15.12.2007 Barry Coward of Beulah advises that David Watkin is about to publish “Was Clara Schumann a Fag-Hag?” the second volume of an autobiography mainly, but not entirely, about the film business. Although essential parts from the earlier volume re-appear this is, to all intents and purposes, a new piece of work with more recollections from his formative years at BTF (1949-62). As David says “Much has happened in ten years and, as short term memory gets worse, long term memory seems to sharpen”.
The book will retail at £14 + P&P. Folks can pre-order at www.davidwatkin.co.uk.
The attached photo is on the jacket cover and comes from his time as camera assistant on BTF title "Peak District".
5.11.2007 The Art of Travel Press Release, BFI -
The Art of Travel
The British Transport Films Collection Volume Six
The Art of Travel, the new volume of British Transport Films digitally re-mastered and released on double-disc DVD over 3½ hours of footage looks at the travel documentaries produced to entice and encourage the audience into taking a trip to one of Britain’s greatest beauty spots.
Back in the 1950s and 1960s it was still a rare thing for British families to venture very far a field. The foreign package holiday and even the family motoring holiday had not yet caught on, so it was quite usual to begin planning your holiday by calling at your local railway station.
Not only could the Transport Commission convey you and your family they could also collect your luggage in advance, send it to your holiday destination and arrange for its safe return, allowing you a stress-free, relaxing holiday from the minute you closed your front door!
The secret behind this marvellous form of travel promotion was that British Transport Films had its own film library to distribute travel films to clubs, societies and individuals far and wide. Many of the titles on this release were in constant demand.
Among the films on Volume Six is The Land of Robert Burns (1956), an evocative account of the poet’s life set among contemporary scenes of the people of south-west Scotland as they grow from childhood to manhood, with songs sung by the Saltire Singers. Journey into History (1952) chooses the England of Hogarth, Gainsborough, Robert Adam and Captain Cook. As the camera moves across outstanding monuments of their work and relics of their achievements from Syon House to Greenwich, members of the Old Vic Company read related passages from the literature of the mid eighteenth century, set to music. There’s also the amusing A Desperate Case (1958), a cautionary tale of a typical holiday suitcase crammed beyond its capacity, imperfectly fastened, inadequately and confusingly labelled designed to tackle the problem of stray luggage that was increasingly afflicting British Railways in the 1950s.
Now preserved in the BFI National Archive, these films will fascinate not only transport enthusiasts but also fans of historical British documentary filmmaking. A colour booklet containing an introduction and film notes by BTF historian Steven Foxon who programmes this series accompanies the discs.
So sit back, relax and enjoy a visit to some of the finest destinations Britain has to offer portrayed by one of the finest documentary units the world had ever seen.
Release date: 19 November 2007
RRP £19.99 / cat. no. BFIVD745 / cert E
UK / 1952-1979 / black and white, and colour / 212 mins / Ratio 1.33:1
23.10.2007 The BFI have announced the Re-mastered 'Night Mail' will be released on 26th November. Of particular interest for BTF fans is the inclusion of Thirty Million Letters (1963) on DVD for the first time, plus Spotlight on the Night Mail (1948), Night Mail 2 (1986) and Way to the Sea (1936). Also included is a fully illustrated booklet with essays by author Blake Morrison, composer Miguel Mera and more.
James White, BFI - "This new BFI Digital Restoration of Nightmail was made using a new duplicate negative struck from the film's original nitrate fine grain element, preserved at the BFI National Archive. Each frame was painstakingly graded to capture the full values of the film, with strict attention paid to contrast, detail and consistency. The film then underwent full picture restoration to remove scratches, dirt and debris, as well as improve torn and missing frames and address stability issues. The audio was transferred from the best possible source materials available and underwent further restoration, cleaning up bumps, pops, clicks, buzz and sound dips.
Our efforts to restore Nightmail were presented with many challenges. The general wear and tear on the original negatives had clearly been a consequence of the film's popularity. Over the years these materials were used to strike many prints, without duplicate materials made for preservation, as was the standard practice back then. During the film, Nightmail also incorporated shots from stock footage, making for wide variances in image quality throughout the film. Sound was recorded mainly in post-production, but had acquired a number of problems needing attention as well.
It must be said that Nightmail has not been well-served on DVD or Video until now. The film always looked quite grey and flat, with muddy details and poor sound - a sad representation of a film of such high importance to British Film History. With this release, we have worked hard to correct these problems and present Nightmail in the highest quality possible. Suffice it to say that Nightmail now looks and sounds better than it has in many years, and the BFI release is without doubt the definitive version of this seminal film."
Graeme Hobbs, MovieMail - "This is a comprehensive release of a flm of central importance in British film history. One of the most highly revered productions from the GPO Film Unit, it is an experimental film that shows the nightly run of the postal special train from London to Glasgow. A highly collaborative film, with input from Harry Watt, Basil Wright, Alberto Cavalcanti and John Grierson among others, it is however the WH Auden/Benjamin Britten section (‘This is the night mail crossing the border/bringing the cheque and the postal order…’) that is its famous bit. Justly so, as a palpable excitement builds as the train speeds up and the verse speeds up as the train nears its destination. There is more to the film than this though, with its incidental noises orchestrated by Cavalcanti, and its night scenes of staff and trains at Crewe station that recall Bill Brandt photographs in their use of light and shade particularly noteworthy.
The film’s popularity and commercial success has come at a price. Original negatives suffered much wear and tear, and these materials were used to strike many prints without duplicate materials made for preservation. This new restoration of Night Mail was made using a new duplicate negative struck from the film's original nitrate fine grain element. Graded, mended, cleaned and stabilised, it still shows its age, but it now looks and sounds better than it has for many years.
A selection of related films accompany this release. Night Mail 2 is a 50th anniversary production, with its poetry from Blake Morrison roughing up the romanticism that has accrued to the former film: ‘dirty, oily, greasy … heavy work’ says a postman of that iconic catching and dispatching apparatus. Way to the Sea is a rather eccentric film about line electrification that also benefits from Auden and Britten’s inputs. Spotlight on the Night Mail uses much the same raw material as Night Mail to very different effect , while the BTF production 30 Million Letters is a real treat, boasting posties in blizzards and even using a horse and cart in the sea to deliver mail. (‘I never venture across if it’s more than four and a half feet’ says the intrepid mailman.)"
