AArchive Films

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Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

What a treat for all steam railway enthusiasts. A beautifully photographed video, entirely devoted to the legendary R H & D Railway. The smallest public service in the world, designed by Henry Greenly in 1926. It has become not only a firm favourite with all devotees of steam but a source of great enjoyment to many holidaymakers visiting the Kent coast.

Can you imagine a more magnificent sight than the 15 gauge engines steaming along the Kent coast across Romney Marsh to Dymchurch with a top speed of 25 miles per hour and able to carry 200 passengers. The railway enjoyed a Royal visit by the Queen in 1957 and among other famous visitors were Laurel and Hardy in 1947. A truly wonderful film, which will surely become a collectors item in the future.

150th Anniversary of Steam

The Anniversary of Steam traces the history of the Stockton - Darlington Steam Railway, and at it's anniversary, hundres of engines gathered on site to show that steam engines are not dead. A replica of George Stephenson's invention was actually run along the track. All types of steam locomotives are featured throughout the film, which will delight enthusiasts of the not forgotten steam train.

Also featured, the classic film - London to Brighton at 500 m.p.h.

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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

Running Time: 58-mins (0h 58min)

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The two main journeys, Exeter to Barnstaple (1978) and Ilfracombe to Braunton (1970), were produced after a meeting with six steam 'veterans', drivers all, who poured out memories and anecdotes. An overall cabside run from Exeter used three films with frantic re-loadings. All was done again from the passengers point of view. Then again for the trackside shots.

A year after, the drivers gave it their approval as did the rail clubs from Taunton & Yeovil, Exeter to Plymouth & Launceston, plus a hundred more from the W.I.s to schools. Archive film from 1898 and vintage steam clips tell the story with stills of the 'silence' that fell on the Ilfracombe branch, providing an ending which no buff will resist without a tissue.

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Filmed by/when: Victor Thompson and Norman Taylor
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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

Running Time: 57-mins (0h 57min)

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In 1963 the branch line from Brent to Kingsbridge closed after a hard fight by locals to keep it open as a preserved line. It has taken over 18 months to find archive movie footage of one of the West Country's most beautiful railway lines. Known for many years as the Primrose Line, the branch from Brent to Kingsbridge in Devon followed the river Avon through countryside that can only be described as luscious in greenery and even in winter, still a beautiful sight.

The publishers have put together unique vintage movie footage of the days when the line ran through South Hams. The film also takes you on location to the five stations as they look with interviews at the homes of Bob Gale at Avonwick and Sheila Bolan from Loddiswell telling the uplifting stories of the restoration of these buildings to their former glory. With additional archive photographs and slides, we take you on a memorable journey through time.

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Screen aspect ratio: 4:3 SD
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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

Running Time: 58-mins (0hr 58min) , Colour and Black & White
.

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This film chronicles a history of the CVLR and explains breifly the philosophy of Arthur Cadlink Pain, an exponant of light railways. With aerial footage over the Culm Valley following the old track bed to each station site and recreate sights of how things used to be. The journey is then made over ground using archive 8mm film. After looking at some technical information about the locos used on the line, we view a now and then section showing how things have changed over the years. Finally, we take a brief look at the Tiverton Branch.

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The GWR opened a branch from Millbay to Yealmpton in January 1898. Originally planned to terminate at Modbury, the line served the villages of Plymstock, Billacombe, Elburton and Brixton. It stopped at Steer Point where ferries would take passengers across the river to the villages of Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers.

The film uses photographs and aerial photography together with simulated movie footage to plot the journey through some of the most beautiful countryside in the South Hams. The railway is rich in historical experiences and this film will invoke memories of the old line in those who remember it and educate those who don't.

Based on the book by Plymouth author, Anthony Kingdom, this unique documentary has arisen due to the extended nature of its companion film 'The Plymouth to Turnchapel and Cattewater Railways' originally intended tobe 30 minutes long, but ended up as a 50 minute film. Therefore, a seperate account of the Yealmpton branch has been documented.

94 year old Myrtle Hockaday tells us about the days when she caught the Kitley Belle ferry from Noss Mayo to connect with the train and a section giving brief information about the power units used on the line will add interest for the railway buffs. A short section showing the LSWR Branch from Friary Station to Turnchapel is also included.

This film signals a first, in that it includes narration from Plymouth author Anthony Kingdom, on whose book the film is based.

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Quality images of the British Railway steam powered units in 1966 around Newcastle, Wakefield, Bedlington, Ryhope and Hartlepool. Featuring goods activity hauled by the giants of steam used on the Northern Eastern region, including 42073, 44946, 44915, 62012, 90348, 65811, 65861, 43012, 48382, 48137, 92079, 63458, 90203 and others.

Includes snippets of saddle tanks in the Yorkshire coastlines and superb aerial footage of Newcastle station in its heyday.

As far as we know, this footage has never been seen on video and is a feast of activity for all steam enthusiasts.

The film begins with a short narration and the images are then supported by carefully selected classical music.

WR NOTE - As with most steam archive film from this era, there is no original soundtrack. This DVD has only had a commentary and classical music added to the soundtrack.

