"At some time or other, pearly everyone has wanted to drive an engine. A real steam express of the sort that's almost entirely disappeared they made a majestic primitive sight as they belched the smoke and steam of power, bringing out the schoolboy in grown men".
Narrator Tim Turner's opening remarks lead to a well-known model railway club of the time (at Gainsborough). Not too much time spent here for this interesting one-reeler concentrates on the real puffers and chuffers - a few of which survive the phasing out of steam.
And as with this passing of steam a new hobby arises, the railway preservation societies. We are treated to several such enterprises including one at Keigthly, with over one thousand members and the Middleton Railway trust -some fifty such societies, large and small existed in Britain alone at the time of this film, made in the mid-to- late sixties.
Pendinnis Castle and the famous Flying Scotsman are two famous engines that passed into private ownership. The Flying Scotsman is seen at some length, bought for œ3,000 by Alan Peggler. It takes eight hours to get steam for the 4472, hauling 500 enthusiasts on a round trip. Splendid stuff: Look At Life often had the knack of making interesting subjects quite boring! Not so here, and no sign of the eardrum - bursting' broken bedspring' type of music all-to-often plastered end-to-end on far too many Look At Life's.
The print is quite sharp with reasonable if dupey colour. Now't wrong with the sound either. Sheer nostalgia. Recommended.
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This page was last updated 02 Dec 2002