Early train film - 'View from an Engine Front - Barnstaple' (1898) 

This is the trail from Barnstaple junction via Barnstaple town. Being my home town from 1949 onwards I remember the steel bridge and its removal. It's amazing to recognise many of the key features that don't seem to have changed all that much. As a boy in the 50's I travelled to and fro from Barnstaple junction to Swanage via Exeter (St.David's and Central) Templecombe, Stalbridge, Poole and Wareham firstly alone and dressed in a kilt! Can you imagine what that was like?

The Signalmen didn't look too pleased about someone sitting on the front of the train, with what must have been quite a large piece of equipment.

It's sobering to think that all this has gone - the railway that is, not the town! What on earth were we thinking of back in the 1960's? Such mindless destruction of a legacy handed down to us by the Victorians. I'm sure Barnstaple would be a more prosperous town now if it still had a railway station. It would definitely have more people visiting it Railways 'add' something to places, and this is still true today. That this footage is from the 19th century....wow. Great quality....and to last all this time without severely degrading. I'm guessing it must have been digitised, as the original film won't last forever.

regardless of it's exact date this is an amazing and incredibly significant record of British railway operations of the period.Treasure it.

1898.... Wow!!!!!! Thank you for posting this video 👍🏻

A bit more to this: the first (deserted) station at the end of the bridge is Barnstaple Quay (or Town and Quay) which had just closed. The second station is the then brand-new Barnstaple Town (not Barnstaple as I said earlier), built to accomodate the Lynton branch. (info from disused-stations org uk). It's a lovely bit of film.

This beats modern TV and films. Could watch this for hours, thank you for uploading.

Beautiful, I could watch this for hours. Thank you.

This took me back to my youth days, I was born in Devon 1941 and am a northerner now, but traveled down many a time on the train, MAIN LINE, that station is now a cafe I believe and there are flats in front of it, My mother ended up in one of them. I am going back down to visit the area this year, check out the farm I was born on. That's a golf course now...!

Wow ! I just went on a train ride through Victorian England ! This was truly fascinating to see.

I was holding my breath then hoping a Lynton and Barnstaple train was in the platform! This was the year it opened how awesome would that have been!

Great length of film, good to see the signal man waving a warning flag.

@cliffocco British filmmakers were also active in 1895 (Google 'Birt Acres' or 'R.W. Paul' for more information), and the first British public screening of projected moving images was held on 14 January 1896, less than three weeks after the Lumière Brothers' equivalent. The new medium caught on so quickly that numerous British film companies sprang up over the next few years - the Warwick Trading Company, which made this film and many similar travelogues, was established in September 1897.

Never been there but this I find fascinating

This has to be the first cabride in history !

Been seeing this and alot of 1800s stuff in my dreams and we talk😂😎🙃🚉

great posting a fantastic portal to a century plus ago!! amazing!!

brilliant quality considering the age of the film ~ I've enjoyed viewing it, and that goes for all your BFI uploads ~ keep up the good work ~ many thanks

I would’ve liked to been born to have seen this it looks good

With the number of signalmen on that short stretch no wonder the lines were losing money, if repeated throughout the country, sad loss though

Étonnant ! Thank you !

I do think that it was a great shame that during the Beeching closures in the early 60s, there was no policy of taking a 'portrait' of lines to be closed by running a 35mm on the front of a train (ideally in both directions).

the good old days every one was friendlier

1898 - only 10 years after Louis le Prince shot what is thought to be the first moving film (as opposed to Muybridge's multiple-camera footage of a horse galloping). I've visions of a camera strapped to the front of a loco on a baulk of wood between the buffers. When the train arrives at the station, the camera can be seen to be lower than the platform edge. Given that the motion is jerky and the brightness varies (varying exposure) I imagine the camera was hand-cranked, rather than being driven by clockwork, so there must have been a brave cameraman perched at the front as well.

Great stuff. Good old days!

Cant help wondering, seeing all those flagmen along the way, and the final, indignant looking signalman, if this little gem wasnt shot by some local bandit on a "borrowed" P Way trolley, and theyre all desperately trying to get him to "Geddorf the bloody track, the express is due!"

Yep - looking again I strongly suspect those signals of GW pattern, plus they drop as opposed to pointing up.

Très intéressant. J'aime beaucoup. Merci.

Good video. This echoes the fact signallers in many countries still flag their trains unlike the UK nowadays:-)

Nice view (at 50 seconds into the film) of the first Barnstaple Town station closed in 1898

Someone as mentioned 'Broad gauge track' i think they mean the 'guard rail' which was placed in certain areas because of the sharp curve(s) on the rails

The obvious inspiration for the train sequence in THE FRENCH CONNECTION ! ;)

Great Video ! Interesting to see the old buildings like Shapland's factory, the museum & buildings on the strand as they were . I dont know why they demollshed the iron bridge after it had been unused for so long, it wasn't a shipping hazard & would have made an attractive restored feature if only as a footbridge away from the main road . Still, I understand that another superstore is planned near to the site so that will be nice to see & visit won't it ? Thanks for posting - love this stuff.

Amazing stuff.

