Lostock and a Few Smoking Barrels Gala (in
three parts)
I was able to attend 2½ days of this hugely enjoyable
Gala blessed with very agreeable weather. Many thanks to the GCR for organising
such an excellent Event with a large number of star locomotives, not least of
all newly restored 3F, 47406. The time-keeping on Saturday was not quite up to
the usual standards of this highly professional team, but in view of the immense
number of train movements this is scarcely surprising.
Keeping up with the trains was certainly too much for
my composure which disintegrated during Saturday afternoon. We became stuck at
Kinchley Lane, frightened to move in case we missed anything important. In
a few short moments I crumbled losing my timetable and my sandwich bag (lunch
mercifully eaten) although the latter was later retrieved from the exact spot I
had left it - aren't railway enthusiasts honest!
Part 3: Sunday 31 January 2010
The weather was more sombre on Day 3 of
the Gala and once again I bumped into Graham Briggs and Gordon McCulloch, trying
desperately not to mention Saturday's glorious events which contrasted so
sharply with the inactivity they experienced at Copy Pit.
The delay in posting the third episode to
the Website was caused by teething problems with a new PC.
You Tube (9mins 40secs)
3rd Day of the GCR Winter Gala.
Stanier Mogul 42968 at Woodthorpe, Quorn (goods); 3F 47406 at Woodthorpe, Quorn;
8F 48305 Quorn; 70013 Oliver Cromwell approaching and leaving Quorn; Black 5
44767 George Stephenson leaving Quorn; Std 2 78019 Quorn; Jubilee 5690 Leander
TPO.
Saturday January 30th 2010
The weather on Saturday was absolutely superb with
sunshine virtually all day. This was the day on which the Gala got fully
underway with goods trains and a couple of Travelling Post Office runs added to
the mix. I met
Clive Hanley,
Brian Burrows and
Martyn Tattam at Loughborough and kindly volunteered to ferry them
around all day. Result: a very muddy car interior which my wife is now going to
have to clean up! When I start running my own car, rather than the company car,
please bring your slippers gentlemen so you can change into something clean
while you are in transit. At least you all took some good pictures.
Graham Briggs,
Gordon McCulloch and the other enthusiasts who had made the trip up North to see
the failed Scots guardsman were in our thoughts as we struggled to keep up with
the sheer quantity of trains running in the bright sunshine. David Armitage, who
had joined the Copy Pit crusade earlier in the day managed to return to the GCR
in time for some late shots, exhibiting yet further cameras from his extensive
collection. The particular one he was using on Saturday did not have a
viewfinder and required a magnifying glass to compose the image on the backplate!
Locomotives in action: newly restored 3F 47406 making
its first public service runs and making a fine show, not least with the
wonderful exhaust the crew produced; LMS Jubilee class 5690 Leander; Stanier
Mogul 42968; Black 5 44767 George Stephenson; Britannia Class 70013 Oliver
Cromwell; Black 5 45231 Sherwood Forester; Standard 2 78019; 8F 48305. The final
shot at an almost deserted Kinchley Lane at dusk occurred almost accidentally as
I paused to film 44767, on hearing her whistle, after retrieving my sandwich
bag.
You Tube video 10mins
to be continued.......
Part 1: Friday January 29th
2010
I joined
Graham Briggs and Gordon McCulloch on the
Friday of the Gala. The weather was largely dull with some sunny intervals, but
also very cold with a biting wind. I nearly contracted frost bite while
listening, between trains, to a fascinating lecture in the freezing conditions
on 67 Cornish tin mines which stand in a corner of Spain. Apparently there
are Cornish tin mines in substantial numbers almost everywhere but Cornwall.
Although when Gordon asked the lecturer for a list of countries that did not
have them, the size of the list suggested there were an awful lot....very
interesting.
There were three locos in action: Stanier Mogul 42968
from the Severn Valley which we see at Charnwood Water, Kinchley Lane and
Woodthorpe; LMS Jubilee 5690 which was filmed at Quorn, Kinchley Lane and
Woodthorpe; LMS Black 5 45231 which was filmed at Quorn, Kinchley Lane and
Woodthorpe.
We attended the evening photo-shoot at Loughborough
shed the highpoint of
which was the disposal of 42968.
You Tube 9mins 40secs
to be continued.......
23 January 2010: A Pair of Black Fives
Now I know I'm losing my marbles. On Tuesday I managed
to miss
Graham Briggs excellent
annual steam show (apologies Graham!) and on Saturday completely forgot about
the East Lancs Gala. Now I know I'm going to have to break the habit of a
disorganised lifetime and keep an up-to-date organiser.
So it was a visit to the GCR the week before the Winter
Gala to see guest Black Fives 44767 George Stephenson and 45231 Sherwood
Forester. I met
Clive Hanley and
Brian Burrows (who has just resurfaced after a
brief absence) at Loughborough. The visit encompassed a look at 47406 with
permission to have a look in the cab, a glimpse of Leander, another Gala
visitor, which was undergoing an injector test at Loughborough, a trip to Quorn
to look at the new and controversial turntable (not shown) and a rare visit to
Leicester North to see 45231 departing in energetic fashion.
The day was not without incident with 44767 failing at
Rothley with a sticking tender brake. Fortunately the new carriage-works
manager, Tom Tighe was on hand to administer emergency repairs with an outsized
wrench, enabling the train to continue its journey. Further work at Loughborough
failed to correct the problem in time for the the loco to be available to haul
the lunch -train, that duty being handed to the Peak (not shown). We assumed the
3:45 would also be hauled by the Peak and made our way to Loughborough only to
witness the departure of the 3:45 with 44767 in charge....aaargh!!!
