Steam Video Issue 148

TGV Paris-Bordeaux, la ligne de tous les records

Nearly 200 years ago, the train revolutionized our lives. It redrew the maps of states and nations, and changed concepts of distance and time like no other invention before. What visionaries imagined the development of the railroad? How did we get from the first chugging locomotives to the smooth giants of speed we see today? How does France's extensive rail network keep running smoothly, 24/7?

La saga du rail

Spontaneous Combustion embraces the holistic vision of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most provocative artists and thinkers: the unity of the natural environment and the human imagination, the energy, rhythm and textures of the physical world expressed in clay, words, and music. The film celebrates the legacy of Barry Brickell (1935-2016) and the realisation of his extraordinary dream, Driving Creek Railway: a productive pottery with numerous kilns, a bush railway, a native bird and bush sanctuary and a lively creative hub drawing artists from around the globe.

In a mountainous region of Sichuan, best known for pandas and earthquakes, there are no roads, no cars, no buses. But there is … a train. This documentary tells the story of the last working narrow gauge steam railway in China.

Since 1863, the underground has served London , this started with the opening of the Metropolitan Railway from Paddington to Farrington. 150 years later, Steam returned to help celebrate the opening of this line - the world's first underground railway. Join us as we take a look at these celebrations...

In 1906, the Arlberg Railway, which connects the Austrian cities of Innsbruck and Bludenz, is the only east-west mountain railway in Austria. This 340-second "ghost railroad ride" shows the view from the back of a train, though I'm not sure if it's heading east or west. This kind of film, in vogue at the time, is an intermediate form of short reality, which often showed a train engaging in a bend, and a feature documentary. Its editing is live, linear and temporal, and the cuts are very apparent. Indeed, the choices of where to place the cuts seem to have avoided the less populated stretches. There are plenty of buildings to see, even when the train is not at the station.

Arfon spent a week on the Great Central Railway finding out everything a trainee footplate member needs to know. Starting at the bottom, just as a real trainee would have done on BR, Arfon first becomes a cleaner then gradually progresses up the ladder with ex-Fireman Ray Martin teaching him the art of firing. Ex-BR Driver Bill Gwilt then takes over to explain how to oil and prepare the loco followed by how to drive. Arfon then takes the controls of Clun Castle in charge of a seven coach “express” running from Loughborough Central to Rothley. If you have ever wondered how a steam engine works or how they are maintained or driven, this best selling video is for you.

Another volume of highlights from the 1950s and 1960s television series. Here we see the best of French steam, the route from Helsinki to the Artic Circle, and the famous Orient Express from Paris to Athens.

A volume of additional footage from the 1950s and 1960s series. Highlights include an insider's view of York signal box, the new 'Midland Pullman', and steam over Shap in 1963.

関口知宏が行く ドイツ鉄道の旅

Lyon-Turin : Le Dernier Tunnel XXL

Speed has always played a particularly important role in railroads. New, ever better technologies have been developed throughout history. Engineers have come up with many ideas to make trains faster. This short film recalls the most striking record-breaking journeys in Germany and abroad.

Part-fiction documentary into the New Silk Road. AAA Cargo traces the anticipation of infrastructure and trade on a planetary scale, following its distribution networks which are expanding across vast regions between China and Europe. Here, government efforts to speed up the movement of trade collide with more-than-human choreographies of sand, people and goods.

Les Trains de tous les records

An intimate insight into the servant culture and lifestyle of the Viceroy of India and family, as they visit Simla (Shimla) and Lahore.

First volume of highlights from the 1950s and 1960s television series about the vanishing train lines. Here you have a chance to see the Bristol line as it looked during 1958.

Another volume of highlights from the 1950s and 1960s television series about the vanishing train lines. Here you have a chance to relive some of the great trains of the past, featuring a visit to Perth Shed and trains at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Another volume of highlights from the 1950s and 1960s television series about the vanishing train lines. Includes a journey from Bath to Evercreech Junction; the last train from Bala to Ffestiniog; the Lancashire and Yorkshire Special and the Severn and Wye in the Forest of Dean. Welsh narrow gauge highlights are also featured in addition to the locomotives of London Transport and Swindon.

Another volume of highlights from the 1950s and 1960s television series about the vanishing train lines. Here a bevvy of beautiful locomotives take the enthusiast back in time, including a journey from Ryde to Ventnor and the chance to take a spin on the Cumbrian Coast Express.