THE RAILWAY COLLECTION

THE STORY OF BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS
From the earliest wooden wagon ways to the last great days of steam and the birth of the railway preservation movement, Fred gives us his own unique history of the railways in Britain.

GREAT LITTLE STEAM RAILWAYS
Fred recollects his boyhood passion for steam railways, takes us on a tour of some of his favourite preservation lines and tells us some of his own railway stories.

MADE IN BRITAIN: RAILWAY YARDS AND WORKSHOPS
The skills of building, maintaining and restoring steam locomotives are still alive at the workshops of some of Britain’s preserved railways, and Fred visited some of the biggest on his traction engine grand tour of Britain for the series “Made In Britain”.

THE STEAM COLLECTION

THE STORY OF THE TRACTION ENGINE
Looks at the early steam carriages, the development of the traction engine, road locomotives, steamrollers, showman’s engines, steam lorries and preservation. Fred explains the history of the early steam-powered vehicles, from the development of the first traction engines to the great steam engines of the Twentieth Century.

Cornish engineer and inventor Richard Trevithick built an elegant and light steam carriage back in 1803 and Fred also comes face to face with a Puffing Devil from 1801. From wrecks to restored magnificence, Fred sees them all and meets the men who share his enthusiasm.

Taking in some of Britain’s major traction engine collections, Fred brings the history of the machines that helped shape Britain to life in his own inimitable style. Visiting the Long Shop Museum in Suffolk, he finds that Garrett’s Suffolk Punch isn’t quite what it seems and at The Thursford Collection, in Norfolk, we learn about George Cushing, who collected 45 of these engines.

The first steamroller was built by Thomas Aveling in 1867 but by the time that was superseded by the faster Wallis & Steevens Advanced steamrollers, petrol and diesel engines were taking over. During the First World War, traction engine wheels were used to move the big guns. Traction engines also generated the power for the Bioscope, an early form of cinema, and steam was also introduced into fairgrounds in the 1870s.

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST ENGINES
Mill engines, pit winding engines and pumping engines are covered seeing Fred visiting the 1907 state-of-the-art Trencherfield Mill at Wigan Pier — built by William Woods on the site of two earlier mills — that now houses one of the biggest surviving mill steam engines in the world.

He also visits Astley Green colliery, where enthusiasts have worked for twenty years on a large steam engine that once turned the huge wheel of the colliery. And then comes the very ornate Papplewick pumping station, built in 1884 to serve Nottingham.

ON THE ROAD WITH FRED
Follows Fred’s ‘grand tour’ of British steam history as he sets off with his friend Alf Molyneux around Cumbria, the Scottish borders, the North East and Yorkshire — in his own steam traction engine that he took 27 years restoring — and stops off at the famous Teesside landmark, the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge.

Built in 1911, the Transporter Bridge is capable of carrying 600 people at a time. You walk (or drive) into a cradle suspended beneath the main span of the bridge — 160ft above the river Tees. This cradle then carries its cargo of cars and pedestrians across the river in less than three minutes.

Following a couple of setbacks and near-disasters, Fred is finally out on the road, driving through the lovely countryside of the North and meeting fellow enthusiasts. Fred is fascinating to listen to and his enthusiasm is infectious as he shares his experiences of the excitement and difficulties of owning a steam engine in Fred Dibnah’s Steam Collection.

Taken from the Made In Britain television series, this specially edited version shows the first half of Fred’s incredible journey in full, including footage not previously seen on television.

Details

Format: PAL
Region: Region 2
Number of discs: 6
Classification: Exempt
Studio: Acorn Media
EAN: 5036193099281
DVD Release Date: 1 June 2009
Run Time: 876 minutes

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The late Fred Dibnah was a modern renaissance man. For not only did Fred say how something was built in times gone by, he would show the viewer, using exquisite drawings that he had executed himself, models or full-scale replicas, how the techniques had actually been employed by master craftsmen of times gone by.

The three DVD boxed set of Fred Dibnah’s Building of Britain is a fantastic introduction to Fred Dibnah’s world.

