BRITISH STEAM
DVD & Book Gift Set

BRITISH STEAM BOOK & DVD GIFT SET







BRITISH NARROW GAUGE DVD

WHILST GAUGE RAILWAYS WERE NEVER AS SIGNIFICANT IN BRITAIN AS THEY WERE IN IRELAND, MANY FASCINATING LINES WERE OPERATED OVER THE YEARS, SOME OF WHICH ARE STILL VERY MUCH IN BUSINESS.

THE PROGRAMME BEGINS IN WALES WITH THE SNOWDON MOUNTAIN RAILWAY FILMED IN 1931 AND AGAIN IN THE 1950s. AFTER A GLIMPSE OF HORSEPOWER ON THE REMAINS OF THE CORRIS RAILWAY THERE IS LENGTHY COVERAGE OF THE TALYLLYN AND THE FESTINIOG IN THE PIONEERING YEARS OF THEIR PRESERVATION IN THE EARLY 1950s. FOLLOWING A VISIT TO THE LINES AT DINORWIC QUARRY.

HEADING SOUTH, AFTER A GLANCE AT IRONSTONE QUARRY SYSTEMS IN THE MIDLANDS THERE IS SOME EXCELLENT COVERAGE OF THE EXTENSIVE BOWATER PAPER CORPORATION’S SYSTEM IN KENT. THE FINAL PART OF THE PROGRAMME IS DEVOTED TO A BRACE OF PLEASURE LINES FILMED MOSTLY IN THE 1950s.

THIS PROGRAMME, WHICH EXPLORES BOTH WELL KNOWN AND ALMOST FORGOTTEN NARROW GAUGE BYWAYS THROUGHOUT BRITAIN FROM THE WEST OF SCOTLAND TO THE SOUTH COAST OF ENGLAND, NOT FORGETTING THE ISLE OF MAN, WILL BE A DELIGHT FOR ALL OF THOSE INTERESTED IN THE NARROW GAUGE AND MIRROR RAILWAYS OF BRITAIN.

RUNNING TIME 90 MINUTES APPROX.



LITTLE BOOK OF BRITISH STEAM

FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS, STEAM LOCOMOTIVES WERE THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED FORM OF POWER AND TRANSPORT DOMINATING THE RAILWAYS AND WERE OFTEN DESCRIBED AS THE “HEART-BEAT” OF THE UK. THE EARLIEST RAILWAYS USED HORSE-POWER TO PULL CARTS ALONG THE TRACK, BUT THE AGE OF STEAM WAS JUST BEGINNING TO TAKE SHAPE AND LOCOMOTIVES WERE IN DEVELOPMENT AS EARLY AS THE 1700s.

FIRST CAME RICHARD TREVITHICK WITH A LOCOMOTIVE OF LIMITED SUCCESS ON A NARROW GAUGE TRAMWAY, BUT IT WAS GEORGE STEPHENSON’S ROCKET IN 1829 THAT WAS TO SET THE STAGE FOR STEAM. ALTHOUGH PRIMITIVE INITIALLY, THE IDEAS OF USING TWO TRACKS, PROPER STATIONS, TIMETABLES AND SIGNALLING CAME FROM THE LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER RAILWAY. IT WAS TO CHANGE BOTH THE COMMERCIAL AND SOCIAL OUTLOOK OF THE INDUSTRY.

IN ADDITION, TRAVEL BY RAIL WAS SAFE GIVEN THAT SPEEDS WERE MODERATE, IF NOT SLOW. BUT THE COMMERCIAL SUCCESS OF THE RAILWAYS WAS FAR FROM SLOW AND THE IMPACT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF PHENOMENAL. IN FACT, PUT SIMPLY, STEAM LOCOMOTIVES AND THE RAILWAYS THAT CARRIED THEM CHANGED THE WORLD.

DVD Info

Running Time: 90 minutes
Book: 128 pages