Great Western Coffee Shop

Thanks to Railway Eye blog for this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szh-LrYkmpM

Mr McCririck will be hard pressed to get to Cheltenham on a Reading to Newcastle service!

Oh, and '94 special trains'. Really?

Pressumably they expect him to change at New Street going the long way round. I thought that was GWR claim to be the Great Way Round.

Wonder if the Reading Cheltenham fare is cheaper via XC and New Street?

Looks like the sort of video that I could have knocked together about 5 years ago in about 20 minutes.  They really could have done much better, especially with a famous face involved.  Perhaps something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUemTNZDRXo

At the end, he said something like "book via your search engine at crosscountrytrains.co.uk".  Huh?  Book via your search engine?  Why on earth would Google want to take my booking for a train ticket!

Filmed at Bodmin Road!

As for the search engine thing, that is Cross Country's rather poor marketing strategy "Your search engine"

Ah, yes that makes sense now.  I've never spent much time on XC's website (thank goodness) so never noticed this before.  Shows how bad the marketing is when potential customers (i.e. me) don't understand what they're saying!

Indeed Jimmy Savile was at Bodmin Road to film the Awayday Ad.
Anyone notice the lack of trees at Bodmin.

On a visit to the B & W steam railway a year or two back I mentioned this Ad to the Member of Station Staff working at Parkway (When did the name change?), who replied "Oh yes I remember that day well"

It came as a surprise to the Staff at Bodmin who had no prior warning of filming. They were issued instuctions to allow the film crew free access, during a break in filming, Jimmy was in the Booking office when a lady asked for Return Tickets  to Leeds for Herself and Husband, Jimmy said "Now how do we Issue this then", and was guided on how to issue the tickets, "We'll make them First Class" said Jimmy "
"I can't afford that"  said the lady,

"You don't worry about that, BR is paying for these" Jimmy said and First class returns were issued.

Now this gave the booking clerk Babies how the Hell was he going to explain this Massive Loss on his shift?

It was decided by the station staff that a covering note would just have to do.

Yet at the end of the Day the Booking Clerk's shift Balanced 100%, so who paid for the First Class Tickets?

Jimmy or did he get the Film crew to pay, nobody knows.

Well that's what I was told.

BR did come out with some pretty good adverts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igcesxk3Is0
Shown Christmas Day 1988 - an adaptation of Night Mail by W.H. Auden (they kept the first verse and changed the next two):
This one was pretty good too, just a shame that a "Train Jam" does actually exist - I was stuck in one last week!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN7naLLeB0A
I noticed that the first HST you see in this advert is 43078, which I believe is currently in service with FGW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct_VdIc9kN0

What with their Public Information Films (e.g. Robbie, which was mentioned in another thread), the new franchises haven't come anywhere near to BR's quality adverts.

At the risk of slightly nicking this thread, but it is about a dodgy advert, tell me, in the ad for Homebase were they make over Carlisle station there is there a slight glimse of what looks like an ex-Wessex unit in one shot. It looks like a 150 in Wessex crimson but you can see the begin of a web address "www.nort.." Did Northern. or somone else up there inherit any ex Wessex units?

The Auden poem was written for the famous 25 minute 1936 GPO Film Unit documentary, also called "Night Mail", which had specially composed music by Benjamin Britten.  I haven't been able to find a web version of the original.

Apparently they sat Auden down and made him "cut and paste" the poem until it fitted the film sequence.

You can hear the steam engine rhythm if you read it aloud. 

Try this bit of the original at the gallop.

He's a nice man is Sir Jimmy so I'd guess he snuck some money into the till.  Sir Jimmy does at Lots of charity work fro teh hospital in Leeds and talks to all the first year medical students at Leeds University every year to explain what an important job being a doctor is.  Apparently the mature students think that is great, but the 18 year olds and the foreign students who missed out of Jim'll fix it are all thinking "who is the crazy old guy in the tracksuit?"

There is also this one from BR...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gclawRWIqK8

Taking the mick out of a certain car manufacturer ad i believe ;D

Thanks Trout,  i remember that first time round.

Taking the mick out of a couple of car ads it would appear. The fields aflame is from a Peugeot 405 ad from the late 80s, and Papa and Nicole are from a long running series of Renault Clio ads of the 90s.

