Broad Street station (1865-1986) has the dubious honour of being London’s only main line terminus to be erased off the map completely. The station was deliberately run down and had a dreadful appearance to say the least. The roof leaked like a sieve and that’s very evident in this post! The replacement that was substituted instead was the Broadgate complex – now largely replaced recently by yet another new development! Therefore any possible remnants of the long vanished Broad Street station are quite difficult to find. There’s quite a bit apparently if one knows where to look and that’s what this particular series is all about!
We’ll get to some more of those hidden gems in further posts, but for now, here are some other aspects of the former Broad Street station that still exist – at least on film. In the first part of this series a look was taken at the Give My Regards to Broad Street film and then the Worship Street bridge and the Great Eastern Railway’s power station sited just north of the two stations.
In this part we take a look at the 1984 film once more – and the question of the time of departure of the last train from Broad Street! No not the final train that departed from the station in July 1986 but rather the last train from Broad Street as depicted in Give My Regards To Broad Street. So what gives?
The story revolves around lost music tapes that could cost the singer millions of pounds if they are not found. The tapes were entrusted to a friend of Paul’s, Harry Torrington, who turns out to be a reformed criminal – and who obviously shouldn’t be trusted with the charge of extremely valuable music tapes. Harry disappears with the tapes and the worst is feared. If the tapes are not found the record company will be taken over. Harry mentions at one point he is going to Broad Street, and that didn’t resonate with PMC at first, but upon driving around London late at night he passes Broad Street station and has an ‘aha’ moment! That’s exactly where where he’ll find Harry Torrington! And so begins the final scenes in the film where London’s lost and lamented main line terminus is featured.
PMC draws up at the station entrance in his car and runs up the station’s famous staircase. The cameras then switch to the station concourse itself – and this is where we begin the analysis of the going-ons at the station as seen during the film.
We see the station’s clocks for the first time at 1:35:15. The one over the platforms is the very first to be seen and it shows 23.50pm. Just after this instance we see a guard alight from the train in platform three, possibly to check the signals ahead in readiness for departure from the station.
The station’s less than salubrious concourse with rain water splattered all over the floor as seen in Give My Regards To Broad Street. The roof leaks like a sieve! Paul McCartney is seen crossing the concourse while the station’s clock shows 23.50pm. (1:35:25)
The first scenes involving the long vanished London terminus show McCartney arriving in his car and then running up the steps into the station’s down at heel concourse. The scenes reverberate to the strains of ‘No More Lonely Nights.’ PMC then strolls slowly across the concourse. In those moments we also see a couple kissing goodbye and the girl goes to catch the last train. The guy is filmed going down the stairs which lead directly to Liverpool Street. As McCartney walks we see the last train depart and then the station master shutting up shop and leaving the premises. The station master walks across the concourse in front of McCartney and then down those same stairs into Liverpool Street.
Broad Street had been a run down terminus for years and there had been no late train departures in decades! At least not after around 10.35pm or thereabouts. In the 1960s the last departure was 10.30pm as evidenced by this 1964 timetable at the LT Museum.
In the following leaflet from the 1970s we can see the last train is the 10.35pm for Richmond.
Cover of the 1970s North London Line timetable leaflet. Camden High Line.
In the 1982 British Rail timetable (under Table 59) its a 10.34pm departure for Richmond! One minute earlier than in previous years! Even on a Saturday it was the same time.
During engineering works in late 1982, a special timetable showed the last departure as 10.37pm. Excalibur Auctions.
Evidently for many years the last departure from the station hadn’t been later than 10.37pm There’s no reason to assume there would have been a 23.50pm departure in 1983.
In the film however the last departure is 23.50pm. Was there really ever a departure that late? Evidently not. It was probably either a train leaving for the depot (which would then have been the 23.25 arrival at the station) or a special working for the filming. But there are problems with the notion of even having any special workings for the film when one considers the arrangements of the Class 416/501s** units seen throughout the various sequences. Thus it has to be assumed the filming was done around the last two passenger departures from the station. However continuity couldn’t be adhered to for the sequences were filmed at differing times during the evening and when one watches the film carefully, quite a few continuity errors can be seen.
(**See this comment on London Reconnections re the Class 416s/501s).
The station clock shows 23.50pm at 1:36:20.
When we see the station interior for the first time after McCartney has run up the stairs, we see the clock that stands above the platform line shows 23.50pm. The camera then pans round to show Paul McCartney entering the station concourse and the main station clock comes into view. It also shows 23.50pm. The ex Beatle then walks towards the other end of the concourse where he sees the tramp. Both acknowledge each other and then Paul walks back the other way. He then looks up at the station clock and it is 23.50pm. Upon his walking onto the rainy platforms 1/2 the station clock still shows 23.50pm!
The last train leaves Broad Street at 23.50pm… but was that actually the last passenger departure at 10.35pm ish being filmed? (1:36:05)
When he nears the end of his walk the station clock can just be seen and it still shows 23.50pm! Just after this another clock can be seen (this is the music entrepreneurs who are worried that their company will lose out to another if the valuable music tapes aren’t found) and it shows 23.55pm. Then we see scenes of the gangsters and then a flash back to Leicester Square where McCartney is doing some busking. The station clock can be seen once again after McCartney discovers Harry trapped in the maintenance building at the end of the platform and they walk back to to his car. There’s almost two minutes in the ensuing period the clock can be properly seen yet it never moves.