Excellent stuff, interesting to note that the station is named Barnstaple rather than Barnstaple Town, and that the bay platform is in use (the bay starter signal is pulled on as the camera passes), which means that the Lynton and Barnstable narrow gauge line had just opened (May 1898). The signals and bridge are all LSWR, the GWR had their own line from Taunton to Barnstaple (Victoria Road) with running rights over a short section to Barnstaple Junction.

wow nice... interesting and since it was the year 1898. Bring more videos like this of the 1800s.. Great footage and tis quality.

@sanderrodijk In the case of films dating from the early 20th century or before (i.e. before film archives started to think about preserving them), it's a case more of blind luck than anything else. Some films only survive (if at all) as scratched, blotchy fragments, while others are almost pristine. Age has little to do with it - some of the best-preserved silent films can be found in the Mitchell & Kenyon collection (approx. 1900-1910), because the original camera negatives still exist.

It feels like I am transported to a mysterious place, 😯

Great film, facinating to watch seeing the railway workers and signalmen go by,it's great to see these films on youtube. thumbs up from me bernie

I don't know why but I can imagine Buster Keaton just sitting on the front buffer beam with a movie camera in hand. That is the type of thing he would do!

superb.

You can see the old Shapland and Petter factory by going to A3125 Sticklepath Terrace EX31 2AX on Street View. I haven't been up there for a while but I think they're trying to save it. The road follows the track of the railway. This might have been filmed for the opening of the new station in 1898. The old station was Barnstaple Quay just after the bridge. The 'new' station was just after the signal box. It closed in 1970.

I could smell the engine!

is this still there? amazing!!!

very nice I Like this Old Time!

a great film

Note the signal man with the flag

I was born in Barnstaple btw.🙂.... Regrettably *not* on a Train though. 😔

This happened in the year 1898 is a black ⬛️ and white ⚪️ film 🎥 where on the right is a narrow gauge line to Lynton happened for a short life for 37 years from 1898 to 1935. Trains 🚂 ran from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe via Braunton from July 1874 until 1970 is 96 years almost 😅 100 💯 years nearly a century. It was a good 👍 service. At the time it was called Barnstaple Junction because it is an interchange by the old Brian Fords now Tesco since 2011. A lovely 🥰 railway 🚃 line is steam trains 🚂. Ran via Mortehoe and Woolacombe used to be called Once Upon a Time 🕒. The train 🚊 ran via the countryside. It’s sad 😢 that trains 🚊 don’t run between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe via Braunton anymore. Now on the old Barnstaple to Ilfracombe line via Braunton is called Tarka trail where people can walk on it 🫡 everyday. British Rail agreed to stop 🛑 running trains to Ilfracombe via Braunton between it was a loss of money 💵 making from customers. Ilfracombe railway 🚃 station 🚉 was staffed. In Ilfracombe it is called Pall Europe. In the north Devon area is plenty of rural area with countryside. Perhaps 🤔 it is a thing of the past that trains 🚆 run to Ilfracombe via Braunton. If trains 🚊 are unlikely to see themselves to Ilfracombe at anytime in the future when the time 🕘 comes, don’t worry 😉 about it. 😐😀😃😄👍

Forgive me if this question has already been asked, but is there a modern day version of the same route (or as near as can be, if everything has been demolished) ?

It sure was quite back in those days. lol

The heyday of the railways!

@Blauendorn You would need to swim. The bridge went years ago

Interestin to be abel to see what the orginators were doing in the early days of filmmaking.

Oh man I want to Drive in this Train... But I need a Time Machine 🤔

I really have doubts that this dates from 1898.The Lumiere Brothers first film wasn't shot until until 1895, after all. My guess would be more likely something from the early 1900s. That having been said, still a fascinating piece of film

Ilfracombe full of bloody cars was the result of this closure didn’t the powers that be think of tourists.? Could have electrified the line and ran steam specials in the summer.

Did not know we had trains then

Wow how can you prove this was from this long ago. Yes the footage is very very old but I didn't think there were videos back then

Or was it filled from the break van and the film played backwards

How train changes the track still wondering question of mine ?

Wasn't there something similar posted by BFI last year? I thought the bridge over the river was a Great Western structure, I am not sure if there was joint working rights into the LSWR station or not. The flag waving is being done by the Signalman, probably an 'advance with caution' signal - not being familiar with LSWR S&T practices of the period I stand to be corrected.

Can anyone from 1896 vouch that this is what it looked like?

@sammipink1 Depending on your social class.

What was the track gauge? It seems a little wider than standard.

What is the engine behind the camera

How was it filmed

Mugic

Hope that wasn't a red flag the signalman was waving ?

Lol how would the signal man react to a modern class 66 coming to him ,he would sh.t him self lol

a relaxing music score would go well over this

Impressive, & miles better than the dross Edison & his disciples like James White used to pour out.

Sorry, how did they get film camera on the front of the locomotive.

Barnstaple don't look like that know more

Wow, look how well kept England and their Railways were back then, back before the Saracens decided to move into OUR country!

Please remember that god is with u and he would love to meet u, god loves u and all people spread the message!❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏 It was my mission to send this have a great day! Amen.❤️✨

No SJWs in 1998

I would’ve liked to been born to seeing this it looks good

amazing to see Barnstaple as it was with the railway there