(Locomaster Profiles)   
This The second in a series of four nostalgia-packed programmes features six Sulzer-engined loco classes – 25, 26, 27, 33, 45 and 47 – at work on a variety of passenger and freight turns in the 1980s when all six were in gradual decline. The 25s, 27s and 45s were all withdrawn in the latter half of the decade, but inroads were also made into the fleet of Scottish 26s and the Southern Region 33s. On the plus side, the ‘Cromptons’ extended their sphere of operation in the mid-‘80s with passenger work to destinations such as Cardiff, Crewe and Manchester. As for Class 47, more than 400 were still in traffic at the end of the decade and had started to carry a variety of colourful liveries.
 
Alongside the traction, the rolling stock and railway infrastructure provide an extra layer of nostalgia. And as an added bonus, the filming locations are spread far and wide across all five BR Regions. And there’s not a single strand of palisade fencing anywhere in sight! The material in this programme is previously unreleased on DVD and the footage retains its original soundtrack. David Maxey provides the narration for this fascinating trip down memory lane. Here’s a brief summary of what’s in this DVD…
 
Twenty-five CLASS 25s on a variety of passenger and freight workings including the Oakamoor sand, Tunstead-Northwich limestone, Blue Circle cement, Birkenhead grain, Halewood cars, and the ‘Mersey Ratcatcher’ farewell railtour.
 
Twenty-two different CLASS 26s & 27s on various workings including the Dundee cement, Falkland Yard pilot, Carlisle parcels, Scottish Speedlinks, Mossend departmentals, Dundee-Edinburgh passenger and the SRPS Class 27 farewell tour.
 
Twenty-six different CLASS 33 ‘Cromptons’ on a variety of duties including Channel Tunnel construction, ARC aggregates, Meldon ballast, the Dover Linkspan and a whole host of passenger workings both on and off region.
 
Thirty different CLASS 45 ‘Peaks’ on Midland Main Line, Trans-Pennine & Cross Country passenger work, Tunstead ICI limestone, Cliffe Vale china clay, the Northolt-Calvert ‘bins’, departmental traffic and even a Class 504 Bury EMU drag. Notable locos include 45007, 45015, 45041, 45111, 45123, Eccles crash-victim 45147 and first-built 45122.

No fewer than forty different CLASS 47s portray the versatility of the Brush Type 4 as they handle all manner of passenger and freight work. Locos include 47003, 47088, 47299, 47306, 47407, 47409, 47484, 47500, 47555, 47581, 47593, 47613, 47705, 47901, 47973, 97472 and pioneer loco 47401. Includes all the sub-Classes and a good selection of liveries which the locos carried during the decade.
 
Locomaster Profiles have garanteed us that none of this material has been used in their programmes before.
 
While English Electric Archive is already a huge hit, these two programmes will be followed by RAILFREIGHT ARCHIVE and PASSENGER & RAILTOUR ARCHIVE.