Also out on the main line that day was the LNER designed A1 Pacific 60163 'Tornado' which was working a train over the Settle to Carlisle line before returning south over Shap.
It was unfortunate that timings didn't permit us to get a recording of this train on the climb to Ribblehead as well as 6233 on Shap but we were able to get to Appleby in good time to record the loco departing for Carlisle.

Our next recording was to be of 6233 returning south from Carlisle and we went to a spot not far south of that city at Harraby about 2 miles from the station.
There was a bit more breeze here which can be heard in the nearby trees as 6233 can be heard on the initial steep climb out of the station.
Bill Andrew is nothing if not a good engineman and, as you can hear, isn't pressing 6233 hard on the rising gradient. After all, there's nothing worse than starting with a cold engine and thrashing it - that sort of thing isn't good for the engine and certainly won't make you popular with your fireman!
Even so, 6233 sounds fine as it passes and to our surprise, in spite of the breeze not being favourable, sound carried back for a long time, much longer than we expected.

After this summer I wouldn't be surprised if the LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 5690 'Leander' wasn't able to find its own way over the Settle to Carlisle line without needing a footplate crew! Well, it has been over the line rather frequently this year.
The loco's latest run over the line was on 17th October 2009 when it worked a charter for Vintage Trains from Hellifield to Carlisle before returning south via Shap and as I was passing through Settle that day I thought trying for a recording worthwhile.
I've commented before on the downside to the new intermediate block signals at Horton in Ribblesdale. Trains are now able to follow each other with much shorter headways than in the past and while this is excellent for increasing traffic on the line it doesn't make it easy when you arrive at Settle on a service train if the steam hauled charter is just 10 minutes behind and you need 15 to get to a recording spot. It's even worse if the service train is running late so I had no option but to try for a recording on the station; not something that I would normally contemplate but there was no alternative.
Shortly before the Jubilee arrived Leeds bound service train arrived on the opposite platform and, no doubt, caused some panic among the many photographers who don't want a DMU spoiling their master shot. Panic increased as steam appears over the trees in the distance and the DMU was still in the platform but, fortunately for them, the DMU departed before 'Leander' appeared coming up the gradient and, as you can hear, passes going well at the head of 9 coaches.
It was a shame that I couldn't go elsewhere for a recording as conditions were excellent with only a very light breeze but at least I got something.

By way of contrast, the conditions on the following Saturday, 24th October 2009, were the exact opposite of excellent when a train hauled by the ex LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 46115 'Scots Guardsman', running from Hellifield to York via Carlisle and the outskirts of Newcastle was accompanied by strong winds and, at times, heavy rain!
For our first recording, the dry stone walls at Selside provided some much needed shelter from the wind and thanks to the wind direction we could hear the Scot soon after it came into sight above Horton-in-Ribblesdale but the strength of the wind meant that there was nothing to be heard once the train had passed.
This was not a day for heroics or record breaking attempts but, even so, 46115 sounds to be going very well as it passes with 12 coaches behind the tender.

After our previous experience trying for a recording on the climb out of Carlisle on the Newcastle line, in one way, we were quite pleased that the weather wasn't too good since that meant that there would be less chance of any aerial interruptions so we went to the same location near How Mill that we had tried with 'Oliver Cromwell' some weeks previously.
Here we found a few problems. First was the wind which had shifted and seemed stronger than it had but we managed to find a reasonably sheltered spot which had the disadvantage of being surrounded by trees. Now, while the trees provided some shelter from the wind, especially at this time of year when the leaves are dry, in the wind, trees can be very noisy. Still, there was nothing we could do about that.
As this recording begins the Scot can be head approaching.
Trees weren't just causing us problems as rail conditions here were not good and 46115 can be heard slipping. More slips follow and by the time the train passes it is almost down to walking pace on the 1 in 107 gradient.
Once again, thanks to the strength of the wind, nothing can be heard once the train has passed but a few miles further on the Scot slipped to a stand requiring hand sanding to continue.

Our final recording was made at Durham just south of the station on the climb to Relly Mill.
This proved to be our most sheltered location for the day but did have some more noisy trees with the added nuisance of traffic noise from an over bridge further up the line.
While waiting for 46115, which arrived about 20 minutes late, we had heard quite a few trains pass including a HST heading south on the gradient; its leading power car was having a great deal of difficulty with adhesion on the climb so we knew what to expect.
As this recording begins the Scot is heard as it passes Durham station.
Once into the tree lined cutting beyond the viaduct it begins to slip but is in no danger of stalling this time.

An hour later 70013 returned from Pickering and as this recording begins is waiting at Levisham while the ex LNER A4 Pacific 60007 'Sir Nigel Gresley' departs heading for Pickering.
70013 soon gets the right away and makes a fine sound climbing the gradient into Newtondale.

One of the sets of coaches in use that day was the LNER teak set and we had already seen these coaches being hauled by the SR S15 but far more appropriate motive power for the teak set would have been the loco which hauled the next train up the gradient; 60007 which had 7 plum and custard coaches plus the GW Saloon behind the tender.
I’ve had days recording in this field opposite Green End when every recording has featured a fly past by the RAF but on this day, while we had heard them flying around, not once had they coincided with a train. Perhaps they were looking at the wrong timetable?
Well, they managed to arrive at the right or, depending on your point of view, wrong time for this recording but even then, the aircraft didn’t totally spoil the recording. So far, so good!

In our previous three recordings of it, 70013 hadn’t disappointed and this next recording of the Brit climbing the gradient at the other side of the Murk Esk valley was no exception.
What an excellent recording!

The demonstration freight train was running between Grosmont and Goathland and had already had two runs up the bank behind the Q6 but for its last run it had the ex Somerset & Dorset 7F 2-8-0 53809 as motive power.

The last train we recorded from the field below Dowson Garth farm during that afternoon was hauled by the ex LNER Q6 0-8-0 63395 which sounds to have its load of 7 teak coaches well in hand on the gradient.

After that and some excellent fish and chips in Pickering we returned to Darnholm for a recording of the Pullman dining train which was to be hauled by 70013.
In the dark, sound was carrying well and we could hear the loco coming up to Beck Hole bridge before passing and reaching Goathland going steadily with this heavy 8 coach train.
Yet another excellent recording.

Our final recording of the day was of the returning Diner at Gallock Hill in Newtondale about half way between Levisham and Newtondale Halt.
Once again we had a few owls for company, adding to the atmosphere but our recording spot proved to be a little breezy. However, despite the breeze sound was carrying very well and we could hear 70013 approaching Levisham.
After a short pause in the station and as this recording begins, the Brit departs for Grosmont sounding fine running tender first climbing the gradients before passing and fading away towards Newtondale Halt.
An excellent finish to an excellent day for sound recording. If only we could have more days like this!

We had been particularly lucky on Friday. Although the weather had been overcast and rainy at times it had been reasonably calm; Saturday, on the other hand, brought plenty of sunshine but also gale force winds. I stayed at home but did venture out on Sunday 4th October 2009 when the wind had died down a little with the intention of having a ride particularly as the ex SR V Class 4-4-0 30926 'Repton', which had recently been certified to work on the Esk Valley line was going to venture out on the main line and this would be the first time that a Schools had worked a passenger train on the main line since 1963.
I travelled on the first train through from Pickering behind 45212 as far Grosmont where 'Repton' took over to run tender first to Whitby. At Whitby, as the run round is off the platform, all passengers had to disembark which meant that when the train returned to the platform there was a real scrum to get back on and I didn't expect to be able to get anywhere to record from. Imagine my surprise when I eventually made it through the leading door in the leading coach I found that the window opposite, right behind the tender on the correct side for the wind was unoccupied!
After easy gradients from Whitby the 1 in 102 climb from Grosmont continues through Glaisdale to just beyond Lealholm, the next station.
This recording is of the start from Glaisdale.
To be honest, with just 5 coaches behind the tender I didn't expect there would be a great deal of noise form this normally fairly quiet engine and while I would not describe this recording as particularly loud it is a little better than I expected.
But then, however good or bad the recording, I never expected to ride behind a Schools on the main line!

I was keen to get a lineside recording of 30926 on its second run up to Battersby and walked to a spot below Southside Farm overlooking the Esk Valley about half way between Grosmont and Egton Bridge.
I’ve had some good recordings from this spot in the past but, to be honest, I didn’t expect a great deal of noise from 'Repton' with its short train.
As the recording begins 30926 is approaching the first bridge over the Esk after leaving Grosmont which has a speed restriction over it.
The regulator is closed approaching the bridge and the safety valves soon lift but once the loco is working again they close and the loco makes a bit of noise for me on the gradient through Egton station.
Due to the wind, sound carried back very well and I could hear Repton most of the way to Glaisdale.
Of course, on a fine afternoon I would have been surprised not to have seen and heard a few light aircraft about but the timing of that one was a bit unfortunate!

