THE DIAMONDS OF INDIA

RUNTIME: 90 MINS

CAT: AWA279
UPC: 881482327997
RRP: $14.95

In colour and with original soundtrack throughout, Roger Griffiths set out in 1979 to capture for prosperity as many as possible of the older classes of locomotives then in service on Indian Railways.

Only two years prior to this there were 4,921 broad gauge locomotives in use carrying 61% of passenger and 29% of freight traffic. It was evident there was less urgency to film the broad gauge but none the less it has been covered here. Along with the Metre gauge, 2’-0” and 2’-6” gauges of the state-owned, private and industrial concerns revealed in the programme, it shows the diversity of historical locomotives still in use of some 38 classes, from 37 different builders.

From Puna to Patna, Dhaulpur to Darjeeling and Baroda to Bangalore, join Roger on this colourful sub-continental steam journey, from plains to mountains with steam under those wonderful British semaphore signals.