The Finishing Line

[craigdogalloneword]

I liked the blood best!

[tommaxsimonandy]

london 2012 here we come!

[tommaxsimonandy]

ummm... lol?

[rojblake82]

People who paly on railway lines, will end up run over and killed by trains and they will not survive.

[Kainlarsen]

I'm pretty sure that the real deal would've seen a child-shaped pile of mincemeat on the tracks.

[grammartwo]

If you pause at 4:21, you can see that her right foot is all bloody because the shoe is missing from being cut down by the train

[goatmanjohn]

The girl at 2:59 looks like she's really injured herself, there's blood on her sock.

[martang66]

I have to say though, the St John's guys lining up the stretchers is the most ominous thing here...how did they know?

[littleniyah]

@martang66 It is a warning film. Kids in my childhood played on railways cos they were bored. It was so common a film was made in which a boy imagines his railway games are real sports day events. There are 4 games and in each, the kids end up horribly mangled. The message: U think it's fun, but it is deadly dangerous. The Finishing Line was shown in primary schools. U had to see it, no choice and many kids were crying. You shd see where they throw stones at windows, horrible!

[martang66]

who thought this race would be a good idea? WHO?!

[marcos12]

@martang66 It really is a terrible idea! I just don't see the common sense in having a children's event near a railway.

[littleniyah]

fenced and all kids were warned to keep off. We ignored it. Well, I didn't I was a good kid, but I recall the ones who raced the trains, or dropped paving stones on the carriages from bridges, or chucked stones at the windows, or walked thru the tunnels... A film was required to try and scare them into stopping. Please! No person in the UK has ever organised kid's games nr railways!

[HurryHarryNoE]

I sat and watched the entire film right the way through about a fortnight ago...it is pretty scary stuff, the tunnel walk was probably the scariest and strangest part.

[deuceadam]

Could that be anymore disturbing?

[pleasendlost]

Where's the rest of it? As I remember, they threw rocks at a passing train and cut up the passengers, and had to do a walk through the tunnel and loads got wiped out...effective stuff though, worked on me when i were a kid!

[songokuemumania]

saw it at spooney one

[IHATEGAYFAMILYGUY]

I saw this piece of shit review from TSE of Film Yanks can't Wanks :P

[andimhisfriendjesus]

natural selection at its finest.

[xXStandxByxMeXx]

I never recall seeing this one in school. thanks for posting

[hotelmario510]

Love how they send you through 20 years of 'Jesus effing christ what the hell', with painted on blood and all, and then they say,

'Still think this is a good idea? Then stand up, you blithering idiot.'

[AndrewofWare]

The whole film lasts about 20 minutes. I have seen a couple of full versions of the film - but they are in two parts due to the length. Try searching for 'The Finishing Line'.

[justinwicksteed]

Saw this on Nationwide when I was a nipper. Always thought I had dreamt it until I found this. All rather unnerving. Where can I find the full version?

[Patrickisreallygreat]

watch?v=ej8TcZCgjCE

and

watch?v=90AjMXpD5Hs

very haunting and educational film

[bluebus270]

Yes mate, thats where i saw it as well.

[JonLovejoy]

@justinwicksteed

Look on Amazon.uk for a DVD called 'The British Transport Films Collection Vol.7 - The Age Of The Train.' It's on there - I had the full version up on YouTube but they pulled it.

[pleasendlost]

@justinwicksteed just ben realeased on DVD, the whole collection, farm, building site the lot!

[JamesC1981]

is this film directed to kids to not play on train lines or for stupid adults who want to organize races across train lines?

the message isnt clear. imo it makes the adults look sadistic

[JonLovejoy]

Unfortunately, this shortened version omits the beginning of the film. A headmaster's voice tells children not to play on railways as there is great danger and they are not a place to run around.

We then hear the boy's thoughts about organising a sports day around the railway and the things he'd include (races on the tracks, a brass band, etc).

Hope that helps to clarify.

[xxrobfalconxx]

A rather alternative way of getting a deterent message accross

[LuvvyDuck]

They had the full version of this, but looks like YouTube yoinked it off.

[JonLovejoy]

I uploaded the full version you mention but unfortunately received an email from BFI to remove it as they couldn't authorise free streaming. It's available on DVD though in its full length.

