VALLEY OF SONG

GB
1953
1hr 20mins
Dir: Gilbert Gunn
Starring: Mervyn Johns and Clifford Evans

Fierce rivalries flare to the surface in a small Welsh town over a coveted role in the local choir

The opening title sequence for this Welsh comedy drama is taken from the front of a train on the Carmarthen-Llandeilo line near Conwil. The entire phantom ride footage without credits to spoil the view appears on Video 125’s Steam on 35mm DVD. There is more, equally rare footage in this film, of ex-GWR 2251 Class 0-6-0-hauled trains on the Carmarthen-Llandeilo line, with good shots of Drysllwyn and Golden Grove stations. The stations, along with the Carmarthen-Llandeilo line, closed in 1963. The film was based on the 1947 play Choir Practice by Cliff Gordon and was released in the US under the title Men Are Children Twice.

A shot from the opening sequence filmed on the Carmarthen-Llandeilo line
A local passenger train passes along the valley in this delightful scene
This is Golden Grove station, masquerading in the film as the more Welsh sounding Cwmpant
A later scene at Golden Grove shows a locomotive arriving on a train tender first
This shot, meanwhile, shows a train arriving at Drysllwyn station, the next station west of Golden Grove on the Carmarthen to Llandeilo line. There appears to be some confusion over the spelling of the station name, with Dryslwyn used in several sources.
Another view of Drysllwyn station with train. Sadly, the picture quality is poor, but we shall be thankful that such a rare location has been captured on film.