24.10.2007 Beulah have issued another DVD in the Yesterday's Britain series - 'Capital Transport and All That Mighty Heart', but it's a new issue of existing material. The new release - YB39D - is in fact a double disc collecion of two earlier DVDs 'Capital Transport' (YB31 - deleted and sold out) and 'All That Mighty Heart' (YB37 - deleted).
03.10.2007 The BFI have announced a sixth DVD collection of British Transport Films for release on November 12th 2007, called "The Art of Travel". The contents (subject to change) will be:
1. North to the Dales
2. Yorkshire Sands
3. Down to Sussex
4. The Land of Robert Burns
5. Journey into History
6. Midland Country
7. The Travolators
8. Journey to the Sea
9. London for a Day
10. The Beacons and Beyond
11. A Desperate Case
12. Lancashire Coast
13. Golfers in a Scottish Landscape
It was also revealed that work on a seventh volume was in the planning stage and a re-mastered DVD featuring the GPO classic, Night Mail was to be released before Christmas.
23.09.2007 The first volume of the BFI's DVDs - On and Off the Rails - has been released in NTSC format for the USA and Canadian Market under the Kino label.
www.kino.com/video/item.php?film_id=878
21.08.2007 Replacements for the faulty 1st DVD disc of the BFI's 5th DVD collection are now available for immediate despatch to people who purchased the early versions (see news 29.07.07 below). To receive a free replacment, apply in writing to :-
BFI
DVD Sales
Attn: Trevona Thomson
21 Stephen Street
4th Floor
London
W1T 1LN
Alternatively, just apply by email to trevona (dot) thomson (at) bfi (dot) org (dot) uk to receive your free replacement disc.
12.07.2007 A review of Fastline Films DVD FF02 - 'Plain Line' may be read HERE.
05.07.2007 MovieMail's Graeme Hobbs' latest podcast is about the new BTF DVD from the BFI...
Listen to the Podcast HERE.
29.07.2007 The BFI's 5th DVD was released on 25th June as scheduled, but a minor technical error is evident during the film 'Every Valley' (change of reel) which has subsequently been fixed. Replacement disc ones will be swapped free of charge on an individual basis once they are available. There will be an announcement soon as to when these discs will be ready and where to send them. Until then, please do not send in your discs for replacement. The BFI will not be replacing the whole package, just Disc One itself and they sincerely hope this error does not otherwise detract from your enjoyment of "Every Valley" or this DVD Collection.
01.06.2007 Fastline FIlms advise that their next release (FF02 - Plain Line Maintenance) is late due to a production problem which is now sorted out. They hope to be delivering orders from the middle of June.
09.05.2007 The BFI have confirmed that their fifth DVD collection of British Transport Films is still on scheduled for release on June 25th 2007, but the title has changed from "Beyond the Rails" to "Off the Beaten Track" (see pack shot on the right). The contents remain as previously advised:
Disc 1
1. Ocean Terminal
2. Dodging the Column
3. Link Span
4. Every Valley
5. Journey into Spring
6. Between the Tides
7. Giant Load
Disc 2
1. They Take the High Road
2. Wild Highlands
3. Wild Wings
4. An Artist Looks at Churches
5. Railways Forever
6. The Scene From Melbury House
7. Age of Invention
8. Seaspeed Express
In addition to work on a 6th compilation (and possibly beyond), there will be a collection of former GPO films released later this year which will include a fully restored and re-mastered transfer of the iconic 'Night Mail'.
There is no update on releasing any of the former Coal Board Film Unit's titles.
09.05.2007 The BFI's 'Screenonline' service has added the introductory sequence to the controversial track safety film "The Finishing Line" filmed in 1977 and directed by John Krish.
19.03.2007 A mailshot from Fastline Films has advised that FF02 : Plain Line Maintenance will be available in Mid April. The price will be £30 as before (£27 for valued established customers who bought FF01 until 30th April).
Fastline Films Limited
PO Box 4472
Wedmore
BS28 4WY
Disc 2
1. Measured Packing: Part 1 - Straight Track (1953) BTF
2. Measured Packing: Part 2 - Curved Track (1953) BTF
3. Gantries (bonus) (Secmafer relaying gantries on the Western Region)
FF03 Switch and Crossing Maintenance - "Availability to be announced".
14.03.2007 The following message was reported on the Panamint website : "Panamint Cinema's web site is now closed. This site will be replaced by a well-known Mail Order house. You will be able not only to purchase Panamint titles, but every DVD available in Britain! Apologies for the inconvenience. This site will be closed within a month. Look for an announcement in the National Press".
13.03.2007 A rare screening of a BTF film on public TV (Freeview) is scheduled for Sunday 18th March when "Under Night Streets" is on BBC4 at 8pm as part of the channel's 'Tube' series of programmes. Let's hope that it doesn't get cancelled as happened the last time it was scheduled for broadcast - 15-odd years ago!
12.03.2007 The BFI have confirmed that their fifth DVD collection of British Transport Films - 'Beyond the Rails' - is scheduled for release on June 25th 2007. The contents will be:
Disc 1
1. Ocean Terminal
2. Dodging the Column
3. Link Span
4. Every Valley
5. Journey into Spring
6. Between the Tides
7. Giant Load
Disc 2
1. They Take the High Road
2. Wild Highlands
3. Wild Wings
4. An Artist Looks at Churches
5. Railways Forever
6. The Scene From Melbury House
7. Age of Invention
8. Seaspeed Express
16.02.2007 To coincide with the 100th Birthday of the late Edgar Anstey (b.16th February 1907), the British Universities Film & Video Council have posted a 2 part podcast interview. Recorded by Murray Weston on April 3rd 1984, it is the only known extended interview with Edgar Anstey about his work, including his 25 years as chief of Briish Transport Films.
15.02.2007 The BTF waterways output is often overlooked in the grand scheme of things, but Laurence Hogg Productions are selling a double-disc Waterways DVD with four BTF titles on it.
Disc 1:
There go the boats (1951) - BTF
Barging along (1944) - CCC
Grand Union Canal (1934) - GUCC
Take to the boats (1962) - BTF
Disc 2:
Inland Waterways (1950) - BTF
Waterways our Heritage (1979) - BWB
World of the Waterways (1969) - BTF
Gentle Highway (1970) - BWB
A civilized adventure (1985) - BWB
01.01.2007 An announcement on Beulah's website states that "Yesterday's Britain titles were offically deleted on 31 Deccember 2006 (except YB35). Titles will appear here so long as stocks remain. Hurry do not delay as you may find the title you want has disappeared".