[LuvvyDuck]

Oh, okay. Sorry they did that to you. Thanks for letting me know though---if I ever see it I'll rent it or something.

[drunkstill]

well this is fuckn sick!!! the full version was on you tube last week the long tunnel walk has to be seen to be belived. it dont make me afraid of trains. it makes me afraid of school sports day. what sadistic games teacher holds sports day on a railway line??? is the head of p.e at that school freddie kruger??

[JonLovejoy]

What you have to bear in mind is that this is not a 'real' sports day. It's all done in the mind of the child sitting on the bridge - a frightening deterrent against playing on the tracks.

[miniphase]

really disturbed me when I saw this at six or seven, couldn't understand why adults were making kids do such dangerous things!

now I watch it and wonder how many kids really did get injured while filming that bit where they're pulling the fence down!!

[jonnyboyr]

I love this stuff. Check out BBC4 on Thursday 23rd October 9pm, its a special on British Transport Films

[pipkay]

my dad is the ginger one in the red team and my old man won go on dad aint seen u move like that in a while though haha

[glynchandeliers]

You lying little twat.

[mistofoles]

Not quite sure what the film's trying to say here?...don't hold your school sports day on a railway track, encouraged by irresponsible teachers?

[Scotsgit]

You have to wonder how much the teachers hate their pupils to hold the sports day next to a railway track.

[RobotwarsKing]

That child has one fucked up imagination.

[JonLovejoy]

I've just uploaded the first half of the film (it's 20 minutes long so I had to split it to get round YT's limitations). Second half to follow very soon...

[dimebolt1976]

Thanks for doing this JonLoveJoy. I don't think i'm gonna have the ability to rip this from the DVD. If i do get 'round to it, i will try the "Robbie" film.

[JonLovejoy]

No probs - have you bought the 'Age of the Train' DVD too?

[robeff1]

Dimebolt1976 - I've sent you a message on how to do it(or if you can't, how to get it to me, so I can post it up).

[dimebolt1976]

I made a slight mistake on my last post. After watching the DVD, it has only ONE of the Robbie movie's, but it does have the full version of The Finishing Line, RObbie, Peter Parker talks to Jimmy Saville, which i haven't watched yet but i assume it must be something to do with railway safety? The Finishing Line is nasty.

[LuvvyDuck]

I must be a sick person...I can't stop watching these PIFs. Mind, I don't like the stuff going on, but...it's like watching a train wreck. (No pun intended. :P )

[dimebolt1976]

I have the full version of this on DVD and the 3 ROBBIE films that followed it also. If anyone can help me out with how to get them from DVD into FLV i will post them if you;d like ?

[stopwearingwatches]

Somebody with some technical knowledge help this man!

[paladin696969]

this is amazing, i didnt dream it either!, i remember part of the film where the kids have coloured bricks and throw them at passing trains to get points, id love to see the whole film

[Anticyclonic]

Here in Canada we had some of the most fucked up safety films in history. One I remember most wasn't a safety film per se, it was a short film about the horrors of war set to the Genesis song "Land of Confusion". So you had a gymnasium full of kids, ages 5 to 13 (I was 7 or 8 at the time) seeing images of soldiers, bombs, and crispy deformed people. How 80s children like myself managed to grow up without a shit load of issues is mind-boggling. We had the rail safety and drunk driving films, too.

[BurlingtonNorthernRy]

@Anticyclonic

Better than the Rail safety education I'm getting down here in the US-

Oh wait, I did all that on my own...

[Squab1972]

I remember this film when I was in primary school it scared the crap out of me, but taught me one thing never play on a railway line.

[gelyn64]

I'm not from Britain and I'm a 90s kid, but I'm always really interested in old scary PIFs/PSAs. It's been kewl watching this.

Where do you reckon these kids are now? I'm really curious 'cause I wonder if they scared themselves when they saw this...

[AbiH31]

I'm always interested in scary PIFs, too, and I am also a 90's kid =] Theres just something really interesting about them.

[yppih07]

erm....ok and you have an issue about dat...why? lol

[Aziraphale010907]

Some people will do anything to get out of cross country.

[Albe1992]

Fucking LOL

[AbiH31]

Hahah

[Yellowguineapig]

I remember watching this one in primary school. Blimey, can you imagine the outcry if you showed that these days?

[BurlingtonNorthernRy]

@Yellowguineapig

And yet they freak out when someone gets hit...

