Description: Pinner Cine Society Summer Film Unit
"The Steam Bug"
Opening shot of a traction engine fire box, chimney with smoke coming out of it; close up of a traction engine wheel with steam surrounding it. Medium shot of the engine itself and then traction engine in action. Close up of a gauge, wheels turning.
Shot of traction engine called the Island Prince with tax disk 1965. Close up of the side of an engine stating speed 6mph and weight under 6 tons.
Close up of another engine called Patricia in motion across the field.
A man filling up an engine with water and oiling the wheels. A young boy greasing various parts of an engine. Several shots of owners maintaining their engines.
A long shot of an engine in a field with a crowd of spectators behind. Various shots of engines going around the field. Shot of an engine pulling a saw mill wagon.
A starter dropping a handkerchief for the start of a race between three traction engines. A polo match between engines.
Shots of the crowd and another engine steaming up. Shot of a steam powered fairground organ called the Princess Royal. Shots of a merry-go-round.
The end
Comments
I owned a portable reel-to-reel tape machine (as used by BBC reporters at the time - the film was made in 1965) and went to a traction engine rally at Woburn to record sound effects for the film. The sound track was originally on ¼ inch tape, but has probably been lost.
As it happens I still have the sound effects I recorded all those years ago, and I am still in touch with a member of the group who a few years ago sent me a digital copy of the film to which I added a new sound track from the original effects tape and sent the end result back to the group (which is now known as Harrow film makers).