**RELEASED October 2024**

This, the 12th episode of our popular series of LONDON MIDLAND STEAM MISCELLANIES, is a feast of steam traction filmed mostly in the North-West and Midlands. And once again we are using a considerable amount of previously unseen cine-film from our extensive archives*!

Our journey starts with a visit to the major rail interchange of Carlisle. Here we see steam action in the area before all the line closures and major rationalisation of tracks of later years. One of the major homes of steam was the Kingmoor Shed and we see it and it’s approaches in all their glory. Wonderful! Then to the hive of activity of Citadel station for scenes including Stanier “Princess Coronation’ Pacifics.

Now a real treat for enthusiasts – The Langholm branch freight with (now-preserved) Ivatt 4MT No.43106 in charge; it is seen paralleling the A7 road and also at Canonbie. Further north we have film at Stirling (including a ‘Clan’ Pacific) and Glasgow.

Another area seen in detail is the climb to Shap summit. Most was filmed around the Tebay and Scout Green areas although the climb from the north is not forgotten. All manner of traction combinations are seen – single-handedly, with bankers, and even one with a pilot on the front. Diesels also make occasional appearances with English Electric Type 4s and Brush Type 4s, one of the latter in charge of the down ‘Mid-Day Scot’.

On the Settle & Carlisle line we see locations such as Horton-in­Ribblesdale, the famous Ribblehead viaduct, and Kirkby Stephen West. Visits are also made to Windermere, Oxenholme, Carnforth, Carnforth Shed, Hest Bank (including action on the water troughs), Lancaster, Warrington, and the approach to Standedge tunnel. .

Other places seen in the north of England are Ditton Junction, Mouldsworth, Preston, Lostock Hall Shed, Newton Heath Shed, Sheffield, and Leeds.

We also visit North Wales and the Borders. Places as Chester, Shrewsbury, Abergele and Pensarn. A particular delight is coverage around Denbigh, Llanrhaiadr, and Rhydymwyn.

London Midland power is also not forgotten towards the south of England, such as at Spetchley (site of Worcester’s first station), Norton Junction, and even Didcot in the heart of GWR territory.

We cover the last days of steam throughout the 1960s to the end in 1968. Classes seen include (in no particular order): ex-LMS 2-6-4Ts, Ivatt 4MT 2-6-0s, 4Fs, Black 5s, Jubilees, 8Fs, Jinty 0-6-0Ts, 47000 Dock Tanks, Patriot and Royal Scot 4-6-0s, Princess Coronation (Duchess) Pacifics, Ivatt Class 2 2-6-0s and BR Standard Britannia & Clan Pacifics, Class 4 & 5 4-6-0s, 2-6-4Ts, 9F 2-10-0s (including ex-Crosti boilered) and WD 2-8-0s. The new order also creeps in from time to time such as English Electric ‘Type 4′ and Brush ‘Type 4 ‘; even the early AC Electric “AL” series locomotives!

Our nostalgic look at the last years of London Midland steam has been assembled in the order the film runs off the original cine reels. It is mostly in colour with a soundtrack and a commentary.

*A Footnote for the Miscellany Series. Over the years, we have amassed a vast collection of archive cine-film from a variety of owners. When we produced our much earlier volumes, they were based on telling a “story” or following a “journey”. As a result only relevant short clips from various the original archive cine-films were used along with specific soundtracks and commentaries. When more recently reviewing our extensive archives, we realised that much of the original cine films had never been used for one reason or another such as it didn’t fit the story or we didn’t know the location. In some cases there were reels of previously unused and unseen cine-film. And this historic footage would never be seen and lost forever unless we did something about it. Hence the Miscellany series where this time the footage has been assembled in the order it runs off  the actual cine-films along with completely new sound tracking and a new commentary for each volume.  In some cases all of the footage is completely new. There are some real gems in this series!!

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**RELEASED 1at.September 2022**

Our tenth episode covering London Midland steam within our popular “Miscellany” series which mostly features previously unseen and unused cine film from our archives. Once again, it has been compiled in the running order of the original cine film..

We start at Carlisle Citadel station: this is very well covered with material from 1963 until 1967. Also visited are Carnforth, Hest Bank, Appleby West, Tebay, Dillicar water troughs, plus the climb to Shap summit. Then Crewe, extensive coverage in the Warrington area, Wigan North Western, Blackburn, Hellifield, Preston, Farrington Junction, the East Lancashire line, and the Copy Pit line. The famous Sankey viaduct is seen and then we continue on via Gathurst, Croston, Borwick, Liverpool Lime Street, Fazakerley South Junction, Manchester, Clifton Junction, and Entwistle.