[flippydedip]

For some reason they've stopped showing safety films like this in schools......and they wonder why kids are all getting ASBO'S, graffiting and such.......a few showings of this'l soon sort em out!

[kawolski00]

There goes his toes!

[acrossthepondwebsite]

Lovely...

[JACQUISMITH30]

weird - but I bet those of you in it had fun filming it.

[bcgrote]

The Shirley Jackson Memorial Carnival and Child Sacrifice Race!

[yppih07]

ok wot wos seriously the point in dat film??? as if some kids are gona rampage through a fence on to the railway and die for the sake of it!

thogh it wos funny when the y wer smashin da fence down hehe

[mattclarkemusic]

Are you serious? Only a complete fucking moron would spell 'was' as 'wos'.

What? Oh, you are.

[howlsfish]

anyone found the other one on here re: building sites

[billb207]

I and my sister were both in this film. I haven't seen myself yet, but I am fairly sure I have identified my sister in these first 5 minutes.

[avonee1976]

Is there anyone who has the entire video?

[JonLovejoy]

I tried to ZamZar the BFI stream so I could upload here but it doesn't support the WMV format :(

[ElizaJane]

You have no idea how relieved I am to have finally found this.Not because I particularly wanted to see it again,but because for 30 years I've wondered if I imagined the whole thing!!.I remember some of the other bits too..the race through the tunnel in particular..with parents going to pick up the kids at the end...horrible

[Woollylinnet]

Lycanduck: they probably did - but you know how notoriously late the trains are!

[JonLovejoy]

I'm a primary teacher and decided to try and access the BFI site from school - lo and behold, the stream worked and I watched the film today.

I really couldn't imagine showing it to my class of 9-year olds, they'd have nightmares for weeks!

I was only 1 myself when the film was released and don't remember it but watching it now I can see why there was such a furore; if you do get chance to see it, be warned that it's not for the faint hearted!

[lycanduck]

who the fuck organised that event? "shall we have it between train times instead of when the trains will be passing? nah! the trains will be exciting: keep things spicy! itll probably make the kids run faster too!"

[leolodreamland]

prolly railtrack...

[chaplufc]

Well if anyone can do it it would be appreciated - Someone get the rest pleeese

[qwertyfredqwertyfred]

i was seven when i watched that and i cried like the rest of us kids in school hall that was scary but the point being we used to live next to a railway the old east lancs one at the end of our garden put it this way i never went near the railway line again it was more graphic than that kids throwing different coloured stones and going through a tunnel to see who could make it through scary stuff when your an english kid!!!

[chaplufc]

Never thought i'd see this again, never saw it at school but it was broadcast on Nationwide a boring topical news programme from the 70's, i seem to remember the other bits showed kids "bricking" trains, would love to see the rest

[Starhawk73]

I think I get what they are saying in this PSA, harsh as it may be, there could have been better way to tell the tots to stay off the tracks! Show that to kids today in 2007 and over half of them will need therapy!

[ALFWEDARF]

Very true

[bjmorley]

why would the idiots in the school want to have a sports day, next to a mainline railway, where a train could come at any minute? thats disturbing enough to stop people using trains altogether! and what would there parents say? they wont be chuffed when there told they were having a sports day near a railway line! but! they could of done something little less graphic with the sounds of a train and a ambulance going off.

[littleniyah]

@bjmorley It is to warn the kids not to play on railways. Many kids did so out of boredom. We were shown this at school. It was very scary but they never work, these films. The kids get so bored even racing a train is preferable to another long day in the sunshine. And yet now, everyone goes on at the kids for playing computer! God, let them take the laptop in the garden.

[gavinpow77]

First time I've seen these films in about 25 years. I had recollections they were graphic, but thought that was just cos I was little when I saw them. But I squirmed watching both of them just now. There'd be an outrage if schools showed films like this now. Us 70s kids must be made of harder stuff!

[gavinpow77]

I remember watching this in the early 80s at primary school. We were all gathered in the hall to watch the film (with apache too with links by a floppy-haired Keith Chegwin). The film used to snap all the time and the headmaster would stop the projector and stick it back together with sticky tape

[Methos200686]

OMG lmao the little kid gets hit by a train and that guys like "Blue are disqualified for failing to complete the race"

The fuck?