My last lineside recording of the day was made back on the hillside overlooking Esk Valley, of a Pickering bound train double headed by the railway’s newly purchased BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0 76079 piloting the ex S&D 7F 2-8-0 53809. Their 6 coach load sounds to be easy work for the pair on the climb to Goathland.

After that I travelled back to Pickering behind 70013 and, as it had 8 coaches behind the tender; the Brit’s support coach had been added also ready to leave the railway by road during the following week, I decided that I may as well try for an on-train recording of the climb to Goathland.
This is a recording begins as the train crosses the soon to be replaced Bridge 30 and ends at Goathland.

On 19th August 2009 I passed through Settle and just by chance(!) happened to time my arrival on the service train that precedes the weekly Fellsman running from Lancaster to Carlisle and back via Preston and Blackburn.
Earlier this year I was pleased to see that the additional intermediate block signals on the line had been commissioned. Now, while it's nice to have the extra capacity on the line, these signals do have one less welcome side effect.
I had already seen the train I was there to record, the service train having passed it at Hellifield and knew that it would be following, able to pass Settle Jc. as soon as the train I was leaving at Settle had passed the IBS at Horton-in-Ribblesdale.
Not wanting to record on the station I headed for a field on the west side of the line just to the south but I didn't realise how little time I would have and only just got set up in time to hear the LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 5690 'Leander' approaching the junction.
On 10 coaches, 5690 sounds to be going well and had it not been for the noise from the nearby road and someone using an angle grinder, I would have got a much longer recording!

Returning from a few days in Ingleton on Wednesday 9th September 2009 and the day being particularly fine I decided to go via Ribblehead to try for a recording of that day's steam hauled Fellsman running from Lancaster to Carlisle and back.

Now, Ingleton and Ribblehead are only a little over 5 miles apart, 15 to 20 minutes with a clear road you would think but I took more than 1 1/2 hours travelling via Settle by bus and train; such is the price of not having a car!

The Fellsman has run very successfully throughout the summer with each train being virtually fully booked. So far each one has been hauled by the LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 5690 'Leander' and I did wonder if I might be lucky and see a change of motive power for this day's train but no, 5690 was in charge of the 10 coach train once again.

Blea Moor proved to be a bright but breezy spot and on the hillside to the east of Blea Moor box I had to shelter my microphone behind a makeshift wind break. Despite this I was reasonably happy with the recording of the Jubilee coming up past Ribblehead, crossing the viaduct then continuing past into Blea Moor Tunnel.
And the sight was superb!

A few days later on 12th September 2009 I was back at Blea Moor this time in a friend's car, which made things much easier, to record the BR Standard Britannia Pacific 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' hauling The Hadrian, steam hauled from Hellifield to Carlisle then via Hexham, Low Fell and the ECML back to York.
Just one year, one month and two days previously I had wanted a recording of this loco at this spot but the weather conditions that day made it impossible. That day over a year ago saw the re-run of the 15 Guinea Special which had marked the end of steam on BR 40 years previously. I had no recorder in those days but it has long been an ambition of mine to get a recording of that loco here.
41 years earlier I had seen the Brit pass Blea Moor box from the bridge over the line just to the north and while it would have been nice to have gone there to repeat the photograph I took, a recording wouldn't have been a possibility from there so I returned to the hillside to the east of the line from where I had seen and recorded the Jubilee a few days before.
Conditions were slightly better than they had been on the previous Wednesday; although it was still breezy, the breeze was far less strong so makeshift wind breaks were not required this time.
70013 with its 12 coach train turned up about 5 minutes early. After being eased approaching Ribblehead Viaduct the Brit sounds fine passing and can be heard all the way to Blea Moor Tunnel.
Even if it was over a year (or 40 years!) late, it was really nice to finally get that recording of 70013 at Blea Moor!

As the train had a 2 1/2 hour break in Carlisle, we had plenty of time to try to find a suitable recording spot to get 70013 on the climb up to Brampton and eventually ended up just to the east of How Mill level crossing about half way between Wetherall and Brampton.
Although I had never made lineside recordings on this route I had travelled over it on a number of occasions but had never had a run that could be described as really good. In view of this, our expectations of getting a good recording here weren't high.
However, sooner than we expected, we heard 70013 on the climb, probably still somewhere near Wetherall, and an unexpectedly good recording seemed to be in the bag.
The clip here is just part of a 6 minute recording and I'll say no more, just listen. Sometimes things just aren't fair; it's enough to make you weep!

Our next recording of 70013 was to be at Durham, providing we could make it in time.
The problem was that, as the train had passed us at How Mill running about 10 minutes early and the timings across to Low Fell seemed generous to say the least, we knew that we could probably expect it to leave Low Fell early.
Well, in the event the roads were clear and, from a previous recording attempt, we knew exactly where to go we made it with about 20 minutes to spare.
70013 was running around half an hour early when it came through Durham station going very well on the climb to Relly Mill and passed our recording spot high up at the top of the cutting just south of Durham Viaduct.
A much shorter recording than the last one but at least, this time, we were undisturbed!

The last of this year's regular mid-week trains over the Settle to Carlisle line ran on 23rd September 2009 and it's good to note that the Fellsman has run pretty well fully booked right throughout the season which must bode well for more trains next year.
This particular Wednesday proved to be a windy one with a strong westerly making it difficult for me to find a suitably sheltered recording spot somewhere around Settle.
Everywhere I tried seemed unsuitable either because of the wind or some annoying extraneous noise and I seemed doomed to have to use the spot on the hillside south of the station and hope for the best with the road noise.
I had walked up the river bank north of Settle in the hope of finding shelter from the wind and, while there was shelter, there was also the sound of a jack hammer in use from the edge of town. Reaching the road near Stackhouse I decided to see if I could find a suitable dry stone wall on the slopes leading up to Giggleswick Scar and ended up going much further uphill than I had intended eventually settling for an eminently suitable wall right at the top of Reinsbur Scar. While the wall was most suitable, the location was a bit of a gamble. While I am always happy to follow Peter Handford's excellent advice of not getting too close to the line when recording this location was perhaps taking that advice a little too far as I was a good 300' above the line which was well over half a mile distant. Worse still, the wind would be carrying sound away from me. The view however, was excellent.
Most of the Fellsman trains had been hauled by the Jubilee 'Leander' but for a change, this one had the ex LMS Black 5 4-6-0 45231 as motive power for the 10 coach load.
45231 turned up just about on time and I was able to hear it as it passed Settle station a mile and a half away.
The Black 5 seemed to be going well on the gradient but the sound tended to fade out a little as the train passed through cuttings around Stainforth and Langcliffe finally fading away as the RAF arrived.
You can usually count on the RAF!

After arrival back at York the loco went off to turn on the triangle then returned to take the empty stock off to Holgate and sounded like this leaving.
As the sound of the Black 5 fades, a Cross Country Voyager passes and the Class 37 diesel that was going to drag the stock from Holgate to the NRM heads out of the sidings ready to go.

So far, all of my lineside recordings of steam hauled trains leaving Scarborough have been made close to the station but I have been trying to find other possible locations. The main difficulty being, once away from the station, the line is always close to the busy Seamer Road and, further out, runs alongside the even busier A64, the main route out of Scarborough.
I made my first attempt at a recording elsewhere on the evening of the 5th August 2009 when LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 5690 'Leander' was working the Scarborough Spa Express and I went to a spot about three quarters of a mile from the station, on the east side of the line. This was actually the site of Scarborough's gas works, long since d emolished, and was opposite the engine shed, now the site of the turntable where steam locos visiting the town turn and take water.
I had hoped that I might just be able to hear the train starting from the station but although I saw a cloud of steam approaching, I didn't hear the loco until it was quite close. As you can hear, 5690 wasn't being hurried when it passed.
A recording to forget you might think? Well, were it not for the seagulls lending a bit of atmosphere and the loud comments at the end from a local resident, no doubt fed up after yet anther day providing beach transportation with the prospect of the same again tomorrow, you'd be right!

