Archive Series

Ref: LP541D

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Thie first in a series of four programmes taking a nostalgic look at the BR traction scene during the 1980s. This DVD features the five classes of English Electric-built main line locomotives that were in regular use with British Rail during the 1980s - 20, 37, 40, 50 and 55. And it’s not just the traction that provides the nostalgia here - so does the rolling stock and surrounding railway infrastructure. There’s not a single strand of palisade fencing in sight! The material in this programme is previously unreleased on DVD and David Maxey provides the narration for this fascinating trip down memory lane. Here’s a brief taster of what you can expect to see…

CLASS 20 - forty-four locos including 20172 & 20173 hauling the Tunstead-Northwich ICI hoppers, 20137 & 20195 on Boulby potash, 20028 & 20174 on Redmire limestone, 20066 & 20148 on the Prestwick aviation fuel tanks, 20096 shunting at Barnetby, 20901 & 20904 weedkilling on the Ludgershall branch and 20054 & 20183 heading to Skegness.

CLASS 37 - twenty-five locos including 37025 & 37065 on an East Coast MGR, 37196 with Cornish china clay ‘hoods’, 37697 on the Exmouth Junction coal, 37027 & 37040 on Peak Forest limestone, 37057 & 37075 on a Felixstowe Freightliner, 37418 & 37420 on Scottish passenger turns, 37407 hauling the Fort William Alcan tanks and 37026 & 37099 & 37145 triple-heading the Hunterston-Ravenscraig iron ore.

CLASS 40 - eighteen different ‘Whistlers’ at work including 40013 working the Amlwch tanks, 40028 with empty vans for Redbank, 40044 on the Hope Street aggregates, 40085 on a MoD trip from Moreton on Lugg, 40160 substituting for a DMU, 40004 setting off from Lowestoft, 97405 during the Crewe remodelling and D200 at Norwich on its final run.

CLASS 50 - over half the Class are seen in action, including 50011 on a Devon Speedlink, 50034 with a rake of vacuum-braked mineral wagons, 50149 on china clay CDAs, 50039 on newspapers, 50005 & 50008 on the ‘Torbay Express’, 50025 leaving Waterloo and 50047 on a West Country ‘stopper’.

CLASS 55 - nineteen different Deltics are featured at work on ECML passengers services between King’s Cross, Newcastle and Leeds. Includes Deltic diversionary routes via Cambridge, the Hertford Loop and the GN/GE Joint Line via Lincoln.

All this archive footage comes complete with the original soundtrack. What’s not to like?

Availability: AVAILABLE

Cover photo: Paul Furtek, David Hird and Len Walton.
Narrated by: David Maxey
First published on DVD: 2022
Screen aspect ratio: 4:3 SD
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R
Media Format: DVD-R

Running Time: 100-mins (1hr 40min) , Colour
.

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Ref: LP376D

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Today's rail freight scene is very different from that of 25 years ago. Block trains are the mainstay of the current scene - a far cry from the vast amount of waggon load traffic carried by Speedlink and, more recently, Enterprise services.

But it's not only the traffic that has changed - so has the traction. This - the first of two volumes - looks back on happier times at freight trains that no longer run and features many branch lines and terminals that no longer exist. Here we cover Scotland, Wales, Northern England, Yorkshire and Humberside.

Among the many nostalgic items featured are: Hunterston to Ravenscraig iron ore, Chivas Regal whiisky, Larbert to Oakleigh ICI tanks, Clitheroe to Gunnie cement, Scottish coal from Knockshinnoch and Westerfield, Dundee and Inverness Speedlinks, grain to Roseisle on the Burghhead branch, coal to Georgemas Junction, Oban fuel tanks, Taynuilt timber, Welsh coal from Pontycymer, Marine and Point of Ayr, Trawsfynydd flasks, Maentwrog Road explosives, Holyhead Freightliners, surplus coal being removed from Padiham power station, Ellesmire Port to Amlwch chemicals, Burry Port to Coedbach coal, Stanlow to Aberystwyth fuel tanks, domestic coal to Preston Deepdale and Llandudno Junction, Ebbw Vale steel, Ripple Lane to Kilnhurst tanks, Eastgate cement, Redmire limestone, salt from Middlewich, coal trains leaving Wearmouth, Westloe and Easington Ccollieries, Corkicle ICI chemical tanks, Freightliner's Lynemouth to Pengam aluminium ingots, North-East coal trains arriving at Blyth Staithes and Bates export terminal, coal from Bickershaw colliery and the Selby Drift Mine, coal traffic on the Sunderland South Dock branch, Grimsby Tioxide to Roxby gypsum waste, Broughtom Moor MoD... and many more...

Also featured are the last rites at Ashington colliery along with Blyth Cambois and Sunderland South Dock stabling points, plus some fascinating views of some of the closed branch lines and freight terminals as they were in 2010.

Locomotive classes featured are diesel classes 03, 08, 20, 25, 26, 31, 37, 45, 47, 56, 59, 60 and electric classes 85, 86 and 87.

The material in this programme was filmed during the 1980s and 1990s and covers the latter years of British Rail from Speedlink, Railfreight Distribution and Trainload Freight to the subsequent shadow franchises and into the early years of privatisation with EWS. It was a period when freight trains offered a constant variety in terms of commodities, traction and wagons. Sadly most of it is now history.

Availability: AVAILABLE

Cover photo: Paul Furtek
Narrated by: David Maxey
First published on DVD: 2010
Screen aspect ratio: 4:3 SD
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R
Media Format: DVD-R

Running Time: 100-mins (1hr 40min) , Colour
.

