Another UK Visit
Once again I was fortunate that in November 2009, work gave me the opportunity to travel to the UK. While the work was full on, at least I had the weekends free to go hunting for steam. When it looked like my trip was firming up, I saw that the newest mainline locomotive in the world, Peppercorn A1 Pacific 60163 Tornado, was scheduled to haul the York Christmas Special from Kings Cross to York and return. Fortunately, I was able to make it up to York on the Friday evening just in time to catch the celebrity locomotive. When I arrived, my good friend David Bailey, of www.steamsounds.org.uk, met me at the station and after giving the loco a pat, we headed over to another platform to record the departure. In this track, given the loco has been sitting for sometime, the departure is heralded by steam escaping from the cylinder cocks to clear out excess water from the cylinders, however once underway, the three cylinder beat comes back to us as the coaches leave the platform and other observers make their way back home.
The very next morning after seeing Tornado, David and I headed out early to catch ex BR/LNER A4 Pacific 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley which was heading to Kings Cross from Newcastle. We are situated next to the East Coast Main Line at Challenors Whin, just south of York. First we hear the Gresley 3 chime whistle in the distance before the sound of an A4 accelerating to line speed reaches the microphone. Given we are next to a busy 4 track mainline (and also near a busy road!), its no surprise that a service train briefly interrupts the sound of steam before the A4 races by us on its way to Kings Cross.
After seeing Sir Nigel in the morning, we headed over to Skipton to see 5690 Leander, the ex LMS Jubilee 3 cylinder 4-6-0 which was also running around the mainline that morning. As is the recordists lot, while we found a great spot at Connelly, for a recording location, it made for an excellent photo (as can be seen below)! As there was very little noise to be had, we spent the rest of the day sight seeing around the the Settle and Carlisle line (Ribblehead Viaduct is amazing!) and Yorkshire Dales. There had been a lot of wet weather in the days leading up to the weekend with considerable flooding and most of the rivers running a banker, so finding dry spots to set up during the day was a bit of a challenge, but at night… In the evening (i.e. any time after 3.45pm!) we headed over to Gargrave, just before Hellifield where we knew the loco would be having a water stop. After searching around in the dark and giving up on one very wet field, we walked along the old canal and set up in a slightly dryer spot just in time to hear 5690 working well upgrade towards Hellifield with the sounds of a nearby river for accompaniament.
Since Leander was stopping at Hellifield for water, we headed over to Giggleswick, just west of Settle Junction where the line to Carnforth and Settle and Carlisle lines split. The night was very still and a long way from most roads, however given the still air, the sounds of the A65 road carry back to the microphone as we hear a faint whistle in the distance and the sound of 3 cylinders accelerating a train back to line speed after negotiating Settle Junction. The sound builds ever so gradually, with more whistles as the train heads through Giggleswick station and roars past the microphone, heading under two overpasses before cresting the bank and accelerating down the other side, with the 47 on the rear doing only enough to negate its weight and provide nice electrical heating for the passengers. After the train passes, some local geese (who must have been motorcading!) chase the train west
On Sunday 29 November, keen to maintain my previous record of 5 steam locomotives in 48 hours experienced the previous year, we headed to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway where Santa trains were running for the children (and a few adults too by the looks of things). After taking photos of one train, we set up for the next train at a spot near Damems loop. With two locos and 6 cars (plus diesel for the return), the engines aren’t working too hard as we hear them climb up hill toward Oakworth and Oxenhope.
I have seen lots of videos and heard even more recordings of departures from Keighley, which confronts trains immediately with the combination of a steep grade and tight curvature. We are set up on a stone wall at the top of the cutting, about 2/3rds of the way around the curve out of the station. After quick whistles from exLMS/BR Ivatt Class 2 tank 41241 and BR Standard Class 4 tank 80002, the engines start out with cylinder cocks open. These are soon shut, first on the class 2, then on the Standard, and the engines head towards Oxenhope with another train load of happy kids and a class 25 on the rear to save running around at the other end.
The following weekend I had the opportunity to again spend some time chasing trains with David. The weather had been reasonably kind to us over the last weekend and the Saturday of this one, however the Sunday did not start well, with rain about. The forecast suggested sunny spells in the afternoon, so we decided to head the North Yorkshire Moors to record Santa trains on both the Esk Valley line to Glaisdale and on the Moors line itself. After finding a suitable public footpath near the line, we set up in a field in the Valley. The weather was looking promising, with nice areas of blue sky, however as is the recordists luck, just before the train arrived it started bucketing down as you can hear in this recording. The train had slowed down for a speed restriction over a bridge, but once past it, the Schools class 30926 Repton, a 3 cylindered 4-4-0, is opened up. Unfortunately, so is the diesel assisting, so we get mixed sounds of steam and infernal combustion working upgrade. Luckily, the rain eased while the train passed, but then came back with a vengeance just after the diesel goes by. Oh well, I suppose you have to take the good with the bad, but I just wish I had a dry set of clothes!
The rest of the afternoon did actually turn out quite pleasant, though the wind was a bit lazy, especially standing in a soggy playing field just outside of Grosmont with the air temperature hovering around 4 degrees Celsius. Given the lack of much noise on the Esk Valley, we decided to record the departure out of Grosmont with the Schools again at the head. At least in this one you can hear the 4-4-0 working well on the start out of the station and even after the diesel gives a bit of a push, the 3 cylinder beat drifts back to the microphone as the train heads up the Esk Valley again.
We headed down to Levisham to see the “Pocket Rocket” BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0 76079 arriving with the Santa Train from Pickering. After running around, the engine coupled on to the train and we started recording ready for the departure. Well, the departure time came and went, and after several more minutes, we found out why. 45212, the Black 5 which had worked the dinner train, was returning light engine heading back to pass gingerly over Bridge 30 and down to the engine shed at Grosmont. We hear the 4-6-0 whistling for the home signal, then passing quietly behind the Santa train, exchanges tokens and after another whistle, is heard moving off towards Goathland and Grosmont. After the driver retrieves the token for travelling back to Pickering, we hear the guard climb aboard, whistle “Right Away!” and the train heads back towards the other terminus, accompanied by the sounds of a generator on the rear coach, and some volunteers digging a new ditch to get rid of all the water from the recent flooding rains.
