Brazilian Gem

In Brazil’s Mina Gerais (General Mines) province, a tiny 2ft 6in gauge railway still carries tourists.  Once part of a 400km system, only 13km now remain, but the 1890s Baldwin locomotives and rolling stock are still in use, a living museum of 1890s North American narrow gauge practice.  The line links a historic town with a picturesque village, through lush countryside and rolling hills.

Ten minutes of bonus footage show trourist operations on the Trem da Vale, a metre gauge line between Ouro Preto and Mariana.  It uses an ex-Argentine 2-10-2 from the famous Transandine railway between Salta (Argentina) and Socompa (Chile).

All Digital – All Natural Sound. This is a 100% digital production.  The footage was filmed in 2007, using 3-CCD mini-DV cameras.  All editing has been digital.  The 16-bit sound was recorded on location using professional-quality microphones and is in Dolby 2.0 format on disk. Explanatory voice-overs are confined to stills (some from slides shot in 1974) and diagrams.  The commentary can be switched off totally if desired.  There is no dubbed-in “music”.  Subtitles identify locations.