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Analysis:
“He's back –
and meaner than ever!” proclaimed the Episode Five trailer. Euh, no he wasn't...Sir Ralph acting nice
was what the viewers got! In the beginning of the episode, it was clear that it was going to revolve around high speed express
runs, and it was with that in mind that we wrote this episode. The “Fair Maid” express was a real express
in the 1950s, pulled by Peppercorn A1s and Gresley A4s and other East Coast Main Line, and it was this named express we worked
into the title and episode. There was the historical significance, but in reality the Fair Maid probably never ran anywhere
near Copley Hill (the eventual chosen location for the characters), so another named train will probably replace
“The Fair Maid” in episodes to come.
This episode was the first major appearance of
Sir Ralph's replacement model, and his repainted face – softer features and a startlingly good natured ending
gave perhaps the first major hint that a story arc revolving around Sir Ralph was about to begin (“what
had happened at the works?”). Not only that, but this was the first time that the “viaduct”
(in reality a cardboard section of background created, and the camera tilted for a better looking angle), appears,
and is used several times to portray locomotives puffing over it.
The biggest surprise is probably the little Great Western
“101” class engine that appeared randomly in the background throughout the episode – named “Digby”,
it was the model used for the testing of the layout up to this Episode. The model would not reappear again in the series,
save for a brief appearance in an Episode Six trailer shown shortly after the release of Episode Five.
This episode was the last of the episodes to be filmed
using the 35mm film camera. Bulky, ugly, hard to use and even harder to download from, it had to go! The episode is actually
a mixture of the two cameras, the difference in film quality shows quite markedly in this episode as we were still learning
how to edit using our editing software.
Of the early episodes, this was admittedly the most rushed
of the projects – we were under orders to have six episodes completed before the end of September. As such, there are
a few problems with the script – one glaring mistake was the fact that Allen crossed the viaduct twice,
on his trip to Newcastle with the Midday Express!!!
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