A Trio of Trainz • 132 mins • colour • DVD

From Tom Williamson Productions in New Zealand, here are three films of very different railway operations in that country.  Two are 2 foot gauge (or thereabouts) operations, the third shows a mainline (3'6" gauge) excursion. The first looks at a mining operation to build a tourist tunnel, and the railway built and used to remove the spoil. The second film is a short and affectionate look at the little tram used to haul clay to one of the oldest surviving industries in New Zealand; both these films show that the Kiwi's famed ability to build 'lokies' from just about anything continues to thrive. Finally, there is a film following Ja class 4-8-2 No. 1271 as she hauls 400 happy people for a 'railway meal' at Ormondville. This features spectacular scenes, including a night departure. Very well made, although the railway enthusiast may find the depiction of the mining operations in the first film a bit long.