GNRi Railway Footage

[GNRi1959]

Not sure if this has been posted before but there is some wonderful footage filmed by Fred Cooper that can be viewed (and downl****d ).

I treasured going to these films around the country with Norman Johnston years ago when Fred visited Omagh and many other venues to show his film exclusively in Super and Standard 8mm film.

https://digitalfilmarchive.net/media/super-8-stories-extra-footage-the-680

https://digitalfilmarchive.net/media/super-8-stories-extra-footage-bridge-681

[Patrick Davey]

Awesome stuff - sad too

[jhb171achill]

I presume the RPSI has Fred's collection now?

[David Holman]

Superb and colour too! So much detail in every frame.

[GNRi1959]

2 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

I presume the RPSI has Fred's collection now?

I really don't know, I know that his nephew Leslie worked with Fred. They had two cameras, when Fred was filming a train approaching, Leslie was driving ahead to catch the next interesting scene. Perhaps the collection is in his care. 

Edited January 22, 2018 by GNRi1959

[jhb171achill]

It brings back vivid memories to me of the whole UTA scene at that time. The railways had been badly run down. Stations were often dark and shoddy, and locos and goods stock worn looking and very scruffy.

The interior of a solid, comfortable AEC railcar was the only respite.

I never travelled on the Derry Road, to my great regret, as I was old enough to do so, but I remember the desolation in Portadown once the lifting trains had finished, and the air of utilitarian desolation in the old, by now largely redundant station, and that ghastly concrete replacement opened in 1970 (I think I got off a train there in its first week; I certainly remember using the old station not long earlier).

 

3 minutes ago, GNRi1959 said:

I really don't know, I know that his nephew Leslie worked with Fred. They had two cameras, when Fred was filming a train approaching, Leslie was driving ahead to catch the next interesting scene. Perhaps the collection is in his care. 

I very much hope so.

[GNRi1959]

For several months, my mother took me once a week from Omagh to Belfast by train. The line ran behind our house, we could hear the ring of the permanent way men maintaining the track. My grandfather would take his morning tea in our back kitchen and then get back to lines. He was s very stern man and told my dad once 'If I ever see you near the railway lines, i'll break your back!'

Edited January 22, 2018 by GNRi1959

[jhb171achill]

I had reason to look up Norman Johnston's excellent little book on the Fintona branch last night.

It's a good while since I looked through it, and when I did, it was details of the station I was looking for, not the tram. So I had forgotten one illustration in it, of an excellent model of the Fintona tram, or "The Van", as the locals called it.

The model is credited by the author to a certain - Tony McGartland!

An excellent and very original piece.

Now, how to fit a horse with DCC!

[GNRi1959]

Well spotted, that was an exciting project!

The book was one of a few that Norman done that inspired him to form Colorpoint Books with his wife Sheila way back in the 90s. Incidentally, the name came from their love of 'Colorpoint' cats which they kept. I printed quite a lot of the photographs for the book in my attic darkroom straight from 6 x 9 negatives - nobody else around had a big enough enlarger to do it. During the writing of the book,  we went to Fintona and had a get together for all the surviving GNRi staff and had tea and biscuits. I assembled them all where the station was sited and took several photographs. I don't think there are many of them left today. A memorable day out with a great man.