The visit to Leicester North had macabre undertones as
first Clive and then Brian suddenly began to bleed from the hands spontaneously.
At one point I could have sworn Brian developed wings and began to float above
us (must have been heavy duty ones), but on reflection I must attribute the
latter experience to an excess of beer and wine the night before.
44767 was filmed at Loughborough and at Birstall. 45231
was filmed leaving Rothley and Leicester. A look at newly restored 3F 47406.
Late afternoon scenes at Loughborough shed.
2 January 2010 & 21 December 2009
A couple of visits to the GCR in cold weather with a dusting of snow.
Yesterday the weather was quite volatile and I was caught in a couple of snow
flurries in the morning and a more determined rain shower in the afternoon which
caused my microphone to malfunction (spot the 2 dubbed clips).
Imagine my surprise yesterday, when arriving at Loughborough to sign-in I was
confronted with a GCR film crew who asked me to perform this tricky process in
front of the cameras. I was willing to help out as long as the make-up lady did
not hold me up too long. Was she a blonde or a brunette? What no make-up lady!
No dressing room! Not even a chance to tidy my hair! Would I remember my name
or, worse still, my number. How on earth was I going to be able to read the
lineside notices while contriving to look intelligent. Well, I made it through,
but I was shaking at the end. Thanks to the crew for their forbearance. A bit of
my own medicine I fear!
You Tube video (9:07 mins)
21/12/09 (Santa trains): standard 2 78019 at
Woodthorpe, Quorn and Kinchley Lane. 020110: 70013 Oliver Cromwell at
Loughborough, Woodthorpe and Birstall. 78019 at Charnwood Water, Epinal Way
Bridge and Thurcaston.
7 November: return of Black 5 45231
Black 5 45231, an old stalwart of the GCR, but sold in
2002 to raise much needed funds for the railway, has returned for a short stay.
Facing north, meant opportunities for utilising some different locations such
Rothley Bank, the trains climbing from Rothley station up to Swithland
Reservoir.
The GCR ran a special timetable for a special Brownies
event - you can see and hear a group of them in their red hats as 63601 takes on
water. Apparently the event was far more extensive than the railway imagined and
the pre-2002 timetable was put into operation with three locos in steam - Black
5 45231, O4 63601 and Standard 2 78019. The latter also performed on the driver
experience trains. During the lunch period between 1 and 2pm, by dint of some
prompt running by the railway I managed to get 4 smokebox first shots at two
locations - more than the rest of the day put together!
I bumped into "Everywhere Man"
Rick Eborall at Swithland in the company of
Jon
Bowcutt, both members of the growing cohorts of Nikon users.
Unlike several other photographers who had
interpreted brownies to be a chocolate confection and had turned up at Quorn
only to be drowned in the swarms of young girls, this pair were there strictly
for the trains....at least that is what they said....
63601 at Lougnborough, Woodthorpe and Swithland; 45231
at Swithland and Woodthorpe; 78019 at Swithland, Woodthorpe and Birstall.
You Tube 9 mins 4 secs
22 October Fairburn Tank Charter
Matt Allen and Warwick Falconer organised a popular
charter featuring visiting Fairburn tank 42085 from the Lakeside and
Haverthwaite Railway. Unfortunately the only time the sun appeared was at
lunchtime and then only very briefly. Fortunately at the outset Matt warned us
this would happen and we were not taken by surprise.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to film
on the footplate. Thanks to Pete and Mick who crewed the passenger train and Ray
and Fred who guided the goods train through its party pieces. The shots from the
brake van are compromised by the pronounced bump which happened at every rail
joint. The shots from the viaduct are not allowed during normal running as there
is insufficient clearance for double track running and pedestrians: it was clear
that if you got caught there you could emerge significantly thinner and possibly
minus a few useful body parts.
Clive Hanley,
Matt Allen and
Rick Eborall have some pictures on their
sites.
You Tube 10mins
10-11 October 2009 Autumn Gala: Heavy Metal
Weekend
Congratulations and many thanks to all GCR personnel
involved in this amazing Gala at the Great Central. The line up of locomotives
was first class with four 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotives - 92203 Black Prince,
KWVR's austerity WD 90733, O4 63601 and 8F 48305 (which didn't make the final
cut in the video). Fairburn 42085, 70013 Oliver Cromwell, 30777 Sir Lamiel and
Standard 2 78019 made up the number. The organisation was absolutely brilliant
with trains leaving Loughborough at 15-20 minute intervals and very little time
lost throughout the day. I witnessed 28 smoke box first passes on Saturday and
11 on Sunday morning. The logistics were mind-boggling; this was teamwork of the
highest order. We were all very impressed.
On Saturday I met up with
Clive Hanley and
Brian Burrows at Loughborough and there
followed an exhausting day with scarcely any let-up in the action. Grumpy
linesiders were even complaining there were too many trains. Indeed if I had any
complaint it was that the frequency of trains led to disruption of the free
running of trains as many were held at signals. We were grateful for some fine
weather, with sunshine at various times which caught us on the 'dark' side
of the line more than once.
