Snow (1963) - Geoffrey Jones | BFI National Archive 

My wife and I lived in an isolated cottage adjacent to the main Midland line within a few yards of Westerleigh South signal box. We were frozen in for eleven weeks. Our only neighbour, some two hundred yards away, telephoned our local co-op in Bristol and arrangements were made for a supply of groceries and parafin to be brought up to us on the footplate of a loco set for Westerleigh yard. He stopped at the bottom of our garden, off loaded our goods and 1/2 ton of coal from his tender. Marvelous

What memories, as a BR fireman in 63 just watching this film brought a chill to my bones. In those days all railwaymen took great pride in playing their part to keep trains moving. The satisfaction cannot be measured in monetary terms because although wages were poor, the camaraderie & love of the job kept driving you on, much like the 'volunteers' on todays heritage railways I guess. I could not imagine Network Rail staff shovelling snow these days.

The soundtrack is, indeed, based on Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat," as arranged by Johnny Hawksworth. This final version (with the variation in tape speed) was created by Daphne Oram of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. This entire audio track is available on her 2CD set called "Oramics." Great stuff!

My grandad showed me this when I was 5 and now I’m 14 and he said 1963 was like a cold year to be in 😆 and he said when he lived near the grain line all the trains had snowplough and one of the trains got stuck in the snow and my grandad dad who is my great grandad went and dig the train out and then my grandad went up north on Britannia!!! And the snow was awful but this is the bested video ever 🤩 thanks BFI for showing this 🤩 ❤❤❤

Fantastic video! I remember this winter of '63, I was nine years old. Those were the days of waking up to find frost on the inside of the window, my sister and I used to have old coats on the top of our beds to keep warm. Simpler times, and what soft lives we lead now!

Living in Scotland, I can remember a really tough winter in 1947, but 1963 was worse. Thanks for the memories.

Magnificent. The cinematography, the weaving of old and new, the pace of the fabulous sound track, the pride in rail so different from 2018. Surely one of the loveliest little films ever made.

I remember this, the snow had drifted and when my dad opened the front door, al the snow fell into the hallway. The pet dog decided to try and run out, took a flying leap and disappeared into 3 foot of snow.. We had ice on the inside of the Windows it was so cold and that was when most houses only had coal fires.

I was 4 in 1963, but I still remember that snow. Great little gem of a film!

What a piece of history! a brilliant peep at this country in a time we were on our knees, thank you so much for this it is a treasure.

I was a young boy of 6 back in 63, I remember we came down stairs in the morning, and noticing the front room seemed dark, The snow during the night had reached half way up the downstairs window, We couldn't get out the front door. to get to the shop, But we were tougher back then, we soon got out and had some great fun in the snow ! Not sure todays generation would be as keen as we were.

A wonderful film bringing back a variety of memories, particularly with regard to the railway. My wife and I lived well and truly "out in the sticks" just beyond Westerleigh marshalling yard in Gloucestershire, two hundred yards or so from Westerleigh South signal box. As the days went by and the bitterley weather showed no signs of easing up so it was that , being unable to get to the village only shop, we ran low on food and parafin for the stove which was our only form of heating other than a coal fire! ! A telephone call to our local Co-op some three miles away prompted some suberb action by the Co-op and the staff at Mangotsfield Station resulting in 10 gallons of parafin and sufficient provisions (for ourselves and our only neighbour)to last at least two weeks being delivered on the footplate of a local 0-6-0 shunter and (as our garden literally finished at the edge of the railway) these together with the best part of a ton of best Welsh steam coal from the engine's bunker were dropped off in our garden! Special folks indeed! Many thanks for posting, happy days.

Sheer bloody genius. Well done all.

Wow, this is an amazing film. So artistic. So timeless. Looks like whoever created this film had some real vision. The authenticity of the times is profound. I felt like i had traveled back in time. Bravo!

Wow... i am truly impressed. A sheer joy to watch.

An amazingly well preserved movie, it’s like stepping back into that moment in time;)

This really brings back memories of that winter. Thank you.

