Overseas Cab Rides

Ref: VI341D

Price:£15.00

Take a ride with the driver of a tram following route 25 in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in West Bengal, India. This is a totally fascinating and absorbing journey through a typical Indian City away from the normal tourist spots and luxury hotels.

We ride on board a Burn Standard tram and trailer, hired for the day by Darjeeling Tours. Travelling through the teeming streets of Kolkata amidst traffic of all sorts coming at us from all angles from pedal carts, to Tuk Tuks, to yellow Ambassador taxis (based on the 1956 Morris Oxford) to lorries and buses of every shape size and colour, this turns out to be not just of interest for tram and train enthusiasts but for anyone who travels the world.

fascinating and absorbing journey through a typical Indian City away from the normal tourist spots and luxury hotels.

What we see is an Indian city in the raw, with traders, workers and pedestrians going about their every day activities right in front of our eyes completely unaware that they are being filmed. It was just an everyday tram that nobody took any notice of.

fascinating and absorbing journey through a typical Indian City away from the normal tourist spots and luxury hotels.

The footage will almost certainly be viewed in years to come as a snapshot of candid Indian city life, totally fascinating and totally absorbing.

fascinating and absorbing journey through a typical Indian City away from the normal tourist spots and luxury hotels.

Even in the production process, every time we viewed the footage, we saw something different. For this very reason, when our tram reaches its destination at Gariahat tram depot, we then see the return journey to the original starting point at the Esplanade terminus.

fascinating and absorbing journey through a typical Indian City away from the normal tourist spots and luxury hotels.

To see our tram threading its way through a one way street in the wrong direction is in itself remarkable how everything and everybody manages to get out of the way, but that's India for you.

fascinating and absorbing journey through a typical Indian City away from the normal tourist spots and luxury hotels.

Video 125 have added a commentary by their much regarded Jonathan Kydd, their 'man in India' so to speak, having narrated their Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Driver's eye views. His commentary is purposely not wall to wall, nor intrusive, because the smooth high definition pictures filmed from state of the art cameras tell the whole story in pictures.

Availability: AVAILABLE
Narrated by: Jonathan Kydd
First published on DVD: 2023
Screen aspect ratio: 16:9 Widescreen
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD
Media Format: DVD-R

Running Time: 80-mins (1hr 20min)

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Ref: VI319D

Price:£25.00

The very best of preserved and working steam trains in Southern Africa filmed over a four year period by enthusiast and cameraman Jean Dulez.

Living in South Africa, Jean was uniquely able to travel throughout the African sub-continent to seek out the most spectacular locations to film preserved steam at its best. He was also able to record the amazing spectacle of some of the last pockets of working industrial steam trains in the 21st century in Botswana and Zimbabwe.

It takes an ardent enthusiast and expert photographer to compile a series of sequences of such high quality. Producer Peter Middleton was simply blown away when he first saw the spectacular sequences contained within. The scenery, the weather, the wide variety of steam action over main lines, branch lines, the so-called Cape Gauge (3ft 6ins) plus narrow gauge lines all combine to make this a steam spectacle not to be missed.

The film starts with a brief history of railways in Southern Africa followed by detailed maps and graphics throughout. This is a spectacle that you will want to watch and listen to over and over again, so we have added a commentary off button to allow you to listen to the wonderful stereo sounds of steam engines hard at work without interruption.

Availability: AVAILABLE
Filmed by/when: Between 2013 and 2017 by Jean Dulez
Narrated by: Jonathan Kydd
First published on DVD: Mid September 2017
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD
Media Format: DVD-R

Running Time: 112-mins (1hr 52min)

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Ref: VI3340D

Price:£15.00

Jalpaiguri to Tindharia

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is the most famous narrow gauge railway in the world, earning it UNESCO world heritage status. Never before has there been a full documentary let alone a Driver's eye view of this unique Indian railway.

Recent camera technology has made the previously impossible to become possible, enabling Video 125, in association with Darjeeling Tours, to present a complete view of the line from the front of a steam train running the full length of the line divided into two fabulous video productions. This is the first half, running just about half way towards Darjeeling.

