Recognising the fact that the archive’s funds would not permit the immediate transfer of the significant film holdings to digital — the cost of transferring the 9.5mm film alone was a significant four-figure sum — the trustees joined forces with a leading media company – DMA Media Ltd – to make their film available to the public through an exciting new website and DVD releases. They turned to Unique Productions, one of the UK’s leading railway film specialists, for transport expertise and content, and
is the first manifestation of this venture through DMA’s new company, Unseen Archives Ltd, which hopes to go on to work with more archives around the UK.
Unique Productions draws upon the talents of a wide range of railway and transport experts from around the UK. The main culprits are these -
Unique’s founder, Bill Lucas, has been in specialist publishing for over thirty years working in all media. As Publishing Director of Ian Allan Publishing he launched SBS Video, overseeing the production of such classics as Railway Roundabout and Decades of Steam and more recently The Fall & Rise of Britain’s Railways and the WH Smith exclusive, ‘Beeching’s Legacy’. The Unique companies cover all aspects of programme and book production, written and graphic content and specialist sales and marketing services. Bill has worked closely with DMA for several years to help create Unseen Steam.
Jeremy English, seen here in a typical working pose, has been involved in railway media for over 30 years, having launched 'Railscene the Railway Video Magazine' in 1984. He has a distinguished record of working with railway archive film, and has helped to bring many noted collections – including those of Cam Camwell, Richard Willis, Geoff Holyoake and Pat Whitehouse in 'Railway Roundabout' – to a modern audience. He has worked with Bill Lucas for longer than he cares to remember and is transport film editor of Unseen Steam.
