They Take The High Road 1959

Set in Scotland, this film tells the story of four British Road Services drivers who lived and worked together for two years, loading and transporting 20,000 tons of cement in seven-and-a-half-ton loads up craggy mountain roads from the little railway station at Killin to the new Giorra Dam. The job relies on hard, conscientious work, team spirit and the support of BRS’s nationwide organisation.

The idea of living with one’s colleagues for two years in a coach at the local railway station is unheard of in the modern commuting world, and the feats achieved in this film make spectacular viewing, with tiny lorries hauling sacks of cement weighing several tons up fantastic Scottish mountain tracks. Many of the haulage scenes are ‘edge of seat’ viewing, as the sheer drop over the side of the road implies potential disaster. Shot in Technicolor, They Take the High Road is one of the few films made by BTF for British Road Services while under the guise of the British Transport Commission.