Although the DHR begins at New Jalpaiguri Junction, steam is very rarely seen there nowadays, so in order to see the whole line, our journey begins on board an NDM 6 diesel loco, which takes us over the first 5 miles to Siliguri Junction, alongside India's main line broad gauge track. The narrow gauge crosses the broad gauge on the level and later on is even interlaced to share the single track viaduct over the Mahanada river. At Siliguri Junction, an iconic 'B' class steam engine takes over, hauling our train for the next half hour past the typical hustle and bustle of the busy markets, shops and businesses along the Hill Cart Road.

Following the first signs of the ubiquitous tea plantations, we arrive at our first intermediate stop at Sukna, where we witness the single line token being handed over. Our diminutive 0-4-0 saddle tank takes on much-needed water here, as we leave the plains and head for the hills.

Almost immediately, the road traffic seems to vanish as we begin the almost relentless climb over gradients as steep as 1 in 18 into the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains! The line follows the Hill Cart Road most of the way, and our train crosses it dozens of times to ease the gradient or lessen the radius of a curve. In many places, check rails are essential as we run perilously close to the very edge of the hills and squeeze over the narrowest of precipices. This section of our journey includes three 'Z' reverses and the Chunbhati loop, all of which were necessary to further ease the punishing gradients.

Availability: AVAILABLE
Filmed by/when: 2020-2023
Narrated by: Jonathan Kydd
First published on DVD: 2023
Screen aspect ratio: 16:9 Widescreen
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD
Media Format: DVD-R

Running Time: 152-mins (2hr3 2min)

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Ref: VI330

Total Price:£25.00

For the first time ever, a Driver's eye view of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. This famous Indian 2 foot gauge line runs for 55 miles from New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal up to Darjeeling in the foothills of the Himalayas. We ride aboard a steam charter train into its second day, starting roughly half way up the line at Tindharia.

The sunny weather, coupled with state of the art cameras, provide a spectacular view of this unique hill railway. Our iconic B class steam engine climbs relentlessly through the magnificent scenery over gradients as steep as 1 in 18! Following the Hill Cart Road most of the way, we cross it dozens of times to ease the gradient or lessen a curve. We run on the very edge of the mountains, squeeze through the narrowest of ledges and pass through towns and villages to the summit of the line at 7,407 feet above sea level at Ghum.

The railway is so unique and precious that it has become a UNESCO World heritage site. Much of the fascinating history of the line, opened in 1881, is in the narration.

**NOT AVAILABLE TO VIDEO125 TRADE CUSTOMERS LIKE WOLVERTON RAIL UNTIL AFTER CHRISTMAS 2020**

Availability: AVAILABLE
Filmed by/when: March 2020
Narrated by: Jonathan Kydd, written by Peter Middleton.
First published on DVD: August 2020 but not available to trade customers until after Christmas 2020
Screen aspect ratio: 16:9 SD
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD
Media Format: DVD-R

Running Time: 144-mins (2hr 24min) , Colour
.

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Ref: VI339D

Price:£15.00

Kalka to Shimla

India's Kalka to Shimla narrow-gauge railway is known for dramatic views of the Himalayan foothills and surrounding villages.

There's no better way of seeing this incredible engineering marvel than from the driver's viewpoint.

We ride aboard a specially chartered railcar to capture some great images of the line. Our journey is not for the faint-hearted, as for mile after mile we traverse narrow ledges carved out of the hillside.

The scenery is spectacular. Rising over four and a half thousand feet with a punishing ruling gradient of 1 in 33, we encounter a number of spirals that were necessary to lift the line over otherwise insurmountable obstacles. The 2ft 6in or 762mm gauge line has 102 tunnels and no less than 969 bridges and culverts throughout the line's 60 miles running to the former British Raj summer capital of Simla (as it was originally called).

There are 18 classic stations on the route, all with British-built lower-quadrant semaphore signals, controlled by Neal's single line token-block system.

Availability: AVAILABLE
Narrated by: Jonathan Kydd
First published on DVD: 2023
Screen aspect ratio: 16:9 Widescreen
Classification: Exempt
Number of discs: 1 DVD
Media Format: DVD-R

Running Time: 122-mins (2hr 2min)

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