On a dull Sunday morning I bumped into those lineside
ephemera
Graham Briggs and Gordon McCulloch hot foot
from the S&C the day before, who were walking the line with professional
videographer Alan Price. It was then that Gordon made an astonishing discovery -
that Alan's new camcorder was petrol driven, having identified a place for a
nozzle on the camera bag appropriately marked 'petrol'. I pointed out that this
was to prevent Alan filling up with diesel by mistake (I have a similar notice
on my car). It was left to Graham to point out that Petrol was actually the
brand name of the bag....how very confusing! You certainly have to careful when
you buy professional kit. Alan of
On Track Productions, who is a super-smooth
exponent of his art, was not impressed by the zoom rocker on his expensive new
camcorder....they don't make equipment like they used to in his day!
You Tube (10mins)
42085 and 30777 double head at Woodthorpe;
42085 at Quorn; 90733 at Woodthorpe, Kinchley Lane and Loughborough; 63601 at
Loughborough; 30777 at Kinchley Lane; 92203 at Loughborough, Woodthorpe,
Loughborough again, Quorn and Rabbit Bridge; 78019 at Loughborough 70013 at
Loughborough banked by 42085 and at Quorn with the TPO which has now been
emasculated by the Health and Safety Brigade.
15 August 2009 Tank Weekend
The GCR ran a special steam only weekend for the newly
restored GNR N2 Tank 1744 (BR69523) and the visiting Fairburn Tank; steam-only
that is apart from the 9:45 DMU which was substituted at the last minute by Peak
D123 and a trailing inspection car. A heavy-goods vehicle driver who stood next
to me at the exit of Loughborough Station would have volunteered to drive it if
he had only known! This was my first opportunity to see the N2 in action, which
looked striking in its controversial new livery. A livery which has proved
controversial even for the man who painted it...'should have been black, that's
the only real colour for a steam locomotive'.
I met up with Claverdon International News reporter
Clive Hanley at Loughborough, a man who can
sniff out a news story 50 miles way - although nothing ever seems to happen when
I am with him...probably because the drama is happening 50 miles way. Clive
waxed lyrical to some fellow linesiders on his favourite nostalgic railway theme
- the short trousers, the tizer, the packed lunches and the endless summers of
his early middle-age!
The sun came out as we awaited the first train, but as
ever the cloud predominated as the day wore on. At Kinchley Lane, in
mid-afternoon, however, there was a half-an-hour spell of continuous sunshine,
interrupted only by a small cloud which spent one minute passing over the sun
which, as you have probably guessed, coincided to the second with the arrival of
42085 on the scene; oh how we grieved.....
You Tube video 8mins 50secs
Loughborough shed; 1744 departs Loughborough
and Quorn and passes under Rabbit Bridge; D123 at Loughborough with the
inspection saloon; 42085 at Woodthorpe, Kinchley Lane and Birstall; 42085
and1744 double head at Woodthorpe.
25 July 2009 Mail by Rail Gala
Right from the start, on a reasonably sunny day, there
was an air of fatalism in our camp as cloud covered the sun at critical times on
all the smoke-box first passes, but allowed many of the diesel and tender-first
trains to pass unhampered by its shadow. This was much to the chagrin of
Brian Burrows, who makes that well-known grouch
Victor Meldrew seem like a cheerful soul. Yes, everybody blamed me in customary
fashion.
Clive Hanley, who carelessly left his right
index finger in the gap between door and frame as he emerged from his limousine,
even blamed me when his automatic door shutting system proceeded to crunch his
finger in an alarming fashion. Fortunately the LDIFRU (Lexus door incident fast
response unit) were on the spot within minutes to release his mangled digit to
the cheers of the large crowd who had gathered to witness his embarrassment.
Fairburn Tank no. 42085 from the Lakeside and
Haverthwaite Railway was the star loco for this Gala with the N2 tank (1744)
being 'saved for the mid-August Tank Gala. The loco was joined by SR King Arthur
Class 30777 "Sir Lamiel", 8F 48305 and Standard 2 78019. Unfortunately the gaps
in the schedule left space for three diesel locomotives which get an airing in
this video as the opportunities to see some shots in the sun.
You Tube video 10mins
13 June 2009 War Weekend
Once again it was a sunny day, though you wouldn't
think so from the footage; in customary fashion, the sun had a habit of hiding
behind clouds when the train arrived. I was accompanied by
Clive Hanley who was anxious to get to grips
with the 1940s clad ladies at the stations. I cannot work out whether it was the
lipstick or the headscarves which attracted him. At least he managed to stay on
his feet this week, despite a couple of 'scares'.
We witnessed flypasts by the Avro Lancaster bomber, a
poppy drop which failed to hit the target of Quorn Station and a rather brief
battle at Rothley station. Locomotives on duty were SR King Arthur class 30777
Sir Lamiel, O4 63601 and 8F 48305. We managed to visit the shed early in the
day, where I complimented Alan Pakes on the excellent job he and his wife (Alex)
had made of the paintwork of the newly restored N2 tank 69523. I was shocked to
discover that the man himself was not at all happy; following orders from the
owning group he had been obliged to paint the loco apple green rather than his
first 3 choices - black, black or black. Extensive research of the exact tone
and lettering, utilising an old colour photo and a Hornby model, hinted at a
degree of sophistication unimagined by those of us on the outside.
You Tube (9:16)
8F 48305 at Swithland, Quorn and Woodhouse; O4
63601 at Woodhouse, Quorn and Swithland; Avro Lancaster bomber fly-pasts at
Quorn station.
You Tube (7:00)
O4 63601 and 8F 48305 in the yard.; shed scenes with the newly restored /
painted GNR N2 tank; 30777 Sir Lamiel and 48305 on passenger services; scenes at
Quorn.
