**RELEASED October 2017**

Jim Clemens Collection No.35.
The second volume in our popular “Miscellany” series to covering Southern steam. It again features previously unseen footage from the Jim Clemens Collection and is mostly compiled in the order the film runs off the original cine reels. In this volume we feature a wealth of Southern steam mainly from the South Western Division including some really rare footage.

The first 10 minutes or so take us on a journey in the 1930s over the Lynton & Barnstaple narrow gauge railway. In the 1960s, Jim Clemens purchased two 16mm cine reels covering this much missed line and both are included here.

Back to standard gauge and we begin at London Waterloo followed by coverage around Clapham Junction, Hook, Basingstoke, Micheldever, Bentley, Bordon, “The Alps” line, Eastleigh station (plus the Shed & Works) and Southampton Central including some views of the liners “Queen Mary” and “Queen Elizabeth” at the Docks.

The Warwick Railway Society’s “Farewell to Steam on the LSWR” rail tour on 11th.June 1967 is covered in some detail followed by a journey from Cowes through Newport to Ryde Pier Head on the Isle of Wight. We spend some time on New Year’s Day in 1967 watching the Lymington Branch (the last steam operated branch line in the country). Back on the main line we see activity at Lymington Junction and Brokenhurst.

Jim Clemens married in February 1948 and honeymooned in Bournemouth. He often visited this popular seaside resort for an anniversary break. Therefore a considerable amount of film was taken around this area covering the last years of steam including Christchurch, Bournemouth Central and Bournemouth West. We also journey over the old Salisbury & Dorset railway in the snow during 1963 and spend time around Salisbury itself. All followed by a trip in a push-pull train propelled by an M7 0-4-4T along the Swanage Branch from Wareham, Worgret Junction and Corfe Castle! There is also coverage of Dorchester, Upwey & Broadwey and Weymouth including a visit to the Shed.

We see a cross-section of 1960s Southern motive power during our travels including locomotives from classes M7, O2, Q, S15, U, USA as well as West Country and Merchant Navy Pacifics. BR Standards also put in an appearance with examples from Class 5 & Class 4 4-6-0s, Class 4 2-6-0s, Class 4 2-6-4Ts, Class 3 2-6-2Ts plus a few LMS Class 2 2-6-2Ts and a “Warship” diesel.

The archive film is in both colour and Black & White and apart from the L & BR footage mostly dates from 1963 to 1967. An authentic sound track has been added along with a commentary to complement this nostalgic look at the last years of Southern steam.

Cover photo:- Alan Maund, 34095 “Brentor” arrives at Axminster, Summer 1967.

Narrated by: Mike Clemens.

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**RELEASED LATE JULY 2014**

Turkey lies at the further eastern extremity of Europe with one seventh of its territory in Europe and the remainder in Asia, separated by the Bosphorous waterway. While the former is largely flat, the latter is mountainous with railways facing severe gradients climbing into the rugged interior from the coastal plains of the Mediterranean in the south and the Black Sea in the north.

The first railway was started in 1856 and construction continued until 1971 when the final section from Lake Van to the Iranian border was finished. But this still resulted in a sparse network of lines for such a large country.

Locomotives were of necessity, powerful and sturdy with mainly British, German and American builders. Passenger working were sparse with only one or two trains a day for most lines and often mixed traffic. Freight workings predominated with many trains double headed or with banking engines on the steeper line sections. Most lines were standard gauge with a few narrow gauge lines. Dieselisation was completed first in the West, gradually moving eastwards. Steam locomotive building ended in 1961. In the West most locomotives were coal fired due an abundance of coal mines; in the East most were oil-fired. However by the late 1980s all had been withdrawn.

Our first scenes concentrate on the western part of Asiatic Turkey with scenes from Izmir with its intensive suburban services and longer distance trains to the interior plus around the Black Sea port of Zonguldak with its extensive coal mines and associated workings.

Later scenes move further east via the Black Sea coast to Sivas and the Euphrates Gorge near Erzurum and returning south via Konya.

This all colour film has been brought to life with superb sound and commentary.

Cover Photo:- Cover photo: Colin White. 57018 on 9:35 to Denizli at Alsancak (44071 pilot) 13/12/75.

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**RELEASED JULY2013**

FROM THE RON DAVIES COLLECTION: And now for something completely different from B & R: Steam in Cuba in the 1990s!

Cuba, in the Caribbean, was one of the few countries in the world where large numbers of industrial steam locomotives could been seen in daily use into the late 1990s, well after steam traction had been eliminated in other parts of the world. The 1959 revolution resulted in the island spending little on the railways and they became a “time warp” until further investment was available.

