West & Wales

Heart of Wales (90-mins) (DVD)

Ref: VI970D

Swansea to Shrewsbury via Llandrindod Wells.

The normal four hour journey has been condensed into a video of just one and a half hours of the most interesting and scenic sections.

These include the departure from Swansea, the 1 in 52 climb up to Cockett tunnel and the reversal at Llanelli. Nowadays the route is signalled entirely from Pantyffynnon Box, and here we see the line's last remaining semaphores. Our single car class 153 unit then tackles the famous bank up to Sugar Loaf tunnel.

We de-train at both Llanwrtyd and Llandrindod Wells for a brief look at these typical spa towns. Finally, at Craven Arms, we join the former LNWR/GWR joint line from Hereford for the semaphore-signalled run into Shrewsbury.

Price: £15.00 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £12.50 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

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HST Great West (90-mins) (DVD)

Ref: VI962D

A Driver's Eye View from London to Exeter via Bristol following Isambard Kingdom Brunel's original GWR route from Paddington to Bristol via Bath. There is also an abridged trip down the old Bristol & Exeter Railway to St. Davids, a look at Broad Gauge track at Didcot & a look at Brunel's original train shed at Bristol Temple Meads.

Price: £15.00 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £12.50 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

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HST West/Far West Combined on DVD (180-mins) (DVD)

Ref: VI944D

HST West

We see virtually the whole of Brunel’s route from Exeter St David’s to Newton Abbot including the notorious seaside section at Dawlish. From there we head inland to Totnes, over the infamous banks at Dainton and Rattery, through Ivybridge on the very edge of Dartmoor and into Plymouth itself. We finish with a driver’s view of the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash.

Filmed in 1986 weeks before the semaphore signals were abolished for ever.

HST Far West

Filmed in 1990, our journey starts at the Royal Albert Bridge. The 75 miles from Saltash to Penzance contains the greatest number of viaducts per mile on any British Railway and such exaggerated curvature that there is only one dead straight mile of track throughout. Once again, virtually the whole route is shown including the many single line sections.

There are dozens of aerial views taken from a helicopter on both of the above productions. Features include the Atmospheric Railway pump house at Starcross, Dobwalls miniature railroad and the Bodmin Steam Railway.

DVD ONLY

Price: £20.00 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £16.67 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

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Ffestiniog & Conwy (90-mins) (DVD)

Ref: VI959D

Porthmadog - Blaenau Ffestiniog (Narrow gauge steam)

Blaenau Ffestiniog - Llandudno (Standard gauge DMU)

The 13 .5 mile narrow gauge line was originally built to carry slate and for many years was worked by gravity. We travel aboard one of the famous double Fairlie steam engines - "Merddin Emrys" for a ride that is typically rocky in places. The terrain changes from the wide open "Cob" at Porthmadog, to the fertile wooded valley in the vale of Ffestiniog and the Snowdonia national park, to the slate capital of Wales itself, Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Within the first mile of the former LNWR line, on board a class 101 DMU, we pass amongst the old mine and quarry workings and enter the 21.4 mile long Ffestiniog tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is the wild and remote Lledr valley. After Betws-y-coed the line levels out and we dash along the Conwy Valley to Llandudno Junction, on the Holyhead main line. Finally, we traverse the three mile long double track branch to Llandudno, in 1991 still block-worked with semaphore signals.

Price: £15.00 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £12.50 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

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Golden Valley Drivers Eye View (48 mins)

Ref: VI924D

Skirting the edge of the Cotswolds the line from Swindon to Gloucester runs through the valley of the River Frome – enchantingly known as the Golden Valley.

The viewing platform for our 36¾ mile journey is a 2-car class 143 Pacer operated by Wessex Trains. Some of the delights of any journey over this route are the classic GWR stations at Kemble and Stroud, little changed over time. As well as the usual shots of the driver at work, trackside runpasts and station sequences, there are aerial shots taken from a helicopter.

BONUS FOOTAGE : STEREO TRACKS

Originally a programme in its own right, 30 minutes of railway action chosen with the emphasis on their stereo soundtracks. Now included as a menu-driven bonus on this Driver's eye view.

Price: £15.00 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £12.50 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

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Cambrian Coast (80-mins) (DVD)

Ref: VI942D

There is no better way to appreciate the views along the coast than from the Driver's cab, in this case a Class 150 "Sprinter". Our train makes an unscheduled stop at Dovey Junction to pick up a couple of passengers deposited on this out of the way station with no road access. Out onto the coast we encounter the most notorious section on the whole line - the narrowest of ledges cut into the sheer rockface of the Friog cliffs and the site of two disasters.

Finally, there is the half-mile long timber trestle bridge at Barmouth, still standing in splendid isolation across the Mawddach estuary. Two other railways are featured en route, the Talyllyn narrow gauge railway at Tywyn and the Fairbourne and Barmouth Steam railway.

Price: £12.00 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £10.00 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

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Cornish Branches (91-mins) (DVD)

Ref: VI958D

No less than five branches are featured, in fact all the passenger lines and one freight. The scenery of the Looe branch with the interesting reversal and climb from Coombe Junction, the freight-only branch to Fowey, running alongside the picturesque river, the meandering Newquay branch, the Falmouth branch still with its original main line infrastructure and finally the classic coastal railway over golden sands to picture postcard St.Ives. All motive power is first generation DMUs on the passenger branches (single and two car) with a Class 37 loco on the Fowey branch.

Price: £15.00 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £12.50 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

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Down Fishguard (118-mins) (DVD)

Ref: VI997D

The direct line from Swindon, via Bristol Parkway, was built to reduce the journey time from South Wales in conjunction with the Severn Tunnel. For most of our journey in the cab of a First Great Western High Speed Train, we are travelling through Wales on the country's major main line - the South Wales. Engineered by I.K.Brunel, it was the last main line to be built to the 7ft broad gauge. One service a day continues to Fishguard in connection with the ferry to the Emerald Isle. The double line eventually gives way to a single track at Clarbeston Road. The 3/4 mile Fishguard branch is worked by electric token. The train calls at Bristol Parkway, Newport, Cardiff, Bridgend, Port Talbot, Neath, Swansea, and Whitland.

Price: £20.00 (Including VAT at 20%)
Price: £16.67 Excluding VAT (non-EU countries e.g.Australia)

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