[lonelywater]

that is so scary

[marcos12]

The UK must be far more callous with regard to children's safety than the USA. Over here in the states, we would never dream of having a "sports day" near train tracks! Still, I suppose the point of the film is to be mindful when around trains.

[neondiscogod]

Yeah, the point of the film is a lad looking at the tracks, wondering what it'd be like to act the oaf around trains.

So I guess it's ok to graphically off a bunch of toddlers, as long as they're imaginary.

[littleniyah]

@marcos12 that was a joke, right?

If u hadn't seen whole film, it was a warning shown to us at school in 70s warning us not to play on the railways. Kids got so bored in the long summer holidays in the green suburbs that they actually played Chicken in front of speeding trains. In this film, a kid is imaging having a sports day and playing railway games. There are four: each ends up with graphic injury. It was horrible, we weer all crying, but it never stopped anyone.

[marcos12]

@littleniyah In the states, trains are regarded as potentially dangerous. For this reason, children in the USA are highly discouraged from playing around trains and train tracks. It may be different in the UK. To be honest, I am sure it is exciting to have sports day on railroad property, but it would seem to me that the risks would far outweigh the benefits. Even a slow moving train could badly injure a child!

[littleniyah]

Respond to this video... Let me explain. WE DO NOT HAVE SPORTS DAYS ON RAILWAYS. This was a WARNING film. Kids were playing on railways out of boredom in the long summer holidays. Nothing to do in the suburbs, and need some excitement. The sports day is IMAGINARY. I did say this in my message to you. It was a creative way of showing kids that "what you think is fun and games is deadly. The railway is not a playing field"

[littleniyah]

@marcos12 This was a WARNING FILM. WE DO NOT HAVE SPORTS DAY ON THE RAILWAY!

Didnt u read the message through? I tried to explain to you. All I can hope is you were being ironic. Do u really think that sports days are organized in front of TRAINS!

[marcos12]

@littleniyah I am not daft! I understand this is FICTION and that the children were not REALLY dying! I realize that the sports day is imaginary. The point of the film is to teach children to be cautious when playing around trains. In the USA, children are DISCOURAGED from playing near railways! WE WOULD NOT MAKE A FILM TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO PLAY SAFELY AROUND TRAINS. WE JUST TELL OUR CHILDREN TO AVOID PLAYING ANYWHERE NEAR RAILWAYS!!

[littleniyah]

@marcos12 Of course parents here did the same! I really can't help thinking you are daft! This film did not try to teach kids to play safely near railways! That would be insane! It tried to shock them into staying away from the trains altogether, because 'telling them not to' doesn't work.

The point is not to teach children to be cautious when playing round trains. It's to say: play on the railway, you'll get hit by an Inter-City. No need now. They got Wii.

[azqu132]

I have been searcing for this film for years!!!! I was the ginger kid huffin' and puffin at the end! it was great fun to make!!!

[Guncriminal]

You're not old enough.

[azqu132]

im using my mates account. too old to work this computer stuff

[littleniyah]

@azqu132 You were in the Finishing Line? How cool! Is that really true? Must have been a laugh. Kids really did play on the railways then, I remember it.

[acquiescefc]

Long time since this scared the crap outta me. I remember the '10 points for the driver' bits later on.

[JillC2]

I'm surprised someone in the UK didn't go to the BFI or BTF website and download the whole thing and then upload it. (You've got to be in the UK to do it it would seem).

[TKTiger]

The website only lets you download the same 4.41 clip that's here. You have to be a school or library to get the whole thing, and even then it's streamed WindowsMedia 9 video.

[barringtonbank]

Why didn't their not use the bridge along the railway line? And why didn't the train driver not sound his horn?

[ruthselina]

I think you have missed the point..........

[tshhtf]

@barringtonbank

It is a known fact that it was a really good idea to have a sports day on the rail way line. A Public Information Survey that is available on The Internet states that 92.34% of the population felt that, if a child was hit by the train, it would be 'Really Great.'

[keiranhancock]

sick, especially when they pick her up of the tracks.

[Pyroman1990]

i think thats the idea

[gt5952]

Awesome! lol If only schools did that... like Minefield hop scotch !

[col1n1234]

Sorry about the spelling, I didn't spend that much time in class; I spent most my time running away from the trains.

[col1n1234]

The things we had to do at School back then, the kids dont know they are born thease days.

