Railways of the past.
Transport in Australia: Railways At Work
All Manner Of Trains
This section called “Railways of the Past” reflects back into the railways across Australia and is ideal for education into the importance of the railways to Australia. Many of which you see is now gone, some parts have vanished forever; some parts have advanced in their operation.
The last Emperor of China commented that for China to be able to rebuild its future into a strong nation he needed three main ingredients which he had; coal, oil, and the railways.
The Rail Way
Journey Of A Nation
A Steam Train Passes
Generally regarded as Australia's finest railway film and winner of many awards the world over, A Steam Train Passes is a nostalgic, imaginative essay on one of the majestic but now retired C38 class steam locomotives. This fine locomotive has been restored at the Newcastle State Dockyard. The documentary was filmed on one of its final journeys from Sydney to a series of country railway stations. Made by Film Australia 1974. Directed by David Haythornthwaite.
Made by Film Australia 1979. Directed by Greg Reading. A wide-ranging look at Australian railways - from the city underground to the railway of the remote outback. We see the six locomotive coal giants of central Queensland and the picturesque Normanton-Croydon rail car, epic journeys of the transcontinental Indian Pacific and a half-day vintage steam train excursion. The film is introduced and narrated by Patsy Adam-Smith, well known for her many books on Australian railways.
Made By the National Film Board 1947. Directed by John Heyer. Although it was commissioned as government propaganda, master documentary filmmaker John Heyer has transformed this film about the standardisation of rail gauges into a heroic poem to the nation. When the film was made, there were no less than five changes in the size of rail track between the mainland states. This meant that at each break, all passengers and goods - even elephants - had to be offloaded and change trains. Journey of a Nation puts the case for a uniform gauge throughout the country, emphasising the economic cost in times of peace and the possible threat to security in times of war. The rail would help to connect Australia's far-flung settlements and break down the isolation of the outback.
Made by The Commonwealth Film Unit 1964. Directed by Bern Gandy. A classroom film featuring the railways of Australia. It also deals with freight, rolling stock, prime-movers and break of gauge.
Made by The Commonwealth Film Unit 1962. Directed by Malcolm Otton. All Manner of Trains provides an overview of Australia's railways in the early 1960s, before gauges across the country were standardised. The first section takes the form of a travelogue: from Cairns to Brisbane on the Sunlander, to Sydney on the Brisbane Limited then the Daylight Express to the border and the Spirit of Progress to Melbourne. The Overland to Adelaide is followed by the Port Pirie Express and the Transcontinental to Kalgoorlie before boarding the Westland for Perth. The second section looks at other significant lines and services - cross-country, interurban and suburban - and stresses the importance of the rail network to Australia's rural areas and to the nation's progress.
The Casino Mini Rail & Museum would like to thank the Australian National Film and Sound Archive, ( The Film Australia Collection ), for their very kind permission in allowing us to display the films above on our site.
To view more of the NFSA Collections concerning Australia, then please visit their YouTube site at: http://www.youtube.com/user/FILMAUSTRALIA
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