He is able to explain and to really demonstrate how things were done in what some people describe as “the olden days.”

Disk One: The Art of Castle Building and Might Cathedrals.

He explains how the castles were designed, how they were constructed, how they were managed and also, using a technique that Fred still used, how they could be taken during a siege.

Fred’s description of how the cathedrals were made (complete with working scale models of Medieval construction techniques) is not only interesting but also somewhat moving, too. An interesting aside was that Fred was able to show carpenter’s marks on wood that were used to ensure that beams fitted into beams. A sobering thought that the master carpenter who made those marks has been dead for 1,000-odd years. Yet his work is still a testament to his skills, brought to life by Fred Dibnah.

Watch The Art of Castle Building for free.

DVD Two: The Age of the Carpenter and Scottish Style.

The age of the carpenter describes how the skills of the carpenter really came into their own during the time of the Tudor great houses, when newly-wealthy merchants decided that they required a grand house for their family, suitable to their new status. Fred also pointed out some of the problems in these houses caused by faulty construction techniques. He also showed how these are being put right by using modern engineering solutions.

Scottish Style covers what was basically the Adams style. Fred Dibnah examines examples of what became known as Scottish Baronial style. He takes the viewer round Glamis Castle, pointing out how a relatively straightforward stone structure was transformed into the wonderful structure that we see today, by using teams of master stonemasons. The plasterwork in the castle was executed by experts from Italy. Of particular note the violin, skilfully created out of a mould and plaster. As Fred discovered the tale that the plaster violin was a real violin, dipped in plaster was not right. The true story was much more interesting. And Fred has a reasonably successful go at plaster work himself.

DVD Three: Building the Canals and Victorian Splendour

Here, of course, Fred Dibnah comes into his own. For this is Fred’s favourite era, I think. The Industrial Revolution and then into the times of Victorian Britain.

He returns home to Bolton to look at what remains of the once-extensive canal system and to explain not only how they were constructed (complete with models, of course) but also why they were constructed.

In Victorian Splendour Fred Dibnah takes a look at the fantastic work of Pugin when he was required to rebuild the Palace of Westminster in Medieval style, to match the remains of the palace. He shows how it was built, and how Big Ben’s clock tower was constructed and also reveals that Victorian pennies are still used to help regulate the running of the clock.

Extras on the DVD include a biography of Fred Dibnah and a filmography, both well worth viewing.

The specially written music by Elizabeth Parker, is outstanding.

Details

Format: PAL

Region: Region 2

Number of discs: 3

Classification: Exempt

EAN: 5036193090967

Studio: Acorn Media

DVD Release Date: 11 Jun 2007

Run Time: 180 minutes

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These are the programmes Fred would have made, accompanying the viewer on the journeys of a lifetime, sharing a world of knowledge and excitement, offering an opportunity to see much that has never been screened before.

FRED DIBNAH’S RAILWAY COLLECTION on 3 discs features: The Story of Britain’s Railways; Great Little Steam Railways; Made in Britain: Railway Yards and Workshops, taking one from the earliest wood wagon ways in the 18th century to the last great days of steam and the birth of the railways preservation movement.

Locations include the National Railway Museum; the Bluebell Railway; Didcot Railway Centre; Birmingham Railway Museum; Llangollen, Middleton, Ravenglass and Eskdale, South Tynedale, Tanfield and East Lancs Railways; the Bo ness and Kinneil Railway; Midland Railway Centre; Great Central Railway; Severn Valley Railway and Ffestiniog Railway.

Featuring over six hours of never released footage along with classic archive footage from his series, this is a must-have for fans of Fred Dibnah and anyone with an interest in the inspiring story of Britain’s Railway history.

Details

Format: Box set, PAL
Region: Region 2
Number of discs: 3
Classification: Exempt
Studio: Acorn Media
DVD Release Date: 4 Aug 2008
ISBN-13: 5036193096853
Run Time: 438 minutes

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Programs including:

• The Industrial Landscape
• The Machines that Changed the World
• Men of Iron
• The Victorian Gentleman
• Preserving Our Past
• All Steamed Up
• Riches Beneath the Earth
• Changing the Landscape
• Great British Builders
• Masters of Their Trade
• A Good Days Work

The box set looks back at some of the sites Fred visited over the last 8 years inter-cut with comment from friends, family, experts and academics.

