The latest offering, and the second of Southern Steam, from Heritage Steam Archive is the seven track "Southern Comfort". As with the other CDs in this range, the reproduction is first class.

All tracks were recorded with the locomotives working on the main line, and for devotees of a hard-working locomotive there are some crackers here! Right from the start, with U class 31625 performing on Steam on the Met, the mood is set with the characteristic chuff chuff chuff as the train gets away from Rickmansworth. This is followed by 35005 Canadian Pacific working hard on foreign territory south of Sheffield. A slow start on a 1 in 100 grade, with lots of noise of escaping steam, soon builds up into an evocative crescendo of Bulleid power. This is followed by a fine performance from 30777 Sir Lamiel, with eleven on, storming Honiton Bank from Seaton Junction. There is more Bulleid power with 34027 Taw Valley working the same location, 34092 City of Wells climbing towards Fosse Road, to the accompaniment of bird song, and 34016 Bodmin in fine fettle between Mitcham Junction and Epsom Downs, with plenty of wheel squealing as the train slows through Sutton station. This track, though, has my one and only minor criticism as it has some brief picking-up of voices in the background. Back on the Salisbury-Exeter line Maunsell S15 30828 provides an atmospheric performance up the prevailing 1 in 80 from Sherborne, with ten on.

The seven tracks last from 1 min 36 secs to 13 min 15 secs, with six tracks being analogue recordings digitally edited and mastered and one all digital. This latter is a lineside recording whilst the other six are all onboard.

For those whose memories are forever of the music of a Bulleid at full chat on the West of England main line, this is the CD to have.

Very good value for money for those who like to listen to the music of a steam engine at work, just £5.75 will bring you your copy. Further details are to be found on the HSA website: www.heritagesteam.co.uk.

PJR, 14 May 2004

What can I say? To adapt a phrase from my teenage kids - it's thumperlicious!

This is more than a cab view as it is liberally sprinkled with station, lineside, interior and cab shots (including a nice one of the driver slamming his cab window shut just before a tunnel). It was filmed on a fine hot sunny day and covers the 1200 Uckfield - East Croydon working (no date given) with 205009. Other 205s and 207s are featured. Photography is pin sharp, correctly exposed (no sign of AGC at all) and mostly well framed. The shots out of the cab widow vibrate a bit but, for heaven's sake, this is from the cab of a Thumper!!!

This is a well thought out, well put together programme with brief side excursions to the Spa Valley Railway (to cover the original line to Tunbridge Wells), Hever Castle, Henry Vlll and two of his Annes, etc, (interesting, but dreadfully off topic)and Oxted signal Box (very interesting). The reversing move at Oxted is explained in the commentary but is not shown - this is the only real criticism I can make of this programme as given the time spent on the diversion into Tudor times I think it is a major omission from covering operations on this line. There are a few quick views of Croydon trams at the end.

The commentary is delivered by veteran "Southern" broadcaster Fred Dinenage. I can just hear SEmG'ers of a certain age uttering "HOW!" now. And both older and younger SEmG'ers wondering "WHY?" on earth I have just mentioned that! The commentary is just right, sufficient to explain essential and interesting items of information but no more. Otherwise except in opening and closing sequences (musak) it is just well recorded ambient sound.

If I wanted icing on my cake the only other thing missing from this programme is archive footage. This video/DVD is, in my humble opinion, worth every penny!.

Colin Duff, November 2003

For those not familiar with the video series, this is a pictorial survey of former Southern Railway locomotives still surviving. Consisting mostly of video taken of locos on preserved railways, running on rail tours on the main line or being stored at or worked on at preservation sites, archive photographs and films are also interspersed to illustrate the locos in actual SR and BR service. Part three covers loco classes commissioned between 1928 to 1942 and covers, from memory, classes U, U1, V, Q (Bulleid batch), Q1 and MN. Syd Carrol has admitted that the USA tanks, originally scheduled for inclusion, have been deferred to part four but I think he is right to do so because although they were built in 1942 they were not originally commissioned by the SR and were not taken into SR ownership until 1946. Video of preserved locomotives has been taken over an extended period so you can see locos operating on railways other than where they are currently based, locos being restored and then running, and locos having been preserved then undergoing heavy overhaul after years of service in a heritage operation.

I'll admit a personal interest in this venture at this stage, because along with SEmG members Michael Taylor and Mike Morant I have contributed material, though in this part I only recognise my contribution being about a handful of shots (more of this later). I can also recognise some video of Michael Taylor's from the video captures appearing on the SEmG website. I have to admit to getting quite a kick out of seeing my name credited within moments of "gods" of the like of H C Casserley, R C Riley, Mike Esau and Lens of Sutton. This illustrates the quality of the material contained.

As per my review to the group of part two, I am no great purchaser of railway videos because far too often I see videos consisting of material of what happened to be available on a certain day just about competently thrown together. However this video series is carefully thought out, appropriate material hunted down and sourced, and the programme crafted together with care. Photography is for the most part good to excellent with very little evidence of automatic exposure having been used (so no lighting l evels "hunting" during a shot), the editing is consistent and sympathetic to the material, and detail shots of great interest to enthusiasts and modellers alike are freely included. Several shots display some digital aliasing but otherwise technically the visual content is good. Audio-wise the sound matches the action, the commentary is well pitched to be an authoritive overview to an enthusiast but is not over detailed for the average viewer, plus is informative without being intrusive. It is also clear to my ears that Syd has acted upon my professional comments about the recording of the commentary on part two because the perspective of the voice is now more comfortable and natural.

My personal highlights are the archive film of the MNs running in their original condition, of the MN's oil bath and mechanism in action (a demonstration rig/fitter training film) and a footplate ride to Woking on the rebuilt British India Line.

My comments about part two still apply, this is a programme for Southern enthusiasts made with love by Southern enthusiasts. The only significant improvement I would like to see would be for this series to be available on DVD so we do not have to put up with the poor resolution and swimmy images obtained from VHS. However I am well aware there are compatibility and quality control issues with small runs of DVD-Rs as I have had problems with DVD-Rs from another railway video producer.

Colin Duff, 28 September 2003

Most of you will be familiar with the many photographs on the SEmG site provided for us by Alan Robinson, who was one of those far-sighted enough to spend the early 1960s capturing the dying days of steam on Britain's railways. As well as photographing steam engines, he is also good at recording them at work and already has two CDs available. Of interest to our group, though, is the latest offering which contains recordings of preserved Southern locomotives at work at many locations around England.

With recordings from the Watercress Line, the Redhill - Guildford Line and the Metropolitan Line near Chorleywood to the North York Moors and the Worth Valley Lines, Alan has captured the sound of Southern engines at work such as 30777 Sir Lamiel at Craven Arms, 34072 257 Squadron at Beckhole and S15 30841 in the Esk Valley. Each recording is remakably crisp and clear - even for the obligatory bird song heralding the arrival of the train! The twelve tracks last from a short 1 min 22 secs to a jumbo 10 min 3 secs, with the first eight being analogue recordings digitally edited and mastered whilst the final four are all digital. Five tracks are lineside recordings whilst the other seven are, naturally, on the train.

For those whose tastes stray beyond the products of Messrs. Bulleid, Drummond, Maunsell, Stroudley et al, the first volume is devoted to "The Stanier Sound" with recordings made on the main lines of England and Scotland whilst the second is devoted to 46229 Duchess of Hamilton on the Settle and Carlisle.

Very good value for money for those who like to listen to the music of a steam engine at work, just £5.75 will bring you your copy. Further details are to be found on Alan's website: www.heritagesteam.co.uk.

PJR, 21 January 2003

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