steamsounds - volume 8

steamsounds Volume 8 contains 17 recordings with a playing time of almost 80 minutes made on the main line and preserved railways. It includes recordings on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. On the main line there are recordings of 76079, 6201, 6233 and 5690, including the latter climbing Shap.

Complete with comprehensive notes.

Available at just £4.50 including UK postage. To obtain details of how to get a copy or for any further information please see this page.

Many of the tracks were originally featured on the web site and can be found on the steamsounds archive at www.steamsoundsarchive.com.

To hear some short, near CD quality samples of the tracks from this CD click the buttons in the track list.

Track List

Hear near CD quality samples of track 6, track 11 & track 17.

1. As they did in the previous year, through the summer months in 2005 the North Yorkshire Moors Railway ran a programme of trains to Whitby using Ian Riley's Black 5 45407 and BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0 76079, the latter being in use when I travelled on 1st September.
   Because of signalling constraints the NYMR were unable to run all of their services to Whitby from their own platforms at Grosmont and, aside from the first and last trains of the day, had to use the main line platform and continue to Glaisdale where the loco could run round and other service trains pass.
   While not ideal for the NYMR, this did at least provide the opportunity to record the loco on the 1 in 100 climb from Grosmont to Glaisdale.
   The majority of passengers travelling from Whitby left the train at Grosmont so we had an almost empty front coach to record 76079 making the complete climb from departure from Grosmont to arriving at Glaisdale just over 9 minutes later.
   Well worth £12 of anyone's money!
   After this year's successful operation, let's hope they run again next year.
   
2. No one could say that Ian Riley's locos don't get around, particularly 76079.
   As well as having main line commitments, 76079 has visited various preserved railways including the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway where it was one of the visiting locos for the October 2004 gala.
   During the morning of 9th October the loco worked a freight train up to Oxenhope and, as this recording begins the Standard 4 can be heard climbing the 1 in 56 gradient from Ingrow, passing Damems station and arriving in Damems Loop.
   Although the pause in the loop sounds quite short in this recording, in reality it was about 20 minutes.
   During this time the Taff Vale Railway 0-6-2T 85 arrived light engine from Keighley. This loco was to bank the freight, made up of no less than 18 vehicles, on the second part of its journey up to Oxenhope.
   These two locos make a fine sound departing and passing heading up the gradient with the banker doing its fair share of the work on the climb.
   
3. The other loco visiting this event was the LB&SCR E4 0-6-2T 473 'Birch Grove' usually to be found working trains on the Bluebell Railway.
   Aside from a couple of shuttle trains between Keighley and Ingrow this locos only unaccompanied passenger working during the weekend was on the first train from Keighley at 09.00 on the Saturday morning. Now, obviously, this was the train that I particularly wanted a lineside recording of.
   This presented a bit of a problem as public transport early on a Saturday morning is a little sparse to say the least so I had a very early start to get to Damems by train and bus in time to make this recording.
   As you can hear the effort was well worthwhile.
   The recording was made a little way beyond Damems Loop and, as it begins, a train for Keighley hauled by 957 & 85 is just coming to a stop in the loop while 'Birch Grove' with three vintage coaches can be heard approaching up the gradient from Ingrow.
   As the token for the section up to Oxenhope is ready to hand over a stop in the loop isn't required and the E4 continues making a fine sound on the 1 in 60 gradient up to Oakworth.
   Well worth getting up at 5.30am for!
   
4. The ex-LMS Class 5MT 2-6-0 42968 visited the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway early in 2006 ostensibly for the February Steam Gala but, as the loco arrived on the railway two weeks before the gala, they took the opportunity to use it on ordinary service trains.
   On 4th February, with a train of just 4 coaches, 42968 can be heard departing from Oakworth before raising the echoes as it passes through Mytholmes Tunnel heading for the next stop at Haworth.
   
5. For the railway's October Steam Gala in 2005 the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway had two visiting locos, interesting ones too!
   The first of these was the GWR 4-4-0 3440 'City of Truro’. This loco arrived on the railway more than two weeks before the Gala and was advertised to work additional trains on two Sundays preceding and one Sunday after the Gala.
   In this recording, made on 2nd October 2005, 3440 is heard climbing the gradient from Damems Loop towards Oakworth and, after a brief pause there, continuing towards Mytholmes Tunnel and Haworth.
   
