The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
Filming of the railway scenes took place over more than 30 days in late 1975 and saw considerable involvement from the SVRSevern Valley Railway. ¾ of a mile of the old Stourport Branch was relaid for filming to take place, and stations were also extensively modified. Filming took place at almost every locality on the SVRSevern Valley Railway apart from Bridgnorth.[1]
46443 and 46521 were repainted in Furness Railway red livery and had flared stovepipe chimneys and large brass domes added as a representation of Austrian Railways locomotives, a livery they carried for some months (the two locomotives were identically numbered as 60.116 but 46443 faced north and 46521 faced south to take advantage of the sun and lineside locations). Black 5 45110 facing north and 8FThe British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic. 48773 facing south were numbered 90.160 and similarly paired for filming, being of similar appearance (above the footplate level!).[2] A fifth loco, normally 5764 or 4566, was used to move the film company’s equipment around. The carriages were Pinewood-built bodies on bogie bolster underframes, the latter which included 3 Flat EDs having been specially purchased for the film by Universal Studios and later ‘donated’ to the SVRSevern Valley Railway.
The main railway scene featured the Pasha’s train, hauled by 90.160, being chased by a train commandeered by Holmes and hauled by 60.116. For part of the filming, the plot dictated that Holmes’ locomotive should run short of coal, requiring the moguls to run with an empty tender and coal stored in sacks on the footplate. A border crossing checkpoint was constructed on Victoria Bridge for one scene.[2]
45110 was bought from its previous owners by SVRSevern Valley Railway(H) at this time; the purchase contract included a clause that it was conditional on the filming contract being signed.[1]
See also
List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway
References
Links
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution on Internet Movie Database
