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Title: DEE VALLEY

Reference number: 0586

Date: 1959*

Sponsor: Joint Production Committee of SEFA and SFC

Production company: SEFA (Aberdeen Group)

Sound: silent

Original format: 16mm

Colour: bw

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 13 mins

Description: Journey by steam train on the lost Royal Deeside railway line to Ballater in 1959, in this lovely educational film from the Scottish Educational Film Association (SEFA). Visit Aberdeen harbour, crammed with fishing boats, then row up the river Dee to see the fishermen, with crates of salmon and wriggling eels. After Cults station, stop at Peterculter for the Culter paper mill, then at Banchory for A & G Paterson’s saw mill. Steam on to Ballater for a bus to Balmoral Castle and a Highland Games for some right royal revelry.

See Teaching notes, held at the National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive.

Filmed by the Scottish Educational Film Association. The Deeside Railway opened in 1853, and was regularly used by members of the Royal Family staying at Balmoral Castle, including Queen Victoria, George VI and the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II and her children. Queen Victoria had her own Royal Waiting Room built in 1886 at Ballater station, complete with sumptous Royal Toilet. The line was closed in 1966 as a result of the Beeching report. The Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1996, and they began work on restoring part of the line in 2003. Thanks to their efforts, it is now possible to travel from Milton of Crathes station towards Banchory station, on both steam and diesel trains.

Digitisation funded by British Film Institute 'Unlocking Film Heritage', awarding funds from the National Lottery.

Credits: camera Ralph Guiliani,
assistants John Wright, Herbert Bibby

Shotlist: Credits (.15); Aberdeen harbour. Cargo vessel, the "St Rognauld" at quay. Maria and Michael watch steam trawler fleet leave harbour (.44); Esparto grass. Bales of grass are unloaded (.56); Salmon fishermen. Maria and Michael on river bank watch two men in rowing boat. At Victoria Bridge they get into boat as it pulls out into mid-stream trailing nets. Boat back on shore, catch is landed (1.38); Eels for London. Boxes of eels. General views of Dee and bridge. Steam locomotive crossing rail bridge (2.25); Maria and Michael look at map of Deeside (2.45); They get into a train. Locomotive and train at the platform. Shots from window of train in motion (3.08); Cults station (3.13); Shakkin' Brig. Marie and Michael walk to bridge. General views of the bridge, rivers, swimmers, paddlers and fishermen. Maria and Michael "shake" the bridge (3.40); Woman poles ferry across river with Maria and Michael on board (4.07) Maria and Michael on train. Alight at Peterculter (4.23); Shot of a model/memorial of Scottish soldier (4.24); Papermaking. Exterior of mills. Interior of mills with machinery and vast reams of paper on rollers (4.51); Maria and Michael drink from ornate fountain in wall (4.56); Aberdeen's Water. Shots of Invergannie Water Works. General views of reservoirs, tanks, etc. (5.19); Shots of men felling trees in forest, tractor pulling them down to sawmills. Shots inside A & G Paterson's Silverbank Sawmills in Banchory (6.52); Sheep farming. Sheep grazing in pens (7.21); Maria and Michael on train again. Shot of locomotive no. 80004 slowly passing (7.31); Ballater station. End of railway line, Ballater. Shot of the last hundred yards of the track (7.41); Bus going to Braemar (7.49); Crathie Church. Exterior as Maria and Michael enter. Visitors enter (8.07); Balmoral Castle. Long shot of same (8.12); Shooting season. General shots of people shooting fowl, dogs retrieving kill. (8.27); Braemar, here the Earl of Mar raised standard 1745. Commemorative plaque. Exterior of Invercauld Arms Hotel with tourists in the forecourt. Maria and Michael enter Braemar (8.51); A General Wade bridge. Shots of bridge and then of Maria and Michael watching Highland cow (9.06); Hikers resting on wall. Visitors in streets of Braemar (9.13); Shots at Braemar Gathering including putting the shot, pipes and drums, dancing, caber tossing, pillow fights, etc. (10.15); Maria and Michael play about river bed (10.21); Meanders. Long shot of river meandering through glen (10.38); Linn of Dee. Maria and Michael at local beauty spot, waterfall and bridge (11.07); Rock climbing. Maria and Michael on path. Group of climbers with ropes scale cliff as maria and Michael climb small hill. View from summit of neighbouring valley (12.35) Near the source. General views of river (12.48); Map of course of the River Dee (12.56)