Secrets of the Transport Museum

I didn't see a thread about this. Should be interesting.
 

Go Behind the Scenes at Brooklands Museum
 
Welcome to Brooklands, the birthplace of motor racing, a powerhouse of British engineering, and home to one of the world's most extraordinary collections of historic vehicles, with their roots embedded in this incredible site.  
 
With hundreds of cars, aircraft, buses and motorbikes, maintaining a collection like this is no mean feat. An army of volunteers work day-in, and day-out to keep these crown jewels of British transport in tip-top condition.  
 
In this new UKTV series by Middlechild Productions airing Tuesdays from 30th March at 8pm on Yesterday channel, we follow the engineers and speed fanatics responsible for ensuring these magnificent machines can fly, race and drive another day.

• https://www.brooklan...ransport-museum

This is being shown on the Yesterday channel (Freeview: Channel 26; Sky (UK): Channel 155; Sky (Ireland): Channel 161; Virgin Media: Channel 129; Freesat: Channel 159).
 

A promising start, I thought, ranging across all aspects of Brooklands Museum. Although I was somewhat confused by the insertion of some newsreel film of US(?) midgets racing on a banked track; it's not as if there's a shortage of Brooklands newsreel, although admittedly - apart from Dunfee going over the top (fatally) - I can't think of any accident footage quite as spectacular as the one shown.

Amusing to see that 'Brooklands cans' apparently made virtually no difference to the amount of exhaust noise emitted by a motorbike - although of course competitors' main complaint about them was that all they did was affect performance negatively.

Looks like we're going to see the LSR Delage in action next time, with a feature on 'the divine Kay'.

A pleasant way to while away an hour, albeit I could do without the patronizing voiceover approach, fake tension, and godawful library music that seem to infect so many of these types of programme.

A pleasant way to while away an hour, albeit I could do without the patronizing voiceover approach, fake tension, and godawful library music that seem to infect so many of these types of programme.

Agreed. It was a bit too close to those awful Americanised docs which are almost unwatchable. I admit that like many likeminded enthusiasts I tend to think that programmes such as this should be for "my" sort and can't understand why the general public should have a right to watch. Hence my disillusionment with Grand Prix racing at the present. I suppose as a public entertainment show it was perfectly acceptable.

(Did I see a Spartan kit car being paraded at an open day?)

Even the general and ignorant public does not need simple bludners such as having told us the '04 Siddeley's engine was a single cylinder it was later described as "firing on all cylinders" . . . As it's eligible for the Brighton Run, one might have hoped madam director had ambitions to take part in that event like many of our museum folk do or have done.

US midget racing film when many hours of Brooklands racing film is available is hard to accept.

They seem to have spread what they have very thin to yield a multi-part series.

Edited by Allan Lupton, 31 March 2021 - 09:07.

That midget racing clip annoyed me as well.  I refuse to accept that an intelligent non-expert would fail to notice that the proportion of car size to track was wrong.

I think that having this programme on air at such a difficult time for all museums and heritage organisations can do nothing but good.   I too was surprised by the US midget racing archive film but there was still plenty to praise.   It is an amazing venue and the efforts to continue preserving and adapting the site and ensuring the survival of the objects in the care of the Brooklands Museum are deserving of the support of all of us.   Looking forward to the Delage feature and, as a recent post on another thread here has reminded us, Easter 2021 marks the centenary of Chitty Bang Bang I's debut at The Track,  Wonder if the real Chitty / Zborowski story will be featured in any of the episodes?

Is there a midget car at the museum?  There used to be one at Donington.  I don't know whether they're going to do something to explain that.  After all there was midget speedway in the UK in the 1930s but I don't think it was on anything but cinder.

Certain aspects of the programme were cringeworthy but seeing what is there persuaded me that I really must visit. 

I watched the first 20 mins or so, then gave up. The US midgets were annoying the first time, then really annoying the next time. But do visit the museum - don't let this bit of fluff put anyone off.

As usual I recorded the programme so I could skip through the advertisements. The use of the Midget racers was just sloppy and typical of the lack of attention to detail of most of the modern genre of documentaries. I also get fed up with the constant repetition of voice overs after each ad break but again symptomatic of the modern documentary as the producers wish to ensure the enfeebled watchers haven't forgotten what the programme is about. I will continue to record the future episodes but it may get cancelled if it doesn't improve.

I definitely need to visit again. Especially as when I did visit, the Napier Railton was away for some reason.

I'll look out for that; I had the pleasure of introducing the Duesenberg single-seater to the youngest daughter of Rupert Featherstonehaugh, who had of course driven it in 1935, She'd had no idea!