As 'Leander' was only booked to do the Scarborough Spa Express for one week, Thursday 6th August 2009 was my last chance for an evening out with the Jubilee.
As on the previous day, 5690 was worked fairly easily out of Scarborough, a sensible move as the SSE follows just 8 minutes behind a service train. Even so, on this run as often happens, we suffered a signal check at Weaverthorpe.
Every cloud has a silver lining they say and at least we were able to listen to some fine sounds from 5690 as our driver, David Blair again, got us back up to speed!

After York, once again we did the slow line shuffle and worse still got adverse signals before Church Fenton.
Despite this we were doing very well on Leeds bank, that is until we were stopped by a red signal approaching Micklefield.
The stop before Micklefield was quite along one, long enough that, had we been given a clear run through we would have surely stayed out of the way of whatever train it was that caused us to be stopped but no doubt, the computer at York said, 'No!' and no one in the box dared to overrule the computer!
So, once again, the silver lining to the cloud has to be the sound of the restart. I'd much rather have gone straight through though!

For some far from obvious reason we were held in the platform at Leeds until well after our booked departure time but that, at least, gave our driver the excuse, if he needed one, to give us as fast a run as possible up the climb to Horsforth.
As you can hear, he did his best. Speed on the gradient settled down to a little over 30 mph but, in the later stages, approaching Horsforth, perhaps boiler pressure had started falling and our speed followed suit. Still, with a train of 12 coaches, this performance can't be criticised and, for the fireman, Peter James, keeping up with a loco working as hard as this must be no easy task. I certainly couldn't do it!
This recording is of the early part of the climb and begins near Wortley Jc.

I made my final SSE recording of 5690 from the platform end at York as the loco took the empty stock away. It almost sounds as though the driver is setting off for another run round the loop!

41 years on after the end of steam on British Railways it was rather nice to be able to go out for a steam hauled ride on the main line again, the train in question, of course, was the Scarborough Spa Express and the loco beginning its two week stint on these trains was ex LMS Black 5 4-6-0 45231.
Once again, after York, we had the slow line shuffle and adverse signals but this time the adverse signals resulted in a red that didn't clear until we were approaching the crossover back to the Leeds line and down to 25 mph.
Our driver did his best and managed to work 45231 up to a little less than 50 mph beyond Church Fenton.
Once again we were going well until brought to a stand approaching Micklefield, speed was still just above 40 mph when the regulator had to be closed.

Instead of the usual 12 coaches, we just had 11 on this particular evening; something to do with a minor shunting accident damaging the door handles on one coach apparently.
With this load 45231 was able to maintain speeds around 30 mph on the climb to Horsforth.
This recording is of the the Black 5 departing from Leeds..

I've tried a few times to get recordings of steam hauled trains leaving Scarborough, mostly from near the station but I have looked elsewhere without much success, too much road noise and not enough from the loco is the usual problem. One spot I have been wanting to try is The Mere about half way between Scarborough and Seamer. It suffers from the problem of the busy Seamer Road being not too far away but, aside from near the station, so does everywhere else that I might try.
Another problem with this spot is that it is a well frequented area and popular with fishermen, dog walkers and people just out for a stroll and while all this is very pleasant, even I enjoyed my hour there, all these people are not conducive to undisturbed lineside recordings; it's just a question of being lucky. Another drawback is the lack of view; the line is completely screened by trees.
Still, on 18th August 2009 I thought it worth a try and here is the result; not exactly earth shattering but at least I was lucky in that the fishermen I could hear loudly discussing the size of something; I can only assume it was their catches, stopped just before 45231 came within earshot and the very loud group of 'Yoofs' arrived 5 minutes after!
I'm assuming that 45231 had 12 coaches behind the tender and that the driver wasn't rushing in the hope of not getting the usual signal check at Weaverthorpe.
I may try a recording here again. Maybe...

The final two weeks saw the BR Standard Britannia Pacific 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' in charge of the Scarborough Spa Express.
By this time we had discovered the reason for the slow line shuffle at Colton Jc. It seems that, in the working timetable there is a path for one of Network Rail's measurement trains running to Neville Hill for stabling and the shuffle was to allow this to overtake. No one on board the SSE ever actually saw this train pass mainly because it runs Mondays only! Apparently it did run on Bank Holiday Monday but passed through York half an hour before we arrived there.
However, on Tuesday 25th August 2009, a minor miracle occurred and we went straight through Colton Jcs. on the Leeds line!
Staying on the Leeds line meant that 70013 was able to pass through Church Fenton in the time honoured fashion at line speed with the whistle open. Very nice!
Our driver, Peter Walker, soon had the regulator open and we were doing well on the gradient and I was delighted when, approaching Micklefield, we appeared not to be getting a check before the junction but with the fast run up to this point the inevitable happened; we caught up with a stopping train and soon after passing Micklefield the regulator had to be closed yet again. Ah well, it was good while it lasted.

The climb from Leeds to Horsforth was excellent.
Once on the gradient 70013 was able to maintain around 40 mph which, with a 12 coach train, isn't bad at all. no complaints about the noise either.
This is a recording made during the early part of the climb as we pass through Burley Park and Headingley stations.

On the final part of the journey back to York 70013 is heard accelerating away from Hammerton.

On 27th August 2009 I had the chance to go out with a friend to try for some lineside recordings of that day's SSE.
Very sensibly, in my opinion, we decided that the early start required for me to get to York to record during the morning circle was not a good idea so our first recording of 70013 was at Malton as the train headed for Scarborough.
We went to a spot to the east of the station, near the bank of the River Derwent that we had used before and found two problems. The first was, as we had expected, it was windy but the second was the sound of some mechanical contraption on a building site over the river which was emitting a series of loud bangs at intervals. While we could find shelter from the former, there was nothing that we could do about the latter other than hope that 70013's passage would occur during one of the machine's quiet spells!
As you can hear, when 'Oliver Cromwell' passed running bang on time, we were lucky.

As we now had some hours to occupy before the SSE returned from Scarborough we headed off to the NYMR for some more recordings, after Fish & Chips in Pickering, of course but decided not to leave it too late before heading back for our evening recordings as we expected the roads to be busy with day trippers returning from the coast.
It was just as well that we allowed plenty of time as, although the roads were reasonably quiet, when we reached the spot we usually use near Sherburn in Elmet we found that the wind had strengthened and could find little shelter so an alternative spot had to be found.
This proved to be behind a hedge further down Leeds Bank nearer to Church Fenton; not ideal but at least we had some shelter from the wind which we hoped would carry the sound back to us as the loco climbed towards Micklefield - always assuming that there was some sound to carry back.
As expected, 70013 turned up earlier than the booked time, and passed going easily on the gradient with the driver seemingly not pressing the loco. Not quite the recording we'd been hoping for.
I expect that, after being checked on previous runs, the driver had decided that there was no point in rushing things as that would simply result in signal checks further on.

After that we intended to try to get to Harrogate for a recording of the loco on the climb away from Crimple Jc. We knew it would be tight for time but should have been do-able providing the roads weren't too bad. Indeed, the road we headed north on was very quiet but that proved to be because it was closed further on due to a pop festival taking place at Bramham Park! By the time we had retraced our steps and were heading north again it was clear that Harrogate wasn't a possibility and we went straight to Hammerton where having time to spare proved useful in finding somewhere sheltered.
We ended up near the crossing at Wilstrop about 1 1/2 miles east of Hammerton.
As the recording begins 70013 can be heard whistling on the approach to Hammerton station before accelerating on the gently falling gradient down to the River Ouse not far away then passing and heading off on the single line towards York, whistling in the distance for further crossings at Marston Moor and Hessay.
Although Wilstrop is an accommodation crossing, it is manned and protected by signals, actually I should say womanned to be accurate and as the sound of 70013 fades away to the east the crossing keeper has a car to deal with, first setting both signals to danger then opening the gates for the car before resetting her signals to clear having closed the gates once more.

The final week of SSEs started with a very full train on Bank Holiday Monday.
As the SSE was much quieter on Tuesday 1st September 2009 I did go for a ride in the evening.
As you'll hear in the following recordings, 'quieter' refers to the number of passengers, 70013 driven by Peter Walker was far from quiet!
Thanks to a clear run on the Leeds line it was great once again to pass through Church Fenton and round the curve beyond at line speed, 70 mph, and Peter Walker soon had 70013 working hard on the rising gradient. Speed fell only slowly and by the time we reached Micklefield we were still doing 55 mph. The next question was, would we catch up with the preceding stopping train as had happened in the past? Well, someone must have been looking out for us and we had a clear run, not only through Micklefield but all the way through to Leeds.
Beyond Micklefield, before we reached the summit of the climb a little over a mile away, we only lost a single mile per hour, an excellent performance with a 12 coach train!
The recording begins approaching Micklefield.
The run down into Leeds was taken fairly steadily, no doubt to avoid getting in to Leeds too early and perhaps catching up with the stopper. As a result we didn't get anywhere near a record run but, for this year, a time of around 32 1/2 minutes seems pretty good to me.

