OUR ARCHIVE HERITAGE VOLUME 5 – ON SALE NOW

By now, Steam Railway readers should be familiar with Unseen Steam’s ability to dig up fascinating archive footage from the days of steam, and Our Archive Heritage Volume 5 is no exception.

Highlights on this DVD include the early years of the Talyllyn Railway – including the line’s ‘Centenarian’ train in 1965 hauled by No. 2 Dolgoch – a truly fascinating time for this pioneering preserved railway. Also included in this sequence is footage of Kerr Stuart 0-4-2ST No. 4 ‘Edward Thomas’ sporting its distinctive Giesl ejector.

Another highlight is extensive footage of Southern Region steam in the 1950s, when a great many classes were still running. This section includes ‘Lord Nelsons’, ‘Q1s’ and a solitary Maunsell ‘H16’ tank, as well as ‘Ls’, ‘D1s’ and the ubiquitous Bulleid ‘Pacifics’, working all over the Southern system in its post-war heyday.

Also included on this volume is a comprehensive breakdown of the various BR Standard classes, featuring celebrities such as ‘7MT’ No. 70004 William Shakespeare and ‘9Fs’ Nos. 92203 ‘Black Prince’ and 92220 Evening Star, Western Region steam in the 1960s, steam on the Eastern and North Eastern regions – including rare pre-Grouping designs still at work – and the Cambrian Coast line under London Midland Region auspices.

As always, Unseen Steam avoids the trap into which many similar titles fall by adding mismatched and spurious sound effects to what is otherwise silent footage. Here, the footage is left unmolested and the viewer can instead revel in a subtle music track and informative narration.

If you’ve purchased Unseen Steam’s previous volumes, you’ll find Our Archive Heritage Volume 5 a very worthy addition. If you haven’t, now’s the time to get on board and discover quality, rare archive railway footage!