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A Steam Train Passes 50th anniversary
Catch it at a gala screening remastered in 4K – or stream on NFSA Player
Since its release in 1974, A Steam Train Passes has captivated rail enthusiasts and film lovers alike. With Oscar-winning cinematographer Dean Semler (Dances with Wolves) behind the lens, the film beautifully captures the journey of steam locomotive 3801 – showcasing the people, infrastructure, and mode of travel now lost to history.
Here are three ways to experience A Steam Train Passes as it celebrates its 50th anniversary:
– Join us for gala screenings in Sydney and Canberra featuring special guests, the behind-the-scenes documentary A Steam Train Passes: 50 Years On by Transport Heritage NSW, and rare, never-before-seen train footage.
– Stream it on demand with NFSA Player and enjoy the ride from the comfort of home.
– Dive into its legacy through new content, including historical insights and the making-of story, coming soon.
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of A Steam Train Passes with a special gala screening of the film remastered in 4K. The night of railway cinema will feature a newly produced making-of documentary by Transport Heritage NSW, A Steam Train Passes: 50 Years On; a screening of Western Endeavour (1970); and never-before-seen footage from the NFSA Jim Powe Collection, narrated by NFSA train expert Jeff Wray.
Presented by Transport Heritage NSW and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne on 2 April at 6 pm. Information and tickets
Join us for a gala screening of A Steam Train Passes remastered in 4K to mark its 50th anniversary. The event includes a new making-of documentary by Transport Heritage NSW, A Steam Train Passes: 50 Years On; Western Endeavour (1970); and exclusive footage from the NFSA Jim Powe Collection, narrated by train expert Jeff Wray.
Presented by Transport Heritage NSW and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
Arc Cinema, Acton on 6 April at 1 pm. Information and tickets
Steam, steel and stories on film
Respected railway photographer Jim Powe devoted much of his spare time to capturing tramways and railways across the globe. His prodigious collection of photographs and films provides valuable insights into railway life, with the NFSA holding over 100 of his Australian train and tram recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s.
Rail adventures through the lens of Jim Powe
The Southern Highlands Express to Goulburn was the last passenger service to be regularly hauled by steam out of Sydney. This silent footage from 1964 conjures the romance of the age of steam as we see 3803 on its return trip from Goulburn to Sydney, stopping all stations to Campbelltown and filling up with water at Moss Vale. Jim Powe shoots the train in glorious colour on 16mm film from a variety of vantage points and captures the train rounding a curve well known to rail enthusiasts at Maldon outside Picton.
Excerpt from Jim Powe Broadmeadow and Main South home movie (1965). Courtesy: Jim Powe and the Powe Family. NFSA title: 1635644.
Racing through the Riverina by steam
This silent footage takes us back to 1964 and shows 3803 doing what it was designed to do best – travel at speed. It's hauling one of the premier passenger trains of the day, the Riverina Express. The footage is a valuable record of the journey between Junee and Cootamundra in New South Wales before the service was dieselised in May 1964. At Cootamundra 3803 is replaced by a diesel locomotive to continue the journey to Sydney.
Excerpt from Jim Powe Broadmeadow and Main South home movie (1965). Courtesy: Jim Powe and the Powe Family. NFSA title: 1635644.
The journey continues
Stay on board for more vintage train films from the NFSA collection.
Our collection of historic train footage includes government and educational films, amateur movies shot by railway enthusiasts, and audio recordings of steam trains.
Image: Western Endeavour (Jim Powe, 1970). NFSA title: 1636348
This short documentary showcases Darling Harbour as a busy railway goods yard and shows the transition between steam-powered trains and diesel locomotives at the start of the 1970s.
In this excerpt from Just Australian Trains (1985), an engineer demonstrates the controls and explains the workings of a steam locomotive.
An overview of Australia's railways in the early 1960s, featuring journeys on trains including the Sunlander, Brisbane Limited, Port Pirie Express, Transcontinental and the Spirit of Progress.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.