31.12.2006 Fastline Films have confirmed they are set to go ahead with the preparation of the second pair of DVDs, which will be as listed below. they do not yet know when they will be available, but a release date will be advised as soon as possible.
12.12.2006 Regarding the pre-DVD releases that the BFI produced on VHS, any titles that are out of stock will not be re-issued and will be deleted as existing stocks become exhausted.
Only 4 volumes are left that are available for sale from the BFI website :-
Volume 1: The Classics
Volume 3: An Invitation to Travel
Volume 5: This Sceptred Isle - Scotland
Volume 6: Famous Friends
Although Volume 9: Leaving British Shores is still listed, it has been confirmed that the BFI now have no stocks left of this title either and this will be de-listed from the website shortly.
Any 'completeists' that have any gaps in their collections are advised to try The Signal Box, Camden Miniature Steam Services or Moviemail websites to check availability of deleted titles.
Ebay is a useful resource for second hand tapes but even the modern issues are relatively rare.
Of course many of the films from the VHS tapes have subsequently found their way on to the DVDs, but there may be certain films that don't make it.
1.12.2006 Fastline FIlms have confirmed the contents of their 2 forthcoming double-disc DVD collections which they plan to release in 2007 *if* sales of their first volume are sufficiently encouraging:-
Cat. No. - FF02
|
|
Day to Day Track Maintenance: Part 1 - Plain Line | (1951) BTF |
A Mechanical Rail Creep Adjuster | (1951) BTF |
Track Buckling and its Prevention | (1951) BTF |
Measured Packing: Part 1 - Straight Track | (1953) BTF |
Measured Packing: Part 2 - Curved Track | (1953) BTF |
Gantries | ? |
Cat. No. - FF03
|
|
Mechanical Point Operation: Part 1 - Layout of Rodding and Connections | (1954) BTF |
Day to Day Track Maintenance: Part 2 - Switches & Crossings | (1951) BTF |
Adjustment of Double-ended Points | (1951) BTF |
MFD Re-railing equipment |
(1956) BTF |
Mechanical Point Operation: Part 2 - Maintenance of Rodding and Connections | (1954) BTF |
Mechanical Point Operation: Part 3 - Points and Fittings | (1954) BTF |
Mechanised Renewal of Plain Line | (1956) BTF |
27.11.2006 Fastline FIlms presents a double-disc DVD collection - Mechanical Signalling and Level Crossings
In an unexpected and welcome development, it has been announced that a company called Fastline Films has just released their 2-disc DVD set of five British Transport Films made for staff training purposes.
On the DVDs, they have also added other films (mostly BTF) in the role of what they are calling "historical bonuses" to widen their appeal. None of them is to be released by BFI in their programme of BTF releases.
The main purpose is to make the training films available in a convenient form for those who operate the equipment today, some fifty-plus years after the films were made. And so the principal market will, they hope, be operators of preserved railways.
The first DVD set concerns mechanical signalling and level crossings due to support from the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers. This was important because while digital re-mastering is not cheap, the potential market (they suspect) is relatively small.
Two more pairs of DVDs are planned, both concerning permanent way, with the first pair concentrating on plain line and the second pair concentrating on switch and crossing work. Between them, with the historical bonuses, they will use a total of thirteen further BTF films. It is expected that the first of these will appear fairly early in the new year, but they need a good response from the signalling/level crossing pair before they can proceed.
Fastline Films is a company owned by Richard Hall & Andrew Dow which specialises in collecting and re-mastering historic films of railway engineering specifically for the heritage railway operator.
The first DVD set is available from the Institute of Railway Signal Engineers or direct:-
Fastline Films
PO Box 4472
Wedmore
BS28 4WY
£30.00 inc VAT and p&p. Payment by cheques only, please.
Disc 1
|
Disc 2
|
||
Layout of Signal Connections | (1955) BTF | Level Crossing Gates: Part 1 - General | (1956) BTF |
Maintenance of Signals and Connections | (1955) BTF | Level Crossing Gates: Part 2 - Mechanisms | (1956) BTF |
Right Down the Line (bonus) | (1951) BTF | Level Crossing Gates: Part 3 - Maintenance | (1956) BTF |
Walton Street Crossing (bonus) | (1962) BR (NER) | ||
Safety on the Track (bonus) | (1951) BTF |
18.10.2006 Press Release: Bfi Video presents, in a double-disc digipack - Reshaping British Railways
The British Transport Films Collection Volume Four
This, the fourth in the series of double DVD digi-packs, contains well know classics, including Wash and Brush Up, Forward to First Principles and Overture One-Two-Five as well as rareities such as A Place in the Team, Freight and a City and Second Nature, which have never previously been available to watch at home.
All these films are now preserved in the bfi National Film and Television Archive and have been digitally re-mastered for this two-disc set, which will fascinate not only transport enthusiasts but also fans of historical British documentary filmmaking.
A booklet containing an introduction and film notes by BTF historian Steven Foxon accompanies the discs.
Disc 1
|
Disc 2
|
||
Work In Progress |
(1951) 25 Mins. | Forward to First Principles | (1966) 30 Mins. |
Wash & Brush Up* | (1953) 26 Mins. | Freight and a City** | (1966) 21 Mins. |
A Place in the Team** | (1953) 23 Mins. | Second Nature** | (1967) 23 Mins. |
Service for Southend* | (1957) 10 Mins. | The New Tradition - Eight Rail Report** | (1968) 13 Mins. |
Diesel Train Ride | (1959) 10 Mins. | Plumb Loco* | (1971) 10 Mins. |
Let's Go to Birmingham* | (1962) 6 Mins. | This Year by Rail - Twelfth Rail Report** | (1972) - Mins. |
Reshaping British Railways* | (1963) 23 Mins. | Overture One-Two-Five* | (1978) 7 Mins. |
*Not previously released in the bfi BTF video series
**Never previously available to watch at home
Release date: 27 November 2006
RRP £19.99 / cat. no. BFIVD743 / cert E / UK / 1951-1978 / black and white, and colour / 247 Minutes / Ratio 1.33:1
30.8.2006 Panamint Cinema advises that the following long-awaited titles are now in stock:
GPO Thirties Collection. 3 volumes at £16.99 each.
