Branch Line to Poznan

Having made various films about railways in Britain, I decided to turn my hand to the scene abroad for a change.  Unfortunately time and mostly budget are working against me, not to mention the hazards of attempting to get to foreign climes with strikes, volcanic ash and the need to cross my legs for four hours to avoid having to spend a quid in order to spend a penny on the plane.  For those reasons, I decided not to travel abroad, but let abroad come to me.

The subject of the film was the Polish Slask loco 5485 on the Nene Valley that I’ve mentioned before, operating with a rake of Danish coaches in the Cambridgeshire countryside.  Quite a cosmopolitan mix, I’m sure you’ll agree.  Most of the footage was taken around the end of May during the monsoon season, and I wasn’t overly pleased with some of the results – particularly rain landing on the lens at Wansford.  On the other hand, there is a great moment at Ferry Meadows as the train lurches and gyrates into the scene amongst the lush green vegetation, and I quite like the tunnel shots as well.

The unusual loco and coach combination looks quite at home in many segments, and if you don’t look too  closely and suspend belief for five minutes, then it could almost be an Eastern European branch line.  Of course, there are several unmistakable British items that I couldn’t change – the NVR weren’t overly keen about my suggestion to cut down the signals and the station scene needed considerable editing to remove as much of the TPO set as possible.  But even the professionals get it wrong some times – the recent filming for ITV when remaking Murder on the Orient Express saw them use a BR Standard 5 on Belgian Wagon-Lits ostensibly at Istanbul!

The musical background needed to have an element of Eastern Europe about it to create some atmosphere and help set the scene.  After much searching and experimentation – none of which worked – I eventually settled on two pieces by Yann Tiersen, an artist who has composed several soundtracks – indeed I’ve used some of them previously in Grumpy Git Productions.  

The film is called Branch Line to Poznan, which is Poland’s fifth largest city.  I chose the place simply because it sounds Slavic and therefore the viewer expects to see an Eastern European branch line.  And if you think that that will disappoint, just be glad I didn’t use the working title of Pole Dancer.  Since editing began on this film, I’ve been out and about chasing 5485 again – and if you think the premise for this video is unlikely, just wait for the sequel …..

I’ve ended up with a quaint film featuring this interesting and quirky locomotive, and the best part is that the budget for the film came in at the same price as a having a number two on Ryanair.  Beat that!