At the beginning of October the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway held their usual Autumn Steam Gala which, when I heard what the planned visiting loco was I'll admit to being less than excited. However, things changed and a second visitor was added in the shape of my favourite Black 5, 45305.
Unfortunately, one of the visitors had to be withdrawn from the list shortly before the event. Can you guess which one it was?
On Saturday 8th October 2011, the first train we could record was a demonstration freight hauled by the L&Y 0-6-0 957 and banked by the ex LMS Ivatt 2-6-2T 41241 and we set up our equipment on G. N. Straight about half a mile from Keighley station.
As you can hear, 957 has a rather interesting wheeze but seems to be going Ok and the Ivatt tank at the rear doesn't have to provide very much assistance.

Next came the guest loco that had turned up, GWR 2-8-0 2807 visiting from the Gloucester & Warwickshire Railway.
The train 2807 was hauling was the express which we had expected to be hauled by Black 5 45212 now back from its long stay on the NYMR and working its final trains before the expiry of its boiler ticket. We were both keen to get recordings of 45212 and hoped that the change to the roster wasn't due to that loco's failure!
As is often the case, the express doesn't sound particularly 'express' as it passes.

For our next recording we moved nearer to Keighley station and recorded wheezing 957 piloting 41241 with a train of 5 coaches from the Vintage Carriages Trust at Ingrow.

By this time we had discovered that the loco that had disappeared from the roster and caused the changes to the booked motive power was actually the 4F, not 45212 which we hoped would work the next train from Keighley single handed but we were in for a disappointment.
Trains had started to get a little late and to regain some time, a train that 45212 should have worked just to Ingrow and back was cancelled and the train we hoped would be the Black 5 on its own was double headed with 2807 piloting the Black 5.
Never mind as the pair don't sound too bad departing from Keighley.

The Bahamas Locomotive Society currently have only one working loco available although this should change next year with the return of the Coal Tank. The loco they have available is 'Nunlow', a Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T.
'Nunlow' seems to appear only at galas and it was this loco that took the next train, made up of the 5 vintage coaches from Ingrow, that we recorded departing from Keighley.
'Nunlow' was carrying a wreath on the smokebox in remembrance of John Tait who had died just a short time before the gala. John was a long standing BLS member and volunteer, K&WVR guard and a good friend and regular travelling companion on main line steam runs dating back to the early 80s.

Trains were running well into the evening so we went to Oakworth for a couple of recordings.
As wandering around on the lineside in the dark is understandably frowned upon, we made our recordings on the station platform and the first train we recorded was hauled by 45212 which can be heard approaching from Damems Loop as the recording begins.
As the loco approaches the platform the safety valves lift but close before the train departs with the Black 5 rousing echoes from the goods shed.
Soon after the start the loco is eased for a speed restriction over the bridges which are currently in need of repair and subject to an appeal for funds. Mytholmes tunnel is not far away but the Black 5 is clearly audible all the way to Haworth. A very satisfactory recordings.

We had one more recording to make before calling it a day and expected this train, which was running 'Express' to Haworth, would be hauled by the GWR visitor but as it came up from the Loop it obviously wasn't and the loco proved to the ex MR 4F 0-6-0 43924 which failed earlier in the day with injector problems, now repaired.
The loco was eased considerably passing the platform but even if it didn't quite fulfil anyone's idea of an express, it was nice all the same to get a recording of a loco that I haven't recorded for 25 years!

On the following day, Sunday 9th October 2011, we had only time for a short visit as my Australian friend had to make his way down to Heathrow to begin his journey home later that evening.
We only had time to record two trains and returned to Oakworth where we found that the persistent light rain that had been a feature of the previous day had been joined by a much stronger wind. Nevertheless we found some shelter at the end of the goods yard in time to record 2807 coming up from the loop and stopping in the station before departing for Haworth and Oxenhope.

Our second and last recording was much better as the loco was 45212; much louder than the GWR 2-8-0!
Once the Black 5 has reached Oakworth, as it departs, sound carries back very well and we could hear the loco all the way to Haworth. A fine recording to end the weekend.