The south of England is not forgotten with visits to Worcester, Spetchley, Norton Junction, Didcot, Oxford, and Evesham, before the most southerly location of all at Barnstaple Junction. East of the Pennines we see LM locomotives at York with the RCTS ‘Jubilee Commemorative Rail Tour’, then Farnley Junction, Sheffield, and Normanton.

Scotland is not left out with film at Stirling, Glasgow, and Carstairs. Returning south, Nuneaton and Beeston are seen next with the “Midlands Locomotive Requiem Rail Tour” and then it’s Northampton and Bedford.

The final locations in this video are near to and at London Marylebone, Bromford Bridge, Garstang & Catterall, plus Chester.

Numerous shed visits are made including: Carlisle Kingmoor, Carnforth, Preston, Lostock Hall, Rose Grove, Bolton, Patricroft, Newton Heath, Stockport Edgeley, Stoke, and Birkenhead. Plus also Buttigiegs scrap yard in South Wales.

From the 1960s up to 1968, motive power includes (in no particular order): ex-LMS 2-6-4Ts, Crabs, Super Ds, Ivatt Class 4 & 2 2-6-0s and 2-6-2Ts, 4Fs, Black 5s, 8Fs, Jinties, Patriots (rebuilt and unrebuilt, Royal Scots, Princesses, Coronations, BR Standard Britannias, Clans, Class 5 & 4 4-6-0s, Class 2 2-6-2T and 2-6-0s, WDs and 9F 2-10-0s (including ex-Crosti). The new order also creeps in from time to time and diesel enthusiasts will particularly enjoy a D400-hauled Freightliner service passing Patricroft shed.

This nostalgic look at the last years of London Midland steam is mostly in colour and includes a informative commentary and an authentic sound track.

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**RELEASED 11th.August 2021**

THE JOHN RYAN COLLECTION.
The ninth volume in our popular “Miscellany” series to cover London Midland steam. This time it is compiled entirely from cine film taken by John Ryan from the Wirral and assembled in the running order of the original cine film. There is coverage across England, Scotland, and Wales and we include previously unused footage from the B & R archives with the emphasis on London Midland material.

There is some excellent film across the Wirral which includes 9Fs hauling ore trains from the dock at Bidston via Storeton, Heswall Hills, and Burton Point to the John Summers works at Shotton—the heaviest regular unfitted mineral workings on the whole of BR. The line from Birkenhead Woodside to Chester is covered in detail, such as Birkenhead shed, Rock Ferry, Bebbington & New Ferry, Spital, Hooton, Capenhurst, and Upton-by-Chester. We then move to Gresford bank, Wrexham, the Brymbo branch, Ruabon, Cefn.viaduct, Chirk, Chirk viaduct Gobowen, and Shrewsbury.

The North-West of England is another area well-photographed by John at locations such as Preston, Layton, Poulton-Ie-Fylde, Kirkham & Wesham, Croston, Ormskirk, Town Green & Aughton, Maghull, Aintree Sefton Arms, Wigan Wallgate, Hindley North, Clifton Junction, Bradshaw Brook viaduct, Southport, Banks, Hoole, Penwortharn (Cop Lane), the Horwich to Blackrod and Chorley push-pull, Royton, Manchester, Ashburys for Belle Vue, Guide Bridge, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Didsbury, Meir, Pleasington, Rose Grove shed, Hest Bank water troughs, and Whalley viaduct.

There is more film in Wales at Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Conwy, Penmaenmawr, Rhyl, Gwersyllt, Gowerton South, Swansea Victoria, and Bynea Halt. Other locations visited include London Marylebone, Camden, the Newport Pagnell branch push-pull the “Newport Nobby” , Rugby, Alston, Lanarkshire, Gleneagles, Carlisle, Alston, Stanley Bridge Halt, Bristol, Berkeley Road, Gloucester, Fenn’s Bank, Birmingham, the Kingsbury branch & Baddesley colliery.

The time period for this film is through the 1960s up to 1968. Motive power includes ex-GWR 56xx, ex-LMS Stanier Class 3 2-6-2Ts, 1Fs, Class 4 2-6-4Ts, Crabs, 4Fs, Jinties, 8Fs, Ivatt Class 4 & 2 2-6-0s, Black 5s (including experimental types), Jubilees, Coronation Pacifics, Super Ds, BR Standard Britannias, Class 5 (including Caprotti examples) and 4 4-6-0s, Class 4 2-6-0s, Class 3 77000 2-6-0s and 82000 2-6-2Ts, Class 2 2-6-0s & 2-6-2Ts and 9F 2-10-0s.

An authentic sound track has been added along with an informative commentary to complement this further nostalgic look at the last years of London Midland steam.

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**RELEASED late January 2020**

The eighth volume in our popular “Miscellany” series to cover London Midland steam compiled from mostly unseen footage from a variety of different cameramen and in the order the film runs off the original cine reels. Here we feature Midland 2Fs, the GCR in LMR days, in & around Manchester, the WCML and The North-West.

