Steam in Czechoslovakia 1966 - 1976 · DVD · 56 mins

During the 1960s and 70s the Czech State Railways - CSD were operating the most advanced steam locomotives ever built for mainline service anywhere in the world, including two and three cylinder ‘Mountain’ classes for express passenger work, and the gigantic three-cylinder 477 class 4-8-4 tank locos, nicknamed Papousek, or Parrot. Alongside these modern locomotives were numerous examples of pre-war locomotives, many of which had been modernised in various ways, but especially by the fitting of Giesel ejectors.  Whilst Ton Pruissen shot most of this film between 1966 and 1976, a few sequences date from 1980 and 1988, still in the communist era. Locations featured include Bratislava Station, Brno Station and class 475.1, Jihlava Station and class 556.0, Plzen Station and class 464.0, branch lines and the Depot of Letohrad, and Mlada Boleslav Station. Black and white, plus some colour. As always with Ton’s films the dubbing is brilliantly done with authentic recordings. Stereo sound. English and German commentaries which can be turned off if you just want to enjoy the sounds made by some marvelous machines.