Details

Format: PAL
Region: Region 2
Number of discs: 4
Classification: Exempt
Studio: Demand DVD
EAN/ISBN13: 5060162455266
DVD Release Date: 9 Aug 2010
Run Time: 360 minutes

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Fred Dibnah’s Great Buildings (aka Building Collection) , new DVD.

The fifth release in a major new venture to release Fred’s archive footage on DVD.

Fred brings history vividly to life in his own inimitable hands-on style, and explains how the builders and engineers of the past created great castles, houses and churches, and developed a ship-building industry that was the envy of the world.

Disk One: Castle Builders

From Roman and Iron Age fortifications to a medieval castle that became a Second World War command centre, Fred looks at the work of some of Britain’s greatest castle builders. Shot on location at Dover, Eastnor, Warwick, Edinburgh, Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech Castles, Old Sarum and Hadrian’s Wall.

Disk Two: Master Builders

Fred served his apprenticeship as a joiner and he always had a great appreciation for the work of the craftsmen who worked on construction projects throughout the ages. Here he visits Bath, Winchester, York, Lacock, Culross, Ightham Mote and a medieval tithe barn in Sussex to see the work of builders, thatchers, roofers, carpenters and stonemasons.

Disk Three: Ship Builders

Ship building was one of Britain’s major industries and here, starting at the Historic Dockyard in Chatham, Fred gives his own distinctive view of the industry. He goes on board some of his favourite ships including SS Great Britain, HMS Warrior, the paddle steamer Waverley, SS Shieldhall and the Royal Yacht Britannia, visits the Windermere Steam Boat Museum and goes cruising on a steamboat on a Scottish loch.

Details

Format: PAL
Region: Region 2
Number of discs: 3 disk set
Classification: Exempt
Studio: Acorn Media UK
DVD Release Date: 7 Dec 2009
Run Time: 360 minutes

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Details

Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: BBC Books; New edition edition (29 Aug 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0563387653
ISBN-13: 978-0563387657

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The author Alan McEwen is a renowned consultant boiler engineer, industrial historian and writer, and was one of Fred’s closest friends for almost 25 years. Alan attended a significant number of Fred’s chimney demolition jobs, and regularly assisted with the art of building the massive bonfires that Fred cleverly engineered for the destruction of the gigantic 200 feet tall cotton mill chimney stacks. He was therefore, at the heart of this amazing and ofttimes highly dangerous demolition work, which has enabled him to write passionately and correctly regarding his long time, famous friend, Fred Dibnah’s dramatic chimney drops.

FRED DIBNAH’S CHIMNEY DROPS is chock full of wonderfully exciting and evocative stories covering Fred’s chimney demolition projects all over the North West…………… and the pictures, the majority taken by the author himself are historically important documents that dramatically portray Fred Dibnah at the height of his long career as a Master Steeplejack and Chimney Demolition Expert.

FRED DIBNAH’S CHIMNEY DROPS is simply a must for industrial historians and not least for Fred Dibnah fans everywhere

Example Pages

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Details

Hardcover: 200 pages
Publisher: Sledgehammer Engineering Press (Oct 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0953272516
ISBN-13: 9780953272518
Product Dimensions: 24.9 x 19 x 2.8 cm

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Direct
You can purchase this excellent book directly from the author for just £27.00 including postage. Email Alan McEwen for more details or to place your order by telephone/post.

This box set includes three DVDs::

The Backyard Collection: Fred’s backyard was his pride and joy, his playground and a place where he breathed life back into rusty old machinery and steam engines. This unique collection features footage shot with Fred in his extraordinary backyard over seven years of filming for the BBC.
Back Street Mechanic – In which we visit Fred Dibnah’s backyward complete with probably the finest working example of a steam powered engineering workshop in the country.
Fred’s Engines – Here for the first time we hear from Fred the full story of his restoration of his steam roller Betsy and his Aveling and Porter convertible tractor.
Fred’s Coal Mine – In the last years of his life, Fred built a fully working replica mine complete with a 100 foot mineshaft and fully working pit head gear!