Next came the climb from Leeds to Horsforth.
Well, as you can hear, this was taken in much the same way that as the preceding run from York and thanks to some enthusiastic driving and, no doubt, equally enthusiastic firing by Craig Stinchcombe, 70013 was able to complete the climb maintaining between 37 & 40 mph. Nothing wrong with that!
The begins approaching Horsforth and recording ends as we enter Bramhope Tunnel.

As usual on arrival back at York I took myself off to the end of what used to be Platform 14 to record 70013 taking the empty stock out to Holgate sidings and, as usual, I wasn't disappointed!
It's now Platform 9 by the way, I checked but at my time of life I'll never get used to the 'new' numbers!

After that evening out I'd intended just to have a final evening out on the the last day two days later but the thought of no more main line steam riding until 2010 got the better of me and I rode on the following evening as well. The performance on the penultimate night was very similar to the previous evening; we stayed on the Leeds line through Colton Jcs. but caught up the stopper near Cross gates and had a very good run up to Horsforth.
It would have been nice to have reported that the final train of the season gave us the best performance of all but it was not to be. We did the slow line shuffle on the way to Church Fenton and then had severe adhesion problems on the climb to Horsforth. It proved not to be an evening for heroics, good enginmanship was what was needed and was what we got.
Despite the slight sense of anticlimax on the last night, I've thoroughly enjoyed my SSE rides this year. Perhaps I've just been lucky but I've been most impressed with the enthusiasm of all the crews. While I can always appreciate good, economic driving, it's always nice when crews enter into the spirit of things and do that bit extra!

Well, that's it for another year, roll on 2010!

For the southbound run we returned to the tried and trusted spot near Greengate Bridge at Wharton not far south of Kirkby Stephen station.
We've had some good recordings here and this one was no exception as 46115 was going very well as it passed, running about 10 minutes early with its 12 coach train but the spot does have one drawback as the area between Greengate Bridge and Birkett Tunnel is very popular with photographers and, when you get a group together they do tend to talk; usually there's one with a voice that carries too!
Although this clip ends as the train reaches the Birkett Tunnel, after the Scot had passed through we were pleased to hear the sound carry back from the other side as it continued the climb to Ais Gill. Of course, we could also hear the photographers heading off to their next location!

The other charter train to visit during the summer is the Scarborough Spa Express operated by the West Coast Railway Company which runs on three days each week from the end of July to the end of August.
The first of these trains for the 2009 season ran on 21st July 2009 with ex LMS Black 5 4-6-0 45407 as motive power for this 12 coach train.
I had originally intended to travel on this first one but as the temporary diversion of local buses would have left me with long walk when I got back from York I had to make do with just seeing the train leave Scarborough.
Not the best recording I've made here but better than nothing!

For details of the Scarborough Spa Express visit the West Coast Railway Co's web site and you will find details of the Scarborough Flyer at the Railway Touring Co's web site.

The next train was also a shuttle to Ingrow, this time hauled by the visiting loco, the ex LNER Class O4 2-8-0 63601 normally on the Great Central Railway. I'd been looking forward to recording this loco, not having even seen one of the class since 1966!
Instead of a two coach train, this Ingrow shuttle was a full 6 coaches but the loco was eased considerably once the train came round Globe Curve. In addition, the driver seemed to be having some difficulty setting the regulator opening just as he wanted so that recording, while not too bad, wasn't quite what I'd been hoping for. Not to worry though, as the shuttle returned immediately and the 6 coach set formed the next train off Keighley, through to Oxenhope this time, with the O4 in charge So I stayed where I was.
This recording was much better and although the loco was eased, this time was without the regulator juggling act!

In an attempt to find a bit of quiet, after the last recording went back down to Keighley station and travelled up to Damems where I found someone down towards Ingrow with a chain saw and a road sweeping machine making lots of noise somewhere in the vicinity. Having a bit of time before the next train I decided to wait and see and, miracle of miracles, the noises stopped!
The next train up to Oxenhope was hauled by 957 piloting the, soon to be withdrawn for overhaul, Taff Vale 0-6-2T No. 85.
Although being rather quieter than Keighley, Damems was also windier but at least the wind was carrying sound up from Ingrow and as this recording begins the pair can be heard emerging from Ingrow tunnel and starting to climb the gradient.
A short pause is all that is needed at Damems before the train continues into the loop not far beyond.

The train that I had really gone to Damems to record was next. This was a demonstration freight train which was only going as far as Damems Loop and was hauled by the visiting O4, 63601 with the Jinty, 47279 on the back.
I've seen some quite lengthy freight trains run on the railway but, unfortunately this wasn't one of them. It was long enough to cause the O4 to make a bit of noise but didn't require assistance from the Jinty as it came up the gradient from Damems.
For audibly obvious reasons, I would have been somewhat disappointed if it had run a couple of minutes later!

I decided that a change of location was in order for the next few trains and walked up to the other side of the loop to a spot I've used successfully many times before only to find that it was exposed to the strong easterly breeze. As I felt that my new super efficient windshield would cope I decided to stay and record the next train which was to be double headed by the 2 2-8-0s 63601 & 90733.
The breeze did have the advantage of carrying the sound all the way up from Ingrow and while 85 & 957 came down the gradient from Oakworth towards the loop, I could just hear the 2-8-0s coming up from Ingrow.
One minor disadvantage of this spot is that trains heading for Keighley are often stopped at the signal controlling access to the loop until the Oxenhope bound train is inside. This means that, while the train is stopped, a coach load of passengers can have a grandstand view of a sound recordist plying his trade. I don't mind, just so long as they don't try to engage me in conversation!
In due course the 2-8-0s arrived in the loop, the signalman can pulled off for the Keighley bound train and 85 & 957 continued their journey taking my audience with them.
With the Keighley train out of the way 63601 & 90733 get the road and head for Oakworth.

As it was bit windier at Damems Loop than I would have liked I moved up to Oakworth and found a more sheltered spot at the back of the goods yard and later in the afternoon got another recording of 63601 with a non-stop 'Express' to Oxenhope.
Sheltered from the wind, sound was carrying well as the loco came up from the loop but there was one strange effect that I'd not noticed when recording here before. I've heard an echo from Oakworth goods shed a few times but it's never been as strong as it was this time, indeed at times, it seems louder than the loco climbing the gradient. Explain that one!
This was another train that, for obvious, audible reasons, had it been minute or so later, I would have been less than pleased!

Returning to Keighley I now had a choice; set off for home, or record one more train...
As the next train was something a little out of the ordinary and hauled by a loco that I'd not recorded before the choice was easy.
Steam galas usually give some of the smaller engines on the railway a chance to appear but they usually only work shuttles to Ingrow or, if the go further, they'll be double headed but on this occasion, one of the smaller locos was to be allowed a run of the full length of the line.
The loco in question was the Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T no 17O4 'Nunlow' looked after by the Bahamas Locomotive Society at Ingrow and was going to take a train of three vintage carriages for a full round trip of the line.
I'd noticed that the normal running times in the timetable had been extended somewhat for this run; perhaps someone was lacking confidence in the loco's ability but, judging by the way it left Keighley, there wouldn't be any problems!
If you listen carefully at the beginning of the recording you may just hear what sounds like a Class 37 diesel. Your ears do not deceive you. It had arrived from Carnforth bringing with it the Jubilee 'Leander' and the coaches for the main line shuttles to be run from Keighley on Saturday and Sunday.

I visited the K&WVR Gala again on Sunday 28th June 2009, this time with a friend who was keen to get some recordings of the O4 as well as some of the main line shuttles.
We started our day with a visit to Skipton to record the first of the day's trains to Hellifield and Settle Jc. hauled by the visiting LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 5690 'Leander' and we set ourselves up just north of the station on the site of the engine shed, now a business park which, being Sunday morning, was nice and quiet. Less quiet was the traffic on Broughton Road at the other side of the railway and we couldn't help but notice that we were just about opposite the ambulance station. Fingers crossed that the population of Skipton would stay healthy, at least for half an hour or so!
Just about on time, we heard the Jubilee approaching Skipton and stopping in the station before departing for Hellifield with 8 coaches behind the tender and the Class 37 diesel on the rear, there to bring the train back from Settle Jc.
Not a bad start to the day.