One of my favourite short films.Wonderful editing and music.

Thankyou Geoffrey Jones for creating what must be one of the best short films in history! Some absolutly stunning shots of steam (and deiesel) in action in the worst weather conditions imagnable. With a soundtrack that fits perfectly. Oh if only we got snow like that now........

I've got a 10 inch radiophonic workshop acetate of this sound recording - it is wonderful. I spent years cutting 1/4 inch tape, it is an art form in it's self. First time I've seen the film and I enjoyed it, I think it reflects very expressively the elegaic majesty of deep Winter, and it's brilliant juxtaposition against hard hot dirty steam and metal is sublimely done. :) Such a shame , these bored children have to troll here. :(

God I love this film. I return to it every couple of years and it gets my heart pounding everytime. Those exquisite cuts... Crash-bang-wallop, badda-bing-badda-boom! So much fun... And so much soul. Watching it now, a decade after seeing it first, funny to see how deep its influence has been on some of my own wee filmic exploits. ...Funny to be reminded where that came from.

I'd have loved to have spent all day in that signalbox with the roaring fire.

Magnificent images together with the music, I feel a shiver down my spine. Have been waiting decades to see this film once more. Thank you for uploading it.

Just found this video. What an amazing little film it is. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you.

Don't forget many of the folks in this vid would have seen action in WW2 This was easy street.

60 year's ago , time has flown. It thawed out eventually , in March .

I like how even though this video is obvioulsy about trains you never hear the cliched "choo choo" sound, but rather a suggestion of the rhythmic sound, power, and motion of the engine and wheels. Some might think a video about old fashioned steam trains would be boring, but this is great stuff.

Film quality is exceptional. I remember that winter of 1962/63.

just watched this for the first time this year, i now know it's getting a little bit wintery round here. this is such a fantastic film: beautiful editing, fantastic cinematography, a cracking soundtrack...

I found this on my parnets old "Trains" VHS they had recorded in the 80s. I loved it then, and I still do. A classic bit of work and lovely to watch.

Two wonderful things that's hardly ever seen nowadays in England - Steam Trains and Snow! Sadly missed!

This brought back memories.... Oh for those fantastic days. Great editing ... could have watch hours of this .... SNOW & Trains. Many thanks. L.T.

Wonderful stuff, and from the days when we owned the railways.

What a super short film! I was 10 yrs old back then. That winter was brilliant if you were a kid, not so good if you were trying to get to work, pretty bad for farm animals and a disaster for wildlife. But I had a proper toboggan with steel runners and cared about nothing else at the time. ;-) Thanks for sharing this. Loved it.

Just a brilliant melding of film and music...never get tired of watching it.

I was only 7 years old at the time and have vague memories of this winter! probably the toughest winter the UK has ever seen.

Great film quality.

Heh, that is great, the music went so well with it.

Fantastic quality film, i remember as a school kid being stuck in Farnham Surrey during that winter for a week, due to no trains running back to London. I didn't mind tho !

Two years ago I drove a steam loco in Poland on the first early morning service across a virgin snow field. It was a magical experience. The huge fire and heat and coal dust inside the cab and clouds of steam and smoke in the sub zero perfect whiteness outside. Just flat snow across where the rails should be and we glided through it. I thought we would slip and was ready with the regulator and thinking 'never used sanders' but a light two coach train and dead flat Polish land meant it was no problem. We did slide a bit stopping at stations until I got used to a very light hand on the train brake. And an equally light use of the regulator to ease us off again.

I am watching this chillingly beautiful documentary with my hands around a steaming mug of tea - wonderful!

Superb video and outstandingly well put together. Even thought wasn't born in the 60's, it does make you feel that you was there. Great soundtrack and video 10/10

I remember it well, it started snowing on Boxing Day and was still snowing in the London area in mid March , I was 13 at the time , some boys near me made a huge snowman at the end of December and he was still there in April...

