3801 finished a further restoration in 2020 after taking over 5 years. She is now running tours with the NSW Train museum at Thirlmere. Nice to see a high quality print of this fantastic film. Perhaps a ‘Steam Train passes again ‘ might be on the cards !

Back when I was an apprentice Coach Painter at Eveligh workshops (50 years ago now) I was lucky enough to be picked to work on this lovely monster when she was repainted and lined. And I saw her again just a few weeks back at Thirlmere Railway Museum. She looks better than ever and is every bit as good as she ever was!

“...They were alive, they had steam, smoke and the smell of minerals; they burnt energy without concealment, and you could see their fire. They raced against themselves, losing more heat than they used, running by burning their own cargo of coal; but there was something very human about the need to keep the fire going by hand, shovelling and watching, never for a second being able to forget responsibility for the journey and the work. Their waste was exhaled as carbon, sulphur and nitrogen, or swept and scattered as ash, the unburnt particles of coal settling gently on our clothes and hair....” The Railwayman Eric Lomax

I like how the heat up there breakfast. Just like we do heating up our lunch. I do asphalt work and we got a way to do it.

I loved this movie when I was a kid. My late father was a rail fan and he had this on a VHS tape called ‘Just Australian Trains’ that I used watch a lot when I was a kid. We lived in Melbourne and I remember going to see 3801 with my dad when it came to Victoria in 1988 for the bicentennial celebrations when I was 5 years old. I still have a photo of myself standing on the front of it at Spencer st Station. We went for more rides on it when it came back to Melbourne in 1993 too. When I was little I used to call this locomotive ‘Light in the Middle’ because its head lamp was in the centre, unlike all the other trains we used to go and see.

@NFSAFilms

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for letting us know. Most of the films from Just Australian Trains are on our channel now. This is our trains playlist: kzread.info/head/PL30B498C5DE275129

I remember always getting this film from the library as a boy it’s one of the key factors to what led me to falling in love with the 3801

I absolutely loved this film. No wonder the film won awards . The shot of the train as it enters the narrow entry with sheer rock on either side around the 7 minute mark , was astounding. Thank you so much.

4K! We are all blessed on this fine day!

Very nostalgic for an 85 year-old brought up in Central Western NSW, Mudgee, Dubbo & Blayney in those post-war years before cars were available.

My absolute favourite railway film, it is utterly perfect. Not a word of dialogue but the story is so rich, every time I watch it I pick up another small detail. Perfect, and makes me proud that it is an Australian production

Had this on video as a kid and for an English kid it was my first taste of Aussie steam which as an adult i am a huge fan, still got the video now, but nice to see the video on here and able to watch it in a higher res

for a film that is almost 50 years old its doing well excellently

I was fortunate enough to go on 3801 just a month ago. Wonderful machine! Cue the jokes about how to make a 38-class boiler....

I gave a comment on the previous upload of this film, and I'm commenting on this one. A marvellous job you've done re-mastering the film to its true format; it looks and sounds as crisp as it could have been when it debuted. A good example of a film restoration and the expertise of an archive conservation team. When I first saw this film as a child here in the UK, it was on a compilation VHS produced by a third-party concern, and it was not the original version, but one cut down to a 10-minute runtime with German titles; the other films in the compilation were of German-origin. Nevertheless the action scenes of the train combined with the music really fascinated me, though the moment where the engine bursts out of the tunnel at speed caught me off guard as a kid. Later I got a VHS that showed the original cut of the film under license, and for the first time really got to appreciate its raw quality. Some other observations of note for the less astute: the locomotives shown in the roundhouse (since-demolished) at the beginning of the video, besides the iconic 38 Class streamliner, are still around, and can be seen in the collection of the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum at Thirlmere, NSW; some still operate on tourist trains. When filmed for this production, the collection and activities were housed at Enfield in the Sydney suburbs. Regular working steam had only finished in 1972, and as the 38 Class passes other engines as it exits the yard, it is passing some of the last retired engines awaiting the scrapper's torch, though two of the numbers shown - 1904 (a vintage goods engine of 1877), and 5917 - are actually still around today under private ownership; 5917 is restored and operates as a tourist train engine. Regards, Samuel Farris.

