Preparing to board
Mad Dog > Locations > Severn Valley Railway > Hampton Loade >
Charles
urges
the train
crew to
expand their
horizons
"…get a national network going?"
Charles to the train crew
As a delighted Charles prepares to be carried south to safety, he encourages the train crew to open up more miles of track and extend their service. He quickly learns that Greg Preston has been here before him — urging them to adopt just such a plan — and that Greg had pledged to return after checking out local coal supplies.
Looking at
Platform 1
from the
opposite
side
September 2001
Description: This scene was filmed on what is now Platform 1 of Hampton Loade train station, on the Severn Valley steam rail line — which runs between Kidderminster (at its southern end) to Bridgnorth (at its northern terminus). As Charles converses with the train driver, both walk down the platform (towards the camera) in the direction of the train engine. This sort of 'tracking shot' will almost certainly have been filmed by a camera unit mounted on its own rail-track on the platform, pulled backwards by the crew in time with the two actors' approach.
Where is it?: Hampton Loade station is a regular calling point for train services travelling in both directions along the line. For a map of the Severn Valley railway click here. Although it is possible to reach the station by road, it is both easier and more 'atmospheric' to travel and from the area by rail. Services run throughout most of the year, but vary in frequency depending on the season, and are most extensive at weekends, and during the summer months. For up-to-date timetable information, click here.
Where's the best vantage point?: Photographs can be taken from all points on both platforms at the station. In this case, the scene on what is now Platform 1, has been photographed from what is now Platform 2 (on the opposite side) to capture the whole of the area covered by the 'tracking' shot.
What about access?: The Severn Valley Railway positively encourages all visitors to the line, and there are no restrictions on photography from the station platforms.
Anything else?: Since Mad Dog was filmed in 1977, the 'up' and 'down' lines, and the numbering of Platforms 1 and 2, have been switched — so that trains approach and leave the station from the opposite direction. A wooden walkway over the railways allows passengers to cross between platforms. There is a small rail memorabilia and bookshop (housed in an adapted rail carriage) and a takeaway snack bar on Platform Two, although the opening hours of both are limited. There are regular events and 'theme' days at the station, organised by and for steam enthusiasts.
For more information about other locations along the Severn Valley rail line used in the filming of Survivors, click here.
Mad Dog > Locations > Severn Valley Railway > Hampton Loade >
Page last updated:
14 January 2007