Classic films from the golden age of the documentary: John Grierson,
Cavalcanti, Harry Watt, Basil Wright etc.
www.panamint.co.uk/acatalog/gpo.html
Fishermen at War (40s Britain). £19.99
www.panamint.co.uk/acatalog/40sb.html
16.8.2006 Dan Luicas writes - "I understand BUFVC have been doing a lot of work on the Central Office of Information (COI) archive of films, and there is to be a season of COI films at the NFT in Sept / Oct. Obviously not BTF films but topics covered are not necessarily dissimilar, and of course would be of interest to anyone with an interest in Public Information / Documentary films.
Details are available on these links
www.bfi.org.uk/incinemas/nft/seasons/coi
www.bfi.org.uk/incinemas/nft/seasons/coi/intro.php
www.bfi.org.uk/incinemas/nft/seasons/coi/titles.php
5.5.2006 Press Release: Bfi Video presents, in a double-disc digipack - Running a Railway
The British Transport Films Collection Volume Three
Running a Railway is the third release in bfi Video’s digitally re-mastered double-disc DVD series of British Transport Films, combining favourites from the much loved and best-selling video series with additional material. This new collection contains four hours of footage including the multi-award-winning Terminus, directed by John Schlesinger. Among the rare gems are:
All these films are now preserved in the bfi National Film and Television Archive. The DVDs are a ‘must’, not only for the transport enthusiast, but also for anyone who enjoys historical documentary films. A booklet containing an introduction and film notes by BTF historian Steven Foxon accompanies the discs.
Disc 1
|
Disc 2
|
||
Operation London Bridge |
(1975) 18 Mins. | Terminus* | (1961) 20 Mins. |
Wires Over the Border* | (1974) 18 Mins. | Fully Fitted Freight | (1957) 21 Mins. |
Groundwork for Progress** | (1959) 30 Mins. | Farmer Moving South | (1952) 17 Mins. |
Making Tracks | (1956) 17 Mins. | I'm a Litter Basket | (1959) 7 Mins. |
E for Experimental* | (1975) 20 Mins. | The Third Sam | (1962) 10 Mins. |
Modelling for the Future* | (1961) 8 Mins. | People Like Us** | (1962) 9 Mins. |
Britannia - A Bridge | (1973) 19 Mins. | A Future on Rail | (1957) 10 Mins. |
*Not previously released in the bfi BTF video series
**Never previously available to watch at home
Release date: 29 May 2006
RRP £19.99 / cat. no. BFIVD720 / cert E / UK / 1952-1975 / black and white, and colour / 237 mins / Ratio 1.33:1
Notes to editors
British Transport Films are one of the largest and most impressive collections of documentary films in Britain and form one of the jewels of the bfi’s National Film and Television Archive. These fascinating films entertain just as much as they inform and will appeal equally to film historians, transport enthusiasts and anyone wishing to catch a rare glimpse of a Britain rapidly vanishing from the present day.
Following the post-war thirst for visual teaching and educational entertainment and the nationalisation of transport in 1948, the British Transport Commission set up its own in-house film production and distribution unit in 1949. Over a period of 37 years, until its closure in 1986, it made over 700 films promoting travel on Britain’s railways or providing technical instruction.
Edgar Anstey OBE, one of the pioneers of British documentary films, led the BTF unit for 25 years and it occupied a prestigious position alongside the Shell Film Unit and the National Coal Board Film Unit, winning over 200 film awards including an Oscar® in 1966.
bfi Video releases are available from DVD retailers, by mail order from 0845 458 9910 or online at www.bfi.org.uk/video
The British Film Institute’s purpose is to champion moving image culture in all its richness and diversity across the UK, for the benefit of as wide an audience as possible, and to create and encourage debate. It does this by developing opportunities for all UK citizens to engage with film, TV and media heritage and culture. The bfi also works closely with national and regional partners to provide a focus for the diversity of UK moving image culture, while playing a key role in influencing the national and international agenda.
Established in 1933, the bfi provides a wide range of services including: bfi National Film Theatre (NFT), bfi London IMAX Cinema (Britain’s largest screen), bfi National Library (the world’s leading specialist film & television library), bfi National Film & Television Archive (NFTVA, one of the world’s oldest and largest culturally significant film & TV archives), bfi London Film Festival, bfi London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, bfi Distribution (making a wealth of world cinema available for theatrical screening across the UK), the renowned bfi DVD & Video catalogue of world and historic cinema, a wide range of award-winning bfi publications and bfi education materials, film footage, film stills, and research services for the commercial media industry, and the highly-respected Sight & Sound film magazine.
31.3.2006 The BFI have confirmed that the 3rd in its series of DVD compilations will be released on 29th May. Entitled "Running a Railway", the set follows the previous format - 2 disc digipack with accompanying booklet. The contents and running order are as anticipated.
Disc 1
|
Disc 2
|
||
Operation London Bridge |
(1975) 18 Mins. | Terminus | (1961) 33 Mins. |
Wires Over the Border | (1974) 18 Mins. | Fully Fitted Freight | (1957) 21 Mins. |
Groundwork for Progress | (1959) 30 Mins. | Farmer Moving South | (1952) 17 Mins. |
Making Tracks | (1956) 17 Mins. | I'm a Litter Basket | (1959) 7 Mins. |
E for Experimental | (1975) 20 Mins. | The Third Sam | (1962) 10 Mins. |
Modelling for the Future | (1961) 8 Mins. | People Like Us | (1962) 9 Mins. |
Britannia - A Bridge | (1973) 19 Mins. | A Future on Rail | (1957) 10 Mins. |
14.1.2006 The next in the 'Yesterday's Britain' series -YB38: Fifties Underground - has been released by Beulah.
The post war London Underground had changed little. A few postponed extensions were opened. Whilst London Transport planners battled with the Government for new trains signalling and the automated Victoria Line, life underground continued unchanged. The training and information films on this DVD reflect these times.
SAFETY ON THE TRACK (1951) is primarily designed for track workers. Its is a straight forward film detailing how to work on the track. Then the film moves into Lillie Bridge depot where steam rules supreme. The final incident livens up the film.
POWER SIGNAL LINEMAN (1953) demonstrates the work of this important member of the Underground team. Centred on West Ruislip our lineman carries out maintenance and repairs to signals and points.