Absolutely Brilliant I Remember it well the window's froze on the inside HAPPY DAY'S THOUGH

One of the most brilliant Salutes to Steam Dragons and the Men who Tamed them I have ever had the Pleasure of viewing!. Thankyou, John Richards. Western Australia.

MEMORIES! Actually trembling with delight at having found this. I used to have to watch a video of this like every day when I was about 5. Remembered all of it down to the fact that the first steam engine you see is a standard tank. Little had I known that I had been travelling behind that very locomotive many times on my local steam railway at Llangollen.

Outstanding footage & production. Surely, it must have won an award.

i was only 2y/o in that winter. my mother is still alive, aged 81and she talks about it

I was 13 years old during that terrible winter. All the unemployed had to report to The Labour Exchange collect a shovel and dig snow for extra money. We were poor Dad chopped up floor boards from local derelict houses for firewood

relly shows the power of a steam locomotive, nice chant to the music, if it snowed like this still there would be no trains

The music is great. It's an excellent reworking of an instrumental by Sandy Nelson called Teen Beat. Johnny Hawksworth and Daphne Oram were responsible for this. Daphne Oram being a member of the famous BBC radiophonic workshop. Hawksworth also composed many theme tunes for TV including that of the 1970's children's cartoon Roobarb and Custard.

I miss the 60s... had a great time

For something filmed in the early 60s, this is surprisingly good quality!

my dad reckoned that on one occasion in the winter of 63 it was so cold the flame on his cigarette lighter froze.😉

Beautifully done... captures the atmosphere of Britain in that harsh winter. I was a little kid back then, and our school was frozen up so there was no running water - so we had to stay home for 3 more weeks. That was the best winter holiday ever - with ice skating, tobogganing and enjoying the toys from Christmas. It is unlikely that the UK will ever again experience such a long and protracted spell of sub-freezing weather.

Brilliant. I remembere that winter so well! We didn't see the grass until Easter!

One of the finest BTF films about, glorious images and a hellfire soundtrack too boot

Great piece of filming with lively soundtrack, thoroughly enjoyed it, must view it again :)

Just seen this on Talking Pictures TV and had to see if it was on here to watch again. Love the story, the comparisons of those working so that the businessmen can get where they are going AND have breakfast, the synchronisation of pictures and soundtrack , and the flag to end it.

me to never be another decade like it had so much fun as a young kid

It was obviously the right kind of snow for the trains to keep running Oh no It was just people getting on with it and not making stupid excuses

So nice to read your comments - your father was a true master of film. One of our greatest documentary makers and certainly the most original. His BFI collection, The Rhythm of Film is in my collection and gets frequent viewings. Sublime and hypnotic.

I was very young at the time but I do remember we were given time off school - we sledged the local hills, built snowmen and played snowballs! Perfect! It’s my only vivid memory from that time so it must have made an impression on me!

Amazing... This was shown on BBC TV over Christmas in about 1974/5 - it was repeated at least once within a week - we didn't have a video - so thanks for letting us watch it again!!

Just randomly found this video, not sure how but I am glad I did what a gem. I do not know much about film making, was it remastered, for a film from 1963 it has amazing clarity the mix of traditional images of the workman working in the snow, steam trains then contrasting this with the comfortable life of the business men in the warm trains also adding great music from that era made this video exacting and a memorable work of art .

Fantastic film, really establishes a driving, chugging rhythm through the editing. I love the contrast between the psychedelic jazz music and the shots of snow-covered countryside and British train stations. Miles Davis meets Ivor the Engine!

I have fond memories of the winter of 1963 and much of that is seen in this excellent film. So evocative and the music is wonderful. Definitely saving this to my favourites.

This is a great short film. I remember the BBC used to play it a lot over the Christmas period in the 60's when they needed something to fill the time between the end of an American program and the top of the hour.

How come in 2013 we grind to a halt with trains delayed, planes not taking off Roads & Schools closed and we have less tha 6" of snow yet in 1963 we had 2 months of this. have we gone soft or is it the Health Safety Culture we have now. Brilliant Film

That editing was amazing

Wonderful. I was born in 1962 so it's a view of the country at the start of my life. Railtrack, crawl away in shame!