I'm I imagining it of did some of those adverts feature Reeves and Mortimer?

You're right Tim, the wedding final^ of the Clio adverts series featured Reeves and Mortimer in a spoof of The Graduate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwqEpwO-5PE

..and correct useage of a level crossing I note.

Thanks

Back on topic..... something has just occured to me.

Cigar smoking, jewellery wearing, English eccentric advertises train service..... it's true, there are very few original ideas in advertising!

It has to be said that BR had one hell of a publicity department - some of those ads are absolutely stunning, not to mention stylish and clever to boot. The limited number I have seen from today's TOCs look extremely pedestrian by comparison.

Watching the Night Mail ad and the "car advert" spoof, two things occurred to me: firstly, isn't it amazing how the HSTs are now in many cases 30+ years old, and yet their styling doesn't look at all dated? And on a related note, the BR double arrow logo is getting on for 50 years old but again still looks bold, modern and highly effective!

Here's another one - not as stylish admittedly, but makes its point effectively. Made me smile though, given the reputation of staff on the "old" BR (I'm a bit too young to remember them)! By the way, watch out for a guest appearance from someone bearing a strong resemblance to HMQ at 0:20!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLA7Q-pPQhQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLA7Q-pPQhQ)

Having said that though, Virgin have managed the odd good effort, like this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkY498RpYbA). Funny that they feel the need to dub the Pendo with the whistling noise from a Napier turbocharger in the original HSTs though!

As I've said elsewhere, when I worked as a temp at Temple Meads, I regularly offered to help pax with luggage etc, (particularly the elderly or infirm) if I could, much to the chagrin of the 'old-timers' (most ex BR) who saw it as beyond their remit as they'd been told by RMT that it was outside their contract terms! Needless to say the praise and the occasional tip made it worth while.

There are a fair few staff out there that could do with returning to "Customer Care School"  ;D

That was the bearded one driving the bin cart at 0:08 weren't it?

Here's another from Virgin. Slightly saucy.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX173CZcNPc&feature=related

A certain tunnel (and we all know what trains into tunnels represent!) is deliberately misspelled, and at the end there is just a hint of the bloke putting his tongue in his cheek - a visual euphemism for a certain act!

I prefer THIS VERSION of the "saucy" ad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKE1nVy2uHU&feature=related

plus this Virgin Atlantic advert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL1uud6Fy6M&feature=related

I have to say, I take my hat off to the advertising people at Virgin, their adverts are always excellent!

I've never seen these Virgin adverts before, presumably they don't show them in my neck of the woods as Virgin don't operate here.  They are pretty good ads - I think the business traveller one with "Ed" does a pretty good job of showing off First Class.

Hilarious  :D

At least the tunnel wasn't 69 yards long. :o

Struggling to find it... but there is the Business Brains take Virgin Trains advert where a car driver is stopped by police for using his mobile whilst driving and he tells the officer "don't be such a silly girl" which leads to his prompt arrest ;D

I've just come across these two photgraphs on Wikipedia.  I think the new EC livery actually makes the HSTs look very modern and "in-date":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:East_Coast_HST_first_liveried_set.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:East_Coast_MKIII_first_liveried_set.JPG
Looking at the power card from the outside, you honestly wouldn't think it is a minimum of 28 years old.

Ah, in the Good old days when staff would hold a Door open few a few Seconds so you could board, Now it's just slammed in your face.

The door at 1:01 looks a tad worrying... :o

Digging up an old topic, but I just took a look at East Midland Trains' website and discovered that they are using those dopey Irish twins John & Edward (aka Jedward) in their advertising.  :o ::)

Can anyone explain to me the logic behind using two talentless, X-Factor rejects to advertise train services.

I thought Southern's Mexican wrestler, Loco Toledo was poor, but Jedward? Whatever next?

A hideous case of brand association.

Ooo, that's a bit strong... I think. I'm not 100% sure what a mong is.

I buy train tickets, does that make me one?

What about: Go Compare... Go Compare...

*opens tin of worms and discreetly hides*

Awful advert. That's when the mute button on the remote earns its keep for this and other annoying adverts. Out of principle that their adverts annoy me I will go compare somewhere else.