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http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> History >> Saturday Night Out – Longmore Train Crash http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1297682009 Message started by Simon Vaughan- APTS Archivist on Feb 14^th, 2011, 11:14am

Title: Saturday Night Out – Longmore Train Crash
Post by Simon Vaughan- APTS Archivist on Feb 14^th, 2011, 11:14am

Saturday Night Out – Longmore Train Crash has been uploaded to the Alexandra Palace Television Society’s YouTube Channel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em62OGbgdFE

Saturday Night Out was originally hosted by Robert Beatty as 'The Man with the Mike'. The memorable title sequence started with a picture of a telephone on a desk. This would ring and a voice would say: "Outside Broadcast, we're starting now...". The camera would then pan out of the window, where we saw the Outside Broadcast vans ("Roving Eyes") on the move and a BBC doorman saluting. The action would then cut to show the camera on the roof on the Roving Eye travelling fast down a straight road towards a hoarding showing the inscription "Saturday Night Out". The brakes would squeal and the camera would burst through the hoarding and cut to the O.B. live transmission for this week.

So began a weekly, hour long, live programme which was never filmed. The firm rule was that it was always live. One week it would be coming from the Midlands, the next week Brussels and the following week it might be Paris or London.

In February 1956 The Royal Engineer’s were planning to send a steam engine named Merlin, a 1919 engine of the King Arthur class along the track, blowing up the track so the train went over an embankment.

The driverless train goes speeding along the track, whistle blowing, it arrives at the embankment, where there is an explosion, the train rises slightly in the air, drives down the embankment & comes to rest in the middle of the plain, whistle still blowing. The train, tender & three carriages still remain upright! Somewhat of an anticlimax to the expected wreck of tangled metal!

This recording is the from the last part of the programme which was transmitted live from the Royal Engineers private training depot, Longmore Military Camp in Hampshire, England.

Transmitted: 11th February 1956

This film footage is from the Archive Collection held and administered by the Alexandra Palace Television Society.

~ APTS ~
Preserving the televisual past for the digital future

www.apts.org.uk

Title: Re: Saturday Night Out – Longmore Train Crash
Post by roy argyle on Feb 14^th, 2011, 12:38pm

I might be wrong but the vans might be leaving "the palace of arts" at wembley,which use to be the ob base.

Title: Re: Saturday Night Out – Longmore Train Crash
Post by Simon Vaughan- APTS Archivist on Feb 14^th, 2011, 1:09pm

Yes, as far as I am aware you do see inside the Palace of Arts as the vans are getting ready to leave.

Title: Re: Saturday Night Out – Longmore Train Crash
Post by Mikej on Feb 24^th, 2011, 11:59am

This was the Roving eye you saw leaving at the start of the show. This is actually it parked on the roof of the BH stronghold!
It can be seen again - albeit very briefly - passing in teh background while they are laying the tracks
http://www.bmanor.co.uk/pics/RE1_1954.jpg
The aerial tower (PTA - Powered Transmitter Aerial) also seen is a bit like this
http://www.bmanor.co.uk/pics/PTA_1937_2.jpg

Mike