For our next recording we went off to Keighley and to a spot between Ingrow and Damems which had the minor drawback of having no view, the line being screened by trees from our position. No problem though as we had our trusty working timetable to hand which revealed that the next train would be hauled by the WD.
At about the correct time we heard a whistle from the Ingrow direction which obviously wasn't the WD; something in Ingrow yard presumably, then we heard the sound of a loco emerging from Ingrow Tunnel.
It soon became obvious that this wasn't the WD indeed, neither engine was the WD; the train was double headed and it passed us behind the trees giving us very little clue as to what we had just recorded!
We had intended to stay where we were for the next train which was supposed to be hauled by the O4 but as things had obviously changed, we thought it best to go down to Keighley, if nothing else, to try and find out what we had just recorded!

Arriving at Keighley station we quickly spotted the blackboard with a message telling us that the O4 had failed; my friend was not best pleased!
The next train off Keighley, instead of the O4, had the WD for motive power so we decided to record it leaving. While I would have preferred another recording of the O4, I wasn't disappointed with this one of 90733.
When I rejoined my friend, although he was still somewhat peeved at missing the O4, he had to admit that 90733 had made a fine sound departing with its 6 coach train and we had been able, by a process of elimination, to work out that our previous recording had been of ex LMS Jinty 0-6-0T 47279 and the L&Y 0-6-0 957!

After the WD it was time to go for a recording of another of the main line shuttles.
We went to a spot just north of Gargrave near where the railway crosses the River Aire and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
With a couple of Lapwings and some Oystercatchers for company we settled down to wait, hoping that the light breeze would carry the sound and give us a good, long recording. We weren't disappointed!
Perhaps a minute or two earlier than we might have expected we heard the Jubilee coming up the gradient; it must have still been approaching Gargrave when we first heard it.
As 5690 approaches the sound increases to a roar as the loco passes under an overbridge and continues past going very well on the 1 in 150 gradient.
With the strength of the breeze coming from the south east, we didn't expect to hear very much of the continuing climb towards Bell Busk but, as you can hear, sound carried back well; an excellent recording!

In view of there being no O4 to record we decided to concentrate our efforts on the Jubilee and, although we did go back to Keighley for an hour we returned to Gargrave for the last of the day's main line shuttles in the hope of another recording as good as the previous one.
On arriving we found that the wind had picked up a little but not enough to be a problem for my new, super efficient wind shield so everything was set fair for another good one.
On our previous visit the train had been, if anything, a little early but this time it was late, following a service train to Morecambe.
After the service train had passed, I was monitoring what my recorder was hearing through headphones and thought I could hear a tractor somewhere in the vicinity but couldn't see anything. The 'tractor' got louder but it was only when I took the headphones off that I realised that the sound was coming from above. Looking up, I spied, directly overhead, one of those extremely annoying motor driven hang gliders and as I willed it to disappear, I could hear 5690 recovering from a signal check passing Gargrave.
As the Jubilee approached, the sound of the hang glider did seem to be fading away but replacing it, a helicopter appeared to the north. Sometimes, you just can't win!
Well, despite the aerial annoyances, the Jubilee still sounds good as it passes on the gradient but how much better it would have been had it been on time!

The West Coast Railway Co. have gained a reputation among enthusiasts for occasionally running 'secret' trains; trains that seem never to get any publicity and, on occasion, we only find out about them after the event. Fair enough I suppose; well, if you've got a train set, you may as well play with it!
Fortunately, I did find out about the train running on 23rd June 2009 as it involved the ex-LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 46115 'Scots Guardsman' having what appeared to be essentially an empty stock run from Carnforth to Scarborough and back.
It was rather nice to be able to see the loco in Platform 1 at Scarborough station without the usual crowds; other than a member of staff off the train taking a photograph I was the only spectator.
From a recording point of view, this was never going to be a show stopper as the loco had just than 6 coaches behind the tender but the Scot did make a little noise for me departing.
Due to the usual crowds, I can't imagine I'll get many chances to record on Platform 1 at Scarborough station so, in one way at least, this may be a unique recording!

Back in the bad old days, before we became 'civilised', anything that didn't go according to plan could be blamed on the gods. We had gods for almost every aspect of life and, as everyone knows, gods are fickle. However, if one aspect of a persons life regularly went wrong then there could be only one explanation; that person must have offended that particular god in some way...
What I would like someone to tell me is what I've done to offend the weather god because it seems that whenever I go out lineside recording, I get wind. Perhaps I could have phrased that better but, if this goes on, I shall have to find some way to placate the gods. Perhaps the ceremonial sacrifice of a windshield will do it?
As seems to be the norm, Sunday 17th May 2009, when the LMS Jubilee 4-6-0 5690 'Leander' worked a train over the Settle to Carlisle line, produced a strong wind and rain was forecast too.
In view of the weather, we went to Selside for the northbound run and found suitable shelter provided by the ever useful dry stone wall.
'Leander' turned up about 20 minutes late going very well with a train of 9 coaches but the recording was much shorter than we might have hoped; blame it on the wind god!

As well as the weather gods not being on our side, the Fish & Chip gods weren't either. Kirkby Stephen has three Fish & Chip shops, all of them were closed!
The main requirement for our recording of the Jubilee's return from Carlisle was shelter not only from the wind but there was rain about too.
Although we looked elsewhere, Greengate Bridge at Wharton, not far south of Kirkby Stephen provided the necessary shelter once again but, because of the wind direction, we were on the opposite side of the line from usual and from there, we would have no view of the approaching train.
No problem of course, all that was required was to have the recorder running in plenty of time.
Well it would have been no problem except that 5690 appeared on the scene at about the time it should have been leaving Appleby. The first we knew about it was hearing it and due to the strength of the wind we didn't hear it until it was not much more than a train's length away.
Still, with a bit of careful editing, the recording isn't too bad and 'Leander' didn't sound at all bad after it passed heading up the gradient towards Birkett Tunnel.
Next time I'll be ready and switched on much sooner and, of course, it will be late!

It didn't take me long to realise that the last recording would have been much better had I had a more effective windshield. Not that there was any wind noise on the recording but had I not been forced to seek shelter in quite such an out of the way place, I might have had more warning of the train's approach!
Now, what I would really like is one of those fancy zeppelins that Rycote make. The only problem being that they cost more than all my equipment put together. However, a friend mentioned another company who make the same sort of product but at a much cheaper price.
Looking at the web site I discovered that they did indeed do a Rycote lookalike zeppelin but it was still too expensive. Although the outer cover was cheap enough, the cage and suspension were still a little pricey.
While I'm not much of a do it yourself person, I reckoned I could build a cage to fit the cover and built my own. Now for the test and a day out on the NYMR was an ideal opportunity!
Tuesday 26th May 2009 promised fine weather with a decent breeze to give the new windshield a good test and I set myself up at Dowson Garth, opposite Green End on the climb from Grosmont to Goathland, right in the middle of the field without any thought of finding shelter from the fairly strong breeze.
This track was made during the afternoon of Ian Riley's ex LMS Black 5 4-6-0 45407 taking 7 coaches up the bank in excellent style.
Well, while I did notice a bit of wind noise here and there on the recordings I made (if you listen with headphones you can hear a bit on this track) I can tell you that I was more than satisfied with the results. The breeze was strong enough at times to shake the windshield and, had I been using the old one, I'd have had difficulty getting anything useful.
So, the verdict; not as quite as good as a dry stone wall but far more portable!

Friday 1st May 2009

The 2009 North Yorkshire Moors Railway Spring Steam Gala promised to be a very busy event featuring, as it did, the first visit to a preserved line steam gala of the newly built Peppercorn designed A1 Pacific 60163 'Tornado' and offering enthusiasts the chance to ride behind this engine without needing to pay the premium prices charged for main line runs these days.
The Gala was spread over two weekends, the first day being Friday 1st May and, as Gala Fridays seem to be quieter I was pleased to be able to visit that day.

Starting the day at Levisham, the first train we could record was hauled by the ex LNER Q6 0-8-0 63395 with the first train from Pickering to Grosmont.
With 6 teak coaches strengthened with a couple of MK1s the 0-8-0 makes a fine sound as it heads off into Newtondale.

The next Grosmont bound train an hour later was hauled by 'Tornado' and we went to a spot about half a mile into Newtondale to record it.
As this recording begins, the BR Standard 4-6-0 75029 can be heard departing for Pickering before the A1 gets the right away for Grosmont.
Running tender first, 60163 slips on the level crossing but once that is corrected the loco has no further difficulty with its 8 coach train although it doesn't sound as though it needs to be worked particularly hard on the gradient.

