The Scarborough Spa Express season began again on 17th July 2012 and before the train departed, Platform 9 at York station was just like a family reunion, particularly so for me as the SSE these days provides me with my only rides behind steam on the main line.
So having caught up with lots of people who I hadn't seen since last year's SSEs it was down to business at a handy window at the front of the train to record what seemed likely to be the loco that would work most of the season's trains; ex LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 46115 'Scots Guardsman' - unless they broke it, of course!
As you can hear in this recording made departing from York, the Scot is suffering from its usual problem of a a blow from the middle cylinder though this one appeared to be coming from the cylinder cock rather than the gland.
Fortunately, once underway, the sound of escaping steam is hardly audible as the Scot gets its 10 coach train on the move. The recording ends near the site of Challoner's Whin Jc.

The timings for this year's SSE aren't exactly tight and, as in previous years, we had a signal stop approaching Castleford while a service train crossed our path.
Once that was clear 46115 gets going again making some good noise in the process.

With the difficult climb from Kirkgate completed without any trouble at all the Scot is heard departing from Wakefield Westgate and starting on the climb to Ardsley. This was the bit that I was most looking forward to and as you can hear, I wasn't disappointed.
The recording is of the complete climb and ends entering Ardsley Tunnel just beyond the summit.
I understand that regular fireman Peter Hanson was on the engine that day as 'driver under supervision' and is hopefully soon to be passed out for driving. Well, assuming he was driving, as far as I'm concerned, he has passed the Steamsounds noise test!

Two days later on 19th July 2012 I was out again for the Scot on the SSE but this time headed for the lineside.
As weather conditions were good and the leaky middle cylinder cock appeared to have been fixed when I saw the train arrive at Scarborough that afternoon, we thought it worthwhile to make the journey to Wakefield for a lineside recording.
Our recording spot was in the park at Wrenthorpe not far from Westgate station, a spot where we've had some excellent recordings in the past.
46115 was just about on-time departing but it sounds like the repair of the cylinder cock didn't last long! Not too bad a recording all the same despite a few interruptions from other trains and aircraft!.

The range of motive power this year has been a little limited with only 4 locos working these trains with one of those, the 8F only working a on couple of days (which I missed!).
At one point it looked like the Scot was going to be working almost all the trains but it didn't last the course!
The second loco to appear was the Black 5 44932 which had proved a noisy performer in previous years so I went out for a ride on the morning of 1st August 2012.
With the extremely easy schedule this year there is little point in hurrying away from York as all that happens is a longer stop at Castleford and our driver on this day, Chris Cubitt, took things very steadily but even so, we still had the usual 5 minutes or so to wait for a service train to get out of the way. At least the re-start produced some good noise from 44932.

As usual, the main event was the climb from Wakefield Westgate to Ardsley and this is a recording of the complete climb.
While it might not have been the fastest climb I've had up there, it was good enough with a load of 11 coaches and, of course, I have no complaints about the noise.

In the following days 44932 had a spot of bother with a hot bearing and was replaced on the SSE by the Scot returning to service earlier than planned after a boiler washout. However, while working a Sunday train to Carlisle the Scot too had lubrication problems so on Tuesday 7th August 2012 44932 was back on the SSE and I was able to get to Wakefield in the evening for a lineside recording.
As seems almost compulsory for Scarborough Spa Express departures from Wakefield Westgate there has to be a southbound service train approaching as 44932 gets its 12 coach train under way.
Once clear of the station the Black 5 makes a fine sound on the 1 in 100 gradient heading for Outwood and sound carries back well until yet another southbound service train comes down the gradient towards Westgate.

After almost 20 years since last riding behind the loco on the main line, to say I was delighted would be an understatement when I discovered that my favourite Black 5, 45305, was planned to be doing the last week of Scarborough Spa Expresses. Of course, there was always the chance that plans would change...
Fortunately plans didn't change so, 29th August 2012, the penultimate day of Scarborough Spa Express operation for 2012, found me at York ready for a ride behind 45305.
A bonus was that, due to increasing numbers of passengers, the admin brake at the front from York had been replaced by a TSO to provide a few more seats. This meant that I was able to get a recording spot right behind the tender; a rare treat on a main line run these days.
I wasn't able to record the initial start from York as 'my' door was required by the guard(!) so this recording begins just beyond Holgate Bridge.
Nice to get a run again behind my favourite Black 5!

The short, steep curving climb from Wakefield Kirkgate to Westgate has proved to cause few problems since SSEs started running this way and after an initial brief slip soon after departure presents no problem to 45305 even with 12 coaches behind the tender.

Having enjoyed one morning out with my favourite Black 5 I was out again the following day, 30th August 2012, for a ride on the final Scarborough Spa Express of the season.
Once again, the weather was less than idea with a very strong wind to add to the rain and, unlike the previous day, my recording spot was one coach back as we had the addition of the WCRC Gin Palace, sorry, Saloon tagged onto the front for a private party.
With WCRC diver Frank Coupland in charge once again there was every reason to expect a similar performance on the climb from Wakefield to the previous day and, if anything, the climb was a little faster as 45305 wasn't eased quite so much above Outwood.
And of course, no complaints about the noise, 45305 still sounds very good!

On all my previous runs, by the time we returned to York I had found myself a seat; my back doesn't take kindly to spending a long time standing by a window these days but on this train that wasn't a possibility. Partly due to the removal of one coach to allow the Saloon to be attached but mainly due to the popularity of these trains, by the time we left Castleford, every seat was taken and quite a few pay on the day passengers were having to stand, at least as far as York. So, since I was having to stand, I did a bit more recording.
On arrival at York we discovered that there was some unspecified signalling problem at Seamer and we were warned that there would be a delay; how long, no one seemed to know.
Eventually, a decision was taken and we were allowed to leave about 20 minutes late and it was nice to hear 45305 starting under York's overall roof again.

Once away from York we were soon at the water stop adjacent to York District Hospital.
Water stops here have always been pretty quick in the past but this time, perhaps due to low water pressure, taking water took longer.
Once the footplate crew were satisfied that enough water had gone into the tender 45305 set off for the final leg of the journey to Scarborough on gently rising gradients.
Well, although I didn't travel as often as in previous years I have thoroughly enjoyed my main line steam rides for this year, roll on 2013!