SCHOOL FOR SERVICE (1953) released as London Transport Cine gazette no 11, this film demonstrates the work of the Railway Training Centre at Lambeth North ( replaced in 1962 by a purpose built centre at White City ). Platform staff, booking clerks, signalmen , drivers and guards all passed through the training centre.
UNDER NIGHT STREETS (1958) After British Transport Films abandoned the idea of one film to tell how London Transport keeps London moving ( Operating London, published on YB37 All That Mighty Heart) three films eventually appeared - Overhaul (YB30 The London Bus), All That Mighty Heart (YB37) and Under Night Streets. This film tells of the work of the fluffers who cleaned the tunnels each night and of an emergency track gang called out to replace a broken rail.
Black and white 52 mins.
28.11.2005 See Britain by Train is the second of bfi Videos double-disc DVD compilations of British Transport Films. Combining favourites from the much loved and best-selling video series with additional material, it represents the very best of British travel filmmaking from the post-war era.
This new collection focuses on the beautifully crafted and poetic travelogue films that were made during the 1950s and early 1960s to inspire the public to travel and to promote business. The films are very subtle in their message and whether promoting day return trips, party travel or family holidays, they succeed brilliantly in combining fantasy and reality. In images as diverse as bustling cities, scenes of idyllic rural tranquillity and majestic mountain landscapes, they offer an escapist paradise to a bygone era where permanent sunshine and adventure are just a journey away. See Britain by Train contains over four hours of footage
A booklet containing an introduction and film notes by BTF historian Steven Foxon accompanies the discs.
An independent review of this release is at the DVD Times website. This is complete with screen caps and a comparison between this set's handling of 'The Heart is Highland' and the one which appeared Delta's "Highlands" collection. The difference is stunning!
Disc 1
|
Disc 2
|
||
West Country Journey |
(1953) 26 Mins. | Glasgow Belongs to Me | (1966) 17 Mins. |
Letter for Wales | (1960) 25 Mins. | England of Elizabeth | (1957) 27 Mins. |
Cyclists Special | (1955) 16 Mins. | Capital Visit | (1955) 20 Mins. |
Holiday | (1957) 18 Mins. | Heart of England | (1954) 20 Mins. |
Heart is Highland | (1952) 20 Mins. | East Anglian Holiday | (1954) 20 Mins. |
Any Mans Kingdom | (1953) 20 Mins. | Coasts of Clyde | (1959) 20 Mins. |
Also confirmed are the contents of the third DVD which is scheduled for a Spring 2006 release and will be titled "Running a Railway". The running order of this DVD collection is subject to change:-
Disc 1
|
Disc 2
|
||
Operation London Bridge |
(1975) 18 Mins. | Terminus | (1961) 33 Mins. |
Wires Over the Border | (1974) 18 Mins. | Fully Fitted Freight | (1957) 21 Mins. |
Groundwork for Progress | (1959) 30 Mins. | Farmer Moving South | (1952) 17 Mins. |
Making Tracks | (1956) 17 Mins. | I'm a Litter Basket | (1959) 7 Mins. |
E for Experimental | (1975) 20 Mins. | The Third Sam | (1962) 10 Mins. |
Modelling for the Future | (1961) 8 Mins. | People Like Us | (1962) 9 Mins. |
Britannia - A Bridge | (1973) 19 Mins. | A Future on Rail | (1957) 10 Mins. |
30.9.2005 The next in the 'Yesterday's Britain' series -YB37: All that Mighty Heart - has been released by Beulah.
This DVD is centered around the British Transport Films classic "All That Mighty Heart" made in 1962 - a day in the life of London and London Transport.
When BTF released All That Mighty Heart few could have know that the film had started nine years earlier in coronation year as BTF production No 121. For reasons now lost in the mist of time the project was shelved. Some of the material shot in 1953 was cut into All That Might Heart. Amazingly nobody seemed to notice the passsage of time. In 1980 film shot in 1952 and 1953 was salvaged from going to the silver reclaimers. It includes the Woolwich Ferry, Ford workers arriving at Dagenham by bus, trolleybuses, a tour through central London from Marble Arch to the Bank by RT bus. Although shot in colour, the cutting room prints were black and white and these have now been edited into a twenty minute film using the orignal working title of Operating London and released for the first time. As much of the material was shot in 1953 we also include Children's Coronation, a London Transport Cine Gazette explaining how thousands of children managed to see the Coronation procession.
There is an audio only extra item of Elgar's Cockaigne Overture (In London Town) peformed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Eduard van Beinum.
Run time is 58 minutes plus 13 minutes audio extra.
£14.95 Plus £1.50 p&p to UK addresses.
Christian Wolmar writes in the Oldie, April 2006
"The fantastic thing about this selection of three films is the discovery of just how much changed in Britain in the decade between the early 1950s and the early 1960s. It is easy to think that the Fifties were a grey period of gradual emergence from post-war austerity but the contrast between two of these films shot a decade apart is as great if not greater than that between the latter, filmed in 1962, and the present day. One of the films, Operating London, was a never-completed film by British Transport Films which was shot in 1952/3. This is still very much post-war London with black-and-white shots of clanky trams and trolleybuses whose poles keep falling off. Contrast this with the 1962 All That Mighty Heart which is shot in colour and shows a very different world. The technology has changed completely. The Underground trains look sleek and elegant, glowing in their clean red liveries (we even see men washing the trains by hand) in contrast to the crude pre-war stock. Routemasters have appeared on the streets, the trolleybuses and trams have disappeared, and the Victoria Line, which is controlled by computers rather than the drivers, is being hewn out of London's clay under the streets. The cyclists who dominated the streetscape in the Fifties have all but disappeared and the roads, so empty in the years after the war, are beginning to be jammed with private cars and vans. London Transport still looks as if it is in its heyday, even though behind the scenes there was massive underinvestment from which we are still suffering today.
