The Blue Pullman Train was the height of Luxury of the early 1960s. It was the foreunner of the HST intercity 125 fleet. The film "let's go to Birmingham" was made in 1962. The driver featured was Ernest Morris, he was one of the first to be passed out to drive the Blue Pullmans; sadly he was killed shortly after this film was made in a train accident at Knowle and Dorridge. The Pullman train was I believe 1040 Western Queen, a replacement for the usual Blue Pullman hit a freight train of flat wagons loaded with Land Rovers that were crossing over the main line from the MAT Transport yard. The guard of the Landrover train managed to jump clear, it was reported that Land Rovers and the loco were wedged up high against the brick footbridge. With Ernest in the cab were two other men and tragically all died at the scene.

Driver Ernest Morris from the Film thanks to BFI

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The film covers the journey between Paddington to Birmingham and is interesting as it shows steam locos passing on the adjacent tracks. The film is shot at 2 frames per second and then shown at 24 frames per second, which was the way that the railways had done it since they made the first one; Brighton run made in the 1930s. The film is 6 minutes long, the quality is not bad but a bit dark. The film is available from the British Film Institute who have given a common licence to use this one and there are other interesting ones on their site. Thanks to BFI.

Click to Watch: Let's Go To Birmingham.

I spoke to a Sheila and Michael, who knew Ernest the Driver and his wife Dorothy very well both were friends of Sheila's father Norman Mcleod a chargehand in AE shop at the GWR Swindon Works. He had met Ernest in the 1930s when they were both Convalesing in a GWR nursing home in Cornwall.

Sheila and Michael live in Swindon and it was interesting to hear about Ernest's life on the railway, his widow died in her mid 90s in Llandudno where she retired to after Ernie's death.

Sheila and Michael

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