A Steam Train Passes
Encyclopedia
A Steam Train Passes is an award winning Australian 1974 short film set in the 1940s, featuring the construction and operation of locomotive 3801
.
Cinesound newsreel
Monarch of the Rails showing the locomotive being built. The film then changes to colour and shows the locomotive at the Enfield
locomotive depot, then the home of the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum
. The fireman lights the fire and the driver inspects the locomotive. When ready the locomotive is turned on the turntable
.
The main part of the film shows the train travelling through the New South Wales
countryside through disparate locations including the Sydney
suburbs, Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge
and Picton loop line. These scenes are interspersed with vignettes
of life the 1940s including a travelling salesman, a country wedding and soldiers in a pub, all linked to the train journey.
Most of the audio is live sound of the train, with some overlayed with original music by George Dreyfus
.
.
Awards include:
for other productions requiring footage of a steam train. Footage has been used in Sirens
, Rabbit-Proof Fence
, True Believers, Curtin
and several documentaries.
The original negative is preserved at the National Film and Sound Archive
.
3801 (NSW steam locomotive)
3801 is Australia's best known and most widely travelled steam locomotive. The streamlined locomotive was designed to haul express trains such as the Newcastle Flyer and Melbourne Limited for the New South Wales Government Railways . 3801 is the only steam locomotive to visit every mainland state...
.
Plot
The opening sequence is a 1943 black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
Cinesound newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
Monarch of the Rails showing the locomotive being built. The film then changes to colour and shows the locomotive at the Enfield
Enfield, New South Wales
Enfield is a suburb, in the Inner-West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enfield is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Burwood Council.-History:...
locomotive depot, then the home of the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum
New South Wales Rail Transport Museum
The New South Wales Rail Transport Museum located in Thirlmere, New South Wales south-west of Sydney, is a museum dedicated to displaying former locomotives, carriages and goods wagons from the New South Wales Government Railways as well as private operations in NSW. The collection features steam,...
. The fireman lights the fire and the driver inspects the locomotive. When ready the locomotive is turned on the turntable
Turntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
.
The main part of the film shows the train travelling through the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
countryside through disparate locations including the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburbs, Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge
Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge
The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge spans the Hawkesbury River just north of the town of Brooklyn on the northern outskirts of Sydney, Australia...
and Picton loop line. These scenes are interspersed with vignettes
Vignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
of life the 1940s including a travelling salesman, a country wedding and soldiers in a pub, all linked to the train journey.
Most of the audio is live sound of the train, with some overlayed with original music by George Dreyfus
George Dreyfus
George Dreyfus AM is an Australian contemporary classical, film and television composer.-Life:The Dreyfus family moved in 1935 to Berlin to enable a better education for their two sons...
.
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 New South Wales Public Transport CommissionNew South Wales Public Transport Commission
The Public Transport Commission was a state government agency responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia between 1972 and 1980.-History:...
.
Reception
A Steam Train Passes is one of Film Australia's most successful filmshttp://www.nfsa.afc.gov.au/media_releases.nsf/d413751ea97b8813ca256ec20017e459/6080d17da745f6e8ca2569990006b9ab?OpenDocumenthttp://www.aftrs.edu.au/index.cfm?objectId=52E1D692-2A54-23A3-6EFB4C7CE915C28A. It has won many awards and is generally regarded as Australia's finest railway filmhttp://www.digitales.com.au/item.asp?CatID=113&ItemID=4394.Awards include:
- 1974 Australian Film Institute AwardsAustralian Film Institute AwardsThe Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
, Silver Kodak Award for Photography (Documentary Category) - 1974 Australian Film Institute AwardsAustralian Film Institute AwardsThe Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
, Bronze Medallion for Dean SemlerDean SemlerDean Semler, A.C.S., A.S.C. is an Australian cinematographer. Over his career, he has worked as a cinematographer, camera operator, director, second unit director, and assistant director.-Early years:... - 1975 US Industrial Film Festival, Silver Screen Award - 2nd prize, History & Biography
- 1975 Chicago International Film FestivalChicago International Film FestivalThe Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
, Certificate of Merit Documentary Section 9, History - 1975 San Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film FestivalSan Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
, Special Jury Award - Communication Section - 1975 Cork International Film Festival, Statuette of St. Fincarr, Category D (Short Fiction)
- 1975 Melbourne International Film FestivalMelbourne International Film FestivalThe Melbourne International Film Festival is an acclaimed annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1951, making it one of the oldest in the World....
, Special Award Short Film. - 1975 Australian Cinematographers SocietyAustralian Cinematographers SocietyThe Australian Cinematographers Society is an Australian organisation established in 1958 for cinematographers to meet and discuss the issues that affected them...
Awards, Golden Tripod.
Film footage
Footage from this film has become almost stock footageStock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
for other productions requiring footage of a steam train. Footage has been used in Sirens
Sirens (film)
Sirens is a 1993 film, written and directed by John Duigan, and set in Australia between the two World Wars.Sirens, along with Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bitter Moon—all released in the U.S...
, Rabbit-Proof Fence
Rabbit-Proof Fence (film)
Rabbit-Proof Fence is a 2002 Australian drama film directed by Phillip Noyce based on the book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara...
, True Believers, Curtin
Curtin (2007 film)
Curtin is a telemovie about the wartime Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin.-Plot:The film covers the period from just before Curtin became Prime Minister until the return of the 6th and 7th Divisions to Australia at the start of the Pacific war....
and several documentaries.
The original negative is preserved at the National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
.