Obviously, we were keen to get recordings of the visiting Pacific so set off to the other end of the line to get it on the 1 in 49 climb to Goathland in the hope that the loco would be worked harder on the steeper gradient.
As this recording begins 'Tornado' can be heard approaching from Grosmont and although it sounds to be easily managing the 8 coach load on the climb, once again, the loco doesn't sound as though it needs to be extended.

Our recording spot at Esk Valley proved to be exposed to a very strong breeze that had sprung up from somewhere and, as we couldn't think of anywhere that would provide both a suitable recording spot as well as shelter we retraced our steps to Levisham and arrived just in time to see the A1 crossing the other LNER Pacific working that day; A4 60007 'Sir Nigel Gresley'.
As well as seeing these two we were just in time for a recording of the A4 departing for Grosmont.

Having moved to near Newtondale Halt and after getting another recording of the A1 we stayed ther knowing that 75029 would be on the next train from Pickering we decided to stay in the vicinity for another recording though we went a little further to the north as the spot we had first picked proved to be exposed to the breeze.
After only a short pause 75029 is soon on its way again and accelerates its 5 coach load away up the gradient towards Goathland.

That evening the A1 was to work the diner from Grosmont to Pickering and back and, as the dining Pullmans were fully booked, we dined on the somewhat cheaper alternative of Fish and Chips in Pickering before heading off to Darnholme to hear 60163 come up the gradient from Grosmont.
Fortunately the earlier rain had stopped, the strong breeze had died down a little and it was rather nice that on the first day in May, we should hear a cuckoo calling from the trees nearby as 'Tornado' first came into earshot approaching from Beck Hole.
While the A1 is going well enough on this heavy 8 coach train, I really would have expected it to be going a little faster than this on the gradient.
Still, no complaints, the slow speed had one advantage; we could hear the loco's three cylinder beat more clearly than we would have done had it been going faster!

Our last recording that day was made shortly before 10PM at Gallock Hill in Newtondale, about a mile and a half from Levisham as the Pullman diner returned from Pickering behind 60163.
A half moon illuminated the scene, all was quiet, sound was carrying well in the still air and a distant whistle could be heard from the A1 approaching Levisham. Silence returned disturbed only by owls calling across the valley before the whistle sounded again and 'Tornado' could just be heard starting from Levisham.
In due course, the sound of the train climbing up through the valley grew until the steady exhaust beat became clear as the A1 passed then the sound faded away again giving the night back to silence and the owls.
My original recording lasted for around 9 minutes so the recording here has had to be edited considerably but I hope that it still gives a flavour of the wonderful atmosphere.

Thursday 7th May 2009

As the A1 was in use on the NYMR throughout the week between the two Steam Gala weekends I decided to go over and have a ride on Thursday 7th May 2009 when things would be a little quieter than during the weekends.
60163 was booked to haul the 11:30 ex Grosmont and do two round trips and as that train was the first through train from Whitby, that was where I started my journey behind 45407.
Sure enough, on reaching Grosmont, the Black 5 came off and Tornado backed down ready for the run to Pickering.
I have to admit that, while making lineside recordings on my previous visit, I'd been a little disappointed with the A1's performance. Don't get me wrong, it coped easily with the loads and the gradients but I'd hoped for a little more. Perhaps it would sound better from on-board?
Well, this run didn't cause any change in my opinion. On the climb from Grosmont to Goathland the A1 kept time without any difficulties with the 7 coach train but once again, I'd hoped for a little more noise!

Returning tender first from Pickering, in this recording 60163 is heard departing from Levisham. Once again, the loco isn't worked particularly hard but this time there is a good reason. As you can hear, not long after the start, the loco begins to prime, the regulator is eased and the cylinder cocks have to be opened. Unfortunately the loco continues to pick up the water and the cylinder cocks are opened again while speed diminishes on the steep gradient.

The second round trip with Tornado was a little better as you can hear in this recording made during the climb Grosmont to Goathland. We had had a crew change and perhaps this driver was prepared to do a bit more with the engine or perhaps the driver for our first round trip had been worrying about the loco priming.
Whatever the reason, I thought this was somewhat better!
This recording begins as the A1, having been eased for the speed restriction, rattles over Bridge 30 before continuing the climb to Goathland.

Also better was the start from Goathland and 60163 accelerates well on the easier gradients towards Goathland summit.
During the week between the two gala weekends the NYMR were selling footplate rides on Tornado, far too expensive for me but I have it on good authority that the gentleman who was fortunate to be having been bought a footplate ride during this run as a birthday present was grinning from ear to ear when spotted at Levisham - as well he might!

Returning to Grosmont from Pickering I occupied the front window in the leading coach and with the engine running tender first, my recording spot was just feet from the chimney.
Tornado has one slightly annoying feature as regards its sound; it has the noisiest vacuum ejector I've ever heard but despite this continuous sound from the chimney, this time I was far happier with my recording of the climb from Levisham to near Goathland Summit which included a stop at Newtondale Halt.
The fireman appears to have managed the boiler better on this run and there was no trouble with priming this time.
In this recording the A1 is heard departing from Newtondale Halt.

That was the A1's last round trip for the day but I and the train still had to get back to Whitby.
Again 45407 was motive power for the last part of the run and I couldn't go home without recording a loco that has never disappointed me for noise could I?
This brief recording is of the loco passing Ruswarp.
You can't beat a Black 5!

In mid-April there was plenty of steam activity around York and while I couldn't get out for recordings, fortunately my friend Mike could...

Mike writes:
On 18th April 2009 York saw two steam hauled trains both powered by ex LNER Pacifics. The first of these was hauled by the A4 pacific 60009 'Union of South Africa' which was taking the Heart of Midlothian from York to Edinburgh.
Running about 15 minutes late, No. 9 is heard passing a spot near Poppleton church not far north of Skelton Jc.
A local resident out for an early morning walk is about to start a conversation as the A4 approaches but after waving and pointing at my recording equipment I managed to stop him and was lucky to get an uninterrupted recording!

On the same day, the newly built A1 60163 'Tornado' hauled the VSOE British Pullman train from Kings Cross to York and back. The bargain fare for this run was a mere £450!
Ok, that might not sound like much of a bargain but just consider that a peak hours first class ticket from Kings Cross to York and back costs nearly £350 and I'll bet the food on the Pullman was far better. The motive power certainly was!

Mike writes:
Sheltering from the wind on the opposite side of the line from my usual spot near the site of Challoners Whin Jc. just to the south of York Tornado is heard accelerating as it takes the Yorkshire Pullman back to London.

A week later Mike was out again, this time for a recording of Tyseley's latest Castle, newly returned to the main line, double chimney GWR 4-6-0 5043 'Earl of Mount Edgcumbe' working a charter for Vintage Trains from Birmingham to York and back.

Mike writes:
In this recording 5043 is heard near the summit of the short climb from Bolton-on-Dearne to Frickley. The Castle was following hard on the heels of a stopping local service which must have caused signal checks and 5043 sounds fine accelerating on the rising gradient.

Mike was out again later in the day for the Castle returning to Birmingham.

Mike writes:
Heard passing Dringhouses just south of York station 5043 comes by with the safety valves lifting. I'd hoped that with a strong westerly wind blowing the sound would carry back for longer but the loco wasn't being worked particularly hard. Perhaps no one wanted a repeat of the lineside fires started during the outward journey and the crew had been instructed to take it easy!

On some days, when I go out sound recording, getting a good recording is not as important as on other days. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm always happier when conditions are right, the loco sounds good and I can go home with another masterpiece but, it's just that, on some days, it doesn’t matter as much when things aren't quite right.
On these more important days, a good weather forecast is a bonus but all too often as was the case on 9th April 2009, we got just the opposite.
On the day, aside from a couple of showers, the forecast rain didn't really materialise but the strong wind did.
Arriving at Shap Wells in plenty of time for a recording of the ex LMS Royal Scot 4-6-0 46115 'Scots Guardsman' we hoped to find that the trees on the west side of the line would provide some shelter if we went to our usual spot on the other side of the line and, when we got there, for a while we did seem to be out of the wind. However, as time went on, the wind seemed to become gustier even blowing my friend's microphone over at one point so the dry stone wall to the south was required once more.
Although the wall provided some shelter from the wind, from there, there isn't much of a view and we knew we would get little advance warning of the train's approach however, a helpful lineside photographer with a much better view promised to give us a wave when steam appeared down towards Greenholme - problem solved apparently!

