early part of the 1970s. It marked the start of the age of the train, when 100mph running became standard and...