Last night we learned that there's at least one lady racing driver prepared to have a go in the V12 Delage.

She commented on the rough ride saying the track is rougher than it was - whilst that may be true, it was well-known that for its entire existence the Brooklands Outer Circuit was car-breakingly rough.

Commentry had its quota of misinformation such as implying that the rear platform of the London Transport RM bus was unusual, whereas it was what many previous types of London bus (and trolleybus) had had.

The second episode was no great improvement on the first. The producers seem to want to attract the casual viewer, the mass uninformed. The latter have so much to choose from that I can't see this working and real enthusiasts will continue to be frustrated by the VERY basic level offered,

It's on the Yesterday channel, it's basically cheap television to fill space, get experience for programme makers, and maybe capture something of an audience.  Frankly television companies are like record labels; they never know what the next big thing is going to be, but there's a 1 in 100 chance it's whatever programme they're broadcasting now.  But of course it will be repeated for years.

The problem is of course trying to get a full series.  The BBC only had one series about the entire British Museum...

The second episode was no great improvement on the first. The producers seem to want to attract the casual viewer, the mass uninformed. The latter have so much to choose from that I can't see this working and real enthusiasts will continue to be frustrated by the VERY basic level offered,

Just a thought, but maybe the idea is to actually interest and enthuse 'the mass uninformed'? The point was made that most of the Brooklands volunteers are over 70 - so where are the next generations of volunteer restorers/mechanics going to come from? We saw a young lad being schooled in bike maintenance by his grandfather, but whether he'll carry on with that is open to doubt; will he decide to train in restoring vintage bikes? Or will his interest flag once his grandfather shuffles off this mortal coil? Since he was moaning about getting oil on his t-shirt I'm not sure he will continue. Anyone training in a garage today is likely to know more about - and have more hands-on experience of - ECUs than SUs. Compare - for example - the heritage steam railways, which have set up proper apprenticeship schemes to ensure their own survival.

This series was never going to satisfy the chassis beavers and rivet counters - and as has often been demonstrated here, even the more enthusiast-focussed TV programmes can commit errors. Just enjoy it for what it is. Or not.

Absolutely right, V2.  And (hopefully) without dragging this too far off-topic, I might mention that during the time they were trying to eddikate me at the University of Leeds, student transport was mostly fairly disreputatable old vehicles with floor panels that often still had the Peak Freans logo and owners who were usually master-bodgers. Returning there for a nose-around a couple of years ago, these fine vehicles seemed to have been replaced by the second-owner Micra, Yaris and Fiesta, supplied by doting parents who felt their dear child had enough to contend with in college life, without adding a dodgy vehicle to the list. Only natural that if that failed to stamp out any enthusiasm for cars, they would then go on to prefer (say) an MGF or MR2 to a smokey old MGB as their chosen fun machine. All part of the trend.

The programme is shown at peak viewing time and is clearly aimed at the casual viewer. There have been several programmes in this mould - Secrets of the Zoo for one. The approach is almost as if the presenter is  teaching school children.  However, I do see benefits in this being aired. As mentioned above it might interest younger people to take an interest in historic vechiles, bikes and even planes. The biggest plus for this programme is helping to publicise Brooklands Museum which has certainly changed since I last visited some decades ago.  It has made me want to visit again.

The programme is shown at peak viewing time and is clearly aimed at the casual viewer. There have been several programmes in this mould - Secrets of the Zoo for one. The approach is almost as if the presenter is  teaching school children.  However, I do see benefits in this being aired. As mentioned above it might interest younger people to take an interest in historic vechiles, bikes and even planes. The biggest plus for this programme is helping to publicise Brooklands Museum which has certainly changed since I last visited some decades ago.  It has made me want to visit again.

Well worth a visit - and there's also MB World right next door. Your mention of aircraft - and the feature on Concorde in the programme - set me thinking; nobody under about the age of 25 will have any real memory of seeing one in flight. When I first moved to London in 1978 the B&B I was staying in was under the flightpath from Heathrow and I used to see the 09.00 New York departure most mornings. The chap in the programme was right - people really did stop in the street to watch it go over. And when I lived in south Devon, on nights when the winds were light and in the right direction you could sometimes hear the Air France evening departure going supersonic.

Well worth a visit - and there's also MB World right next door. Your mention of aircraft - and the feature on Concorde in the programme - set me thinking; nobody under about the age of 25 will have any real memory of seeing one in flight. When I first moved to London in 1978 the B&B I was staying in was under the flightpath from Heathrow and I used to see the 09.00 New York departure most mornings. The chap in the programme was right - people really did stop in the street to watch it go over. And when I lived in south Devon, on nights when the winds were light and in the right direction you could sometimes hear the Air France evening departure going supersonic.

