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Quality Railway Videos and Documentaries
Rails in the Wilderness
Featuring Bush tramways, Heislers, Climaxes etc steam logging engines and a multitude of "home made" rail vehicles and machines of the New Zealand forests. Memory Line have excelled themselves with this one. I found it fascinating from start to finish. The tape opens with footage in colour of the last working bush tramway, the narrow gauge Driving Creek line, with great scenery including a two level bridge over a creek with the train hauled by a siderod diesel. The scene moves next to views of remnants of the very old bush tramways and stills of incredible contraptions from the old days.
Next is seen the wooden railed tramway in 1982 in Saltwater State Forest, with the train hauled by a very home-made looking loco powered by a Ford Prefect petrol engine. This is an honest to goodness commercial operation!
Old film follows of track laying, a steam log hauler (cable), pulling trees from the bush, and the Brownlees Mill bush tramway. Next is a Climax run on Ellis and Borland's bush tramway in Ongapui in King Country of North Island, and what King Country it is, with the formation of the line hewn out of an almost vertical cliff face, rugged country and timber trestles. A Price "16 wheeler" is seen at work, and we ride a log train, seeing the brakeman screwing down handbrakes on the run! At the mill, powered by a 2 cylinder steam engine, a steam saw is seen cutting logs, as the old style tractors complete the scene. In the mid 1950s Smythe Bros Climax 1317 was captured on film, just 2 weeks before the line closed. In 1965 a Heisler is seen at work, then, to end an era, the Heisler towing away two Climaxes for preservation.
The video closes with views of many of the incredible things that ran on bush tramways. Home made vehicles, converted cars and vans and all sorts of petrol engined what-nots! The only criticism I would make is there is some music over some of the otherwise good sound, and one or two dubbed sounds on very old footage are not in sync with the loco speed, but this is really nit picking. It is an excellent production, tasteful music, clear commentary and very good transfer of old footage. Stereo sound and Hi Fi soundtrack. PQ A + B for old scenes.