From 1959 to 1969, the Rank organisation made a series of short colour films for the cinema under the series title Look at Life.

Looks at Life were released on a weekly basis and shown in Odeon cinemas up and down the country. Ultimately over 500 films were produced, all of them shot on 35mm film and in colour.

In his last programme for Video 125, film historian John Huntley presents 5 films from the series, all of which feature the railways of the time - a time of great change, when steam was rapidly being replaced by diesel.

The five films featured are:

LETTING OFF STEAM (1959)

• Centenary London to Portsmouth line
• Evening Star
• New class 40 D202
• Stratford class 31 D5522
• Bristolian still steam hauled
• Woodhead Tunnel Route
• Wiring the Eastern Region
• Driver's training school
• Prototype Deltic in action
• Long welded rails at Dover Marine
• Potters Bar Station

DRAW THE FIRES (1963)

• Production Deltics
• Class 25s under construction
• Bletchley Flyover
• Baby Deltic DP2
• Tollerton Signal Box
• AWS
• Railway Museum York
• Westerham Kent closed station
• Carlisle withdrawn steam
• Newly preserved Bluebell Line
• The Palatine Express

HIGH WIDE AND FASTER (1964)

• Integrated transport system.
• Carlisle Kingmoor Yard
• London Termini
• On board Blue Pullman
• Coal Merry go Round
• Cliffe, Kent, Cement terminal

TURN OF THE WHEEL (1964)

• Scrapping old carriages
• New class 47
• Middleton Railway preservation
• Newmarket old station
• London buses
• Trams at Crich, Derbyshire
• Traction Engines
• Pullmans

PLAYING TRAINS (1967)

• Keighley and Worth Valley
• Middleton Railway Trust
• Open day Taplow
• Clapham Transport Museum
• Flying Scotsman
• 'Cathedrals Express'

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Produced by - Video 125
Running time - 48 Minutes
100% Colour.
DVD only

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