Full steam ahead

There has always been something rather glamorous about stations and trains. Those platforms and footplates offer a world of possibilities – or perhaps the chance of escape.

“This is my whole world, and it’s enough, or rather, it was until a few weeks ago,” says Laura Jesson in Brief Encounter. A poignant evocation of doomed romance amid the steam and the station café, David Lean’s 1945 classic film is still the epitome of restrained, quintessentially British glamour.

And when fashion house Ted Baker decided to recreate the spirit of the film for its autumn/winter fashion shoot, it chose the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for the backdrop. The Ted Baker crew spent five days on the railway earlier this year, filming with the 75029 Green Knight engine at Pickering station, and on the Pullman dining carriage, before heading up to Levisham, even dressing a disused carriage to recreate one scene. The final day was spent at Grosmont, shooting at the station and alongside some pre-war teak carriages.

Craig Smith, brand communication director for Ted Baker, said: “When we arrived at the platform of Pickering station, billows of smoke were encircling the classic Pullman steam train, instantly transporting us back to a bygone era and providing the perfect backdrop”.

Danielle Ramsay, marketing manager of the NYMR, added: “A lot of hard work and organising went on behind the scenes away from the glamour of the glossy images and fabulous clothing, with all members of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s family staff and volunteers involved. One of our drivers, Charlie Wood, actually made it into the final cut and is featured in the Ted Baker Look Book.”

Ted Baker, which started life in 1988 as a Glasgow-based shirt specialist, stands out on the High Street for its quirky, high quality take on fashion. Now a global brand, it offers a range of collections across men’s and womenswear.

Twitter: @yorkshirefashQ

All clothes available at Ted Baker stores in the Victoria Quarter, Leeds, and Meadowhall, and within House of Fraser in Leeds, Huddersfield and Meadowhall.