Once the two Black 5s had gone we settled down to wait for the main event keeping a sharp eye on our camera toting friend further up the line.
As I've mentioned before, it is usually my habit to start recording well before I expect the train to arrive to ensure that I don't miss anything but, on this occasion, there was no need. With the strength of the wind we knew we wouldn't hear anything, probably until the train was up to Scout Green, long after we had had our warning wave - always providing he remembered...
I'll bet you are ahead of me aren't you?
The first we knew was the faint sound of a loco working hard which gave us just time to get switched on without missing too much.
46115 had 11 coaches behind the tender and was going very well indeed with a load that, back in steam days, most drivers with a Class 7 engine would have wanted a banker from Tebay before tackling Shap. If you are in any doubt as to how hard the loco was being worked, we found ourselves being bombarded with cinders, not just small ashes, but quite sizable lumps which had been ejected from the chimney and these were only landing as the fourth coach passed 100 yards or so from the line. Indeed, if you look carefully at the the large version of the second picture, you may notice a large number of black specks in the sky!
It's interesting to note that the driver on the Scot was Gordon Hodgson, the same man who gave us such an excellent recording of the same engine southbound on the S&C earlier in the year.
With less wind and more warning we would probably have got a longer recording so lets hope they let the Scot have many more goes up Shap but, one thing is for certain, the next time I won't be waiting for any waves, I'll be switched on in plenty of time!

From Shap we headed off to Beattock.
For sound recording, as I've mentioned before, Beattock is somewhat problematical, mainly due to the noise from the busy A74M which shares the valley so, as we had a little time in hand we decided to see if we could find somewhere better than the locations we had tried before.
On previous visits I'd spotted the road that climbs over the hills to the east towards Moffat and had wondered if there were any suitable locations up there. Our side trip proved worthwhile and we were able to find a spot on the hillside opposite Greskine, about 250 feet above the line which would be a little less than ¼ mile away. This spot, thanks to some fairly recent tree felling, also gave a reasonable view of Greskine and the line to the north as far as Harthope but we had no view top the south to give us warning of the train's approach.
Anywhere on the climb to Beattock is bound to suffer from road noise as the A74(M) is never far away but the advantage with this spot was that the road, although immediately below us was hidden from view by the curve of the slope and the noise, while still audible, was far less than we would have got from the other side of the valley. Better still, we were well sheltered from the strong wind. So far so good.
We had our recorders set up a good hour before the Scot was due and expected to pass the time seeing nothing but the occasional Voyager or Pendolino pass below us so it came as a surprise when half an hour too early for the Scot we thought we heard the faint sound of a steam loco approaching so it was recorders on and, what should appear but 45231 & 45407 with their support coaches; when we arrived, we had assumed that they were long gone!
You can be sure that, to be certain of not being caught unprepared again, I had my recorder on long before 46115 was due so, when it appeared a few minutes earlier than I expected I didn't miss anything this time.
The 10 mile climb from Beattock to the summit is quite a different prospect to Shap and perhaps there had been a change of driver at Carlisle so maybe the man on the regulator had decided in view of the load, to play safe. Although well in command of the situation, 46115 doesn't sound to be being pressed to too great an effort as the train passes Greskine a little over half way to the summit.

Bernard Staite died on 10th April 2009.

There can't be many people involved in main line steam in the UK who won't know what Bernard did for us and that, without him, we probably wouldn't still be having the amazing variety of steam on the main line that we all enjoy so much.

So here is just one recording, it's one just for you, Bernard.

Bernard was always partial to engines with copper caps and if there was one loco that he liked the best, this was the one...

Somewhere among my vast collection of railway books I have one called 'Titled Trains of Great Britain' but among its pages I bet I would struggle to find one named as oddly as the one that we ventured out to record on 29th March 2009.
Andy Staite, who took over running steam railtours from his father, Bernard, under the banner of Past-Time Rail gained a reputation for interesting train names and raised a few eyebrows among the regulars when he came up with 'The Chester Chuffer' a few years ago but, if that was a little odd, how about 'The Tin Bath' for this one which was routed from Manchester via the Hope Valley to Sheffield then through Barnsley, Penistone, Huddersfield, Brighouse and the Calder Valley back to Manchester? The 11 coach train was hauled by Ian Riley's pair, BR Standard Class 4 2-6-0 76079 & ex LMS Black 5 4-6-0 45407 but with no Tin Bath headboard in evidence!
Our first recording was made near Hathersage in the Hope Valley where the train made a brief stop, perhaps to exchange footplate passengers or perhaps to supply the crew on 45407 with breathing apparatus for the passage through Totley Tunnel.
The spot we recorded from, having never been there for a lineside recording before, was selected from the map and, aside from the busy road across the valley, proved to be ideal.
I wasn't at all unhappy with this recording - aside from the whistle that is fitted to the Standard which isn't at all right for the loco!

From Hathersage we took ourselves off to Barnsley, another place we had never been to for recordings before, where the pair were to climb the steeply graded route to Penistone.
This time the map let us down. While we expected that it would be difficult to find somewhere suitable on the steepest part of the climb which begins right at the junction close to Barnsley station I had identified a couple of promising spots from the map - at least they would have been promising had there not been fences and gates guarding them.
With time running out we plumped for the car park close to Barnsley station built on the site of the G.C.'s goods station adjacent to the long demolished Court House station and hoped for the best.
Back in the late 60s I was able to travel on this route behind steam; a railtour from Doncaster to Cleethorpes went this way hauled by 'Flying Scotsman'. The A3 ran well on the outward journey but, on the return, the curving 1 in 50 away from Barnsley proved too much and we stalled before Summer Lane requiring diesel assistance to continue. No such problems with this pair!
Aside from a few other spectators who had come to see the train we were undisturbed at the back of the car park but the recording was shorter than we would have liked as the sound of 76079 & 45407 quickly faded as the train curved away and passed under Huddersfield Road not far away.
Given more time, I'm sure we could find somewhere better. I hope we get another chance.

For our final recording we went to Brighouse where 76079 & 45407 were to take water.
That our recording wasn't particularly good wasn't down to the location; the map led us to an eminently suitable spot about a mile from the station but, when the pair passed, not only weren't they being worked all that hard but the Black 5 had developed a stuck cylinder cock!

After the recordings I got last year of 60163 on its test runs I had been looking forward to getting more recordings of it working railtours. My first chance came on 12th March 2009 when Tornado was booked to work a train for Pathfinder from York to Newcastle and back.
While windy weather may be in keeping with the locomotive's name, I hope it isn't going to be a regular feature of days when the A1 is out and about but, while we didn't actually have a tornado, the wind was very much stronger than the forecast had suggested. Worse still, our recording spot near the bank of the River Ouse provided absolutely no shelter.
We were lucky; although the wind seemed to strengthen as the train prepared to depart it soon eased and conditions weren't too bad once Tornado got under way.
As 60163 with 13 coaches behind the tender passes, a fairly quiet Trans Pennine Express Class 185 DMU comes south.

For the return from Newcastle we had intended to try for a recording on the rising gradient from Durham to Relly Mill as Pathfinder had requested a stop there for passengers not wishing to spend time in Newcastle.
Unfortunately this requested and advertised stop didn't appear in the final timings, presumably Network Rail decided that they couldn't path it among other trains - a shame for us as, in the event, we would have got a much better recording had the A1 had to re-start from Durham station.
After looking at a few possible places, our main aim being to get some shelter from the still strong wind, we eventually decided on a spot at the top of the cutting about half way between Durham station and Relly Mill. This location was remarkably sheltered from the wind and the only disturbance was a little traffic noise from an overbridge not far to the south.
60163 turned up a couple of minutes early and despite having the added weight of a Class 67 diesel, dead on the rear of the 13 coach train, was going very well indeed.
Our recordings proved to be quite short as, travelling at that speed, once it has passed, the sound of the train tends to drown out the sound of the loco. Still, short but sweet is better than no recording at all!

The last day in February saw York being the place to be for anyone who likes East Coast Pacifics as both the new Peppercorn A1 Pacific 60163 'Tornado' and the ex LNER A4 Pacific 60007 'Sir Nigel Gresley' were both booked to work trains from there that day.
Getting to York early enough for the first of these wasn't a possibility for me but my friend Mike, who lives in York, was out for a recording of both trains...

