The Titfield Thunderbolt mock-up locomotive
A still from the film The Titfield Thunderbolt, showing the full-scale mock-up of the GWR 1400 Class locomotive
Context:
“The Titfield Thunderbolt” is a 1953 British comedy film about a village trying to save its branch line after British Railways decides to close it. At one point, two villagers steal a locomotive from a nearby rail yard, taking it off the tracks and driving it through the village streets; however, being drunk, they end up crashing it into a tree.
Off-camera, the locomotive was represented by a full-scale wooden replica built onto the chassis of a Morris Commercial lorry. In some scenes, the fact that the locomotive is a prop is obvious; for instance, the lorry’s tires are visible at times, and the gauge (the distance between the wheels on the same axle) of the locomotive’s wheels appears much wider than the standard rail gauge (4 ft 8.5 in or 1,435 mm).
Description:
The “locomotive” is modeled after the Great Western Railway (GWR) 1400 Class, introduced in 1932, using the motorized chassis of a Morris Commercial lorry.
In-game, the vehicle’s wooden body resembles the GWR 1400, featuring a relatively detailed (though non-functional) cab and the ability to release steam and move its drive wheels whenever it moves forward or backward. However, the interior is something entirely different. The vehicle is hollow inside, containing only the four-wheeled chassis of a small truck/lorry with a frame that supports the wooden body and the driver’s seat; the actual spot where the “locomotive” is operated. There could even be extra details, such as a smoke machine visible only from the inside (which vents the locomotive’s steam through the chimney), a small screen near the driver’s seat (allowing a view of the vehicle’s exterior), emits a whistling sound instead of a horn, or a firebox in the faux cab that emits light whenever the locomotive is being driven (simulating an active fire).
Specs:
- Top speed: 80–90 mph
- Acceleration: 8
- Handling: 11
- Braking: 8–9
- Weight: 2-2.5 tons
- Size (wooden body): 3.8 m (13.6 studs) high by 9.11 m (32.6 studs) long and 2.61 m (9.34 studs) wide.
Reference images:
GWR 1400 Class blueprints
Photograph of a real GWR 1400 Class
A 1957 Morris Commercial. Not identical to, but possibly similar to, the chassis used for the mock-up.