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This 1948 documentary follows 24 hours of work on the railways. It was directed for the National Film Unit by New Zealand’s first female film director, Margaret Thomson. It shows the engines and commuter trains preparing to leave Wellington, and the overnight train arriving from Auckland. Workers toil on the railway lines above the remote Waimakariri Gorge, and the town of Otira gets ready for a dance. The final shots are of an engine coming through the dawn and back to the city.
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"Time for refreshments"
I would hate to add up all the hours I spent trying to sleep on the "Limited" while traveling from Palmerston North and Auckland.
Always waking up with all the noises that were made while trying to get up the "Spiral"
Some doco's about NZ Rail do not just provide a picture of transport and industry in fortress NZ of the l940s and l950s, they actually convey the message of Somebody's Else's Country better than the Jane Kelsey/ Barry doco. On that theme I recommend the Ian Johnstone narrated "Total Steam'. The marriage of man and machine: rail refreshment, even l953 Auckland light rail and lots of emphasis on the coast and waikato mines and mills. Some say the NZR was a Nazi/ East German style semi military organisation and that pretty much was the nature of pre l984 NZ.
Wow need more footage like this I still remember the steam trains as a child.
Not bad a slice of hard working NZ
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Short Film, 1948 (Full Length)
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The synopsis and credits are included
Gordon Bibby
Posted at 07.09PM - 18.11.2011
Very nostalgic, I remember seeing this NZNFU short in a picture theatre when I was much younger, also travelled the main trunk many times when steam was king. Thankyou.