Fun Videos

A wonderful old bit of film with the (then) new-fangled trick photography.  The film has been sped up to give a high speed journey from London to Brighton in 4 minutes.  This is about the speed of sound!  Although this was taken from an early electric train, it is fun to look out for some steam locomotives as you whizz by…

Enjoy a cab ride on Green Goddess on the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway,
just like Peter did in the Moonlight Express!!  You can see the driver operating the reversing gear (handwheel on right), the regulator (steel lever in middle) and putting coal into the firebox.  Can you see the boiler pressure gauge?  This is the engine which Chris had the honour to drive one day, many years ago….

This is a good film about building a miniature railway and the locomotives in America

A very large and old gas engine starting up and running.  The syncopated sound it makes, once up to full speed, is simply amazing.

Driver’s Eye view of Bekonscot model village railway.
This might be the best ever garden railway……

This short, silent film captures one of Britain’s minor little railways: the Leek and Manifold Light Railway on the Staffordshire Moorlands. The railway opened in 1907, linking the villages of Waterhouses and Hulme End, and was built mainly for agricultural traffic, with a passenger service being a secondary consideration.

Steam engine with a glass cylinder and valve cover so you can see how it works.  The engine is running on compressed air and you can easily see the piston being pushed back and forwards.  Also shown is the valve, admitting air to first one end of the cylinder and then the other end.  The valve also lets the exhaust air escape from the opposite end of the cylinder.  This engine is called a ‘Double Acting’ type because the steam or air works on both sides of the piston.

This engine is completely made of glass.  It is an amazing piece of work, but runs a bit too fast to be able to see all of the parts!!