30 May 2009 A Sunny Saturday on the GCR
Clive Hanley and
I visited the GCR on a beautiful late spring day with O4 63601 and King Arthur
Class 30777 Sir Lamiel on duty.
You Tube (10mins)
63601 is seen at Loughborough and Swithland; 30777 is seen at Loughborough,
Woodthorpe, Kinchley Lane, Swithland and between Woodthorpe and Quorn. The
diesel intruder was filmed near Thurcaston.
9 May 2009 GCR 40th Anniversary Gala
I cancelled a planned trip to the NYMR when I saw the poor weather forecast
for the Moors area and decided to go to the GCR for their 40th Anniversary Gala.
Clive Hanley had also made the trip to the
line. We bumped into
Rick Eborall
and John Martin, but otherwise it was eerily quiet both on
the railway and on the lineside. Maybe it was the time of year, maybe it was the
credit crunch or maybe the lack of star locomotives.
There is only one thing more unreliable than a Canon camcorder and that is a
Sony. The latter have been striving to resolve my new HDV camcorder's
freezing issues for some time and have now sent me a loan machine. After several
weeks of enjoying my filming with the XM2 it was therefore back to a prospective
nightmare day with my clumsy new tripod and the complicated Sony with its naff
zoom. Why do I bother? Well the results are absolutely stunning on HD TV so it
will be worth the effort in the long run!
There were no guest engines for the Gala, but there was a welcome appearance
from 30777 Sir Lamiel.
You Tube
Standard 2 78019 at Loughborough, Kinchley
Lane (goods) and Rabbit Bridge; O4 63601 at Loughborough, Quorn, Swithland (all
with goods) and Kinchley Lane; 8F 48305 at Quorn with goods; SR King Arthur
Class 30777 Sir Lamiel at Quorn (with and without TPO), Birstall and Rabbit
Bridge (goods). 9mins 50secs.
King Arthur 30777 Sir Lamiel at Quorn and
Rabbit Bridge (4.5mB)
Standard 2 78019 at Loughborough, Kinchley
Lane and Rabbit Bridge (5.6mB)
O4 63601 at Loughborough, Quorn and Kinchley
Lane (6.0mB)
8F 48305 at Quorn
(5.8mB)
11-12 April 2009
The Great Central Tank Gala featured GWR Prairie 4141's
swansong - her last appearance on the railway before overhaul. She was joined by
Ivatt 41241 from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and N7 69621 from the
North Norfolk Railway. Recently restored N2 tank 69523 narrowly failed to make
the Gala as did the Lakeside & Haverthwaite's Fairburn tank which is undergoing
repairs. The former appears briefly in the yard. The weather was typically
Loughborough - dull and grey!
I met
Brian Burrows at
Loughborough as arranged, and later was pleasantly surprised to find
Clive Hanley by the
lineside having earned a surprise last minute pass from his wife; he was
accompanied by
Martyn Tattam, who we subsequently discovered
(much to Brian's evident horror) was a teacher. Well, he singularly failed to
keep us in order although Clive earned himself a detention in the sheds
afterwards. Big Issue salesman Chris Page and
Paul Martin were plying their trade
unsuccessfully at Woodthorpe; many of the these mean-hearted photographers are
too mean even to purchase a lineside pass, so they didn't have a chance of a
sale. Despite this Paul was in a particularly good mood, basking in the glow of
having recently been called a pervert on his website; yes here is a man so
desperate for popularity that he regards this as a compliment. The cacophony of sound which accompanies the arrival of 41241 at
Rabbit Bridge during the video is an example of Paul's machine-gun photographic
style; he takes more frames than I do! Chris, who still uses film (whatever that
is) is understandably more economical with his exposures.
You Tube (9 mins 57secs)
Smaller Videos
N7 69621 at Woodthorpe and Kinchley Lane
(6.3mB)
Ivatt 41241 at Woodthorpe, Kinchley Lane
and Swithland (5.9mB)
4141 at Loughborough, Woodthorpe and
Kinchley Lane (6.7mB)
31 January - 1 February 2009: Winter Gala
Many thanks to all those involved in yet
another brilliantly organised Gala by the Great Central. With trains running at
quarter of an hour intervals on the double track for much of the day,
time-keeping was impeccable. Freights abounded, with the odd parcels train and
TPO running between the regular service trains. Seven steam were in service;
guest NELPG Q6 freight loco 63395 from the NYMR; star mainline NRM locos
Britannia Class 70013 Oliver Cromwell and SR King Arthur Class 30777 Sir Lamiel
together with O4 63601 in the last year of its boiler ticket; GCR stalwarts
Standard 2 78019, GWR Large Prairie 4141 and 8F 48305. The weather, which was
always cold with an easterly breeeze which played havoc with the exhaust, began
with bright sunshine but ended with snow flurries on Sunday afternoon.
Unusually, I was given leave to
spend two full days at the line. I spent Saturday with old stagers
Brian Burrows and
Clive Hanley who retain
much fitness in their advancing years. Brian, in particular, was in good form
and gave us a very passable impersonation of Franz Klammer, the famous Austrian
downhill skier of the 70s. Alas one monopod is not enough to take the place of
two precision-engineered ski poles, not to mention the complete lack of skis, and he came to grief near the top of the
cutting. On Sunday I was pretty much alone as fewer and fewer people come forward
to be insulted on this site! I did come across one chap, however, Mark B from
Wales who has an ancient camper van which was manufactured at around the time when Franz Klammer
reigned supreme. On Sunday evening it failed to start in Quorn car park and with
snow falling I lent him my mobile to ring the AA. Smiling, he remarked that he was impressed by the polite
response from the rescue company....so unlike the AA man he had spoken to in
Wales on the day he drove up! Unlike so many, the AA will never be short of work
as long as this guy uses them as a personal mechanic!
