This film made by Chris Lawson, filmmaker and railway enthusiast, looks at steam traffic on regional and other railways in Britain in the late 1960's. This film loooks at industrial railways particularly in the South East Northumberland coalfield and also the demise of the steam engine in a literal sense with a visit to a breakers yard in South Wales. The opening is set amongst heavy industrial plant and buildings. A steam engine with the letters NCB (National Coal Board) on its side...

This film made by Chris Lawson, filmmaker and railway enthusiast, looks at steam traffic on regional and other railways in Britain in the late 1960's. This film loooks at industrial railways particularly in the South East Northumberland coalfield and also the demise of the steam engine in a literal sense with a visit to a breakers yard in South Wales. The opening is set amongst heavy industrial plant and buildings. A steam engine with the letters NCB (National Coal Board) on its side moves slowly along the track with its train of coal trucks. The view changes angle as it moves away from the camera. The train head into a setting sun (?). through a landscape of chimneys and pipes. At first, in a very dark sequence at only the plume of steam from the engine's chimney can be seen, then the engine and its train appears lit by a setting sun. The NCB engine also seen earlier is marked with a 'No 6' this may have been an engine working out of Backworth Colliery in South East Northumberland. It reverses along the line with train of coal wagons. An overexposed section of film follows. The next sequence is probably filmed at Woodhams Brothers Ltd, the engine breakers yard in Barry, South Wales. The camera pans left to right showing a landscape of steam engines waiting to be broken up for scrap metal. Views follow of a number of rail sidings and a chimney in the distance. The rest of the sidings is revealed, crowded with derelict steam engines. The camera pans left to a rather poignant view of a modern diesel train making its way along an embankment in the distance. The film then cuts to close up  views rusting engine hulks in the scrapyard. Chalked onto the side of one engine are the words 'King of Edge Hill' followed by viewsof rusting and decaying engines which ends the film.