The British Film Institute have been steadily re-issuing classic British Transport Films (BTF) titles with mass appeal from their considerable archive for several years. First on VHS and more recently on DVD with the 5th of the planned series of 6 released in Summer 2007. However, the more humdrum former Staff Training and Instructional films were seemingly destined to remain in the vaults. Indeed, Fastline have an understanding with the BFI that they won't release their instructional films in competition with Fastline's as they are concentrating on the general release films.

All this changed in late 2005 when Andrew Dow and Richard Hall formed Fastline Films, launching the first in a series of 2-disc DVD compilations during late 2006. Their first compilation was 'Mechanical Signalling and Level Crossings', the target audience being the railway worker - be it for the national network or heritage railways - who still operated the featured equipment, and the serious railway enthusiast who is a keen student of 1950s railway practice. Devotees of the BTF film unit were also eager to see the new series of DVDs appear.

The volume of sales for the first DVDs were to determine whether it was viable to release the others. Happily, that has indeed been the case and the second collection was released in mid-June 2007.

'Plain Line' (Fastline Films Limited - FF02) follows a similar pattern to the first but as the title suggests, this time the subject is maintenance of railway tracks and most films are part of BTF's Permanent Way Series of staff training films. There are again 2 discs in the collection and another non-BTF 'historical bonus film'.

The first film on DVD 1 is 'Plain Line Maintenance' from 1951 which runs to just under half an hour. Unlike BTF's theatrical releases with background sounds and a music score, these are nearly all narration with lengthy gaps. The producers have decided to cut out the background crackle and hum. Initially, there is hardly any fade which is distracting at first but this settles down after a couple of minutes and is much better from then on. 

People who have watched the famous 'Elizabethan Express' film of 1954 will instantly recognise the foreman ganger named Bob Taylor whose cameo role was originally from this earlier production with some of the footage being re-used. It was typical of many BTF productions that extracts from all manner of earlier titles would to find their way in subsequent films.

After a short introduction, the film first discusses the differing types of Fastenings then in use on the railways and how various problems encountered can be solved. Rail Joints are next showing renewals (tapered shims also destined to play a minor role in 'Elizabethan Express'), and finally problems specific to Curved Track such as cant. The film finishes with a brief resumé of the more important facets of plain line maintenance.

The second film is 'Track Buckling and its Prevention', also from 1951 and is about a quarter of an hour long. This starts out by demonstrating a series of laboratory experiments featuring the effects of heat expansion in metal, followed by how these principles are applied to rail. Rail Creep is discussed next followed by Seized Fish Plates and finally Lack of Ballast / Bad Packing.

The final film on Disc 1 was made by World Wide Pictures on behalf of British Transport Films and is 'A Mechanical Rail Creep Adjuster', a subject that was dealt with briefly in the previous film. The system of workmen protection with lookouts is shown before the safe and correct track preparation and subsequent use of this useful yet unwieldy piece of equipment.

The second disc in the collection features three films starting with parts 1 & 2 of BTF's 'Measured Packing' series which was filmed in 1953. These follow the same style as the Plain Line maintenance film on Disc 1.

Part 1 - 'Straight Track' runs for nearly 50 minutes and includes a short section dealing with packing electrified 3rd rail towards the end before a summing up of the issues raised. The film opens with a studio demonstration of the effects of uneven railway lines before proceeding with how gangers can deal with the problem of levelling rails in practice, filmed around what appears to be the North Wales main line in the Penmaenmawr area. Accurate measuring is the first stage of this to determine where remedial work must take place in solving the problem. The equipment used is then explored in some detail from Abtus voidmeters and sighting boards to the special shovels required for packing the track, before being demonstrated in use. The number of 'packing units' required are of key importance and carefully explained during the film.

The section on electrified track explains how precautions are important when working around live rails before the equipment is used as before, albeit in a slightly different way depending on whether 3 or 4 rail systems are encountered. Rubber matting and insulated shovels are used to shield track workers from live rails.

Many of the principles in Part 1 - 'Curved Track' apply to Part 2 - 'Straight Track' and so this film is considerably shorter, the only main difference being the allowance for cant. A summary of the main points raised in Part 1 are shown first before cant error is identified and then corrected using similar methods.

'Gantries' is the historical bonus film in the collection. It was made for BR's Western Region by United Motion Pictures and is noticeably less stuffy than BTF's similar efforts. The gentle background music lends itself well for the casual audience. It features Secmafer gantries that move on their own on 10ft gauge temporary rails for mechanised track relaying purposes. These novel devices allow for relaying on one line whilst an adjacent running line remains available to traffic with obvious benefits. Even the unloading process of the units from the low-mac carrier wagons has a charming complication about it and yet all measurements are given in metric. There are obvious parallels with the later BTF produced film - Making Tracks - but this features twin jib cranes that must use the adjacent track for line renewal and so still require absolute possession. A worthy DVD 'extra' with some period glimpses of steam and early diesel-hydraulic locomotives towards the end.

The overall quality of the films is very good considering how old the prints are with running line scratches and occasional dust spots and specks being the exception.

This second DVD set is a further valuable addition to the archive of available historical transport DVDs and fully deserves to be supported by the target audience so that the third collection of films which will deal with switches and crossings will be viable for release.

The DVD sets FF01 - 'Mechanical Signalling and Level Crossings' - and FF02 'Plain Line' are available direct from Fastline Films for £30.00 each inc VAT and P&P. Payment by cheques only, please.:-

Fastline Films
PO Box 4472
Wedmore
BS28 4WY

FF03 - 'Switch and Crossing Maintenance' is scheduled to be released in due course.