6. Aside from 'City of Truro' the other engine visiting the railway for the Gala weekend was the ex LNWR G2 0-8-0 49395 usually referred to as a 'Super D' as it was a superheated version of the similar D Class goods engine.
   While I had made plenty of recordings of 'City of Truro' in the past I was very keen to get the Super D as I had never even seen one before.
   On 15th October, the second day of this 3 day event there were few opportunities to record the loco working on it's own, two to be precise, and for the first of these I went to my usual spot near Damems Loop that I had tried on the previous day only to find that the owner of the nearby caravan site had chosen to begin cutting the grass with his motor mower. This time, there was no grass cutting to disturb my recordings!
   As this recording begins the unmistakable sound of 49395 can be just heard as the loco climbs the gradient from Ingrow and approaches Damems while a Keighley bound train hauled by 3440 & 85 departs from Oakworth and rolls past down the gradient stopping at the signal controlling entry to the loop to wait there until the Super D is safely inside.
   The Super D has stopped at Damems and, as the downhill train comes to a stand it can be heard restarting and arriving in the loop.
   The signalman pulls off for the Keighley bound train which gets under way and passes through the loop.
   While waiting in the loop 49395's safety valves lift but once the road has been reset the train departs, the valves soon close and the loco sounds fine with 6 coaches behind the tender climbing the gradient toward Oakworth.
   Hear a of track 6.
   
7. On the previous day, 14th October 2005, the Super D had worked a freight train as far as Damems Loop before returning to Keighley. This was banked by the ex LMS Ivatt 2-6-2T 41241.
   Recorded from near Damems station 49395 can be heard climbing from Ingrow. The banker, 41241, doesn't sound to be providing all that much assistance until the train has passed when it gives a firm shove to get the train into the loop.
   
8. Friday 19th May 2006 saw the first of a three day Steam Gala on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
   The first day of the previous year's Spring Steam Gala was excellent and in the notes to one of my recordings I wrote; 'With plenty of warm sunshine, a light breeze, superb scenery, the gorse in full bloom and the air full of bird song on this fine Spring day, I can think of few better places to be especially if you add a steam hauled train or two!'. Well, on this particular Spring day, while the gorse was once again in full bloom and the air full of bird song, the air was also full of rain. And the breeze wasn't all that light either!
   Despite the weather I headed for my favourite field below Dowson Garth Farm in the hope that the weather would improve and in the hope of getting some good recordings of the two visiting engines which were on the first two trains off Grosmont that morning thinking that, if the weather showed no sign of improvement after the second, I could always abandon the line side and take shelter on the trains for the rest of the day!
   The visiting locos were the same pair that had been present at the K&WVR the previous October.
   After a reasonable recording of the Super D on the first, the second train from Grosmont that morning was in the hands of 3440 'City of Truro'.
   Whether it was the Railway's decision or imposed at the insistence of the NRM I'm not sure but the maximum load for this loco when working single handed was no more than 3 coaches.
   The three coaches that the loco was hauling on this occasion were hardly typical of a GWR train being of the LNER Teak variety.
   As you can hear in this recording, the 4-4-0 has no difficulty whatsoever with this light load on the climb.
   
9. As the morning went on my hopes of improving weather seemed unlikely to be fulfilled and heavier rain prompted me to consider looking for better shelter than just a gorse bush and my umbrella so I walked across the valley to inspect a likely looking barn which would have been excellent had it not been exposed to the strengthening wind.
   And then the sun came out!
   So I abandoned all thought of giving up, returned to the original field and settled down to await the next train which was hauled by the other visitor, the Super D.
   I'm glad I did as the load had been increased to 7 coaches and, as you can hear, 49395 makes an excellent sound climbing the gradient being worked somewhat harder than it had been earlier in the day.
   
