ECML in the Protectors

[MP33]

This morning there was an episode of the Protectors that I caught the last half of. Robert Vaughan was on a train from Edinburgh being stalked by a hit man. The train when stopping at Newcastle was a Deltic. It continued its journey as a Class 31. It stopped at Retford long enough for the hit man to get off and give himself an alibi and to collect his pay off from a left luggage locker.

The hit man told Robert Vaughan he would shoot him and jump off when the train passed through engineering works near London at 10 MPH. Being Sunday there would be no one working to spot him!

In the end they both jumped off and had a confrontation in the Quarry reserved for TV dramas, no where near London.

 

[Jan Mayen]

I watched that episode.

At Retford, he appears to walk into a left luggage office and collects the message/payoff from what appears to be a publicly accessible message rack. Rail staff are not apparent.

Did such message racks exist? Or us this a fictional plot device? Anyone know?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

This was a 1973 episode entitled "Shadbolt". The assassin is played by Tom Bell.

Episode briefly features Hadley Wood South tunnels on the ECML (just South of Potters Bar) and the quarry (now backfilled apparently) is/was the Swanland Road quarry just off the A1(M) in North Mymms in Hertfordshire which is some 20 or so miles out of London.