16mm film, original master 'The Snow Train (Furka Oberalp Bahn)'

Filmed in 1963 in Switzerland. Footage of the Furka Oberalp Bahn, a narrow-gauge railway in the Swiss Alps. Film start with shots of map of the Furka Oberalp Bahn, street in front of Brig station, electric tram, electric train departing Brig station, train journey filmed from on board and from lineside, view of trains passing through Swiss landscape, mountain landscape, train passing over viaducts and through tunnels, Niederwald and Furka Grimsel junction, road crossing, shot of Swiss post staff loading parcels onto horse-drawn carriage at Munster station, train continuing journey, couple of farmers working land with hand tools with train passing in background, train stopping Oberwald station, view over the mountains, locomotive fitted with snow blower, men shovelling snow to clear tracks, various shots of snow blower in action and F04 steam locomotive pushing snowplough, snow plough operating in deep snow, workers with shovels assisting snow blower, other snow clearing tools and machines, clearing entrance to tunnel, electrification equipment and workers transported by steam train, workers installing electric poles and cables for overhead electric lines, shots of electric trains operated on the line. A film made for Railway Roundabout BBC TV, by John Adams and Patrick Whitehouse. This is the original master film reel, colour, silent. Duration: 14 minutes

This film is part of the Railway Roundabout collection donated by the makers of the programme, John Adams and Patrick Whitehouse. They produced films on contemporary British and foreign railways for the BBC Children's programme 'Railway Roundabout, broadcast monthly between 1958 and 1962 on BBC Television. The commentary was created and broadcast live, so the original films in the collection are silent. The Railway Roundabout collection includes the original masters, prints, some offcuts and working material for Railway Roundabout programmes as well as other films (non-Railway Roundabout) made by the John Adams and Patrick Whitehouse and a small number of films made by others. The collection also includes the original un-edited audio recordings made between 1960 and 1965 by John Adams and Patrick Whitehouse for the BBC radio programme Railway Roundup. Additionally, John Adams and Patrick Whitehouse were both photographers, their respective photographic collections are held by the National Railway Museum. This film is titled 'The Snow Train' on title frame on film and 'The Snow Train (Furka Oberalp Bahn)' on Railway Roundabout 16mm masters list. Not found on BBC Programme Index, made in 1963 so believed to not have been broadcast.