Saturday's action: You Tube (9min 40 secs)
Sunday's action plus the TPO runs: You Tube
(9min 55 secs)
Footplate ride on SR King Arthur Class 30777
Sir Lamiel. You Tube (9mins 55secs)
NOT YET AVAILABLE: AWAITING PERMISSION
Driver Charlie Barber kindly organised a pass
which enabled me to ride with him and his crew on 30777 Sir Lamiel on the 2:15
on Sunday. Stoking the fire was the imposing figure of Tom Tighe, the renowned
CME of the Railway and loco cleaner Andy Cunningham who was enjoying a
well-deserved guest ride in return for the hard work he has put in cleaning the
locos. The professionalism of the crew really stood out here. Yes, it was
snowing and yes, it was cold, especially on the return trip...but I didn't care!
Many thanks to Charlie and Tom for allowing me
this privilege....and to my wife for giving me the day off!
....and in case
anyone complains; a few shorter format excerpts from the main videos.
GCR Winter Gala TPO runs 310109 and 010209
(5.3mB)
NELPG Q6 63395 on the minerals
(5.2mB)
70013 Oliver Cromwell highlights:
(4.8mB)
3 January 2009: A Steamy Day at the GCR
Plenty of steam at the GCR today; for much of the
time you could not see Standard 2 78019 which was permanently cloaked in a
ribbon of steam, resulting in plenty of 'leaning out' action from a crew anxious
to see where they were going. Yes, unfortunately our run of bad luck with the weather
continued and it was very cold and completely dull all day with the usual
band of good weather showing as a thin strip to the south! Beforehand we
sacrificed 7 virgins (scarce around here) and 12 sheep to be granted good weather, but even that
didn't work:
Clive even wore
his hat!
Popular Britannia Class loco 70013 "Oliver Cromwell"
aka 70048 "Territorial Army 1908-58" in action at Loughborough, Quorn and
Kinchley Lane; Standard 2 78019 in action at Woodthorpe, Quorn and Loughborough.
You Tube Compilation (9mins 20 secs)
For those with no time or inclination to view
the compilation above, here is a selection of the runpasts as smaller format
files. These are of lower quality than the High Quality version of the above.
Britannia Class 70013 at Loughborough,
Quorn and Kinchley Lane (6.4mB)
Standard 2 at 78019 at Quorn and Loughborough
(6.4mB)
27 December 2008: Life in the Freezer: "Mince Pie
Specials"
Drawn to the line by the promise of wall to wall
sunshine and arriving at a sun-bathed GCR, in perfect synchronisation with
Clive, we seemed
set for a good day. Within an hour, however, as the kick-off time of 10:30
approached, the sky became completely covered with cloud and a chill breeze made
conditions uncomfortable. And that is how it stayed....bitterly freezing!!!
A day of contrasts; 1912-built NRM O4 2-8-0 63601
performing alongside the rather more racy 1954-built standard 2 2-6-0 78019. The
former was driven by Fred Franklin and the latter by Charlie Barber, the
contrasting styles of the drivers matching the character of the
locomotives....fascinating. The smoke effects produced by the crew of 78019
(Charlie Barber and James Hazell)
were, in fact, the highlight of the day. We also had the opportunity to take a
look at the guest loco for the January Gala - Q6 63395 from the North Yorks
Moors Railway - which had arrived in filthy condition and, for good measure, was
sporting a missing con-rod.
Preserved railways are, for me, a form of nostalgia but
the nostalgic scenes I witnessed on Saturday were those of a different kind. In
the school playground we used to compare the Corgi Cars, water pistols or
selection packs that we had received for Christmas; at the GCR the bigger and
older boys were likewise comparing their presents but in their case camera
equipment costing thousands of pounds. Clive was sporting a new full-frame Nikon
700 that a kind Santa had bought him, while photographic technophile David
Armitage gazumped him with a medium format digi-backed Mamiya! Meanwhile I was
making use of my aging, old-fashioned XM2 and feeling rather out of things, but
at least I knew how to operate it!
You Tube (9mins 40secs)
O4 63601 at Woodthorpe, Rabbit Bridge and
Loughborough. Standard 2 78019 at Loughborough, Kinchley Lane and Woodthorpe.
For those who have neither the time nor the inclination
for the longer format, here are selected run-pasts from the video.
Standard 2 78019 at Loughborough, Woodthorpe
and Kinchley Lane (6.5mB)
O4 63601 at Woodthorpe and Rabbit Bridge
(3.7mB)
22 November 2008: Leander on the GCR
Drawing up behind a large limousine in Great Central Road, I realised that
the famed
Claverdon News correspondent
had once again
ventured beyond the confines of his narrow constituency to bring to the world
news of the unfolding events at the Great Central Railway. Better still Clive
had been offered a tour of the sheds in the company of no less a guide than the
GCR Director Nigel Harris. This proved to be a
very interesting and enlightening experience, and I was particularly impressed
by the knowledge and enthusiasm of the guide himself. What struck more than
anything was the contrast between the sheer weight and size of the machinery
(and the prohibitive cost!) and the extremely delicate balance of the
components; the fine line between smooth operation and complete destruction: a
bit like the world economy at present!
