An amateur film produced for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Preservation Society by Doug Collender with a narration by Michael Gough. The film gives a history of both the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway using archive photographs and film as well as Michael’s words. Michael then takes the seven-mile journey from Ravenglass to Dalegarth sitting on the footplate of the ‘River Esk’ interviewing the driver and enjoying the surrounding Cumbrian landscape and scenery along with the other passengers....

An amateur film produced for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Preservation Society by Doug Collender with a narration by Michael Gough. The film gives a history of both the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway using archive photographs and film as well as Michael’s words. Michael then takes the seven-mile journey from Ravenglass to Dalegarth sitting on the footplate of the ‘River Esk’ interviewing the driver and enjoying the surrounding Cumbrian landscape and scenery along with the other passengers. Title: Movie Makers Top Ten Best Gold Star Award Credit: Dumar The film opens looking down onto one a lakes in the Lake District seen through a small grove of trees. Michael Gough leaning against a gatepost quickly changes to a locomotive and carriages on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway speeding past. Michael comes out onto the track carrying a duffle-bag and walks along the narrow-gauge tracks in the direction of the train. Title: Along These Lines A stack of standard gauge rail tracks sit rusting, Michael hits them with a iron bar. In his hand he holds a piece of iron ore and explains the history and development of the original railway to ship iron ore to the coast at Ravenglass. At Boot a hillside once quarried for iron ore, nearby an old cottage of house. Archive photographs are used to continue the story of the line and the development of a passenger service. A granite quarry at Beckfoot and more archival photographs showing the railways decline and closure in 1913, followed by its conversion to narrow-gauge and re-opening as a passenger’s railway. Archive photographs of the Murthwaite Stone Crushing plant changes to Michael walking along the tracks beside it continuing to tell the story of the railway. Black and white archive footage shows passengers making their way to the platform, an engine being turned on a turntable and a locomotive with carriage steaming along the tracks. A poster for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Preservation Society changes to a photograph on the cover of the society’s newsletter of Colin Gilbert, first Managing Director of the new railway. Colour archive footage showing excavation work being carried out on a new cutting through Hollinghead Blough in November 1968. Four men look down on the work below, one of them is the president of the preservation society Mr P.G. Sarto who also cuts a ribbon opening the line through the cutting and takes a ride on the first train. More archive photographs of the work of the preservation society. The railway’s three narrow gauge locomotives stand steaming outside their shed. Men work to polish each of the engines; the oldest train on the line ‘River Irt’ in green, ‘River Mitre’ in red and ‘River Esk’ also in Green. A man stands at the front of ‘River Esk’ polishing it as Michael comes over and asks for a ride on the footplate. They both climb aboard, and the train pulls away. A queue of passengers waits patiently to purchase tickets from the ‘Booking Office’ at Ravenglass station. The ‘River Esk’ reserves slowly towards waiting carriages on Platform No: 2 as the Signalman changes the points. The engine continues to carefully reverses into position and is coupled up as passengers climb aboard. A Guard walks along the platform clipping passenger tickets before blowing his whistle and waving his flag for the service to depart. Michael interviews the Driver from the footplate as the train travels along the line. Passengers look out on the surrounding countryside as the train speeds through the landscape passing volunteers erecting telegraph poles. The train approach the platform at Irton Road and comes to a brief stop before heading off again. More views of passengers and surrounding landscape crossing a bridge when walkers and train enthusiasts stand watching them pass. The ‘River Esk’ slowly pulls into Dalegarth station and the Driver is handed a piece of paper or booklet by another volunteer on the platform. A girl lickers her ice-lolly as the engine is uncoupled and moves onto the turntable. Michael and the drive get out and Michael helps push the locomotive around watched by a large crowd. The train slowly steams off back towards the platform watched by Michael who remain beside the turntable. As more passengers climb aboard the Driver fills the tender with water as another man pokes the firebox with an iron poker. Passengers purchase tickets from the Booking Office while inside a shop on the platform a woman sells sweets and other confectionaries. On the platform the carriages are coupled, and the train pulls out of the station. As the ‘River Esk’ passes through the landscape below it blows its whistle watched by Michael who turns and speaks to the camera about this film. Finishing he turns, walks away along a path, and disappears. End credit: Written and Narrated by Michael Gough End credit: Camera David Petrie End credit: Production Doug Collender End credit: Produced for the R&E.R Preservation Society Ltd End credit: Dumar Production processed by Rank film laboratories End credit: Dumar