Perhaps still trying to make up for the disappointment caused by the non-event that the Spring LNER Gala proved to be, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway declared that the last week in October, the schools half term holiday week, was to be LNER Week with up to 5 LNER locos in use. The half term holiday week is usually quite busy on the moors and, through most of the week, the full peak timetable is in operation anyway so it was easy for them to enhance the timetable on a couple of days and make an event of it.
I was able to visit on Wednesday 24th October 2007 when four of the five available LNER locos were in use, only the Q6 was missing, but it rather amused me to note that the first two trains of Pickering that morning were hauled by GWR 6619 and BR Standard 75029 top and tail with Lambton Tank No. 29 - hardly typical LNER!
As the years go by, things seem to happen occasionally that reminded me that I'm getting older! This time I was reminded that the latest thing that seems to be deteriorating is my memory as, arriving at Moorgates, I had opened my rucksack to find that I had forgotten my windshield and, if I might remind you, the windshield I use is rather large, gray, hairy and not easy to miss!
Help was at hand fortunately as my friend Mike had a spare small one and, as luck would have it, the day was remarkably calm.
The area around Beck Hole has interesting acoustics. Under normal conditions it is rare to hear the loco until it is quite close as the line down towards Grosmont is hidden behind a hillside. The first warning that the train is on its way is given by a gradually increasing roar which builds slowly and often sounds to be coming from the opposite direction.
Our recording there proved to be of the ex LNER B1 4-6-0 61264.
Once again, the first thing we heard was the echo from the opposite side of the valley before the sound of the loco became clear.
The B1 was working tender first which doesn't make things easy on the steep gradient as the sanders are less effective and the loco shows a tendency to slip especially with 7 coaches strung out round the sharp curve before Beck Hole Bridge.
Speed is not particularly high as the loco passes but once onto the straight track up towards Thomason Foss the driver can work the loco a little harder and it begins to accelerate.
Further on, passing Thomason Foss, the loco slips again and speed begins to fall again but the sound carried back well all the way past Darnholme until the train reaches Goathland.