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Ref: LP373D

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Gone are the days when vast amounts of wagonload traffic were carried by Speedlink and, more recently, EWS Enterprise services. Also gone are the days when there was a vast array of locomotive classes to haul countless freight services, many of which have long ceased running. This second (and final) programme looks back on happier times at freight trains that no longer run and features many branch lines and terminals that no longer exist. Here we cover Central and Southern England, London, East Anglia, the South East and the South West.

Among the many long-lost traffic flows from the 1980s and 1990s that feature in this nostalgia-packed volume are: Bardon Hill bitumen; Oakamoor sand; Caldon Low limestone; Lackenby-Corby BSC coils; Tunstead-Margam limestone; Langley Green chemicals; Long Eaton tanks; Swindon-Longbridge Rover parts; Willington power station coal; Etruria steel; Fletton flyash; coal traffic on the Silverhill, Silverdale, Denby & Bentinck colliery branches; Wisbech pet food and tin plate; Kings Lynn-Ketton coal; East Anglian Speedlinks; Fen Drayton sand; Brandon timber; coal for Claydon cement works; GATX West Thurrock oil terminal; Park Royal Guinness traffic; Marylebone fuel tanks; Akeman Street UKF fertiliser; coal to Chinnor cement works; Little Barford flyash; Immingham-Ripple Lane newsprint; Salfords sand; tank traffic to Micheldever, Littlemore, Slough Estates & Langley; Speedlink coal services to Chessington South, Aylesbury, West Drayton and Exmouth Junction; domestic heating oil trains to High Brooms, Staines West, Portfield and Horsham; coal to Falmouth Docks coal; Moorswater china clay; Burngullow-Irvine china clay; Heathfield tanks; Northfleet cement; Chatham Docks waste; Kent coal traffic; Northfleet gypsum and cement; the Dover Train Ferry and the ‘Linkspan’ operation; Newhaven aggregates; Paddock Wood goods; Furzebrook-Hallen Marsh LPG; Hamworthy cement; Lavant-Chichester aggregates; Quidhampton tanks; Frome bitumen; Exeter-Dollands Moor china clay and automotive traffic to Southampton Western Docks.

We also feature the domestic heating oil and Speedlink coal services that once served the southern half of Britain and include some fascinating views of some of the closed lines and freight terminals as they were in 2010.

Locomotive classes seen are diesel claases 08/20/25/31/33/37/47/45/50/56/58/60 and electro-diesel class 73.

Availability: AVAILABLE

Cover photo: Paul Furtek, David Hird and Len Walton.
Narrated by: David Maxey
First published on DVD: 2011
Screen aspect ratio: 4:3 SD
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R
Media Format: DVD-R

Running Time: 110-mins (1hr 50min) , Colour
.

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Ref: LP542D

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The second in a series of four nostalgia-packed programmes features six Sulzer-engined loco classes – 25, 26, 27, 33, 45 and 47 – at work on a variety of passenger and freight turns in the 1980s when all six were in gradual decline. The 25s, 27s and 45s were all withdrawn in the latter half of the decade, but inroads were also made into the fleet of Scottish 26s and the Southern Region 33s. On the plus side, the ‘Cromptons’ extended their sphere of operation in the mid-‘80s with passenger work to destinations such as Cardiff, Crewe and Manchester. As for Class 47, more than 400 were still in traffic at the end of the decade and had started to carry a variety of colourful liveries. Alongside the traction, the rolling stock and railway infrastructure provide an extra layer of nostalgia. And as an added bonus, the filming locations are spread far and wide across all five BR Regions. And there’s not a single strand of palisade fencing anywhere in sight! The material in this programme is previously unreleased on DVD and the footage retains its original soundtrack. David Maxey provides the narration for this fascinating trip down memory lane. Here’s a brief summary of what’s on this volume.

Twenty-five CLASS 25s on a variety of passenger and freight workings including the Oakamoor sand, Tunstead-Northwich limestone, Blue Circle cement, Birkenhead grain, Halewood cars, and the ‘Mersey Ratcatcher’ farewell railtour.

Twenty-two different CLASS 26s & 27s on various workings including the Dundee cement, Falkland Yard pilot, Carlisle parcels, Scottish Speedlinks, Mossend departmentals, Dundee-Edinburgh passenger and the SRPS Class 27 farewell tour.

Twenty-six different CLASS 33 ‘Cromptons’ on a variety of duties including Channel Tunnel construction, ARC aggregates, Meldon ballast, the Dover Linkspan and a whole host of passenger workings both on and off region.

Thirty different CLASS 45 ‘Peaks’ on Midland Main Line, Trans-Pennine & Cross Country passenger work, Tunstead ICI limestone, Cliffe Vale china clay, the Northolt-Calvert ‘bins’, departmental traffic and even a Class 504 Bury EMU drag. Notable locos include 45007, 45015, 45041, 45111, 45123, Eccles crash-victim 45147 and first-built 45122.

No fewer than forty different CLASS 47s portray the versatility of the Brush Type 4 as they handle all manner of passenger and freight work. Locos include 47003, 47088, 47299, 47306, 47407, 47409, 47484, 47500, 47555, 47581, 47593, 47613, 47705, 47901, 47973, 97472 and pioneer loco 47401. Includes all the sub-Classes and a good selection of liveries which the locos carried during the decade.

So that’s over 140 different Sulzer locos for your nostalgic enjoyment!

Availability: AVAILABLE

Cover photo: Paul Furtek, David Hird and Len Walton.
Narrated by: David Maxey
First published on DVD: 2023
Screen aspect ratio: 4:3 SD
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD-R
Media Format: DVD-R

Running Time: 100-mins (1hr 40min) , Colour
.

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