The Very Best Of British Steam Of Yesteryear (DVD)

This is another in the eminently professionally produced DVD programmes on steam train released through Green Umbrella.

With the Very Best of British Steam of Yesteryear, you are given a real feast for the eyes and also, for the memory, of course. Well, for those of us old enough to remember when steam trains regularly plied their business up and down the main lines of the United Kingdom.

The last regular steam runs ...
...slightly under a year before the first manned space flight to the moon, for those interested in transport trivia.

Without an unsung bunch of dedicated enthusiasts and professional and semi-professional film makers in the previous two decades, these wonderful steam trains would not be available to the general public. They would only exist as the personal memories of aging people (myself included!) who can recall travelling by steam ... more

This is another in the eminently professionally produced DVD programmes on steam train released through Green Umbrella.

With the Very Best of British Steam of Yesteryear, you are given a real feast for the eyes and also, for the memory, of course. Well, for those of us old enough to remember when steam trains regularly plied their business up and down the main lines of the United Kingdom.

The last regular steam runs in Britain came to a very sad halt in August 1968. That's slightly under a year before the first manned space flight to the moon, for those interested in transport trivia.

Without an unsung bunch of dedicated enthusiasts and professional and semi-professional film makers in the previous two decades, these wonderful steam trains would not be available to the general public. They would only exist as the personal memories of aging people (myself included!) who can recall travelling by steam train (and can also recall mum, with moistened handkerchief corner, fishing a smut from the smoke out of your eye!)

But, as a result of their sterling efforts, these steam trains were recorded for posterity, merely going about their everyday business of moving people and hauling goods.

There is a very good spread of railway sites and sights, from the Somerset and Dorset line to Scotland (the Waverley route) from Bournemouth to the South East of England, from the North East (when coal really was king!) the North West of England and the run from Worcester to Paddington. And the East Coast mainline, looking at Kings Cross and Knebworth stations. All are shown in loving detail. (As they say!)

As is only to be expected, the quality of some of the footage is variable, although there is a surprising amount of some rather nice (and it has to be said, fairly rare, too) colour footage intermixed with a bit of funky old black and white stock. Respect! To the people who made this whole DVD possible.

There's even some nifty double-headed action, too! (Stop me if I start going into to technical speak! Double-heading just means using two engines at the head of the train, common if a train was abnormally heavy and or was going up an exceptionally steep bank, or if there was very snowy weather on a moderately steep bank.) Actually, there's even one rare example of a triple-headed train with a fourth loco pushing, on the Folkstone line shown in this programme.

There is an annoying echoing quality to the voice over, as if the sound was not recorded in a studio. Just a minor niggle.

It is also interesting to note the backgrounds and some minor details. For example, even relatively small railway stations were manned (or womaned) and every station, great or small, had at least some kind of a garden that was lovingly and carefully tended by the station master and his staff.

Interesting to note steam locomotives operated by other organisations other than British Rail. For example, a steam-powered crane in a shipyard and a tank engine owned and operated by the National Coal Board.

It was sad to notice that British Rail had allowed the steam trains to deteriorate o badly in the last years before steam was phased out. Grubby, tired and at least one locomotive that was leaking steam from what looked like every joint. A sad end to years of loyal service.

Incidentally, some of the steam trains shown have been reviewed by me previously, as they are now stars of the preserved steam train locomotives.

There is a bonus section on this DVD, consisting of steam locomotives doing what comes natural to them. Steaming!

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