Although this is before the Beatles, short skirts and swinging London, which changed fashions forever, the people in this second film appear to be from today's world, whereas those in the first, mostly sullen cloth-capped men in gabardine coats, belong very much to the first half of the 20th century. The third film focuses on a little known aspect of the Coronation, the transportation of tens of thousands of 'lucky' children - generally two from each class chosen by ballot, and not always, according to the commentator, "the best behaved " to line the streets of the procession. There were specially organised children's buses and trains, as much of London Transport's system was shut down for the great day. There's lots of fabulous shots of grinning kids and rather worried-looking schoolteachers, all being shepherded in crocodiles and following banners, each with a strange code, to their appointed place on the Embankment. Like many such jolly films which certainly seem, in today's parlance, more like advertorial than journalism, it begs more questions than it answers. The one that I most wanted to know was that given that they are shown sipping cartons of Kia Ora orange squash and sucking sweet ice lollies, where on earth did they all pee during the long and, at times, wet wait for her Maj? But you don't get any mention of "conveniences " in the Fifties. The abundance of old film now available on DVD or simply through downloading from websites is so great that it is sometimes difficult for today's editors to present it in a coherent or interesting form. The great thing about this DVD is that, without any commentary or interpretation, the visual contrast between the films in this clever selection is so evident that it tells us more about our recent history than a simple narrative ever would. "
1.7.2005 Beulah has released FLY BOYS a three DVD box set for the price of only two DVDs. It covers the activities of the Fleet Air Arm from 1940 to 1976, from Walrus and Swordfish to Buccaneer and Phantom.
Go to www.eavb.co.uk/video/rn301.html
17.6.2005 The BFI have confirmed the final release dates as 27th June 2005 for its two keenly anticipated DVD compliations. Discounts for pre-orders and dual purchases are available - check links for details:-
Press Release courtesy bfi video :-
bfi Video's best-selling VHS series The British Transport Films Collection comes to DVD with On and Off the Rails, the first of three double-disc sets. This much loved series represents one of the largest and most impressive collections of documentary films in Britain and is one of the jewels of the bfi's National Film and Television Archive. These fascinating films entertain just as much as they inform and will appeal equally to film historians, transport enthusiasts and anyone wishing to catch a rare glimpse of a Britain rapidly vanishing from the present day.
Following the post-war thirst for visual teaching and educational entertainment and the nationalisation of transport in 1948, the British Transport Commission set up its own in-house film production and distribution unit in 1949. Over a period of 37 years, until its closure in 1986, it made over 700 films promoting travel on Britain's railways or providing technical instruction.
Edgar Anstey OBE, one of the pioneers of British documentary films, led the BTF unit for 25 years and it occupied a prestigious position alongside the Shell Film Unit and the National Coal Board Film Unit, winning over 200 film awards including an Oscar® in 1966.
On and Off the Rails (over 4 hours long), contains classics from the video compilations including Blue Pullman, Snowdrift at Bleath Gill and John Betjeman goes by Train, along with films new to the series such as This Year - London, The Diesel Train Driver and On Track for the Eighties. A booklet containing an introduction and film notes by BTF historian Steve Foxon accompanies the discs.
Disc 1 - On The Rails
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Disc 2 - Off The Rails
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Blue Pullman (1960) | Under the River (1959) | |
Elizabethan Express (1954) | Snowdrift at Bleath Gill (1955) | |
Train Time (1952) | This Year - London (1951) | |
Rail 150 (1975) | This is York (1953) | |
Diesel Train Driver (1959) (Part 1- An Introduction) |
The Great Highway (1966) | |
On Track for the 80's (1980) | A Day of One's Own (1955) | |
Cybernetica (1972) | John Betjeman Goes By Train (1962) |
Released alongside On and Off the Rails is the DVD Geoffrey Jones: The Rhythm of Film, a collection of highly expressionistic shorts by the late British filmmaker Geoffrey Jones featuring three BTF films including Snow, which was nominated for an Oscar®, Rail and Locomotion.
Since the 1950s, Geoffrey R. Llewellyn Jones has been making multi-award-winning short films that look, sound and feel like nothing else. With his extraordinary marriage of images, music and rhythm, he ranks alongside such luminaries as Norman McLaren and Len Lye, and remains one of Britain's true film artists.
Born in London in 1931, of Welsh parents, Geoffrey Jones trained at Central School of Art in interior design, graphic design and photography. Mesmerised by cinema since he was a child and later inspired by Dziga Vertov and Luciano Emmer, his first film project, a satire on the commuter society, envisaged images cut to very rhythmic music, a technique that became his hallmark. Although the film was never actually made, the drawings led to work, when he was just 24 as a one man band: 'The Experimental Film and TV Department' of advertising agency Crawford International, where early work included an acclaimed commercial for Martini. He went on to make films for global companies like Shell and BP, and innovative animated shorts.
Geoffrey Jones is best known as the director of three seminal films for British Transport Films; Snow (1963), which was nominated for an Oscar®, Rail (1967) and Locomotion (1975), all shown at festivals around the world. In films such as Snow, where trains and railway workers battle against severe weather conditions, Rail, a commemoration of the steam age and celebration of the electric age, and the travelogue Trinidad & Tobago (1964), images react, combine and dance together to create a living, pulsing journey. In Locomotion, the entire history of the British railways is illustrated through a captivating and accelerating rhythm.
The Rhythm of Film brings a selection of Geoffrey Jones' films together in one collection for the first time to show what makes his work so special. Most of his work was in the sometimes precarious area of industrial shorts, but his unique vision is also revealed in his more personal works such as the Seasons Project and the two Chair-a-plane films.
This DVD contains:-
Snow (8 mins)
Rail (13 mins)
Locomotion (15 mins)
Trinidad & Tobago (19 mins)
Shell Spirit (2 mins)
This is Shell (8 mins)
Seasons Project (12 mins)
A Chair-a-plane Kwela (3 mins)
A Chair-a-plane Flamenco (6 mins)
Extras
Guardain Unlimited produced an excellent article / obituary on Geoffrey Jones and his film career:-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayreview/story/0,,1512712,00.html
DVD-Times has a good review of the Geffrey Jones DVD collection.
26.5.2005 Beulah has announced its forthcoming new releases - all on DVD only:-
YB35 - Classical Music in the Forties - Due June 2005
Artists such as Dennis Brain, Sir Malcolm Sargent, Dame Myra Hess plus composers Benjamin Britten and Arthur Benjamin are featured with the music of Mozart and Beethoven. B&W 75 mins
YB36 - Routemaster - Due August 2005
A history of this iconic London bus, recollections from engineers, operators and passengers using rare archive footage. Colour & B&W 60 mins.
YB37 - All that Mighty Heart - Due September 2005
Famous 1962 BTF plus material shot for an earlier film about LT shot in 1954 which was never released. Colour & B&W 60 mins.
