AArchive Films

Ref: AR101D

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On 29th.December 1962, the old Plymouth to Launceston train service ceased in very dramatic style during one of the worst snow blizzards to hit the West Country in years.

Amateur cinematographer, Reg Blackett was there with his 16mm cameras to record the journey. He also filmed many of the old stations on the active line, complete with their familiar engines, mainly Pannier & Praire tanks in the early 1960s. Nostalgic memories of the line that closed in 1962 also featuring archive & modern footage from Roger Underwood which includes Marsh Mills, Plym Bridge, Yelverton, Tavistock South, Lydford and Launceston. Featured also is the Launceston Steam Railway and some unique footage of the Plym Valley Railway with their No.3 engine in full steam.

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Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R


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Ref: AR098D

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When the LSWR/SR ran into Devon and Cornwall, mighty steam engines crossed the national park of Dartmoor. In later years, DMUs were prominent on the line just before its closure. Now, brought to the screen with the aid of archive cine footage taken from the 1940s to the 1960s, comes this latest production from the Aarchive team.

Featured are all the stations from Plymouth Friary, including St Budeaux, Tamerton Foliet, Bere Ferrers, Bere Alston, Tavistock North, Brentor, Bridestowe, Meldon, Okehampton, Crediton and other stations, as they used to look and as they are today.

Also featured is the last passenger service from Exeter to Okehampton in 1972. Many of the West Country class engines are also featured. To round off the SR images, 12 minutes of superb archive steam footage is included at Southampton Central station in the 1950s.

Engines such as Axminster, Brentor and Seaton, plus a whole host of activity at Weymouth and the South.

EXTRA: Aarchive Scrapbook No.1 - Southern Region steam at Southampton, Weymouth & The South.

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Filmed by/when: Mike Parriss, Bernard Mills, Norman Taylor
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

Running Time: 67-mins (1hr 7min)

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Ref: AR117D

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Bere Alston to Callington was one of those beautiful LSWR lines cutting through some of the most vivid terrain in Devon & Cornwall. This long awaited documentary features the journey with unique archive footage, rare photographs and modern day aerials to show the route of the trackbed. In 1966, the section from Callington to Gunnislake was cut short, and Luckett, Latchley & Chilsworthy as stations in

between, were axed as a result of cut backs. But thanks to

amateur cinematographers such as John Sandercock we are able to reconstruct those nostalgic days of steam and early diesels to tell the story. First we take a brief look at the history of the East Cornwall Mineral Railway & the building of Calstock Viaduct. Then we journey from Bere Aiston To Callington, linking each station from the air. Using more archive footage we undertake the return journey at ground level calling at all stations including those now closed. John Snell, a veteran of the line narrates some fine experiences and included is a montage of steam-powered units used on the line in those memorable days. The section “Now & Then” shows how things looked in the vintage days and how they look today. With interspersed shots of the beautiful Tamar valley, this documentary will invoke happy memories of those great days on a unique branch line.

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Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R


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Ref: AR119D

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On 30th September 1961, passenger travel from Plymouth Friary to Turnchapel ended with the Plymouth Railways Circle's final run along the branch in guards vans hauled by SR Class engine M7 No. 30034; public services ended 10 years earlier.

The journey was captured on 16mm film and preserved by TSW Archives of Plymouth and this video features that unique footage. It also shows in detail the journey from Friary, through Cattewater Junction, Plymstock Station, Oreston and Turnchapel. With the invaluble aid of author Anthony Kingdom and rare archive photographs, the story unfolds and is both compelling and historically an important document for all who remember the LSWR Branch.

Various people who remembered and worked the branch feature and the bombing of the military oil tanks beside Turnchapel station together with narration. The film also records a brief history and early morning activity on the former LSWR Cattewater Branch line with its 5 a.m. arrival of bitumen tanks to the Esso plant there. To tell this compelling story further, we also unearthed archive footage of Plymouth Trams in 1922, driven by electricity from the Prince Rock Power Station fed by coal imported by rail since the 19th century.

For true rail enthusiasts there is a section detailing more technical information including details of the power units used on the Turnchapel Branch over the years of its operation. A short section features the GWR Yealmpton Branch, which is the subject of a companion film. Finally, a montage of colour shots by Peter Gray will invoke memories of the Friary to Turnchapel Branch.

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Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

Running Time: 50-mins (0hr 50min)

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Ref: AR114D

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A comprehensive study of the Dartmoor Line from Yelverton to Princetown with archive footage & arial shots.

The film opens with a history of the line and progresses onto the journey with movie footage and photographs. The next part is all movie footage of the entire journey with experiences from retired guards and drivers. Then we hear the experiences of some who lived around the line at Burrator, followed by other recollections. A now and then section follows, showing how the line looks today and finally, unique and beautifully filmed aerial footage of the entire track bed filmed in 1998.

Finally, we are taken back to the days of the Southern Region line from Plymouth to Exeter and unique footage of the last train from Newton Abbot to Moretonhampstead, thus bringing to a fitting end, a pictorial history of how Dartmoor once enjoyed 'Rails Across the Moor.'

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Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

Running Time: 60-mins (1hr 0min)

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Ref: AR122D

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Captured in the 1960/70 period of the last century, this film portrays five of the narrow gauge railways of Wales, with archive footage of that time digitally re-mastered to video.

Victor Thompson begins our nostalgic journey with images of Festiniog, Talyllyn and Snowdon Mountain Railways, adding his unique style of narration as befitting his many years of service to the British Film Institute as a lecturer. He sees with 8mm cine camera what others fail to recognise and in almost poetic style of narration makes the trains almost human, betraying his intense love for some of the most beautiful railways in the Welsh Highlands.

We then move onto images captured by Norman Taylor, Roger Lilley and Walter Harris as we explore more of the Festiniog, Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, The Vale of Rheidol Light Railway, The Snowdon Mountain Railway and of course, the Talyllyn.

Roger Lilley narrates the rest of the documentary with research from the early days of each working line, giving historical information to show how and why these lines came into existence.

All footage is unique to the library of Aarchive Film Productions who wish, in particular, to pay tribute to Victor Thompson for his fine work in this field.

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Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

Running Time: 42-mins (0hr 42min)

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Ref: AR123D

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Part One: The Cambrian Coastline

Filmed in full 2.35:1 Cinemascope by Richard Green in the early 1970s, this film takes the viewer through some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales. Includes scenes from the cab of the DMU and Richard Green's original narration and sound. It covers the journey from Machynelleth to Pwllheli with superb scenes across the Barmouth Viaduct. Stations include Towyn, Llwyngwryl, Fairbourne, Barmouth, Dyffryn, Harlech, Penryhndeudraeth, Minfford, Portmadog, Criccieth, Afon Wen and Abereirch.

Part Two: The Central Wales Line

Filmed in normal format and transferred slightly cropped, Richard Green takes us from Llanelli to Shrewsbury in Shropshire. On this line were stations such as Llandillo, Llandovey, Llanwrtyd Wells, Builth Wells, Llandrindod Wells, Knighton and Craven Arms. Richard captures on film an exchange of DMU drivers from cab-to-cab on the way. Original narration and sound takes us on a journey into the past.

This film concludes with just a snippet of 'Steam Activity' around Barmouth in the 1960s as a taster of releases to come

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Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

Running Time: 30-mins (0hr 30min)

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