The line between Desford Junction and Leicester West Bridge had restricted clearances and was the last home of the diminutive Johnsons 2Fs which had been introduced as far back as the 1870s! We visit the line during February 1963 with snow still on the ground.

Next, in LMR days, we make a journey along the Great Central main line from Marylebone which includes Aylesbury, Brackley, Banbury, Woodford Halse, Rugby, Lutterworth, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham, Chesterfield and Hasland shed. We even feature a 1962 journey behind a 9F in normal passenger service from Brackley to Aylesbury!

On to the North-West and the Manchester area where a famous steam working in 1964 and 1965 was the evening commuter service from Manchester Central to Buxton. This working is forever associated with ‘Jubilee’ No. 45705 “Seahorse” and we cover the journey in some detail. Following on from this, there is excellent footage around New Mills Junction, Gowhole Yards, Chinley, the Romiley and Marple area, Hayfield, Stockport, Stockport Edgeley shed, plus Manchester Victoria and Exchange.

Shrewsbury and Ruabon are visited next and time is spent at Rossett (between Chester and Wrexham) and Talacre plus Worleston on the North Wales coast line.

Finally, numerous locations are visited on the northern part of the West Coast Main Line starting at Crewe and Crewe South shed, Acton Grange, Winwick Junction, Wigan, Lostock Hall shed, Farrington, Preston, Carnforth shed, and Shap. Other locations include near Ormskirk and Hellifield, plus shed visits to Rose Grove, Bolton, Holbeck, and Normanton.

The time period for the majority of the film is from 1962 to 1968. Motive power includes BR standard Britannia pacifics, Standard Class 5 & 4 4-6-0s, Class 2 2-6-0s, 9F 2-10-0s and Austerity 2-8-0s, ex-LMS Black 5s, 8Fs, 4Fs, 2-6-4Ts, Royal Scots, Jubilees, Stanier 2-6-0s, Ivatt tanks and Class 2 & 4 2-6-0s, ex-MR 2Fs, and Jinties.

An authentic sound track has been added along with an informative commentary to complement this nostalgic look at the last years of London Midland steam.

Cover Photo:- Keith Pirt/Courtesy of Book Law Publications, Stanier 2-6-0 No.42960 heads an up excursion near Skerton, August 1962.

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**RELEASED December 2019**

As well as satisfying their passion for steam in the British Isles, enthusiasts sought it out in other ways, with many making their way into Europe in search of steam.

In the summer of 1962, the late Brian Lockey visited Sweden and Finland on the Railway Correspondence & Travel Society (RCTS) rail tour of Scandinavia. Then in the autumn of 1970 Brian visited Denmark, this time with the Railway Enthusiasts Club (REC). Brian’s films make up the majority of this volume of Scandinavian Railway Memories.

The Swedish visit includes wooden-bodied jackshaft electric D Class 1C1 locomotives, a giant 0-10-0 originally from the Kiruna far north iron ore line, the Tomteboda Railway Museum plus Sweden’s largest railway exhibition of 1962. Visits are also made to Falun, Hagalund shed, Ludvika, and Kristianstad shed. Sweden’s largest private railway is seen at Eskilstuna, the TJOJ iron-ore line, where the Traffic Manager and Chief Engineer took the party around. The last steamship built in Scandinavia (and now-preserved SS “Bore”) takes the tour from Stockholm onwards to Turku.

There is excellent coverage of Finnish steam, but starts with an Hr12 (now Dr12) Co-Co diesel. Helsinki shed was visited and on the adjacent main line, there is continuous steam activity coming up the hill out of the City. Steam abounds including 0-6-0T, 0-6-2T, 4-6-0, 4-6-2, 2-8-0, 2-8-2, 2-8-2T, 0-10-0T and 2-10-0 classes. The Tr1 2-8-2s and Hr1 4-6-2s built up to 1957 are real beauties and include bar frames plus interchangeable boilers. Wood-burners are also seen, complete with spark-arresting chimneys.

The visit to Denmark includes one of the ‘P’ class Atlantics, single and double chimney ‘E’ class Pacifics, a visit to Fredericia shed, a trip on the World’s oldest steam paddle steamer, and haulage of standard-gauge stock by a narrow-gauge locomotive. Modem traction includes ‘Lyntog’ inter-city units and East German 175s on the Berlin service.

Trams and trolleybuses are not forgotten. Some Scandinavian steam locomotives found a later home in the UK and visits are made to see them, including filming for the James Bond film ‘Octopussy’. Finally there are some ‘Railway Roundabout” type 16mm offcuts and unused film of Finnish steam purchased from Pat Whitehouse by Jim Clemens.

Cover Photo:- SJ 2-6-4T No.1393 (built 1918) at Vitaby, Sweden.
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