10. During the first part of 2005 the North Yorkshire Moors Railway held a number of events to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the appointment of Nigel Gresley as the Great Northern Railway's Carriage and Wagon Engineer.
    In addition to having two rakes of teak coaches, some borrowed from the Severn Valley Railway, there was the prospect of having two A4's at work, 60007 & 60009, along with 60800 and 61264 to strengthen the home fleet.
    As is often the case, things didn't quite work to plan and, instead of 2 A4s they had none. 60007's overhaul wasn't completed in time and No. 9 suffered a burst tube shortly before the event. As other boiler tubes were giving cause for concern the owners took the sensible option of doing a complete re-tube which meant that this loco wasn't available either.
    Still, 61264 and 60800 were sufficiently tempting and, on 2nd May 2005, the last day of a 4 day Bank Holiday steam gala, I visited the railway to try for some recordings.
    For a change from making recordings at the north end of the line we decided to try the climb through Newtondale and walked to a point about half way between Levisham station and Newtondale Halt. The spot we chose was high on the valley side, perhaps 150' above the line, close to the point where the gradient changes from 1 in 68 to 1 in 49.
    On a mid-morning train from Pickering was 60800 which, with 6 coaches, makes a fine sound climbing the gradient through the valley.
    
11. Later the same day our intention was to try for a final recording of the B1 as it returned from Grosmont with the last train of the day.
    As often happens on these occasions the timetable had gone a little awry and when the B1 had passed us in Newtondale heading for Grosmont it must have been over half an hour late.
    So, when we reached the bridge at Beck Hole we weren't sure how long we had to get set up.
    As it happened, we had plenty of time and it was a good 10 minutes before we heard the sound of 61264 approaching echoing further down the valley.
    Although the load had been reduced to 5 coaches the B1 sounded fine passing on the 1 in 49 gradient towards Goathland now running about 40 minutes late.
    Hear a of track 11.
    
12. At the end of July 2006 I was able to spend a few days with a friend from Germany, staying in Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors with the intention of spending some time making lineside recordings on the railway.
    It was unfortunate that these few days coincided with some of the hottest weather of the year.
    Arriving at Goathland in the early afternoon of 25th July 2006 we rushed off to Thomason Foss to make our first recording. As it turned out, we needn't have hurried as trains were running rather late that afternoon. Worse still, due to there having been a lineside fire earlier in the day, diesels were in use and the first train that we were able to record had a diesel pilot.
    We were already aware that the ex LNER A4 Pacific 60007 'Sir Nigel Gresley' was ready to return to traffic but didn't expect to see it working as it's inaugural passenger trains were advertised to run a week after our visit so we were quite surprised to hear the unmistakable sound of a three cylinder loco approaching with the next train from Grosmont.
    Sure enough, it proved to be 60007 pressed into service due, I imagine, to the earlier failure of another loco.
    This train also had a diesel attached, the Class 24 D5061, on the back but it didn't appear to be assisting when it passed us at Thomason Foss.
    
13. A visit to North Wales in June 2005 gave me the opportunity to get some recordings of a favourite locomotive running on the Ffestiniog Railway before it was withdrawn from service for an overhaul.
    That loco is the Alco 2-6-2T 'Mountaineer' which is heard making a typically fine sound departing from Porthmadog Harbour station with the mid-day train on 2nd June 2005.
    
14. Just a year and a day after the last recording the LMS Princess Royal Pacific 6201 'Princess Elizabeth' worked a train northbound over the Settle - Carlisle line and a good weather forecast persuaded me to go out and try for a recording at Settle.
    The location I chose for my recording was just to the north of the town but 300 feet above the line which would be about a third of a mile distant.
    I had recorded here once before in 1988 and felt that this spot had potential for a really good recording. The reason why I hadn't been back in the intervening years to see if I could realise that potential was mainly due to the weather!
    The hillside here faces west and is very exposed with virtually no shelter whatsoever, so in all but the calmest conditions, recording here isn't really a possibility.
    The weather forecast was correct for once and although there was a westerly breeze blowing, it wasn't too strong and it was very pleasant sitting in the sun until 6201 appeared running about 20 minutes late.
    With 13 coaches behind the tender the loco makes a fine sound and can be heard accelerating a little on the easier gradient through Settle station before passing, working hard and going well on the 1 in 100 gradient.
    The sound carried back quite well at times so I was able to continue recording until the train was well above Stainforth and, even after I had stopped recording, I could still just hear the loco as far away as Helwith Bridge.
    
15. On 17th June 2006 the LMS Coronation Pacific 6233 'Duchess of Sutherland' was booked to work a train from Crewe to Carlisle and back over Shap. Once again we went to Shap Wells to try for a recording.
    The calm, hot & sunny weather in the morning deteriorated into hot & sunny but breezy weather by the time smoke appeared rising above Greenholme in the distance but we were able to hear 6233 almost as soon as it appeared running about 45 minutes late.
    A load of 13 coaches doesn't sound to be proving to be a problem as 6233 passes on the 1 in 75 gradient and is soon heard reaching the summit.
    
