The Glory of French Railways:Vol. 3 The Splendour of Steam and early Electrics 1947-1965 DVD
These three DVDs, with commentary in English, are edited versions of the first four DVDs in the L’Age de Fer series, the tram sections in particular have been removed.Vol. 1 has considerable footage shot on the Nord Railway, and Region, that from 1932 being shot by Jack Stretton-Ward covering a journey from Dover to Paris, and return, on the Fleche d'Or. Film from 1947 also covers the Gares du Nord and Bastille, plus a visit to Vitry test plant to see a 141R being put through its paces. This DVD ends with 1965 film shot at Calais, near the end of steam. Vol. 2 covers trips on the lines from Paris St. Lazare to Le Havre in 1947 in which a Dean Goods is seen, and slightly later, a journey from Paris Montparnasse to Le Mans, where the 2-D-2 hands over to a 141P. The action then moves to Verdun on the Est Region in 1966, before finishing with the very last SNCF steam run on the 28th April 1973 with a 141R from Sarreguemines.Vol. 3 makes a mainly electric journey in 1947, anti-clockwise round France, from Paris Austerlitz, to the Gares d'Est and de Lyon, via Modane & Culoz, finishing with steam, including a 240P at the Gare de Lyon. All films are around 55 minutes long and are in B & W, although Vol. 1 also has some colour sequences. Vol. 1 also has a bonus Photo Gallery of Nord railway steam locomotives.