We came to see the promised final runs of City of Truro but instead found
Jubilee Class 5690 Leander on duty. Perversely, for those of us who have been
completely spoilt by the treasures at the GCR recently, this was a bit of a
disappointment, but Leander is a wonderful locomotive and I probably prefer it
to City of Truro anyway!
During the course of the day we had time for a delicious bacon roll at the
excellent Ellis team rooms at Rothley Station; later we took a walk down the new branch line at Swithland where
progress on the clearance work since last spring has been stunning.
(You Tube 7mins 20secs)
LMS Jubilee Class 5690 Leander and O4 63601
are seen at Woodthorpe, Rabbit Bridge, Thurcaston and Swithland. We see a
stunning run by 5690 through Kinchley Curve and also have a look at the progress
of the GCR team led by Steve Cramp who are clearing the old Mountsorrel branch
line at a rate of knots.
A look at the Rothley Alpine Railway which is situated at
Rothley Station on the lower slopes of Alt Johan (Old John - 685ft) one of the
noisiest railways in Europe. (6.0mB)
The clips below are all included in the main video
and are included for those without the time or patience to struggle through it.
5690 Leander with the lunch train at Woodthorpe and Thurcaston
(3.4mB)
5690 Leander with the 10:15 at Woodthorpe, 11:45 at Rabbit
Bridge and 3:35 at Kinchley Lane (3.9mB)
O4 63601 at Swithland near the entrance to the Mountsorrel
Branch. (1.7mB)
8 November 2008: Territorial Army Centenary Event
It was great to meet Henry Elliott and ace photographer
Dee Davison who had been lured all the way down
from Newcastle by the prospect of seeing GCR guest, the Duke
of Gloucester. Unfortunately for them it was not the locomotive but HRH
himself who had been invited to carry out the renaming of 70013 Oliver Cromwell
as 70048 "The Territorial Army 1908-2008". The Event was in recognition of the
centenary of that illustrious organisation. The ceremony took place at Quorn in
front of a largely private audience.
Achieving entry was a lot more difficult than expected; approaching from the
lineside, our favoured option, we came across a very polite security officer who
barred our way.... In the end we
discovered a more sneaky route - through the main entrance!
After the re-naming ceremony there followed a short memorial service after
which a special TPO run took place; the bags contained a commemorative first day
cover. HRH posed briefly for photographers with the newly arrived mailbags and
needless to say, much to our amusement, he singled out Clive Hanley to answer
his question on the speed of the locomotive, asking him afterwards if he worked
for the press ["The Claverdon News", but don't tell anybody!].
Brian was in a grumpy mood, moaning continuously about putting on and
removing his clothing **. Well I know plenty of ladies of very ill repute
who would readily testify that he did not make similar complaints when he was
with them!....only joking Brian, I know that neither of us know any ladies of
ill repute and yes, it is unfair isn't it!
More pictures and video clips will be available from
Brian Burrows,
Clive Hanley and
GB Productions.
** this refers to his hi-viz jacket
(You Tube 8mins 40secs)
Brief description: 70048 appears in Quorn Yard and leaves Loughborough
for Quorn and the re-naming ceremony which was followed by the TPO
drop with 5690 Leander in charge. We then see 70048, with HRH on board, passing Woodthorpe
and later, in front of a rapt gallery, passing Kinchley Lane and finally Rabbit Bridge.
We then see the last run of the day from Leander between Woodthorpe and Quorn
before visiting Loughborough shed as darkness falls.
For those who would prefer to see just the run pasts, I have included a
selection in the clips below. All of these are included in the main video.
70048 The Terrirorial Army 1908-2008 at
Woodthorpe, Kinchley Lane and Rabbit Bridge. The shot of the gallery at Kinchley
Lane reveals some familiar old faces.
(5.3mB)
5690 Leander with the impressive mail run at Quorn and
the last train of the day near the Epinal Way Bridge.
(2.2mB)
1 November 2008: "Halloween"
I was tempted back to the GCR by the prospect of seeing City of Truro and
Leander in action once more. Despite a promising start the weather soon turned
dull and windy - classic Loughborough conditions.
Clive Hanley and
Brian Burrows had also been lured to the line
by the promise of some bright weather and so we were able to console ourselves
with a good day's grumble and a warming cup of tea at the NAAFI rooms at Quorn
station. Here we sat next to a
guy who had the misfortune to have been selected
for top place on the Quorn bonfire on
Bonfire Night. He didn't really say anything, but we gathered that his crime was linesiding without a
GCR vest (he was still wearing the illegal vest when we spoke to him). Clive,
feeling sorry for him, left him his Kit Kat.
In the sheds, 70013 Oliver Cromwell was being repainted ready for its big day
next week when it stars in the Territorial Centenary Commemoration on this line.
It will be temporarily renumbered and renamed 70048
"The Territorial Army 1908-2008"
by HRH The
Duke of Gloucester. Meanwhile at Quorn the local branch of the TA were busy
turning the station car park into a parade ground with some heavy duty road
building equipment.
It was the 40th anniversary of the RVP group who restore and maintain the
carriages and wagons at the GCR; they had a celebratory meal on the lunch-train,
which wore an RVP headboard in honour of the event.
With the credit crunch tightening and my broadband usage threatening to break
over the surcharge threshold, I have, once again, opted for the cheap high
quality You Tube programme format rather than individual clips: this format has
proved popular.
