Narrow Gauge Steam in the early 60s

Ivo Peters continued to film the progress of the narrow gauge railways of North Wales throughout the 1960s.

The Vale of Rheidol was the first to be filmed, with No.9 sporting BR green livery.

His 1961 and 1963 visits to the Tallyllyn Railway are next seen, with trains on the mainline and locomotives being shunted at the then very basic Pendre Yard.

The Welshpool & Llanfair follows, with both ‘The Earl’ and ‘The Countess’.

A brief visit to Tan-y-Bwlch on the Ffestiniog then rounds off this part of the programme.

New railways were rare in the early 1960s, so Ivo was attracted to the Bicton Woodland Railway in East Devon where he filmed a 1916-built Avonside tank.

The major feature of this programme recalls Ivo’s first visit, in 1961, to the Isle of Man, where he filmed the Groudle Glenn Railway and the main Isle of Man Railways, then still running to Port Erin, Peel and Ramsey from Douglas.

There are comprehensive views of the locomotive depot and station at Douglas together with film on each of the lines, including the famous ‘race’ out of St. Johns!

In detail, the railways are:

The Vale of Rheidol Railway: In the early 1960s the Vale of Rheidol was enjoying a resurgence under British Railways, and we see green-liveried 2-6-2T No.9 on shed at Aberystwyth and watering in the woods at the Aberffrwd loop.

The Talyllyn Railway: The railway is shown both in 1961 and 1963, when it had already been in preservation for a decade. Highlights include a visit to the museum at Towyn, crossing of trains at Brynglas, locomotives on shed at Pendre, a double-header and No.4 with a Giesl ejector.

The Welshpool and Llanfair Railway: Featured for the first time in this series, the former Cambrian Railways’ narrow gauge line is seen in 1961 and 1962 with both ‘The Earl’ and ‘The Countess’ in action. The highlight is the very last run out of the town centre at Welshpool to Raven Square.

The Ffestiniog Railway: A double Fairlie at Tan-y-Bwlch.

The Bicton Woodland Railway: Moving away from Wales, Ivo Peters recorded an unusual event – a new railway in 1963! This line, in East Devon, boasted a 1916 Avonside 0-4-0 tank, originally built for the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. The railway is set in beautiful woodland scenery.

The Groudle Glen Railway: This little railway introduces us to the Isle of Man. Uniquely for the island, it is of 2’0″ gauge and in 1961 its locomotive ‘Polar Bear’ was not in the best of condition.

The Isle of Man Railways: This feature forms the larger part of this programme, in the year when Ivo ‘discovered’ the principal steam railways of the Isle of Man. We start with views of locomotives on shed at Douglas, capital of the island and headquarters of the railway. Features which are now long gone  especially the signalling and platform canopies – are seen to advantage. Locomotives include Nos. 5 ‘Mona’, 11 ‘Maitland’, 12 ‘Hutchinson’, 13 ‘Kissack’, 14 ‘Thornhill’, 15 ‘Caledonia’ and 16 ‘Manuin’, all of which, with the exception of No. 15, were 2-4-0T, built by Beyer Peacock of Manchester. No.15 was unique – the only 0-6-0T on the island, built by Dubs of Glasgow.

Trips up two of the Railway’s principal routes follow, firstly on the Port Erin line as far as Castletown, including long double-headed and banked trains. A crossing takes place at Castletown itself.

The second route featured is that to Ramsey, alas now but a memory, so these shots form an important archive. ‘Caledonia’ is seen outside Douglas shed, and then a double-header leaves the station. Union Mills was already closed, but at St. Johns are branch connections from Peel and there we view the celebrated ‘race’ which is featured on this jacket – twice. We follow the scenic line to the north, with trains along the coastline, over viaducts and level crossings, before we end the day back at Douglas, with locomotives shunting empty stock and going on shed.

Full description from the producer:

This is the third volume in lvo Peters’ “series within a series” of annuals. It follows on from the original Volume 5 “Steam in 1960” (now totally remastered and reissued as “His Films Revisited No.3: Steam in 1960”) and Volume 7 “Steam in 1961”. As usual it was filmed on 16mm colour cine-film. 1962 was the last year before Dr Beeching changed the face of British Railways forever, but it was a year of contrasts. It was also a particularly poignant year for Ivo as it saw the last “Pines Express” run on his favourite railway, the Somerset & Dorset. Naturally, the last Pines features in this volume, as do other S&D rail tours, a tour of industrial railways in the Midlands, events on the Western and Southern main lines and branches including the last Churchward Dock saddle tank, “Lord Nelson” at Swindon, complex workings around Yeovil Town, M7s on the Exmouth branch, Beattie Well tanks at Salisbury and – uniquely – a shopping trip by steam roller with the Rev.Teddy Boston!

Originally released in 1990, this volume has been totally remastered i.e. the pictorial material has now been prepared from the original 1″ tape, transferred to digital betacam and then remastered. Some minor picture and sound editing has taken place to enhance this very popular volume in our series. More detailed contents are as follows : Nechells Electricity Generating Station – here we see a Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn’s 0-6-0 tank and a small Peckett, at work in the heart of Birmingham. Windsor Street Gasworks – also right in the heart of Birmingham, this gasworks boasted a complex industrial system. Littleton Colliery – a variety of small tanks worked this large colliery, and we see them at the colliery itself, as well as working the branch from BR at Penkridge. Coppice Colliery – situated in the Cannock Chase area of the N.C.B., this system boasted some very old locomotives. Walsall Wood Colliery – a brief visit to see “Lord Kitchener” going on shed. Cannock Wood Colliery – a system which included semaphore signalling as well as a passenger train for the workmen!

Grove Colliery – old wooden wagons feature here, as does Ivo’s Bentley. Stewarts & Lloyds, Bilston – this is a steel works in the northwest of Birmingham with First World War vintage locomotives. Bass Worthington – the annual visit. The Bath Railway Society visited the Burton-on-Trent system as in previous years to see progress. The Shopping Trip – a little light relief; Teddy Boston used to take his housekeeper shopping on his Aveling & Porter steamroller! Ivo’s film is a unique record of an extraordinary man. Churchward Dock Tank – Great Western 0-6-0 ST No 1365 is seen watering at St Phillips Marsh shed at Bristol. Bath and District – a rebuilt West Country on the Great Western main line and S&D 7F No 53808 on the S&D at Cole and at Masbury Summit. Also Great Western Hall No 4992 “Crosby Hall”at Bath Green Park. Swindon Works – visits to the Great Western’s works by No 30850 “Lord Nelson” and B1 Class No 61039 “Steinbok”, as well as various Western locos on view, including No 6000 “King George V” Coaley Junction – a contrast to 1961 with Ivatt Mogul No 46526 on the branch train.

Yeovil Town – Ivo’s record of this Somerset town centre station, featuring the locomotive shed and M7 No 30129 as well as a Great Western pannier. Numerous views of both ends of the station layout. East Devon – a rail tour with two M7s., No 30024 and No 30025, filmed at Sidmouth Junction, near Budleigh Salterton and at Lympstone. Well Tank at Salisbury – on its way to Eastleigh for withdrawal, Beattie well tank No 30587 visited Salisbury shed and stood side by side with a 9F for Ivo’s camera. The Last Pines – No 92220 “Evening Star” (the last steam engine built by BR in 1960) with the last Pines Express on the Somerset & Dorset Railway, near Binegar and Cole Station.