A collection of vintage films about life in the British Railway industry in the 1940s and 1950s. The programme comprises:
The Railwaymen (1946) - A fascinating insight into the lives of railwaymen and the wide variety of job opportunities available.
Shunter Black's Night Off (1941) - Joe Black's evening pipe is interrupted by a Luftwaffe raid on his marshalling yard on the Southern Railway.
Portrait of an Engineer (1954) - a day in the life of a production engineer at the Vulcan Foundry.
British Locomotives (1959, colour) - locomotive manufacturers face the challenge of the British Railways modernisation programme to convert to diesel and diesel electric locomotives.

DVD running time: 70 mins b/w & colour.

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A rare and believed lost film Today and Every Day made in 1947, covers the history of Britain's railways, and a contemporary account of all aspects of operations on the railway system. It features some of the crack expresses of the day, including the Golden Arrow and a footplate ride on the Cheltenham Flyer. Then a visit to Swindon A shed to see a GWR King class locomotive under construction.
Also included is North British (1949) a look inside the famous Springburn locomotive manufacturing factory, plus Locomotives For the Second Front (1943) a short newsreel item about building War Department Austerity engines at Springburn. Click here for a film clip of North British.

DVD running time: 77 mins b/w.

Channel 4's history of the North British Locomotive Company of Springburn Glasgow. The film details the story of Neilson Reid, Dubs & Co and Sharp Stewart which combined forces in 1903 to become the North British Locomotive Company.
Diamonds Were Forever also includes steam action of many surviving locomotives around the world and in Britain, including scenes of the legendary 1911-built wood burning engines of Paraguay, a steam rally in Melbourne, Australia, and steam-condensing giants on the South African veldt. Filmed by Eddie McConnell.

DVD running time: 55 mins colour.

A series of colourful trips on the lovely branchlines of Devon and Cornwall in the days of first generation British Rail Diesel Multiple Units - DMUs. Made in 1975 (Westward Television) and 1990 (Television South West) and presented by John Doyle. Also includes several bonus newsreel items from the last years of steam culled from the archives of Westward Television and Television South West, plus items about the opening of the Dart Valley Railway and the Bodmin & Wenford Railway.

DVD running time: 82 mins mostly colour.

John Grierson inspired classic 1936 film of the nightly postal express from Euston to Scotland. Directed by Harry Watt and Basil Wright, with music by Benjamin Britten and the famous verse "This is the Night Mail crossing the border ..." by W.H. Auden.

Plus a tribute to operations on the West Highland Railway filmed in 1960 as steam days drew to a close. Directed and produced by John Gray.

DVD running time: 55 mins b/w.

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