The LNER Encyclopedia

Yes that's it! Exactly as I remember it - a total anticlimax, you can hear the disappointment in the presenters voice, you can just imagine him thinking "Oh bu***r, what do I say now?"
Not exactly "the final cataclysm of twisted iron and steel" that he promised.
Thanks for the link

Yes a famous anti-climax!

Before the invention of TV, but the Crash at Crush shows that they know how to do it properly in Texas, albeit with fatalities:

http://www.lsjunction.com/facts/crush.htm

Spectators for the event made the temporary town of Crush the second largest city in the State.


Richard

Thats incredible, I had never heard of that before.
Can you imagine Ryanair or BA staging a plane crash to publicise themselves. Great PR!

Can't quite believe that-amazing!!

G'Day Gents
The Crush crash was filmed, I have seen it a number of times, usually promoted as the first staged train crash.
Why could'nt BA crash a couple of old 747's at Heathrow, one each end of the runway, would give the kids a day out??
manna

Just watched the other end of the great link posted by Mellon Udrigle 2 days ago.
I couldn't say whether Raymond Baxter was ever a 'Saturday Night Out' presenter, but the voice of the chap eulegising about Merlin's imminent fate certainly wasn't his.
The other (unseen) presenter's voice is almost certainly that of Bob Danvers-Walker, who I think voiced-over Michael Miles' "Take Your Pick" TV quiz programme.

Thank you very much for that link. And YEEEEESSSSSS! As mentioned by the voice-over, the name of the fellow with the mic was Robert Beatty, the Canadian fellow whose name I was searching for. Again, if I remember correctly, he used to pronounce his surname as 'Batey'. Well, now here I am living in Alberta and I'll have to give a few friends a 'pronunciatin test'.

Saturday Night Out

I was there, Longmoor Military railway 1953-1956, I was a locomotive fireman with 49th. Railway squadron in fact I was the person who had to sign for the King Arthur class “Merlin” when it arrived on shed as the senior NCO (L/cpl loco sub stores) I think it was a Sunday only a driver, fireman , fitter and myself on shed duties after a discussion between ourselves ( as always in the army don’t sign for anything if you can help it and if you do, get a signature when you hand it back) it was decided as I was Loco stores I was lumped with it . Until a couple of days ago it was the first time I have seen the video snippet http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/2 ... error.html it was I think a 30 minute long live broadcast, the platelayers were from 8th. or 10th. Railway squadron.
I have 2 photos taken the following morning showing the “Merlin” in a very upright position and showing very little damage , so why did the stupendous climax fizzle out like a damp squib. (1) Did she have sufficient time and distance to get up to “45 mph” I don’t think so, when it pulled out of Longmoor station platform it was about a 300/400 yard run to a right hand bend which would have slowed it down and then a short run downhill to the prepared turnoff which at the best of times was a very boggy area.
I'm not sure how to upload photos?

And the Dalby "crash" using a 46.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHtRZ_k0s7M

The crash in "The Wreckers" was at Herriard on the Alton branch. The loco was SER F1 4-4-0 no 148, built at Ashford in 1889 as an F class, rebuilt with domed boiler and square cab at Ashford in 1903. The original designer was James Stirling, younger brother of Patrick. Wainwright designed the rebuild. It was cut up on 19 August 1928.

Kudu

Before the pedants get me, by 1928 the loco was of course 1148.

Kudu

I remember watching it, and always thought it was part of BBC's outside broadcast shows called 'In town tonight'. Ah well. it was somsthing of a damp squid.