I remember the winter of 1963, I was three years old and my dad took me round to the local brook and we built a snow castle. I ended up in tears with the cold - but then I was wearing short trousers! Kids were tougher in those days!

The Rhythm of Film is awesome. Your father was a very talented man. I love his films.

From Wikipedia: The film was edited to a re-recorded version of Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat" by Johnny Hawksworth, expanded to twice its original length by accelerating the tempo over the duration of the film. BBC Radiophonic Workshop composer Daphne Oram then added various effects to the soundtrack.

Love the cozy signal box! Snow, when it first arrives is so pretty , but it can soon get tiresome. I remember '63 [as a toddler] the snow seemed like grey mountains on the sides of the roads, where it soon became dirty with passing traffic.

Superb. The best BTF film I've ever seen. That soundtrack is just wonderful....They had a real pride in British Rail and the BTF's output back then....we haven't come forward, we've moved backwards since....and what a shame it is.

1963 or 1947 whichever as a previous commenter noted, both were bad winters and I'm just old enough to remember 1963, but notice, whatever year it was they had the P-way men and trains out there clearing the tracks, the milk train got through, commuters got to work on the buffet train, breakfast was served, obviously not all rail travel would have been possible but they made an effort. Fast forward 2013/2014, no snow, bad weather yes, but over Christmas my local line was virtually closed and my friend couldn't travel just 30 miles to visit me while I was ill, lack of track side maintenance, lines too busy, P-way teams not being employed, we need to relax, go back to the old days, branch lines(I'm a volunteer on K&ESR but not been able to begin training) What's the rush today? In those days trains were kept running somehow much of the time, now they just give up, charge silly fares and leave people stranded and H&SE rules are just excuses to get paid without working, they just don't make an effort anymore. We need to slow down, a slower pace of life, take things as they come not what's demanded. Watch the Titfield Thunderbolt, brilliant film. We don't need HS2, if anything we need to slow down, make rail travel a pleasure again.

Can you imagine men who shave their chest hair digging out tons of snow??? 💝 I was born in late January 1963- lucky

The music is by Radiophonic Workshop founder and electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram. I've known this film since I was boy, but have only just discovered the genius of Daphne Oram, a lot of which you can explore here on RU-vid. The soundtrack is perfect - I used to have it in my head when running my model railway back in 1970, aged 9...

A good film. Shows the dedication of rail staff keeping rail routes open for business: Both passenger & Freight.

This video introduced me to the amazing Daphne Oram. Thank you so much!!

Love the music :D

Awesome music, and also the film

I was 14 in 1963 and remember this winter well. Lived in Kent then and there was still pockets of snow around in early May.

Thank you for a very interesting film.

EPIC FILM!

I was 11 at the time and waking up on the Sunday morning to that snow was better than Christmas morning to me. Thanks for the posting.

Those snow drifts are quite something, its a damn good work out tackling them with a shovel. Ive heard that some bodies of water had ice six feet thick.

This is fabulous! Love the music track, and this carries forward some of the thinking of Humphrey Jennings, though I am excited that it is in colour and that the footage is so well preserved.

1963: 6-foot of snow, no problem 2020: 1nch of snow.. no chance, mate. Elf and Safety, innit

I remember having to change school buses when the chains on ours broke halfway to the school. People used chains on their drive tires and headed off to work... some late... as we seldom knew how much snow was coming back then. I do remember school being cancelled at times, but not as often as today. Weather forecasts were wildly inaccurate at times.

Wonderful film!

nice video with an amazing picture quality!

Awesome piece of film making! :-D

With only parallel cut it is more interesting to watch than most TV program-mes in Hongkong nowadays.

Fantastic! If only the railways were like that now.

this is absolutely amazing!

Excellent. Filmmaking and editing. Superb soundrack.

GREAT FILM

What an experience that must have been! I am from the US, Chicago Illinois, which is crisscrossed with railway lines. We had huge blizzards when I was growing up, especially the famous one of 1967, but nothing like what you described!