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Screen aspect ratio: 4:3 SD
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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

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

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Spring visits the South West Devon Railway and West Somerset line in 1996, where there were celebrations marking the anniversary of the closure of the Somerset and Dorset Railway 30 years earlier.

Two Southern Railway engines, Swanage and Boscastle in all their restored glory. Standard 5, 73052 is also featured when Stan and friends hired the entire train for the day in March 13th 1996. A chilly journey in the Settle to Garsile line follows, headed by the ex-LMS Princess Royal Class 46203, Princess Margaret Rose, through the Cumbrian heights to Garsdale, shrouded in snow. Then to the Severn Valley, where Stan captured the events of the World War II weekend, complete with 'boogie' dancing at the station.

Then to Dart Valley and finally a superb collection of images and 'Giants of Steam' on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in autumn.

Simply steam, steam and more steam, beautifully filmed in Stan Harvey's unique style.

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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

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

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In Volume 2, Stan Harvey visits the Isle of Wight, where the famous preserved Southern Region Steam Railway offered unique settings in the spring sunshine. Then off to the West Somerset Railway to capture images of a special freight charter with Standard 4, 75069.

Steam once again returned to Banstaple on 1st May 1994, when two Standard 4 tanks hauled a train from Exeter to Barnstaple and back. Then to Kingswear in Devon to witness an excursion leaving for Paignton along the Dart Estuary.

Llangollen in May 1994 provided a beautiful setting in the early summer with engines of all shapes and sizes culminating in Pannier Tank 7754 watering up for a journey into the Welsh Countryside. The Severn Valley Railway held its Autumn Gala on 24th & 25th September where Stan captured images of a galaxy of giants of steam around Bewdley and Arley.

Finally the North Yorkshire Railway provide a back drop for unique sequences of some of the UK's mightiest restored engines. Engines featured include The Flying Scotsman, Taw Valley (Golden Arrow) King Edward 1, Bradley Manor, Union of South Africa, plus many,many more.

Simply steam, steam and more steam, beautifully filmed in Stan Harvey's unique style.

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

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Between 1995 and 1997, Stan Harvey visited the Severn Valley Railway and filmed many hours of activiy on video for his personal library. The action shots have now been edited into th 3rd album in the series 'Portraits of Steam.'

The line today extends from Kidderminster to Brignorth with stations at Bewdley, Ardley, Highley and Hampton Loade. The film begins with archive footage filmed around 1973 at Brignorth, with a narrated history of the line.

From then on the camera work of Stan Harvey takes over with super shots of the many preserved engines in action. Also included are sequences of shunting in the old fashion way, plus some of the most preserved engines in the UK.

There is no story line and very little narration and music - the film simply sets out to portray steam activity for all who love the old railways.

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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

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

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Branch Line Supreme

The Dart Valley Railway from Buckfastleigh to Totnes, a trip on the old GWR line, now restored.

Plymouth to Bristol

Easter Sunday, 1985, and a double-headed steam run takes place to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the GWR.

The Holiday Line

The beautiful and picturesque Riviera line from Paignton to Kingswear.

Nostalgia in Miniature

Working miniature rail systems in the West Country, at Lappa Valley, Forest Railway, Percorama, Gorse Blossom and more.

Cornish Freight Lines

Cornwall had at one time a complete web of freight line. This documentary takes a look at them

Also featuring the double-headed steam run in February 1996 to Plymouth of Bradley Manor and Nunny Castle.

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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

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

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In 1993, The Flying Scotsman, probably the most famous steam engine in the world visited the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway. Best selling cameraman, Roger Underwood, captured the arrival and much of the journey to and from Paignton to Kingswear.

During the Scotsman's visit, the P&DSR held a steam gala day and unique images of the various traction engines greeting the Scotsman are included in this professional production.

Also included is a seven minute sequence at the end of the film of archive cine footage of the Scotsman in its earlier days.

This documentary is a testimony to the excellent camera-work of ex-TSW cameraman, Roger Underwood, who team up with best selling Plymouth film producer, Roger Lilley, to bring this footage to enthusiasts everywhere.

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Filmed by/when: Norman Taylor
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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

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

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'From The Cab' is a series of films that enables the viewer to see the railway journey from the driver's point of view. Plymouth to Gunnislake on the Tamar Valley line is an excellent place to start.

Filmed on a sunny August day in 2000, the 11.30 Wales & West commuter service hosted our camera crew for the 43 minute journey through some of the most superb scenery in the West Country. We pass through Devonport Dockyard, Keyham, St Budeaux (Victoria Road), over Tavy Viaduct into Bere Ferrers, onto Bere Alston for the change, across the Calstock Viaduct into Calstock Station and finally through to Gunnislake. The entire journey is filmed and edited digitally to obtain maximum quality.

To introduce the viewer to the line, there is a four minute history section at the start, which features snippets of archive film footage of the Bere Alston to Callington Railway.

In order to maintain authenticity the journey down to Gunnislake contains only original sounds and titles to show you where you are. Then, we return to Plymouth at 150 m.p.h. with speeded up visual effects - what takes you 43 minutes on the down run will take you only five minutes to return from a journey that you will want to see over and over again.

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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R


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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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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
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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

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

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

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

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

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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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Number of discs: 1 DVD-R

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

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