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Samuel. Glad you found the new release and thank you for the addition information.

My uncle, Pat Tierney, used to drive this locomotive.

@jettgabbert3635

11 ай бұрын

Really!

@jettgabbert3635

11 ай бұрын

Wow!

@DP.NSWRAILFAN

8 ай бұрын

That's interesting because my uncle's old man was her fireman from 1959 to 1962!

It‘s absolutely stunning

Amazing to think this was originally filmed in 4K all those years ago. No trickery of upscaling :)

Wonderful, atmospheric film.

Wonderful! So many goosebumps again, after all these years!! 🤩💓

I like the Staff exchange at Polona I used it in a play at school on audio tape for a assignment

fantastic film quality .. the 3801 is a classic

Awesome 👏

wonderful- the image is so crisp. i understand what David Handley is saying about the somewhat ominous music, but along with the little side vignettes set in the period more of the 1940's than the 1970's it's as though they were going for some of that M.R. James, Christmas horror tv specials, like '' The Signalman'', q ghost of the past travelling through time. atmospheric and beautifully shot. thank you.

@amp279

Жыл бұрын

They've done a great job here, & seeing as no one else has mentioned it, it was filmed by our own Aussie boy Dean Semler, academy award winning cinematographer.

@OwenBudd1

Жыл бұрын

That’s my understanding, the train starts in 1970’s but is effectively passing through time to the 1940’s.

That was wonderful, thank you. A beautifully nostalgic production 🇦🇺👍

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Our pleasure!

Great film work!

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

Nostalgic ❤

Awesome! 🚂

Some of the wide shots on this are just stunning.

amazing

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Thanks

That was fabulous! The music was a bit ominous but the video was very clear. Thanks!

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

You're welcome! Great to have it out in 4K.

@OwenBudd1

Жыл бұрын

It’s always been that ominous, I had a VHS copy of this in the 1990’s and this is exactly as it was then. The theory is that all the people the train picks up are effectively ghosts.

One of my favorites - thanks.

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Thanks very much for posting this, it made me aware you now have a 4K version. I have purchased it for later enjoyment. It might be an idea if you post the link in the video description, it'll be easier to find.

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Thank you - link now added.

4K is simply amazing! And now I would love to see a 2022 reboot of this, with the modern skyline and all.

Dear NFSA Films, please bring this wonderful little film out on Blu-ray. PLease, please, please! 😃

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Hello Dennis. Unfortunately the NFSA no longer produces DVDs. The 4K file is available as a download though. shop.nfsa.gov.au/steam-train-passes-a

What a way to start the weekend, a cup of coffee and this amazing piece of archival footage beautifully presented in 4K

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it. Did you have some bacon and eggs with that coffee?

@Antphoneigh

Жыл бұрын

Best cooked in a train ofcourse

Excellent film ! Only one ...slight inaccuracy. IMHO 🤔14:30 ..back then few blokes could afford to leave a full beer behind (without at least giving it the Bob Hawke treatment) Today few can afford to buy one ! ...🙄

Yessssss 4K

This film was shot by Australian Oscar Winning Cinematographer Dean Semler ACS, ASC

Outstanding,know we live in a world to fast

There’s some great camera work there, long before GoPros and drones. Must have been 35 mm originally? Or 16 mm? We travelled on an excursion on 3801 in 1974, so the film must have been made around that time.

@classy8888

Жыл бұрын

@@NFSAFilms what material was shot in Queensland to go with the NSW footage please?

@classy8888

Жыл бұрын

Yes. All shot on 35mm. But I have always been surprised and disappointed that it was only done in 4:3 ratio and not widescreen. I was very fortunate to sit in the Film Australia viewing room to watch a B&W test print of reel one. That was an extraordinary experience, and the monochrome actually had a great presence.

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Sorry classy - that comment was left on the wrong film - was referring to The Queen In Australia. Sorry for the confusion.