YB38 - Fifties Underground - Due October 2005
Four BTF films - Under Night Streets (1957), School for Service (1953), Power Signal Lineman (1953), Safety on the Track (1951). B&W 50 mins.
Also due in July are RN13 Seventies Navy and RN14 Forties Navy.
Pre-orders offer a £5 discount per DVD (£9.95 instead of normal price of £14.45)
7.5.2005 The BTF DVD 2-disc collection 'On and Off the Rails' is now scheduled for release on 27th June.
Also schedule for release on the 27th of June is 'Geoffrey Jones: The Rhythm of Film'. Moviemail's website offers the following description:-
"Since the 1950s, Geoffrey Jones has been making films that look, sound and feel like nothing else. With his extraordinary marriage of images, music and rhythm, he ranks alongside Len Lye and Norman McLaren and is one of Britain's true film artists. The collection includes a mixture of British Transport Films, industrial shorts and personal works. Features: Snow, Rail, Locomotion, Trinidad and Tobago, Shell Spirit, This Is Shell, Seasons Project, Chair-a-Plane Kwela and Chair-a-Plane Flamenco."
Additionally, there is also the prospect of there being a new short railway film being produced for the DVD featuring out-takes from Rail, notably the footplate scenes from the Merchant Navy class locomotive along with an interview with Geoffrey Jones himself.
1.5.2005 The BTF short film "Let's Go To Birmingham" is now available for free download from a new BFI website called 'Creative Archive'.
25.4.2005 DD Video have released 'British Buses - The Golden Years' featuring about 95% BTF footage.
MovieMail's website describes the contents as; "A celebration of British buses of the 1950s and 1960s, featuring rare archive footage from the British Transport Films collection". Moviemail website.
1.3.2005 Anthony Nield of www.dvdtimes.co.uk advises that the BFI's forthcoming DVD release of the 1929 German classic 'People on Sunday' is to include the 1951 BTF film 'This Year - London' as one of its extras.
'Terminus' is also getting a forthcoming DVD release courtesy of DD Video (25th April) and will also host three non-BTF films on the disc: 'British Locomotives', 'First of the Thirteen' and 'London to Brighton in Four Minutes'.
DD Video's website tells us :-
"This brand new collection features three major films about Britain's railways, locos and rolling stock. Terminus, made by celebrated Hollywood director John Schlesinger for British Transport in 1961, is widely regarded as one of the very best railway films of all time and celebrates a day in the life of Waterloo Station. London-Brighton in Four Minutes was produced by the BBC in 1966. It takes you on board the 'Brighton Belle' at Victoria Station and propels you along the line at the speed of sound, arriving in Brighton in just four minutes, thanks to the magic of trick speed camerawork! 1959's British Locomotives features rare colour film of British-made locos and rolling stock on overseas railways. The DVD features a bonus film from 1970, First of the Thirteen, which provides a fascinating colour record of the modernisation of the British rail signal network. 1 hr 59 mins."
Try Movie Mail to buy this Disc online at a modest discount.il
21.1.2005 The release of the BFI produced British Transport Films DVD compilation has been put on hold until Spring 2005. We gather this is so that it will go on sale concurrently with Volumes 2 & 3.
19.11.2004 Alan Willmott and Philip Lane have re-scoried some of Clifton Parker's film scores and re-recorded them with a full orchestra. It should be in the shops in the new year on the Chandos label. Any classical music dealers site will have it if you do a search for Clifton Parker. It is available online from Presto Classical at least.
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/composer.php?browse=era&name=Parker
Clifton Parker only wrote four scores for BTF films.
1) Elizabethan Express.
2) Long Night Haul.
3) Blue Pullman.
4) Ocean Terminal
There are some beautiful pieces of music on this CD - Blue Lagoon and "Western Approaches" is magnificent. Although only Blue Pullman appears on this first release, if it is a success we will all be able to listen to Elizabethan Express in our cars in the not too distant future!
Check out the Chandos website for more details.
Download a lo-fidelity preview of the Blue Pullman track (1.1mb).
Download a high-fidelity preview of the Blue Pullman track (4.3mb).
4.11.2004 The first BFI produced British Transport Films DVD compilation should be on sale from 20th December. This will be the first of at least 3 planned volumes and will be a 2 disc set.
Volumes 2 & 3 should be out by Spring 2005 and should contain some form of specially filmed documentary retrospective.
Disc 1 - On The Rails
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Disc 2 - Off The Rails
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Blue Pullman (1960) | Under the River (1959) | |
Elizabethan Express (1954) | Snowdrift at Bleath Gill (1955) | |
Train Time (1952) | This Year - London (1951) | |
Rail 150 (1975) | This is York (1953) | |
Diesel Train Driver (1959) (Part 1- An Introduction) |
The Great Highway (1966) | |
On Track for the 80's (1980) | A Day of One's Own (1955) | |
Cybernetica (1972) | John Betjeman Goes By Train (1962) |
22.6.2004 Beulah announces on its website more news about its forthcoming DVD releases:-
"Following on from 'The London Bus' comes a second video featuring much material never before released on video. It contains "One For One", a film detailing the overhaul of bus mechanical units at Chiswick Works and "A Century of Buses" a parade held in Hyde Park to mark the centenary of the LGOC (General) in 1956. The DVD will also feature extra scenes not used in the film. Colin Curtis formerly of the Routemaster design team will narrate scenes of RM1 undergoing road tests in 1956."
Additionally, the Beaulah website announces a further 'Yesterday's Britain' DVD - "Farnborough - The Early Years" scheduled for release in September though this is obviously not BTF :-
"This video traces the manufacture and testing of early Britsh jets in the five years leading up to the first Farnborough air show in 1948 Aircraft seen include Gloster Meteor, Hawker N7/46, Armstrong Whitworth AW52, Nene engined Avro Tudor, Saunders-Roe Naval Fighter, Metropolitan-Vickers Jet powered flying boat, DH Comet's first appearance at the 1949 show.
WING TO WING (1951) a short film praising the rôle of the air forces of Britain and NATO. It includes the Meteor and its successor the Swift in flight; experimental P-1057 takes off, Anglo-American cooperation: B36 jets at US airbase in Britain, and British aircraft: Canberra and Valiant.
IN ON THE BEAM (1951) an information film about Heathrow's air and ground control approach systems. It includes a a squadron of Vampires routed over a Stratocruiser and the concluding sequence shows London Ground Control Approach radar talking down a Viking for a blind approach in foggy conditions.
