DVD Ivo Peters Volume 9: Narrow Gauge Steam in the Early 60s

Ivo Peters His Films Revisited Collection. 

Ivo visits North Wales and the Isle of Man.

First released in the summer of 1991, this programme has been greatly enhanced by remastering.

Ivo Peters continued to film the progress of the narrow gauge railways of North Wales throughout the 1960s.

The Vale of Rheidol was the first to be filmed, with No.9 sporting BR green livery.

His 1961 and 1963 visits to the Tallyllyn Railway are next seen, with trains on the main line and locomotives being shunted at the then very basic Pendre Yard.

The Welshpool & Llanfair follows, with both ‘The Earl’ and ‘The Countess’.

A brief visit to Tan-y-Bwlch on the Ffestiniog then rounds off this part of the programme.

New railways were rare in the early 1960s, so Ivo was attracted to the Bicton Woodland Railway in East Devon where he filmed a 1916-built Avonside tank.

The major feature of this programme recalls Ivo’s first visit, in 1961, to the Isle of Man, where he filmed the Groudle Glenn Railway and the main Isle of Man Railways, then still running to Port Erin, Peel and Ramsey from Douglas.

There are comprehensive views of the locomotive depot and station at Douglas together with film on each of the lines, including the famous ‘race’ out of St. Johns!

In detail, the railways are:

The Vale of Rheidol Railway: In the early 1960s the Vale of Rheidol was enjoying a resurgence under British Railways, and we see green-liveried 2-6-2T No.9 on shed at Aberystwyth and watering in the woods at the Aberffrwd loop.

The Talyllyn Railway: The railway is shown both in 1961 and 1963, when it had already been in preservation for a decade. Highlights include a visit to the museum at Towyn, crossing of trains at Brynglas, locomotives on shed at Pendre, a double-header and No.4 with a Giesl ejector.

The Welshpool and Llanfair Railway: Featured for the first time in this series, the former Cambrian Railways’ narrow gauge line is seen in 1961 and 1962 with both ‘The Earl’ and ‘The Countess’ in action. The highlight is the very last run out of the town centre at Welshpool to Raven Square.

The Ffestiniog Railway: A double Fairlie at Tan-y-Bwlch.

The Bicton Woodland Railway: Moving away from Wales, Ivo Peters recorded an unusual event – a new railway in 1963! This line, in East Devon, boasted a 1916 Avonside 0-4-0 tank, originally built for the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. The railway is set in beautiful woodland scenery.

The Groudle Glen Railway: This little railway introduces us to the Isle of Man. Uniquely for the island, it is of 2’0″ gauge and in 1961 its locomotive ‘Polar Bear’ was not in the best of condition.

The Isle of Man Railways: This feature forms the larger part of this programme, in the year when Ivo ‘discovered’ the principal steam railways of the Isle of Man. We start with views of locomotives on shed at Douglas, capital of the island and headquarters of the railway. Features which are now long gone – especially the signalling and platform canopies – are seen to advantage. Locomotives include Nos. 5 ‘Mona’, 11 ‘Maitland’, 12 ‘Hutchinson’, 13 ‘Kissack’, 14 ‘Thornhill’, 15 ‘Caledonia’ and 16 ‘Manuin’, all of which, with the exception of No. 15, were 2-4-0T, built by Beyer Peacock of Manchester. No.15 was unique – the only 0-6-0T on the island, built by Dubs of Glasgow.

Trips up two of the Railway’s principal routes follow, firstly on the Port Erin line as far as Castletown, including long double-headed and banked trains. A crossing takes place at Castletown itself.

The second route featured is that to Ramsey, alas now but a memory, so these shots form an important archive. ‘Caledonia’ is seen outside Douglas shed, and then a double-header leaves the station. Union Mills was already closed, but at St. Johns are branch connections from Peel and there we view the celebrated ‘race’ which is featured on this jacket – twice. We follow the scenic line to the north, with trains along the coastline, over viaducts and level crossings, before we end the day back at Douglas, with locomotives shunting empty stock and going on shed.

ISBN: DVD Ivo Peters Volume 9: Narrow Gauge Steam in the Early 60s