When the station master leaves work for the night the clock still shows 23.50pm! (1:36:10)
There’s one other aspect to the filming. Although four units are shown initially, when the last train departs there’s just three units stabled in the station. But when McCartney goes onto the platforms there’s four units again! After he rescues his chum Harry (and the music recordings he’d been seeking) we see the number of units are down to two again!
Two sets of Class 416s are visible the nearest is in blue grey BR livery. (1:36:34) These are also visible in the next sequence where McCartney enters the platforms at 1:37:08.
Those sequences occur in the very manner described as follows:
At the start when the platform clock is seen it seems there are five (maybe six) trains one is in platform two, one (or even two) in platform three, one in platform four and two in platform five.
When we see the last train depart at the said hour of 23.50pm, we know this is the only unit in platform three compared to other scenes. If it had actually been departing from there with another unit stabled in the platform it would have been seen departing from further up. But the fact its seen departing from a clearly dry section of platform (where the other unit would have been stabled) and then fully into the rain tells us it has departed from the buffers and thus its impossible for other units to be stabled on that track.
When McCartney looks towards platforms 1-2 two trains can be seen in platform three. But surely there should be none! The last departure has left and that was the only train at the time in platform three!
Paul Mc walks down the station platforms at 23.50pm! The time never changes here apparently!
Two Class 416s in platform three – the first is definitely blue-grey livery the second possible all blue livery. (1:37:05)
As McCartney walks down the platform the same two units in platform 3 can still be seen. Neither should be there because the last departure at 23.50pm has clearly left platform 3 vacant!
Two trains can clearly be seen on platforms 3 and 4 with at least one other in platform 5. (1:37:30). The then new Tower 42 (National Westminster Bank) was prominent in those days being the only substantially tall structure in central London besides the earlier Centre Point and the Post Office Tower.
When the camera switches to a view looking back towards the main station buildings we can see there’s one unit in platform three plus one other in platform four and possibly two in platform five. Its impossible even for one unit to be in platform three because the only train that was in there has already departed! Its clear there’s TWO units (forgetting the others) one in platform three and one in platform four when McCartney finally gets to sit down.
But after the scenes involving the music entrepreneurs, McCartney is seen still sitting on a wet station platform – but there’s only ONE unit to be seen and that is in platform four! At least the consistency is maintained through to the final scene involving Broad Street station when we see Paul and Harry walking back down the platform.
At the moment the film cannister is discovered, one must ask what happened to the train that was in platform 3? (1:39:30).
Paul walks to the outbuilding at the end of the platform where he finds Harry. (1:40:00)
It does seem from these the actual train departure and the final scenes were filmed at the same time – eg on the same night. Evidently the whole filming being done in one night would have caused some continuity issues. Some of the scenes actually show Class 416 EMUs awaiting service as some of the station’s late departures. The final departure could well have shown a Class 416 that had arrived on the last service from Richmond before being filmed as departing empty for Willesden (but depicted in the film as the last passenger departure at 23.50pm). One problem however is the Class 416’s interior lights are clearly on but its possible the film crew could have requested these be on for the sake of realism.
Whether that was the case isn’t known. It may well have been the last service departure just after 10.30pm. The other aspect to the filming is the question of the two Class 416s that are seen in platform 3 a few times. The nearest to the platform is in blue-grey livery whilst the one furthest appears to be in all over BR blue. Did they shunt these about and then used the all over blue EMU to form the last service train (or even a departure sometime after pretending to te the 10.30+ departure but in fact an empty stock working to Willesden?
As Paul and his mate Harry walk back down the platform one can see the stabled trains on platforms four and five.
Its possible however these scenes were filmed in the earlier part of the evening. The initial platform scenes filmed partially when there were two Class 416s in platform 3, and the further sequences done when the last departure unit (eg the one remining Class 416) was in the station. No doubt parts of those scenes were filmed after the last departure had left the station. It does somehow imply the film crew had first done some scenes involving McCartney walking down the platform with the all blue Class 416 in platform 3. They they stopped that and returned to the concourse area to film the last train leaving the station, which would be a clue that this was actually the last passenger train from the station at around 10.35pm for Richmond. Following that the film crew and Paul (along with Harry – played by Ian Hastings) undertook the remaining end of platform scenes. No doubt for the duration of the filming the station clock was switched off, its hands having been altered to show 23.50pm.
Nevertheless the filming could have been done in any order really. It might have all been the other way round! Who knows! Even if one peruses the office lights visible on the skyscrapers behind the station and notices any subtle differences, its still no clue. Cleaners move through various offices and floors and the lights go on and off, and with such a busy location as the City of London, it would be very hard to determine any proper order the film was done in. Hence the only real clues are in the positioning of the trains and at least one can easily see how the film’s continuity has been lost. Evidently if one was focussing on McCartney (say a fan of the Beatles or Wings perhaps) and not the station, well those continuity errors wouldn’t be noticeable would they?
Apart from the inconsistencies involving the trains stabled at the station and the clocks, Give My Regards To Broad Street, despite being slated as ‘the worst film of the year’ and ‘egomania run riot’ (Liverpool Echo) at least the film has some of the best scenes – even if they’re a bit gritty – of the much lamented London terminus in its final years.
All film sequences are screencapped from the 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street.
Updated 7th March 2024.
Comment on London Reconnections:
Mr. SW says:
The trains in the Broad Street film were 501s not 416s. You can tell by the three car formation (not two) as well as the destination blind high up on the cab front and bars on the door droplights, absent on 416s.
