Rail firms make film guide

Brief Encounter made a railway station clock famous

The lure of the silver screen is being used to get frustrated passengers back on to Britain's railways.

An online guide has been drawn up by rail firms mapping how to take a train to famous film locations.

Recent blockbusters such as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Oscar winner Gladiator feature on the Reel to Rail website.

It follows an earlier map of movie locations published by the British Tourist Authority which has been a hit with tourists and day trippers.

Chamber of secrets

"We want to show that using the rail network is a convenient way to reach even remote film locations in the UK," said Philip Benham, director of commercial services for the Association of Train Operating Companies.

Among the sites featured are Carnforth station in Lancashire, where scenes for Brief Encounter were shot.

Other stations include Oxford - close to where scenes for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone were filmed - and Epsom in Surrey, where part of the Bond film Goldeneye was filmed.

The website also has details of locations used in movies still in production.

These include Glenfinnan viaduct near Fort William in Scotland, which is being used in the forthcoming Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.