There are three gauges in use in Cuba: standard gauge, 3’ gauge and 2’6” gauge. Although steam power was eliminated from the main lines in the 1950s, it remained in use for many years on the sugar mill railways. These are used to transport cane from the collection points in the fields to the mills. In fact steam power can still be seen in parts of Cuba today, especially in the Spring during the sugar cane harvesting season.

Ron Davies visited the island on a number of occasions between 1995 and 1999 to record all this steam activity amid the breath taking tropical scenery. He used Super- 8mm cameras with the ability to record sound.

Some of the locomotives featured in this film were built at the beginning of the 20th. Century (some even earlier) from builders such as Alco, Baldwin, and Rogers. There are a variety of engines including 2-6-0s and 2-8-0s moving cane from the fields, whilst 0-4-0T, 2-4-2T, and other tank engines shunt cane wagons to the crusher. There is even footage of some very large fireless locos

We see street running, shed scenes, multiple gauge railway level crossings and many trains passing by at speed both loaded and empty. But witness the extremely poor state of the track; it’s a wonder they don’t derail! A very interesting film and a complete contrast to the UK scene.

The archive film used is in colour with its original sound track. An extensively researched commentary has been added.

Cover photo:- Baldwin 2-6-0 No.1626 of 1914, at Panchito Gomez Toro, Cuba.

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**RELEASED JUNE 2013**

In this volume, we cover the industrial railways in the South East of England including London. After steam had finished on the main lines, this area still had steam workings at the various industrial sites and for enthusiasts it was the place to visit until the mid 1970s.

We start with a visit to London’s Acton Lane Power Station and saddle tanks “Birkenhead” and “Little Barford” in action complete with wasp stripes on their smokeboxes! At Slough Estates complex, Hudswell Clarke tanks are shunting oil wagons. Mind the cars, there’s just a gap!

In 1972, we visit Rye House power station near Hoddesdon on the ex-GER main line to see RSH tank No.7597 shunting (more wasp stripes!) before witnessing its transport by road (mind those 25kv wires) for preservation on the Stour Valley Railway. Later, we see it in action on the SVR and on the GCR at Loughborough.

Onwards and there are Peckett saddle tanks at Ipswich Sugar factory and at Ford’s Dagenham Works (it had 25 miles of lines), where we see a variety of scenes including the foundry and dockyard.

Next to Chatham Dockyard and a 1980s view of the derelict saddle tanks followed by later preservation scenes with restored “Ajax”. Then to the paper mills at Greenhithe and Gravesend for fireless locos in action in & around the works.

Sittingbourne’s Bowaters Paper Mill had the largest system for paper and we make an extensive visit to it’s narrow gauge railway with mostly pre-preservation views of steam in action on goods as well as passenger trains. Plus views of standard gauge ex-SECR P “Pioneer II”, saddle tank “Jubilee”, the cableway and the dockside.

Onto Swanscombe Cement Works & Quarry in 1968 for Hudswell-Clarke tanks busy shunting cement wagons and then to Snodland Cement Works to see “Hornpipe” in action plus steam at Holborough Quarry with “Tumulus”.

Finally we visit the Kent Coalfield and the collieries at Snowdown and Betteshanger for extensive steam activity with “J94 type” Hunslets (among others), more wasp stripes, loading & unloading of wagons and a Class 73 electro-diesel at the BR exchange sidings.

All the archive film used is virtually all in colour and an extensively researched commentary along with an authentic soundtrack has been added.

All the archive film used is virtually all in colour and an extensively researched commentary along with an authentic soundtrack has been added.

Cover photo: Colin White”Monarch” at Bowaters in 1969.

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Jim Clemens Collection No.27. A record of the demise of steam on British railways during 1967 and 1968 in the North-West of England, seen mainly through the camera of Jim Clemens.

We feature scenes of steam at CREWE, WARRINGTON and PRESTON followed by shed visits to Dallam, Lostock Hall, Bolton, Buxton, Northwich, Carnforth, Liverpool Edge Hill and Speke Junction. Then off to the Manchester area to see the last dying days of main line steam with Black 5s, 8Fs, 9Fs and Standards.

There were rail tours to Ravenglass and around the North-West in July and August 1968. We include the last tours from Manchester on the 4th.August 1968, especially the SLS tour plus some views of the very last steam hauled train on BR, the 15 Guinea Special on 11th.August 1968.

Into the early days of standard gauge preservation in 1968 and we cover the opening of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. We next visit Tyseley shed in September 1968 and finally 6000 “King George V” returned steam to British Railways in 1971 to end a record of what was to be seen in these declining years of steam traction.

The film has been mastered with an authentic sound-track and researched in detail to give an informative commentary.

Further volumes are available covering the age of steam on British Railways throughout Great Britain, including many others from the Jim Clemens collection. Details may be obtained from the address below.

Cover Photo:- Keith Pirt/Courtesy Booklaw Publications : 45342 and 45156 at Nappa, 20/4/68.

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