Early train film - 'View from an Engine Front - Barnstaple' (1898)

View from an Engine Front - Barnstaple (1898) This 'phantom ride' along a stretch of partly elevated track through the Devon town of Barnstaple and its main station is an oddly haunting experience. Aside from two briefly-glimpsed London & South-Western Railway employees waving flags, no human activity is apparent until the train reaches the main railway station - an earlier platform is mysteriously deserted. However, this allows a greater opportunity to appreciate what are still clearly recognisable Barnstaple locations, with good views of the town as the train approaches the station. (Michael Brooke) You can read more about early cinema's popular 'phantom rides' at: All titles on the BFI Films channel are preserved in the vast collections of the BFI National Archive. To find out more about the Archive visit