Description

All filmed on high quality 16mm cine-film between 1960 and 1963, Ivo Peters visits North Wales and the Isle of Man. The following lines are featured: The Vale of Rheidol Railway, The Talyllyn Railway, The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, The Ffestiniog Railway, The Bicton Woodland Railway, The Groudle Glen Railway and The Isle of Man Railway.

Full description from the producer:

In this volume, all filmed on 16mm high quality cine-film, Ivo Peters visits North Wales and the Isle of Man. The Vale of Rheidol was the first to be filmed, with No.9 sporting BR green livery.His 1961 and 1963 visits to the Tallyllyn Railway are seen next, with trains on the main line and locomotives being shunted at the then very basic Pendre Yard. The Welshpool & Llanfair follows with both “The Earl” and the “Countess”. A brief visit to Tan-y-Bwlch on the Ffestiniog then rounds off our first section. New railways were rare in the early 1960s so Ivo was attracted to the Bicton Woodland Railway in East Devon where he filmed a 1916 built Avonside tank. The major part of this volume recalls Ivo’s first visit to the Isle of Man in 1961. Here he filmed both the Groudle Glenn Railway and the Victorian charm of the main Isle of Man Railways, then still running (as they had done throughout the preceding 86 years) from Douglas to Port Erin, Peel and Ramsey. There are comprehensive views of the locomotive depot and station at Douglas together with film on each of the lines including the spectacular “race” out of St.Johns! Plus some fabulous views and memories of the now closed line along the west coast. This volume was first released in 1991. In 2021 it was totally remastered i.e. the pictorial material has now been prepared from the original 1″ master tape, transferred to digital betacam, remastered and then released on DVD. Some minor picture and sound editing has taken place to enhance yet another very popular volume in our series. More detailed contents are as follows : The Vale of Rheidol Railway – In the early 1960s the Vale of Rheidol was enjoying a resurgence under British Railways, and we see green-liveried 2-6-2T No.9 on shedat Aberystwyth and watering in the woods at the Aberffrwd loop. The Talyllyn Railway – The railway is shown both in 1961 and 1963, when it had already been in preservation for a ecade. Highlights include a visit to the museum at Towyn, crossing of trains at Brynglas, locomotives on shed at Pendre, a double-header and No.4 with a Giesl ejector. The Welshpool and Llanfair Railway – Featured for the first time in this series, the former Cambrian Railways’ narrow gauge line is seen in 1961 and 1962 with both “The Earl” and “The Countess” in action. The highlight is the very last run out of the town centre at Welshpool to Raven Square. The Ffestiniog Railway – A double Fairlie at Tan-y-Bwlch. The Bicton Woodland Railway – Moving away from Wales, Ivo Peters recorded an unusual event – a new railway in 1963! This line, in East Devon, boasted a 1916 Avonside 0-4-0 tank, originally built for the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. The railway is set in beautiful woodland scenery. The Groudle Glen Railway – This little railway introduces us to the Isle of Man.Uniquely for the island, it is of 2’0″ gauge, and, in 1961, its locomotive “Polar Bear” was not in the best of condition. The Isle of Man Railways – This feature forms the larger part of this volume in the year when Ivo “discovered” the principal steam railways of the Isle of Man. We start with views of locomotives on shed at Douglas, capital of the island and headquarters of the railway. Features which are now long’ gone, especially the signalling and platform canopies, are seen to advantage, and locomotives include Nos. 5 “Mona”, 11 “Maitland”, 12 “Hutchinson” 13 “Kissack”, 14 “Thornhill”, 15 “Caledonia” and 16 “Manuin”, all of which, with the exception of No. 15, were 2-4-0T, built by Beyer Peacock of Manchester. No.15 was unique – the only 0-6-0T on the island, built by Dubs of Glasgow. Trips up two of the Railway’s principal routes follow, firstly on the Port Erin line as far as Castletown, including long double-headed and banked trains. A crossing takes place at Castletown itself. The second route featured is that to Ramsey, alas now but a memory, so these shots form an important archive. “Caledonia” is seen outside Douglas shed, and then a double-header leaves the station. Union Mills was already closed, but at St.Johns are branch connections from Peel and there we view the celebrated “race” (featured on this jacket) – twice. We follow the scenic line to the north, with trains along the coastline, over viaducts and level crossings, before we end the day back at Douglas, with locomotives shunting empty stock and going on shed.

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