J & K VIDEO

Austria - A Tram Enthusiast's Paradise (120-mins) ()

Ref: JK107D

This DVD covers the present tramway scene in Austria, together with historical sound film dating back as far as 1974, when many 2-axle trams with trailers operated on each of the systems. Today, Austria has five urban tramways, and a number of electric 'Light Railways', some of which are operated by trams.

The capital, Vienna, has the largest tramway system in Western Europe, with around 950 trams operating on 32 routes, as well as the Stadtbahn, U-Bahn, and Wiener Lokalbahn interurban to Baden. A visit to the Vienna Tram Museum is included, and we take a ride on one of the many tram sets in its collection.

The country's smallest tramway is at Gmunden, and connects the lakeside resort with the OBB railway station at the top of a steep hill. From here, brief visits are made to the 'Stern & Hafferl' lines in upper Austria, including Gmunden-Vorchdorf, Vorchdorf-Lambach, Lambach-Haag, and the Attersee line.

Linz has three urban routes on the unusual 900mm gauge, plus the steeply graded 'Postlingbergbahn' mountain tramway. A visit is also made to the 'Saint Florian' museum line.

Next we take a run on the 'Salzburger Lokalbahn', including a ride on a restored set dating from the early part of the 20th century.

The scenic town of Innsbruck has both urban and interurban lines to offer, and this DVD includes the parade of historic cars for the centenary in 1991. Using archive soundfilm, we see the last days of 'AC' operation on the 'Stubaitalbahn', with the distinctive sounds echoing around the mountains.

Finally we visit the busy six-route system in Graz, including some scenes of its excellent tramway museum.

Price: £18.40 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £15.33 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

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Mediterranean Trilogy: Athens, Instanbul, Soller (Majorca) (60-mins) (DVD-R)

Ref: JK109D

Athens goes Underground. In this programme, we will be seeing how the city's electric transport system has changed since 1984. We start with the 'Athens-Piraeus Railway', when much of the original wooden-bodied stock, dating from 1904, was still in service. For years, Athens has suffered severe traffic congestion and air pollution. To cater for the 2004 Olympics, two new Metro lines were built, with European funding, and we see these in operation, together with modern stock on the Piraeus line. In addition we see how the trolleybus fleet is bing renewed.

Istanbul's Heritage Tramway. This section captures the unique atmosphere of this city that links Europe with Asia. A heritage tourist tramway was opened in 1990, using original metre-gauge trams that had been in storage since 1966, when the former tramways closed. This line provides a useful link between 'Taksim Square' and the 'Tunel Funicular', along the pedestrianised 'Istiklal Caddesi' shopping street. We ride the Tunnel Funicular to see the modern tramway on the other side of the 'Golden Horn', across the 'Galata Bridge', and also see the busy ferries plying the 'Bosphorus'.

The Soller Railway and Tramway. On the attractive holiday island of Majorca, the 'Soller Electric Railway' connects Palma with the mountain town of Soller. The railway still operates with the original wooden-bodied motor cars, dating from electrification in 1929. At Soller, the train connects with the delightful tramway that makes the scenic journey to 'Puerto Soller'. This still uses original motor-trams dating from 1913, pulling 'Toastrack' trailers dating from 1895.

Price: £18.40 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £15.33 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

Quantity: