The North Yorkshire Moors Railway held their Spring Steam Gala over the first two weekends in May and my first visit was on the Sunday of the first weekend; 6th May 2012.
As usual at these events, getting details of loco workings was difficult in fact, sufficiently difficult that we didn't bother and just played things by ear so arriving at Darnholme for the first train from Grosmont we didn't know what we would get until the slightly off beat sound of an A4 gave the game away.
60019, currently running as LNER 4464, doesn't sound to be going all that well as it passes at the head of a 6 coach train on the 1 in 49 heading for Goathland.

As, after the next train we intended to go for a recording of whatever was working on the Esk Valley line to Battersby we decided to move to Esk Valley to give ourselves more time and ended up at our usual spot high on the west side of the valley.
Before the next Pickering bound train there was a shuttle to Goathland and this, as expected turned up with 69023 hauling nothing more than a single saloon.
Being so far from the line we didn't expect to hear much from this combination and, in that respect we weren't too disappointed. Still, it didn't sound too bad.

Next came the 10:30 to Pickering hauled by the other visitor, 70000 'Britannia' which, on 6 coaches, heard from the same spot made much more noise.

We were a little disappointed that the Brit had worked to Pickering as we had expected it to have been working on the Esk Valley line to Battersby and, as it wasn't, we knew that our next recording would be of 75029.
This loco has been out of traffic for some years and we were pleased to see it back in traffic as it's a loco that can usually be relied upon to make plenty of noise and, as you will hear in this recording, it does!
For our recording we headed for a spot overlooking the Esk Valley line below Southside Farm between Grosmont and Egton and, as this recording begins, the church clock at Egton across the valley is chiming the hour despite the fact that it was actually quarter past.
Soon after, 75029 can just be heard departing from Grosmont and starting on the 1 in 101 gradient. A little later the regulator is closed while the speed restriction over the river bridge not far away is negotiated but once clear, the loco makes a fine sound with its 7 coach train continuing on the gradient through Egton.

By this time, having worked out what locos were working, we had decided that our best plan was to concentrate on getting what we could of 70000 so headed off to Levisham for that loco's return from Pickering and we set up our equipment on the hillside opposite Yorfalls Wood about a mile from Levisham.
We could just hear the Brit start from Levisham but due to a speed restriction the loco wasn't opened up until it was some way beyond the station. Once it was opened up though we had no complaints about the noise as it came up the gradient and headed on past us further into Newton Dale.

Before returning to the north end of the line once more we had time to take advantage of the catering facilities at Levisham and a bacon butty and Bovril were very welcome!
Our next recording was made at Beck Hole and it proved to be of another visitor, Standard Class 4 2-6-4T 80072 which was going well when it passed us with 6 coaches in tow.

We had intended to go for another recording on the Esk Valley line but, as this would mean missing another chance of recording the Brit, we decided to give the Esk Valley a miss and went to Darnholme instead where we found that it was much breezier than it had been early in the day.
Proceeding the Brit was another shuttle hauled by 69023 and, being nearer to the action at this location than we had been earlier, I expected to get a much better recording. I was wrong and the recording I got was hardly worth bothering with but I may be doing the loco an injustice as, perhaps due to the wind, sound was not carrying particularly well at this location which is usually very good so the recording of 70000, while better, wasn't as good as I expected.

For our final recording of 70000 we returned to Newton Dale and went to Gallock Hill about midway between Levisham and Newtondale Halt.
Here we were much more sheltered from the wind but, once again, sound was not carrying as well as I'd expected. I have heard locos leaving Levisham quite clearly here but on this occasion 70000 was well onto the climb before we started to hear it. Still, while the recording might be shorter than I'd like, it isn't too bad.

As, while I was there last weekend, I'd promised to take some more CDs to Levisham and as the forecast wasn't too bad I paid the NYMR another visit on Saturday 12th May 2012.
I was already aware of the speed restriction in place just north of the station but I thought I could probably find a spot about half a mile up the line to get recordings as locos were opened up once clear of the slack but my plan was scuppered by the Wombles! At least I assume that it was them working at the lineside with a chain saw and digger not far from where I'd intended to go. So, despite the slack and the fact that I could still hear the chain saw from the station, I decided that I'd set up in the trees to the east of the line and hope that the chain saw's pauses would coincide with trains. In that regard, I was fairly lucky.
The train I caught from Pickering crossed the first train from Grosmont which was powered by not one but two A4s; Bittern on the front and 60007, only just back from a very prolonged period out of traffic, on the back. 'Gresley' must be Ok now as the loco's minder, Roger Barker on the footplate had a big smile on his face.
Having seen these two pass I knew that one of them, perhaps both would be returning with the first train I could record here and indeed it was 60007 that appeared with the next Grosmont bound train.
While I consider A4s to be fine engines and, while it was nice to see 'Gresley' back in action, I can't honestly say that I'm all that keen on recording them as they often aren't all that noisy.
Of course, when worked hard, an A4 can make plenty of noise but, as you can hear, this wasn't one of those occasions!
And the photo? Well, that's often the sound recordist's view. Look carefully, there's an A4!

The next recording was also of an A4; 'Bittern' now carrying its LNER number 4464 came next and as the recording begins, the SR S15 4-6-0 can be heard departing for Pickering before the A4 leaves for Grosmont.
Once again, not the noisiest recording I've ever made.

So, my first two recordings had seen off the two A4s and the next train was hauled by a loco that I was keen to record and one that I could reasonably expect to make a bit more noise than the last two. This was the visiting Brit, 70000 'Britannia'.
Despite the speed restriction, not a bad recording with the wind carrying the sound back nicely as the train heads off into Newtondale.

Next came the S15 825 which, at one time, I wasn't all that keen on but more recently it has gone up in my estimation and I've made some rather nice recordings of it.
With the speed restriction in place and the chain saw up the line clearly audible this wasn't going to be one of my best recordings but, under the circumstances I was quite happy with this.
Once again, as the recording begins you will hear a Pickering train departing, this one hauled by the 9F 92214, before 825 departs into Newton Dale.
After that, I decided to call it a day. Well, it was cold under those trees and the decision to stay for one more recording of 60007 and the chain saw or head back to the station for a bacon butty and Bovril proved an easy one!