A Day With SELNEC (1972)

Richard Worswick attended a screening of this film at the Greater Manchester film night on Thursday 25th February 2010. The event itself was organised by the GMPTE and the North West Film Archive to mark the 40th year of the PTE, and the opening of the newly expanded People's History Museum, and was quite a corporate affair with a few speeches and food and drink. Many top officials from the GMPTE and local councillors were present, along with some Northern Rail directors - and a few seats for members of the public.
The film print was in nice clean condition with no apparent colour fading. It was a real memory jerker for those who knew the transport scene around Manchester 40 years ago. There were some interesting shots in the computer room where, amongst other things, the scheduling was done. The computer was the size of a room, and all the staff walked around in white coats.
The copyright holder is GMPTE, and a print of the film is held at the North West Film Archive in Manchester - their synopsis is as follows:


"A film about the work of SELNEC (South East Lancashire and North East Cheshire Passenger Transport Authority), and its provision of bus and rail services in the area. Shots include buses in suburban streets, views of Salford, Brooklands train station, and people boarding trains and buses. Training scenes include bus drivers in a classroom, a bus undergoing tests on a skid pan, and a driver training session on the road. There are numerous scenes in and around Piccadilly bus station, and Piccadilly Gardens, plus shots of the airport and scenes shot at night. There are also views of Piccadilly train station and footage taken of, and from, trains in that area."