The historical dates are correct, but do often not coincide with the vegetation. For example, on August 8th there are no leaves on the trees.
After Bruce has discussed the plan using the blackboard, he rubs away some of the map. When the camera switches, the rubbed out drawing is visible again.
During the planning scene, Bruce Reynolds stands in front of a blackboard with map of train tracks and initials. Near the end of the scene, he begins to erase the board. There is a cut to several shots of the gang. When the camera returns to Reynolds, the map returns and he begins to erase again.
As the robbers nervously await the train, the view from the train cab shows them traveling along a single track railway. Seconds later, as the train passes the amber signal, they are on a dual track railway.
When Bruce Reynolds and Roger Cordrey walk towards the signal gantry, they are facing the two signals showing red light. However when talking about moving the train forward after uncoupling the HVP car, they point backwards.
The train shown is robbed on a two track section of railway. But in fact it took place on a four track section.
In several scenes there is heavy snow on the ground and heavy snow falling, but the robbery took place in summer. July 1963 was unusually warm and the few days before and after the robbery on 8th August were unusually wet.
When they are attempting to drive a locomotive and they are in the engine shed. They pass by a class 08 shunter that has the British Rail 'arrows of indecision; logo (two way arrows) which weren't introduced until 1965 (2 years after the train robbery).
In several shots of the train, including while the robbers are unloading the sacks of money, the mail car's registration number can clearly be seen as "E 70294 E", because the crime was so well publicized in 1963, many surviving newspaper photographs clearly shown the correct registration number "M 30204 M".
The loco used on the real life train was a Class 40, an English Electric type 4 as it would have been known in 1963. The loco used in the film however was a Class 37 (English Electric type 3). They do share many external features but the 37 is shorter in length.
When Bruce and Gordon 'steal' a train in order to practise, Gordon points out the brake and the dead [man's] handle before starting and moving off. When they both panic and jump from the train, it continues into the distance.
However, a dead man's handle is designed precisely for this eventuality, that is, if the driver becomes incapacitated or takes his hand off the control for any other reason. Either way, with no driver holding the handle down, the brakes would have been applied immediately and the train would have come to a stop.
However, a dead man's handle is designed precisely for this eventuality, that is, if the driver becomes incapacitated or takes his hand off the control for any other reason. Either way, with no driver holding the handle down, the brakes would have been applied immediately and the train would have come to a stop.
In the first episode, when some of the gang are being introduced to Brian Field the solicitor's clerk in Lincoln's Inn, a red bus is seen driving by. The bus is a number 53 and the sign on the side shows it stops at Oxford Circus, Charing Cross, Elephant and Castle, New Cross and Woolwich. In the second episode when DCS Tommy Butler meets his wife, she is shown working on a bus with the same number and route, plus the destination on the back is shown as Piccadilly.
While the 53 bus did go from Plumstead to Camden Town via these stops in 1963, firstly, Piccadilly is a stop between Charing Cross and Oxford Circus and it would not have terminated there (it should say Camden Town) and secondly it would have gone nowhere near Lincoln's Inn.
Additionally, the probability that the main detective's wife is working on the bus that passes the criminals planning the job is very low. What is more likely is that the production just used the same bus (admittedly with a different advertisement on the side).
While the 53 bus did go from Plumstead to Camden Town via these stops in 1963, firstly, Piccadilly is a stop between Charing Cross and Oxford Circus and it would not have terminated there (it should say Camden Town) and secondly it would have gone nowhere near Lincoln's Inn.
Additionally, the probability that the main detective's wife is working on the bus that passes the criminals planning the job is very low. What is more likely is that the production just used the same bus (admittedly with a different advertisement on the side).
The diesel loco used carries a high intensity headlight in the middle of its nose. These were not fitted until the 1980s, though we never see it switched on in the night scenes.
The vehicles used by the robbers are two Landrovers and a Bedford RL lorry. One of the Landrovers is correct, a Series 2 with the headlamps either side of the radiator grill. The other is a Series 3 with the headlamps wider apart on the wings. This Series 3 was not manufactured until 1971.
At one point the radio news is heard, preceded by the Greenwich Time Signal ("pips"). The extended final pip, heard on the movie, was not introduced until 1972.
Towards the end of the first film, when Bruce Reynolds is washing in his flat, the Greenwich Time Signal pips are heard on the wireless prior to a news feature about the robbery. The final pip of the six is the extended 'beep', which was not introduced until 1972. Prior to that, all six pips were the same length.
The train is shown on the right hand track in the direction of travel. British train run on the left hand track in the direction of travel.
The sounding horn that is supposed to be from the diesel locomotive of the British Rail Class 40 is clearly not a Class 40 but rather an American type of horn. Also the engine sound from the locomotive they steal at first is not from an English Electric Engine.
As the mail train is travelling towards the scene of the robbery, occasional shots show it travelling along single-track line. The West Coast Main Line has at least two tracks along all its length.
Two of the gang to go what is captioned as 'Euston trainyard' - to practice driving a diesel loco. Firstly the term 'trainyard' was and is not one in common British usage and certainly not the formal or informal title the caption implies of an engine shed (steam era) or motive power depot (diesel/electric era). Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Euston did not have any such facility in 1963, the nearest engine shed was/is at Willesden.
When Reynolds and the signaling guy are scouting the site of the hold up we see large hills in the background. The landscape in the Beds/Bucks area where the robbery took place is nothing like this at all! It's pretty flat in fact. Also the stone construction of the bridge and the dry stone wall the gang hide behind are quite wrong for the area. The real bridge is brick built and one would expect to find hedge rows in that area, not dry stone walls.
Two of the gang go to what is captioned as 'Euston trainyard' to practice driving a diesel loco. Firstly, the term 'trainyard' was and is not one in common British usage and certainly not the formal or informal title the caption implies of an engine shed (steam era) or motive power depot (diesel/electric era). Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Euston did not have any such facility in 1963, the nearest engine shed was/is at Willesden.
When Reynolds is scouting the site of the hold-up we see large hills in the background. The landscape in the Beds/Bucks area is mostly flat, in fact. Also, the stone construction of the bridge and the dry-stone wall the gang hide behind are wrong for the area. The real bridge is brick built and one would expect to find hedgerows in that area, not dry-stone walls.