12:20 and 12:34 of this film were used in the 1984 Australian mini-series "The Cowra Breakout.

@ninjaskeleton6140

11 ай бұрын

There’s some footage from this used in the 1994 movie Sirens too

Amazing to see this old footage, good to see a 3801still in operation just a few weeks ago making is first trip across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, kzread.info/dash/bejne/hqd4x65_e9WTaaw.html

Glad to see you at last restored the final 30 seconds of audio, which was missing from your earlier version. Will you be releasing this on a DVD or Blu-Ray disc? If so, please make sure that awful giant NFSA watermark is removed from the top right hand corner. It's most annoying. Also it would be nice to see the original B&W (IE not sepia toned) Cinesound Review item "Monarch of the Rails" included at the beginning in full frame, not reduced. I understand that the 35mm original exists in your archive, and I've been trying to get hold of a copy of it for years to no avail. Thanks.

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Hello classy8888. Thank you for your interest in this film. The NFSA does not produce DVDs anymore but the 4K file is available for purchase as a digital download. shop.nfsa.gov.au/steam-train-passes-a The NFSA watermark is used on social media only. The Cinesound reel "Monarch of the Rails" is sepia toned by the editorial decisions of the original film makers. We present it as close as possible to the original production and therefore would not alter the sepia tone look of that section nor the framing size. The original reel does exist in the NFSA archive but copyright is still controlled by the owners of the Cinesound Movitone collection.

All the engines in the shed all look very smart in all of there colours and the others are like 38 green is on duty today with the express

I like the the way the cat walked next to were the red engine was as if the cat was saying hello to it and the the engines

I noticed that 3801 was not built a Evelight workshops 3801 was built by the Clyde Engineering.

Can someone shed some light on what the procedure at 17:30 was?

@amp279

Жыл бұрын

I hope someone replies, I'd also like to know.

@gm16v149

Жыл бұрын

I wouldn’t mind knowing as well. Sometimes they had a token which the fireman or driver would grab as they were entering a block, so you couldn’t get two trains on the same track. It looks just like a token, but you wouldn’t think they would use them with more modern signalling on a main line.

@classy8888

Жыл бұрын

That wonderful sequence is the exchange of the staff at Polona signal box so the train could proceed on the next single line section. That box is long gone, together with many others in NSW. Mt Victoria was only closed a couple of months back. Lithgow Coal Stage and Yard boxes are two survivors still operating but their days are numbered too. Soon there'll be none.

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for letting us know.

@OwenBudd1

Жыл бұрын

As others have said, it’s a system called Interlocking, so that you can be sure there is only one train on a specific section of the line.

I've always wondered why that one bloke swigging from the flask, who's able to jump onto a moving train, had that really sinister music. Is he like a Russian spy or something?

@silurian9420

Жыл бұрын

Putin's dad !!!!!

@OwenBudd1

Жыл бұрын

Allegedly each vignette is a different period in time, the man with the Flask is supposed to be a 1940’s traveling salesman, the whole idea of the movie is the locomotive has gone back in time to the 1940’s (hence the Diggers later in their WW2 uniforms)

Bacon and eggs anyone

Can someone tell me where 10:30 to 10:40 is??

@localcarthief

Жыл бұрын

The station at 10:40 is wallerwang (junction)

What is this called at 17:36

@380138013801

8 ай бұрын

It's a staff. On a one way section of track, it's used to avoid crashing into a train going the other way. You can't progress down the track without the staff.

Didn’t you put this one up 10 years ago?

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Hi Charlie - yes we did but we have now republished in 4K HD which better reflects the quality of the original 35mm film components. You're obviously a long time viewer here so thanks for sticking around. We appreciate it.

@Angryetigaming

Жыл бұрын

@@NFSAFilms Oh thanks for that now i know

@hoilst

Жыл бұрын

@@NFSAFilms This is awesome! Keep up the great work!

@NFSAFilms

Жыл бұрын

Thanks hoilst.

@danrobinson572

Жыл бұрын

@@NFSAFilms awesome 👏 video

as the fat controller would say you are a really useful engine and you are a really useful company