(You Tube 8mins 50secs)
Scenes from Saturday include Cromwell being repainted in the
sheds. We see 3440 City of Truro at Woodthorpe, Rabbit Bridge, Swithland and
finally Loughborough at dusk with the 4:35. 5690 Leander was filmed at Quorn and
Rothley, with an exhilarating performance at Kinchley Lane with the 3:15.
For those who wish to see a selection of clips from above they
are here:
5690 Kinchley Lane with the 3:15 (1.8mB)
3440 Woodthorpe with the 10:15
(2.0mB)
3440 Swithland with the 2:15
(2.2mB)
25 October 2008: "Three Steam Legends"
A return to type for the
weather at Loughborough as the three express locomotives which are currently
resident on the line went through their paces. Unfortunately the pace was
anything but express as, notably, City of Truro (3440) struggled with a damp
track on her afternoon run while Leander (5690) and Nelson (850) were driven in
a somewhat leisurely fashion.
It's been a while since I shared a day of gricing with
Clive Hanley, and with declining powers of
memory we decided to take no chances but meet under the clock at Loughborough
station with rolled up copies of the "Times". At least that was the intention,
but Clive forgot which newspaper he should bring and brought a copy of the
"Stratford Herald" instead. This caused some confusion as we waited side by side
for about twenty minutes before one of us plucked up the courage to introduce
himself.
I always enjoy meeting overseas visitors on the preserved lines I visit and I
was therefore pleased to run into some US visitors at Kinchley Lane. After a
short conversation we asked them which part of the States they were from. "Oadby"
said the lady. "Oadby" I replied "....but I live there, it's just south of
Leicester". "That's right" she said, "we've lived there for 38 years!"
A new format this week with my monthly bandwidth disappearing at a rate of knots and the
knowledge that some visitors cannot access my clips. The following clip has been
uploaded to YouTube in high quality (you may need to be patient). It is more of
a programme style approach and contains
scenes from the locomotive preparation interlinked with the day's running.
Hopefully some of those involved in the locomotive preparation will recognise
themselves and be suitably impressed with the flattering image created by my
photography......but perhaps not!
Click on the high quality button just under the video on the right, but be
prepared to wait for the slower loading times. Why You Tube requires video files
of 4x the size of my normal format to produce similar quality I have yet to
fathom.
(You Tube 7mins 40secs)
For those who wish to see the individual run-pasts from the above the files
are below.
850 Lord Nelson departs Loughborough with the first steam
hauled train of the day. (1.8mB)
5690 Leander at Swithland and Birstall
(5.1mB)
3440 City of Truro at Woodthorpe and Kinchley Lane
(3.9mB)
10-12 October 2008 Autumn Steam Gala
A brilliant three day event at the GCR saw 4 high profile locomotives
performing together. The newly built superstar A1 60163 Tornado, popular
recently
restored Britannia 70013 Oliver Cromwell, Jubilee Leander 5690 on its first
visit to the line and the big SR Loco 850 Lord Nelson. Three of the home fleet
helped out; NRM's O4 63601 back in harness, ever-reliable standard 2 78019 and
large Prairie 4141 shunting in Loughborough Yard.
Plenty of material on this occasion with over 40 run-pasts during my 2½ days
at the Gala. Events on Friday and Sunday morning took place in bright sunshine,
but Saturday was blighted by cloud cover which seemed to be confined to
Loughborough and its environs with a strip of blue sky visible in the distance
for the whole day.
Needless to say there were plenty of familiar faces. On Friday I ran into
Stephen Bottrill. On Saturday I had the pleasure of
the company of Graham Briggs, Gordon McCulloch of
GB Productions,
Brian Burrows and
local wit John Marriot and on Sunday ran into
Peter
and
Ben Boggis.
Many thanks to all the volunteers for a highly enjoyable extended weekend.
Brilliant organisation meant that the trains timings were good throughout.
Clips of each of the 4 main stars of the event in action over
the 3 days. (You Tube (High Quality): 7mins 55secs)
60163 Tornado leaving Loughborough with the 4:30 on Saturday.
Later she hauled a motley van/parcels train through Quorn as part of an
intensive evening's running. (4.1mB)
Oliver Cromwell runs under Woodthorpe Bridge in beautiful sunshine with the
3:45. On Saturday morning she approaches Quorn in muted sunshine with the first
train of the day. (3.1mB)
A rare sight as 850 Lord Nelson races past Woodthorpe after a
significant delay at Loughborough. With perfect timing Standard 2, hauling the
mineral wagons, whistles on the down line. (2.2mB)
5690 Leander on her first visit to the GCR is seen with the
parcels at Loughborough on Saturday afternoon and on Friday afternoon at
Woodthorpe. Two ladies look on with their doggies. (2.5mB)
Two runs of 5690 Leander with the TPO on Saturday
(11:10am and 6:30pm). The delay to Nelson's run on Sunday morning meant that I
did not have sufficient time get to the vicinity of Quorn for a further high
speed run. (2.4mB)
The two home locos, standard 2 78019 and O4 63601 pass
Woodthorpe with goods trains on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
(4.2mB)
21 September 2008 "Tornado" Covenanter's Day
On Sunday morning I was given dispensation by my wife to visit the line for
half a day to film the new-build A1 Pacific, Tornado, on her first day of
hauling passenger trains. Services hauled by Tornado were restricted to
covenanters who had contributed to the project. For many of them 18 years ago,
when the ambitious project began, it must have seemed an act of faith, but the
A1 Steam Locomotive Trust have been supremely vindicated by the magnificent
locomotive that is the fruit of their efforts.