The Building Collection: Fred brings history vividly to life in his own inimitable hands-on style and explains how the builders and engineers of the past created great castles, houses and churches, and developed a ship-building industry that was the envy of the world.
Castle Builders – From Roman and Iron Age fortifications to a medieval castle that became a WWII command centre, Fred looks at the great castle builders.
Master Builders – Fred visits Bath, Winchester, York, a medieval tithe barn and more to see the work of builders, thatchers, roofers, carpenters and stonemasons.
Ship Builders – Fred goes on board some of his favourite ships including SS Great Britain, HMS Warrior, the Royal Yacht Britannia and much more.

The Industrial Collection: Mills and factories; mines and quarries; iron foundries and steel works. Fred was proud of the industrial genius that made Britain the ‘workshop of the world’. Here he tells stories of Britain’s major industries on a tour of favourite industrial heritage sites.
The Industrail Landscape – Born in Bolton, Lancashire, Fred fell in love with the industrial landscape, and here takes us on a tour of industrial Britain.
Riches Beneath The Earth – Coal, lead, tin, iron ore, Fred tours slate caverns, collieries and mining museums for a personal history of British mining.
Iron And Steel – From Ironbridge Gorge, cradle of the Industrial Revolution, to Sheffield and beyond, this is Fred’s own history of iron and steel making.

Details

Format: PAL
Region: Region 2
Number of discs: 9
Classification: Exempt
Studio: Acorn Media
EAN/ISBN13: 5036193099809
DVD Release Date: 18 Oct 2010
Run Time: 1329 minutes (22 hours and 9 minutes)

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‘Mechanics And Riveters’
Fred stops off at Andy Thornton’s, a company that makes ornate carvings, moves on to Worsborough to have a go at making hot forge rivets, then travels down to Derbyshire to visit the Midland Railway Centre.

‘Pattern Making’
Leaving his traction engine to be fixed, Fred visits David Ragsdale, a skilled pattern maker who just happens to own six steam engines. He then meets a man who runs a garden centre and museum via the power of steam, before taking a trip to Ashbourne to visit a clockmaker.

‘Engines At Work’
Fred meets up with a few old friends at the North Staffs and Cheshire Traction Engine Club. He visits a pumping station with a great triple expansion engine, then calls in at the Severn Valley Railway at Bridgenorth before a look round the Black Country Living Museum.

‘Chains And Copper’
Fred is in the Black Country watching the skills of an authentic chain maker, before moving on to Anglesey to visit Parys Mountain, once the largest copper mine in the world. Then he travels further down into Wales, making an overnight stop at Ffestiniog railway.

‘The Engineering Workshop’
Fred and his team are in the mountains of Snowdonia on the final stage of their journey, and must get through Llanberis Pass. At the Welsh Slate Museum, Fred and Alf take a look in the workshop where machinery is driven by a line shaft an eighth of a mile long.

‘A Lifetime’s Achievement’
Fred completes his journey by visiting the Welsh Slate Museum, then the world’s first boat lift in Cheshire before returning home to Bolton. He makes one final trip down to London to collect his MBE for services to Broadcasting and Industrial Heritage from the Queen.

Details

Format: PAL
Region: Region 2
Number of discs: 1
Classification: Exempt
EAN: 5030305103545
Studio: Contender Entertainment Group
DVD Release Date: 18 Jul 2005
Run Time: 180 minutes

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Rare Book, written based on the BBC film in which Fred first appeared.

Contents

• Early Days
• False Starts
• High Climbs
• Me Marriage
• Odd Jobs
• Chimney Pieces
• Trade Secrets
• Steam Engines
• The Rest of Fred.

Details

Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Line One Pub (3 Dec 1983)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0907036171
ISBN-10: 9780907036173

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