That's a very atmospheric and evocative description!  Reminds me of people who lived in the Vale of York during the 1970s hearing Deltics on the ECML on summer evenings.

When Concorde flew over our wedding reception, way back in 1980, I was forced to admit - eventually - it was only because the London Apprentice at Iselworth was unde its normal flight path. But I understand the bluffing was quite convincing while it lasted ...

Since the conversation has come around to Concorde; my uncle led the design team at Lucas Aerospace responsible for the fuel system. When Concorde was taken out of service my cousin booked her parents onto one of the last "joyride" type flights, she made his connection known. On the flight he was invited up to the flight deck, he emerged to a round of applause the captain having announced it over the PA system along with a comment along the lines; "if anything goes wrong, blame him not me".

Concorde - beautiful plane but I don't miss it at all as it shook my house to its foundations daily for years as it climbed out of Heathrow and it was properly deafening.  

Concorde - beautiful plane but I don't miss it at all as it shook my house to its foundations daily for years as it climbed out of Heathrow and it was properly deafening.  

Agreed, but my lasting memory is of a Vulcan take off, an even noisier "let it all hang out" military version of much the same engine. Your house would have been just a heap of bricks after a few of those.

And I can actually tie all this in together; on one occasion I was on a train on the ECML which had stopped at a signal near RAF Alconbury. Sitting on the runway, waiting for permission to take off, was an SR-71 Blackbird. Engine noise - deafening, even through the double glazed windows of an IC 125. Smell of jet fuel - overwhelming. And that was before the take-off run!

Whilst I can accept that as a mass market program there will be inaccuracies (such as that old chestnut of confusing Rated HP and BHP), this series is wont to dip its toe into a great steaming pile of something agricultural.

Last night Abbie Eaton was described by the lady from the museum variously as, something like, 'a living legend', 'currently one of the worlds best racing drivers' and 'the winner of 25 championships. Absolute nonsense. Eaton did well up to national level (winning a second tier saloon championship and a MX-5 championship), but that's about as far as it gets. 

Maybe the PC brigade aren't comfortable with the dominance of grey-beards among the volunteers, hence why the previous week they waxed lyrical over Ethel Locke-King, whilst giving barely a brief mention of her husband, whose idea, foresight and money were the genesis of Brooklands.

Next week I am looking forward to them describing how Vera Lynn single-handedly won the Battle of Britain ....... 

In the early days of the Concorde programme some of its early flights took place from Filton Airfield, adjacent to the (then) British Aircraft Corporation and Rolls-Royce, both major players in Concorde. The A38 main road runs directly past the eastern end of the runway, and during the Concorde programme there were traffic lights on the A38 to stop all traffic when Concorde was landing or taking off. These lights were introduced after an earlier incident in September 1960. At that time there was a petrol station, unsurprisingly called Runway Garage, on the A38 right at the end of the runway. A Vulcan tried to land in heavy rain but aquaplaned on the runway, so decided to abort the landing and put full power back on. The efflux from the engines as it took off again, very late, essentially demolished the petrol station and caused damage to several passing vehicles. Amazingly there was no fire, but the garage very soon moved a few hundred yards north and the traffic lights were introduced.

As a former resident of Kew in West London, I'd suggest that Concorde was loud but in a deep, thunderous way, whereas 707s and DC8s were shrill and Caravelles positively painful.

... The chap in the programme was right - people really did stop in the street to watch it go over...

For me,  a sighting of Concorde in flight had a broadly similar effect to the Lancia Stratos passing through on a stage of the RAC Rally.

(Mostly draw-dropping awe...)

When I was a young lad, a Vulcan made a remarkably low pass over our Primary School one lunchtime (for reasons unknown...). The boys, at least, spoke of nothing else for days...

Edited by 2F-001, 08 April 2021 - 14:24.

Agreed, but my lasting memory is of a Vulcan take off, an even noisier "let it all hang out" military version of much the same engine. Your house would have been just a heap of bricks after a few of those.

 Mine is being with my dad at RAF Finningley in about 1965 as four Vulcans did a line astern take off. The Apocalypse will probably be quieter.... 

I saw the last Vulcan several times - once as I was fishing a mile or two north of RAF Leeming - I watched in disbelief as that once very familiar shape loomed low overhead, dropping to even lower level over the aerodrome before being given full welly and making THAT noise . The very last time was at Croft Nostalgia Meeting - a packed crowd fell silent as it approached and more than a few of them had 'something in their eye ' as it flew over . Err..me included . 