This event certainly captured the imagination of the local populace as
unfamiliar faces peered over bridges and fences. The campers at the Woodthorpe
caravan site had set up chairs in the field adjacent to the line to obtain their
grandstand view. In the sheds a TV crew were poring over the 'star of the show'
and the sense of anticipation was palpable. The weather was even on its best
behaviour!
Brian Burrows has uploaded some excellent
images of the event.
The above clip records some shed scenes at the beginning of
the day and the two runs I witnessed. Both times she arrived unexpectedly and
caught us by surprise! After the first run I managed a second shot leaving Quorn,
though I failed to reach my intended location after getting caught up in the
queues leaving Woodthorpe. (6.6mB)
9 August 2008
Bad weather was promised around the country, so it made sense to visit my
local railway to see a return to action of O4 63601 and have a further
opportunity of filming 850 Lord Nelson whose stay has now be extended after more
problems. Both engines were in fine fettle today.
I met
Clive Hanley at Loughborough Station and during the middle part of the day,
which was consistently wet and windy, we found time to visit the impressive new
Ellis tea-room at Rothley, which is set to become a big local attraction. I can
personally vouch for the bacon baps which are delicious, but if my
wife finds that I have been eating such high cholesterol food I am toast. Clive
caused considerable excitement among the ladies who run the tea-room by offering
to take a group photo. Unfortunately as he returned to our table for his camera
a customer walked to the counter to request extra milk and while the jug was
being filled droves of people began to arrive as if on cue: 2 coach loads of
pensioners, a group of hikers who were walking the famed Three Peaks (Old John,
Beacon Hill and the mighty Bardon Hill) and an explorer who managed to lose his
way in the Upper Zambesi and surfaced at Rothley. But Clive waited
patiently and eventually managed to get his scoop.
Later, as we waited for the next train in the rain beyond the carriage shed,
we were joined by a very polite station official who explained that Clive's red
and green brolly was illegal and could be mistaken for a set of signals. Kindly
offering to swap his PC yellow and blue version, we were all mighty relieved
that Clive was not wearing his red or green trousers! I was later told by the
Rothley signalman that the green GCR brolly I had bought from Loughborough
Station only a couple of weeks before was also probably illegal. Imagine a
passenger's reaction who is told that it is illegal to use his new brolly on
Loughborough Station. Seems like a very effective way of antagonising customers!
Come to think of it this is just the sort of thing that might have happened in
BR days... recreating the experience....
63601 leaves Loughborough with the first steam of the day.
Unfortunately a tree branch is covering the left most peg in the gantry south of
Beeches Road Bridge.
Sheltering from the rain under a bridge in the section between
Woodthorpe and Quorn, I was amazed when the rain suddenly stopped and the sun
almost came out to greet Nelson. We had a few anxious moments as a diesel drew
into Quorn Station just before Nelson came into view and Clive even moved to the
other side of the line .
63601 leaves Quorn Station with the last train of the day.
26/27 July 2008 "Mail by Rail" Gala
I spent Saturday at the GCR in the entertaining (if slightly grumpy) company
of
Brian Burrows and
Clive Hanley. We met Graham and Gordon of
GB Productions
with whom we shared a civilised
picnic lunch at Charnwood Water. At least it would have been civilised if a
passing denizen of Loughborough had not interrupted the calm with a torrent of
extremely loud and deranged calls to her recalcitrant son (for whom we felt very sorry) who
was guilty of not keeping up with her progress. Although completely innocent, we came in
for a volley of abuse as we looked in open-mouthed disbelief. The poor girl must
have been badly co-ordinated because when she raised a clenched fist in our
direction, her middle finger was left sticking awkwardly upwards. It could have
been a scene from Monty Python, featuring a female PJ Gumby......
Conversation during the day which began with the usual philosophical debate -
this time on the influence of A J Ayer on logical positivism during the last
century - soon turned to the topic of Brian's trousers; were they very long shorts,
unfeasibly short trousers or did they just defy classification? Either way
there were no females (apart from the loud-hailer mentioned above) to admire the
expanse of fleshy leg between sock and hem!
850 Lord Nelson and Standard 2 78019 made TPO runs on each of
the days using two rakes of TPO vans; the old Gresley rake is to be refurbished
and its replacement was also on show. It has to be said that Nelson's TPO turns
were the among the least memorable I have seen on the GCR. Part of the reason is
that it is so powerful it does not need to work to attain the required
speeds, though I gather it was also subject to a speed restriction by the powers
that be (you know, Health and Safety that destroyer of anything remotely
interesting in modern day life...need I say more).
I did not attend the star attraction - a run by 850 with a
train combining both old and new TPO sets - which was scheduled at 7pm long
after everyone had gone home. (3.5mB)
The 5:24 ex Quorn on Saturday was hauled by GWR large prairie
4141, in beautiful light, with the green coaches which are now sufficient in
number to form a complete train and look very good!
(3.4mB)
This popular loco - if my correspondence is anything to go by!
- Standard 2 78019 put up a lively performance on each morning.
(3.3mB)
Even 850 Lord Nelson also looks a little lively here, around
lunchtime on Sunday, as she enters
stage-left through the new Epinal Way Bridge with a splendid rake of green
coaches. The precariousness of the location rendered it difficult to remove all
the long straggly pieces of grass which are so annoying!
(1.5mB)
Further videos are available at the
Great Central Railway website | 