[TheLateBobTodd]

God almighty! Death on toast!

[WHandV]

Yes! thats right, Nationwide! It caused a fuss even by the PIF standards of the day. I remember there were scenes of the St Johns picking up mangled bodies between events yeeech!

There were deffo some sick minds at work on this one and without doubt, a bloody good job too.

[A60stock]

John Krisch who directed two films for Britiha Transport films managed to produce BTF's most popular film, The Elephant Will Nver Forget, and this one. There was an outcry, mainly from teachers, and it was quickly withdrawn and replaced by "Robbie" a film that failed to hit home with children." Finishing Line" still shocks thirty years on, especially the great tunnel race at the end where most of the childen die.

The film is held by the BFI and is copyright of the National Railway Museum.

[stig114]

The thing is, my PE teacher was so much of a sadist/idiot he would probably have organised this event- he once sent us fell running in snow drifts and one of my mates nearly died of hypothermia.

[Stegblob]

XD I was expecting a bit more than that.

[wicko9797]

thanks for uploading this. I saw this as a child nad for many years thought it was anightmare. then over time and thanks to the internet I tracked it down. I remember the nationwide outcry and my parents being shocked that we had been showed this at school. thanks for putting an old ghost to rest

[ruthselina]

This is excatly how I feel - I thought I had imagined this film, but it has given me a phobia about railway lines and level crossings all my life. I am 40 and finally I too have put this old ghost to rest.

[Tabbyblonde]

I always thought I dreamt it too until I found out what it was a couple of years ago.

[mgbgt1967]

i'd forgotten how shocking this film was. We were shown this several times at school. There was another scene where the kids have to throw missiles at a passing train and then they tot up the score based on the casualties in the carriage

[fiver316]

well isn't that daft holding a school sports day over train lines? if you have nowere safe to perfom an event, don't do it. i mean it's obbvius someone gets killed.

[Cyberwulf81]

...the whole point is that RAILWAY TRACKS aren't a good place to arse around and play.

[TheGodMar]

But it doesn't make sense because the school MADE them play around the tracks. It's not like they were just doing it for the hell of it. I'm so confused.

[Racoon665]

apparently one of the boys was imagining what would happen if his school had a sports day by the railway lines.

[dwad777]

I'm sure that they showed this on the BBC's Nationwide with a group of children in the studio, one of whom had to be 'excused' by Bob Wellings once it had finished. Is there a later scene where the kids race in to a tunnel with a train coming in the opposite direction, followed by the few survivors staggering out the other end covered in blood. Or did I just dream that?

[littleniyah]

@dwad777 Yes, there is that scene. It is called "The Great Tunnel Walk" and it's the final 'game'. They just walk in and when they are al inside a train comes and then you see the survivors staggering out and the dead carried on stretchers. Horrifying!

[ufopeach]

Hey, great upload. Could you get ahold of the rest of it? How about the infamous Apaches? I'm American and never got to see any of this kind of stuff but ever since I heard about it, its really sparked my curiousity.

[geekraver]

Full video is available on the BFI website (can't post the URL, YT won't allow it, but search on bfi dot org. dot uk for it) - unfortunately only if you're in the UK.

We were shown this at school when I was about 8 years old. It was grim then, and seeing this, I can't believe how shocking it still is, it's lost none of its impact in the intervening years.

They don't make 'em like this any more!

[neondiscogod]

Electrogeek, the film's basically the daydream of a young lad as he looks at a railway. He imagines what would happen if his school had a sports day on the line. Like most 70's PIFs, it's both confusingly surreal and nicely distressing. See "Apaches", "Building Sites Bite" and the "Play Safe" series for more great examples of this kind of horror...

[electrogeek77]

I don't get it - is this scene supposed to be some sort of analogy? Either way, it is pretty traumatic - even in my adult years.

[Applemask]

Entirely meaningless fact: the director, John Krish, also made what the Catholic Church reckons is the most watched film ever, "Jesus". Oh, and the kid who shrieks "Come back!" is called Brian Winter.

Unabashed surrealism in brutal public education. We could always use more of that.

[MisterTrimble]

I admit that I never saw this film at school, Neondiscogod, and from watching this opening clip, I can see why many children were traumatised by it. However, I'd like to see the remainder of the film, so please upload it here.