Finally we visit the 1953 Farnborough air show where the flying displays featured are the : Vickers Viscount; the Bristol 173 helicopter ('Rotocoach'); Auster Aiglet trainer; De Havilland Comet 2; Blackburn Beverley freighter; Saunders-Roe Princess flying boat flies over; Bristol Britannia; English Electric Canberra; De Havilland DH 110; Short Seamew; Short SP-5 (sweep-wing experimental aircraft); Boulton Paul P111A research aircraft; Gloster Javelin; Supermarine Swifts (US General Gruenther, Supreme Commander Allied Powers in Europe, among watching visitors); Hawker Hunter (including supersonic flight); Handley Page Victor V-bomber makes its first appearance; the Vickers Valiant also appears, as does the Avro Vulcan; 2 Vulcans fly past in formation with the Avro 707 experimental Delta aircraft from which they were developed."
8.6.2004 Beulah announces on its website a new DVD for its "Yesterday's Britain Series" - YB33 : The London Bus II
"Next month (July) we shall publish the sequal to our best selling video 'The London Bus'. 'The London Bus II' will feature for the first time ever on video One For One a film made by British Transport Films on the overhaul of Routemaster units at Chiswick Works."
23.3.2004 Laserlight have released their two BTF railway videos on DVD. Expect to pay between £5 and £6 for these if ordering from any of the discount online DVD outlets.
Although an improvement on the VHS releases, it should be noted that the prints used by Laserlight will not be as good as the re-mastered prints which will be used on the forthcoming BFI DVD compilation release.
Awesome Giants of Steam :
Golden Times of British Railways :
3.1.2004 Beulah's 3 DVD releases are available as a boxset - YB32 : Capital Transport Collection.
This contains their three DVD releases complete with a presentation slip case for £29.90 plus £1.50 P&P which offers a substantial saving.
23.7.2003 Beulah have announced a further volume to the "Yesterday's Britain" series - YB31 : Capital Transport.
"Post war London Transport was the subject of a film, Moving Millions made for the LTPB in 1947 by the Crown Film Unit and shown overseas through the COI. It features the Underground and its extensions, as well as the familiar red bus, trams, trolleybuses and Green Line coaches . Some twenty years on and British Transport Films were commissioned to make an updated version entitled London on the Move. Now in the swinging sixties with the Victoria Line in action and the first generation Red Arrow buses. In 1983 London Transport made Moving London a celebration of its fifty years service to the capital.As well as reviewing the past the film looks to the future with new trains and new buses. The video ends with the most famous British Transport Film of all The Elephant Will Never Forget, recalling the last week of trams in July 1952.
Black and white and colour. 50 mins."
14.10.2003 It is anticipated that the forthcoming BFI produced British Transport Films Collection on DVD will not now be available until Spring 2004. The provisional list of films is as follows and is subject to alteration :-
Elizabethan Express
Snowdrift at Bleath Gill
This is York
A Day of One's Own.
Holiday.
Blue Pullman
Rail 150
John Betjeman Goes by Train
Under the River
Operation London Bridge
Rail Report 13 - On Track For The Eighties
Extra Bonus Films:
Wild Wings
Diesel Train Driver Part 1 - Introduction to the Diesel Train
They Had An Idea
1.9.2003 Beulah's latest volume to the "Yesterday's Britain" series - YB30 : The London Bus has been released.
"The red bus has been a familiar scene of London for over a century. This video tells the the story of buses in London. Black & white and colour. 56 mins.
Ominbus 150 (1979) - Celebrating 150 years since George Shillibeer ran the first regualr bus service in the capital. It traces the development of the bus from horse buses, to motor buses and on to the pupose built buses designed by London Transport, the RT folowed by the Routemaster.
Overhaul (1957) - Showing how London's fimilar RT bus was overhauled at purpose built works in Aldenham.
The Nine Road (1976) - Follows the day in the operation of a Routemaster service across central London, route 9 from Liverpool Street to Mortlake."
Getting To Grips (1984) - A driver learning the technique of controlling his Routemaster bus on a greasy wet surface at the famous Chiswick skid patch, which closed down about six months after the film was made."
Like the video, a DVD is available for £14.95 plus £1.50 P&P. Full details - including screen grabs - and on-line ordering information is available from the Beulah website - www.eavb.co.uk
20.6.2003 Beulah have released "Building London's Victoria Line" on DVD, the higher quality of this increasingly popular format taking full advantage of the brand new 35mm prints. Like the video, the DVD is available for £14.95 plus £1.50 P&P. Full details - including screen grabs - and on-line ordering information is available from the Beulah website - www.eavb.co.uk
24.5.2003 "Any Man's Kingdom" (1953) has been independently released by Northern Heritage. This is a repackaged version of the video produced in the late 1980s and features new sleeve notes. When the film was originally released, it contained Northumberland railway scenes. These were replaced by footage of their replacement buses when the railway lines closed soon after release. For the video, the film was re-edited by F.A.M.E. to its original format, with the bus footage (approx 10 minutes) presented as "bonus" material.
14.2.2003 Beulah have released the eagerly awaited "Building London's Victoria Line" video compilation. The video is available for £12.95 plus £1.25 P&P. Full details of this important video release - including screen grabs - and on-line ordering information is available from the Beulah website - www.eavb.co.uk
10.1.2003 Three further video compilations from the BFI are expected to be released in 2003.
Note: the actual contents of these videos are to subject to confirmation
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This will take place following the release of the long anticipated BTF DVD compilation - more details when we get them.
5:8:2002 Two new compilation videos from the BFI are now on sale with several titles either available on video for the first time or after many years of being deleted. See below for more details.
Three more volumes are expected to be released in December 2002 - "This Sceptered Isle - London", "Civil Engineering 2", and "This Sceptered Isle - West Country & Wales". This will take the BFI up to Volume 12 with more compilation tapes to follow in 2003 and the possibility of a "Best Of" release on the increasingly popular DVD format.
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Long Night Haul They Take The High Road Journey To The Sea Dodging The Column Giant Load Measured For Transport Bonus: |
Ocean Terminal (1952) Link Span (1956) Berth 24 (1950) Bonus: |
The Videos are priced at £15.99 each plus P&P (£1.50 for one video, £2.00 for both)