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The Train Makers
Movie

The Train Makers

1981 • Unknown

Woke Score
1.2
out of 10

Plot

The achievements of BREL - British Rail Engineering Limited - are celebrated in this promotional film looking at two of the company's 13 workshops, at Horwich in Lancashire and Crewe, in which locomotives and carriages are built for British Rail and companies overseas.

Overall Series Review

The Train Makers is a short, 1981 promotional film created by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL). The content is strictly industrial and technical, celebrating the manufacturing achievements of BREL's workshops in Horwich and Crewe and aiming to recruit graduate engineers. The narrative focuses entirely on the process of building locomotives and carriages and the skill of the British workforce. Because the film is a non-fiction corporate promotion, it contains virtually no social commentary, character-driven plot, or political messaging outside of promoting British industry and engineering as a viable career path. The film is completely devoid of the complex ideological narratives required for high scores in the woke categories, centering on mechanical merit and industry pride.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The film’s sole focus is on the industrial capabilities and engineering achievements of BREL and its workers. Merit is defined by technical skill and industrial output. Race, immutable characteristics, and intersectional hierarchy are not a part of the subject matter or the narrative structure.

Oikophobia1/10

The film is an explicit celebration and promotion of a core British industrial institution and its manufacturing accomplishments. It highlights the work done in British workshops for both domestic and international markets, which demonstrates gratitude and pride in a Western national industry.

Feminism2/10

The recruitment-focused segment follows a group of trainees, which includes one young woman, suggesting a push for gender diversity in a traditionally male field (engineering). However, the representation is limited to a technical career path, and the historical context of the language used to describe her is not in line with modern 'Girl Boss' or anti-natalist ideology.

LGBTQ+1/10

As a short 1981 corporate film about building trains and industrial processes, the subject of sexual ideology, queer theory, or deconstructing the nuclear family is entirely absent. The film focuses on the normative structure of the workplace.

Anti-Theism1/10

The film is a technical documentary about heavy industry and engineering workshops. It does not address religion, morality, or objective truth in any capacity, expressing no hostility or endorsement toward faith.