16. On 27th May 2006 the LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 5690 'Leander' worked a train from Tyseley to York and Scarborough. This recording was made to the south of York during the return journey from Scarborough.
    I had already noticed that there was a temporary speed restriction on one of the two southbound tracks out of York which meant that, if the Jubilee was routed on that line, our usual recording location at Dringhouses wouldn't be much good. However, if it was on the other southbound line........
    To be sure of getting something we went to a spot quite near to the site of Chaloners Whin Jc. where the original line to London through Selby diverged. This was just beyond the end of the 20 mph speed restriction so, whichever line the train was routed on, we should be all right!
    The other problem with this location was the possibility of another train passing at the same time as the Jubilee and spoiling the recording but we were lucky in this respect.
    As the recording begins a westbound DMU accelerates away from the speed restriction on the Leeds line and, as the sound of that train fades away, a Class 60 diesel passes with a freight.
    Of course, the Jubilee turned up about 10 minutes late on fast line, the one without the restriction, so our usual spot could have been Ok. Not that I'm complaining you understand as 5690 sounds fine accelerating hard with it's 8 coach train.
    As the sound of the Jubilee fades away yet another train passes, this time a HST heading for York. Good timing or what?
    
17. However you describe Saturday 2nd September 2006, weatherwise, 'fine' it was not. In other respects 'fine' it certainly was!
    It was a shame really as I had been looking forward to recording this locomotive in this location for some time. Not just for over a year from when this train was first proposed, but since 1967!
    I was slightly unfortunate in that I was born a little too late to have a chance to see much 'real' (pre-1968) steam, although I'd like to think that I've made up for it since, so I only ever had one run with steam over Shap. That was in February 1967 on the Border Countryman railtour which ran from Leeds via Manchester, over Shap to Carlisle then to Beattock and back before returning to Leeds via Newcastle and the East Coast Main Line.
    The loco that hauled the train from Leeds to Carlisle and back was one of the last Jubilees, Holbeck's 45562 'Alberta'. This loco was requested for the tour for the simple reason that it was cleaner than the other Holbeck Jubilee, 45593 'Kolhapur' despite the fact that those of us in the know knew that 'Kolhapur' was a far better loco!
    'Alberta' steamed very badly all day and, even with a fairly light train, was down to walking pace at Shap Summit.
    The tour was considerable enlivened during the short run to Beattock and back from Carlisle when we had an absolutely filthy 43106 which produced speeds around 80 at times!
    The run back from Carlisle was no better and I seem to remember that we very late back into Leeds at the end of the day.
    While it would have been nice to have had a better run, I was pleased to have at least 'done' Shap in steam days.
    Since then I have been steam hauled over Shap on quite a few occasions and, more recently, have been to the lineside quite a few times so, when in 2005 Vintage Trains advertised a train with Jubilee 5690 'Leander' I was quite keen to get out for a recording of what I hoped would be a far better climb of the gradient with a Jubilee than I had experienced with 'Alberta' in 1967.
    The original date for the train proved impossible and it was almost a year later that the train actually ran.
    The only fly in the ointment was the weather forecast which, through the previous week didn't sound at all promising.
    Weather forecasters are often wrong with their prognostications but unfortunately, for once, they were spot on. The weather was absolutely atrocious with heavy, continuous rain and a strong wind almost all day.
    Still, as we were determined to turn out for this train we went to Shap Wells as usual, donned the waterproofs, wrapped recorders in plastic bags and attempted to find a reasonably sheltered spot hoping all the while that the train would be on-time and we wouldn't be out there for hours!
    The area is fortunate in having that boon to lineside sound recordists; dry stone walls. No finer wind break and rain shelter has ever been invented and we set up our microphones in the shelter of a handily situated one with plenty of time before the train was due and settled down to wait.
    Had the weather been better we could have expected the area to have been thick with photographers and videographers but besides the two of us, only one other person joined us. No doubt everyone else had more sense and stayed with their cars!
    Our wait in the rain proved most rewarding. 'Leander' turned up just about on time and as you can hear, was going very well at the head of a 9 coach train.
    In 1967 I'm sure that 'Alberta' didn't roar up Shap like this!
    Hear a of track 17.