Description

A fascinating insight into railways on the Emerald Isle, both standard and narrow gauge, enhanced by superb archive film! Features include the twilight of steam in Ulster; the peat railways and the closure of the West Clare Railway in 1961; the last 3ft gauge line in the country; and the transitional years of the 1960s, as diesel began to usurp steam across Ireland.

Full description from the producer:

Disc 1: IRISH RAILWAYS MISCELLANY: This new and revised edition of the pioneering volume in our Irish Railways series provides a splendid introduction to some of the delights which could be seen on both Ireland’s 5ft 3in standard gauge tracks and the country s famed narrow gauge lines, from the 1950s through to the 1970s.

Disc 2: THE SWANSONG OF STEAM IN ULSTER: By the early 1960s steam traction had virtually disappeared from the railways of the Irish Republic. However it still flourished on the lines of the Ulster Transport Authority in Northern Ireland where the years up to 1964 can rightly be described as providing the Swansong of Steam in Ireland.

Disc 3: THE IRISH NARROW GAUGE 1939 – 1959: This fascinating DVD is devoted entirely to narrow gauge lines. We present colour films made between 1939 and 1959 which featured five 3ft gauge systems in different parts of the country.

Disc 4: TWILIGHT OF STEAM IN ULSTER: Twilight of Steam in Ulster features a further selection of the films made by John Laird, who set out in the early and mid-1960s to record as much as he could of the remaining steam workings on Ireland’s 5ft 3in standard gauge railways.

Disc 5: THE 1940s AND 1950s: In this programme we are pleased to present some quite unique footage of the Irish railway system in the 1940s and 50s which has never before been published.

Disc 6: THE PEAT RAILWAYS OF IRELAND: For those interested in Ireland’s railways, the end of an era came in January 1961, with the closure of the West Clare Railway, the last 3ft gauge line in the country. However, that was anything but the end of the story as far as the 3ft gauge in Ireland was concerned…

Disc 7: THE 1960s FROM STEAM TO DIESEL: The 1960s was a decade which saw major changes on Ireland’s railways. It was a period which offered a fascinating mixture of the old and the new and provided much interest to those observing the railway scene in the country.

Disc 8: FROM BALTIMORE TO BELFAST: In 1951 the teenage son of an American diplomat arrived in Ireland, where his father had been posted by the State Department. Between 1951 and 1953, Richard D Kehm set out to record as much of Ireland’s railway system on cine, as he could. Sit back and enjoy the highlights of these films.

Disc 9: ON TRACKS BROAD AND NARROW: In this second volume of films made by Richard D Kehm we visit many lines and locations, some of which have long since been deleted from the railway map of Ireland. This programme focuses mainly on the railways of the midlands and north of the island and visits many of the wonderful lines that Ireland has to offer.

Additional information

Weight	1 lbs