The 'Steve Neville Film Archive' DVD
by Martin Fagg

New from the East Anglian Traction Engine Society is the DVD compilation of 8mm colour cinefilm taken by the late Steve Neville, ‘The Steve Neville Film Archive’. It starts with an introduction from Hugh Dyson and Keith Honour who tell you this is not a DVD about Steve, it is footage taken by Steve and that his sense of humour can be seen through his camera lens.
   The DVD has been well researched and informs us about the people and engines that Steve filmed, making good use of a professional commentator whilst the accompanying music from the sixties puts the footage into context.
   The first shots are of the Burrell crane engine ‘His Majesty’ when it was owned by J. Hickey and Son.  The condition of the engine and trailer, suggests that Steve filmed them not long after an overhaul.
   There is a large amount of footage of ‘Boadicea’, the famous 10 HP Mclaren road locomotive, which was Steve's first engine. It is a pleasure for your reviewer as he has spent many hours at her regulator since 1985, when she was still carrying the canopy you see in the clips. We see some shots of her on a low-loader which was a rare occurrence. With 17 tons of engine on a single-axle trailer, is it no surprise that the bed has quite a bow in it?
   Moving on, there are scenes of Jim Sarney and the Burrell road locomotive ‘Lord Roberts’, with living van and two Land Rovers in tow, going through London. It includes shots of them going through the Blackwall Tunnel and when they come out the other side it is clear that they were not burning best Welsh coal!
   There follows film of Steve's second engine, ‘Lord Lascelles’, being prepared at The Clapham Transport Museum to go into London for the Lord Mayor’s Show. We see Steve parked on Westminster Bridge, complete with showman’s living van, so that he could take some film of his engine and Big Ben.
   The process of restoring ‘Lord Lascelles’ is covered quite well and shows what can be achieved out in the open air.
   There are scenes taken at some East Anglian rallies, some of which were only one-day events. It was quite pleasing NOT to see orange fencing and marshals with high-visibility jackets escorting engines around the rally field. Perhaps people had more common sense in the 60's?
   Steve spent some time working in India and he took his camera with him. There are some shots of Indian "fitters", putting a steering worm wheel back on to an Aveling roller in a very unconventional way. We also see unusual methods being used when watering the front and back rolls of a Marshall roller when rolling tarmac.
   This DVD has to be a ‘must see’ because it shows what rallies and engines were all about in the sixties: the engines were presented in a clean condition; some of them in their working clothes; and virtually all of them were travelled on the road to events.
   After watching this DVD, one reflects on the rally scene today. Have we progressed?