''A Steam Train Passes'' is a 1974 Australian

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

set in the 1940s, featuring the construction and operation of locomotive 3801.

Plot

The opening sequence is a 1943

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

Cinesound Cinesound Productions Pty Ltd was an Australian feature film production company, established in June 1931, Cinesound developed out of a group of companies centred on Greater Union Theatres, that covered all facets of the film process, from produ ...

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, inform ...

''Monarch of the Rails'' showing the locomotive being built. The film then changes to colour and shows the locomotive at the

Enfield Locomotive Depot The Enfield Locomotive Depot was operated by the New South Wales Government Railways in Strathfield South, Sydney. It was part of the Enfield Marshalling Yards, which covers a considerable area in the west of the modern suburb of Strathfield Sout ...

, then the home of the

New South Wales Rail Transport Museum The NSW Rail Museum is the main railway museum in New South Wales, Australia. A division of Transport Heritage NSW, it was previously known as the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum (NSWRTM), Rail Heritage Centre and Trainworks. Transport He ...

. The fireman lights the fire and the driver inspects the locomotive. When ready the locomotive is turned on the

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

. The main part of the film shows the train travelling through the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

countryside through disparate locations including the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

suburbs, Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge,

Ten Tunnels Deviation The Ten Tunnels Deviation is a heritage-listed section of the Main Western Line between Newnes Junction and Zig Zag stations in Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by the New South Wales Government Railways and bui ...

, Polona signal box Blayney station and the Picton-Mittagong loop line. These scenes are interspersed with

vignettes Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...

of life the 1940s including a travelling salesman, a country wedding in a church at Georges Plains, and two soldiers heading off to war, having their last drink in a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, the Hotel Alexander in Rydal. All linked in to the train journey. There is no commentary, and most of the audio is live sound of the train, with some overlaid with original music by

George Dreyfus George Dreyfus AM (born 22 July 1928) is an Australian contemporary classical, film and television composer. Early life and orchestral career Dreyfus was born to a Jewish family in Elberfeld, Wuppertal, Germany. He was the younger of two sons ...

. Cinematography was by Academy Award winner, Dean Semler (Dances With Wolves).

Cast

There are no speaking parts so the actors are not credited. The only "acting" credits are for the driver Chris O'Sullivan and fireman Harold Fowler, both employees of the

Public Transport Commission The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980. Upon dissolution, responsi ...

. Cecil Barnes is the fireman in the last scenes of the film. He and the driver in that scene are intended to be 'earlier' incarnations of the credited driver and fireman.

Reception

''A Steam Train Passes'' is one of

Film Australia Film Australia was a company established by the Government of Australia to produce films about Australia in 1973. Its predecessors were the Cinema and Photographic Branch (1913–38), the Australian National Film Board (1939–1955, under diffe ...

's most successful films. It has won many awards and is generally regarded as Australia's finest railway film. Awards include: *1974

Australian Film Institute Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

, Silver Kodak Award for Photography (Documentary Category) *1974

, Bronze Medallion for

Dean Semler Dean Semler ACS ASC (born 26 May 1943) is an Australian cinematographer and film director. Over his career, he has worked as a cinematographer, camera operator, director, second unit director, and assistant director. He is a three-time recip ...

*1975 US Industrial Film Festival, Silver Screen Award - 2nd prize, History & Biography *1975

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

, Certificate of Merit Documentary Section 9, History *1975

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

, Special Jury Award - Communication Section *1975 Cork International Film Festival, Statuette of St. Fincarr, Category D (Short Fiction) *1975

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venice Film Fest ...

, Special Award Short Film. *1975

Australian Cinematographers Society The Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1958 for the purpose of providing a forum for Australian cinematographers to further develop their skills through mutual co-operation. Location Its Nati ...

Awards, Golden Tripod.

Film footage

Footage from this film has become almost stock footage for other productions requiring footage of a steam train. Footage has been used in ''

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

'', ''

The Winds of Jarrah ''The Winds of Jarrah'' is a 1983 Australian film adapted from a Mills & Boon novel. It was never released to cinemas.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p117 The film wa ...

'', ''

Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...

'', ''

Rabbit-Proof Fence The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the Rabbit-Proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence, and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits, and other agricultural pests from th ...

'', '' True Believers'', '' Curtin'' and several documentaries. The original negative is preserved at the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

Restoration

In 2012, the National Film and Sound Archive restored and digitally remastered the film. Film Australia made it available on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on 27 August of that year.

References

External links

* on the

YouTube channel.
Two excerpts at Film Australia's ''On the Rails'' site (select clip title)3801 at Georges Plains, 4 July 1974 during filming of ''A Steam Train Passes'', photo by Dennis RittsonA Steam Train Passes at the National Film and Sound Archive''A Steam Train Passes''
at Oz Movies * {{DEFAULTSORT:Steam Train Passes, A 1974 films Articles containing video clips Australian short documentary films Rail transport films 1970s English-language films