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Quality Railway Videos and Documentaries
DESTINY OF STEAM
Destiny of Steam features South Maitland Railways (SMR) who retained steam as their motive power long after other Australian railways had switched to diesel power.
This is a video with a quite different approach from most others. While there is plenty of action, mostly with true ambient sound, the dialogue is presented by employees (driver, fireman, signalman, supervisor), telling their stories first hand of their lives on the railway (and what fascinating stories they are), over a visual background of the ever busy locos on passing coal trains. The locos featured on the tape are the 10 class 2-8-2 tank engines, and these are superbly captured in glorious colour on 16mm film in a truly professional presentation.
The period covered is that when the 4 wheel wooden non-air braked wagons were giving way to government steel bogie wagons, and there was much speculation as to the future of SMR.
The final quarter hour is "South Maitland Railways Today", where several of the modern scenes have been taken in the same places as those on "Destiny", but with the current aluminium bodied hopper wagons hauled by a brace of four 48 class six cylinder Alco powered locos. See evidence of the old days, abandoned water tanks and mine remnants, together with items remaining in use like Neath Signal Box, a true mixture of the old and the new. Included is Pelton Colliery, the line's sole source of revenue today.
Destiny Of Steam was taken on 16mm colour film, professionally transferred to Broadcast Standard tape by "flying spot scanner".
South Maitland Railways Today was taken on Broadcast Standard Betacam camera. All edited on one inch tape, and directly duplicated. PQ A