2008, Boeing Museum of Flight, Seattle

I'm with Pete Lovely and Shane Davis "boarding" the Concorde

Shane inside the Concorde

Vince H.

Edited by raceannouncer2003, 09 April 2021 - 05:40.

That midget racing clip annoyed me as well.  I refuse to accept that an intelligent non-expert would fail to notice that the proportion of car size to track was wrong.

Talking about Spitfires while showing film of a flight of Fairey Battles is a bit of a booboo too ...

Ahem..... Fairey Firefly.

Ahem..... Fairey Firefly.

I'll take your word for it! Although at a quick glance there's not a lot of difference between the Battle, the Firefly and the Fulmar.

However, they certainly weren't Spitfires!

I'll take your word for it! Although at a quick glance there's not a lot of difference between the Battle, the Firefly and the Fulmar.

 

However, they certainly weren't Spitfires!

The usual default image is a Defiant. Looks very similar to a Spit but there's one huge and glaring diffference. I never cease to be baffled that a researcher doesn't spot it.

The usual default image is a Defiant. Looks very similar to a Spit but there's one huge and glaring diffference. I never cease to be baffled that a researcher doesn't spot it.

Now that so many Spitfires have been converted to two-seaters they look more like Defiants than Spitfires.

The programme is shown at peak viewing time and is clearly aimed at the casual viewer. There have been several programmes in this mould - Secrets of the Zoo for one. The approach is almost as if the presenter is  teaching school children.  However, I do see benefits in this being aired. As mentioned above it might interest younger people to take an interest in historic vechiles, bikes and even planes. The biggest plus for this programme is helping to publicise Brooklands Museum which has certainly changed since I last visited some decades ago.  It has made me want to visit again.

the key is the intended audience. As you say it's aimed at the causal viewer who may not have heard of Brooklands, the Napier Railton....they might be familiar with Concorde but never actually been up close to one. 

On the occasion of the Brooklands centenary my wife and I went along with my dad, who wasn't in rude health by that time and who wanted to drive his vintage Morgan 3-wheeler there and exhibit it with the period cars. Spousal unit wasn't especially enthusiastic but since I can't drive she elected to come along so we had a modern vehicle in case of the Morgan breaking down (not that it often did, but...precautions). But even she got caught up in the history of it all. first of all the sheer scale of the Member's banking. The fact that the old cars ran, she was quite taken with Babs and some of the veteran machinery being conducted by intrepid automobilists. She thought the drivers were all quite potty, but potty in the same way as me with my vintage cameras and reel to reel tape. 

We recently watched one of these television programmes where the Napier Railton was featured and she exclaimed "I've seen that! Oh, I met that man who took over the driving".

Such programmes may be imperfect to us, but they will ignite interest among those who aren't familiar with the place and what can be seen and done there. Hopefully it will help raise visitor numbers for the museum and all the events they usually put on around the venue. 

When I were a lad, we're only talking the early 80s really, Concorde would fly over during my school lunch breaks as I wasn't that far out from Heathrow (under an hour's drive). We'd instantly know it was different to all the other planes. On the occasion of Concorde's final flight I had the good fortune to be outside as she sailed over on final approach. To give an example of how important concorde was, my dad worked in the aerospace industry at the time Cocorde was being developed. And when it finally made it's first successful test runs (including that little skirmish into the air at....was it Farnborough?) the entire industry was immensely proud. Dad wasn't anywhere near working on Concorde nor do I think he knew anyone who was, everyone was just impressed with the achievement. He was tremendously sad when it was finally retired. 

In the mid-90s I commuted daily from Basingstoke to Dunstable, spending much of my time studying the individual blades of grass as we crawled along at a snails pace. The highlight of my week, however, if I timed my departure from work correctly, was to be 'stuck' on the M25 when Concorde took off. A few times I managed to be in line with the end of the runway and after it passed overhead, I could look straight into the engines. The sound was, of course, deliciously deafening, but then, so was being at Clearways at the start of any British Grand Prix with 30+ exhaust pipes pointing straight at us!

A second series of Secrets of the Transport Museum commences on Tuesday February 1st, again at 8pm on Yesterday Channel.

First episode apparently features the Halford Special.

The most influential Grand Prix car of all time?

Why do they have to put it on at the same time that I couldn't see it previously. 

Why do they have to put it on at the same time that I couldn't see it previously. 

It will be repeated at 10pm on Fridays and should also be available on their streaming platform UKTV Play, Duncan.