Mike writes:
On arriving at the riverside Marygate car park that morning I pondered on which bank of the River Ouse I should go to, to record Tornado which was working a train for Past-Time Rail to Edinburgh. Having already tried a recording of the A1 from the Leeman Road side of the river, nearest the railway (see below) I decided to stay on the other side where, hopefully, I would hear more as the loco accelerated north.
As I began setting up the A1, appeared with its support coach reversing into the station so I switched on just in case. Almost immediately it started raining and you can just hear the rain splashing into the the river as the A1 passes.

Mike stayed where he was for the A1's departure a little later and writes:

With a blast of its watery whistle the A1 departed for Edinburgh bang on time and, as it passes the National Railway Museum, the driver gives a whistle to the A4 support crew who were preparing 60007 for a trip to Bescot later that day.
Hopes of a good sound as the loco accelerated away to the north came to naught; as Tornado passed I spotted, of all things, a canal narrow boat approaching along the river. Luckily though it was not too noisy but the chances of a canal boat coming down the River Ouse at 8'o'clock in the morning must be pretty remote!

Well, I swap a canal boat passing for the girls in the rowing boat that once interrupted my riverside recording of 60009 some years ago!
One thing I was pleased to hear in Mike's recording, or perhaps I should say, one thing I was pleased not to hear was the chime whistle that seems to have been in frequent use on past runs. I much prefer what Mike describes as the A1's 'watery whistle' - well, that's how I remember A1's whistles sounding!

Mike was out again later in the day and writes:

When deciding on the best place to go for a recording of Vintage Trains rail tour leaving York for Bescot that afternoon,I decided to go to my usual spot at Dringhouses having discounted the alternative spot near the site of Chaloners Whin due to wind making the nearby, busy A64 road seem very noisy.
Unusually No. 7's chime whistle could not be heard as it departed from the station so I was quite surprised to see steam appear as the A4 cleared Holgate Bridge.
Vintage Train trips often have very short trains, sometimes only 6 or 7 coaches but this one must have done a little better for passenger numbers having 10 with the addition of a Class 47 diesel at the rear.
As most London bound trains I'd seen going past were travelling quite slowly so I presumed that there could be a speed restriction under the road bridge at Hob Moor nearer the site of Challoners Whin Jc. junction where some repairs are been carried out. With this in mind I decided to keep my recorder going hoping to hear the engine pull away but, inevitably a class 66 hauled freight appeared at just the wrong time followed by two Transpennine DMUs!
Still, all in all not a bad recording.

Until last year, the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway was my nearest preserved line and, when the railway held a steam gala, I would usually be there for at least two days. Now that I live further away, it isn't so easy to get there. Perhaps it's just old age creeping on but, especially when the weather isn't all that good, staying at home can be an attractive prospect!
Anyway, for the K&WVR's Winter Steam Gala, held over the weekend of 13th to 16th February 2009 the effort proved worthwhile when I visited the railway on the second day of the gala.
With a longer journey to get there I missed the demonstration freight but was there in time for the first journey up the line that day by the visiting star attraction, the BR Standard Britannia Pacific 70013 'Oliver Cromwell'.
Recording conditions were excellent with a very light south westerly wind so I started off at one of my regular recording spots near Damems Loop expecting that sound would carry back well as the train continued up the valley.

As the recording begins 70013 is heard departing from the loop with 5 suburban coaches behind the tender.
As I expected, sound carried well and later I could hear 70013 departing form Oakworth and heading for the next stop at Haworth.

To get the maximum number of recordings that day I would have had to head down to Damems after the last train had passed as there were a number of shuttles running from Keighley which would go no further than the loop but, as conditions were so good where I was, I decided that I would stay; quality rather than quantity!
The next train up from Keighley was hauled by the Austerity WD 2-8-0 90733 but before that could proceed, the train hauled by 'Oliver Cromwell' had to come down the single line from Oxenhope.
With the Keighley train safely out of the way and the points and signal set, 90733 makes a really fine sound heading for Oakworth.
'Storming' is a word that I often see describing loco performance, often in the caption to a photograph where the loco so described clearly isn't storming. Making lots of smoke is not storming. It's a word I usually avoid using but, this time, I think it's a fair description!
Oh yes, one other thing, listen carefully as the loco drifts into Oakworth - did you detect a clank?

It's a sound I've been waiting a long time to hear so, just in case you missed it in the last track, here is the sound of 90733 drifting past, heading down the gradient into Damems Loop.
At last, the Dub-dee clanks!

Next came a double header hauled by the Ivatt 2-6-2T 41241 and BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T 80002.
Now, I'm not a great fan of double headers, especially on short trains, 5 coaches in this case, but I've no complaints when both locos are driven hard as on this occasion!

I have to say that, after my first recording of the visitor, while I wasn't exactly disappointed, I had hoped for better. The next train up from Keighley, hauled by 70013 was the best opportunity for the Brit to impress as the train was running non-stop from Keighley to Haworth and shown in the timetable as 'Express'!
As the recording begins 70013 can be heard passing through the loop and heading for Oakworth and Haworth, sadly not in true express train style.
As I commented on the end of my recording, I've no idea who was driving but, whoever he was, he doesn't seem to have fully grasped the concept of 'Express'!

When the K&WVR was my local line, weather permitting, I would have remain there recording until the bitter end. Now, with further to travel, I can't do that easily so, after a short ride up to Oxenhope for Bovril(!) I returned to Keighley for one final recording before heading for home. This was for another recording of 70013.
With just 5 coaches behind the tender the Brit makes a gentle but sure footed start round the curve out of the station before beginning to accelerate towards Ingrow.

The roads proved to be no problem being perfectly clear of ice and snow so we reached our usual spot at Selside with plenty of time to spare. However, more of a concern was the strong breeze which hadn't been evident down at Hellifield.
Wind isn't usually a problem at Selside as we have a choice of walls which give shelter from winds from almost any direction. Note the almost. It seems that the exception to the rule is a North Westerly which blows straight down the line and we as could find little shelter from it I expected that it would be hard to avoid at least a little wind noise on the recording.
As you can hear, the recording wasn't affected too much.
46115 with 12 coaches behind the tender turned up just about on time and going well on the 1 in 100 gradient and although, due to the wind, we didn't hear much as the train approached, the sound carried back well and we could even just hear the loco accelerating after the restriction over Ribblehead Viaduct, something I've never experienced here before.
To be perfectly honest, while I can't say that I was disappointed with this recording, I had been hoping for something better but perhaps due to the fact that the loco was not booked to take water before reaching Carlisle the crew had decided that heroics were not appropriate, not on the outward journey anyway...

Because of the wind, we were in a bit of a quandary as to where to go for the return. Ais Gill would have been first choice but, with the wind direction and strength, the lack of shelter there made that seem a bad idea. Tramping through the lying snow wasn't all that attractive either so we plumped for the second favourite at Greengate Bridge near Bull Gill. This proved to be an excellent choice.
While my friend went to our usual spot at the top of the cutting north of the bridge, I went along the track heading the other way where I found a suitable dry stone wall for shelter.
46115 was due off Appleby at 15:43 but, knowing that times are not always adhered to and that there was a chance that as soon as enough water had been taken there was a chance that the train would leave, I had my recorder turned on shortly before ten to five.
And not a minute too soon as no sooner had I got the recorder running than a faint but distinct roar could be hear coming from the north.
Now, I've heard similar sounds before and thought it was a train only to discover that it was actually coming from an aircraft but this time there was no mistake for the sound continued to grow becoming clearer and clearer on the gradient to Kirkby Stephen.
While the wind might have been a problem for choice of location, at least it was also carrying the sound well and I suspect that we could hear the Scot as far away as Smardale.
In due course Scots Guardsman burst under the Greengate Bridge and passed going very well indeed.
The gradient leading up to Birkett Tunnel often used to be the slowest part of the climb to Ais Gill but no one watching would have thought so on this day. An excellent performance and what a superb sound - I shall look forward to many more recordings with the fine loco!

I had every intention of getting out myself for at least one, possibly both of the new A1 Pacific 60163's first main line passenger runs but things didn't work out. Fortunately, my friend Mike did...

Mike writes:
Setting up on some ground nearly opposite the National Railway Museum and on the edge of the River Ouse, we await the first public train to be hauled by Tornado.
With cylinder cocks open and lots of whistling Tornado briefly slips before setting off for Newcastle and, as with previous recordings made of this loco around York, a coal train trundles by. As Tornado gets under way, the driver of one of the sightseeing boats on the river spots Tornado and sounds his horn, the A1 replies while passing the original part of what was 50A, York shed, the last home of the original A1s.
As Tornado continues north, the safety valves lift and the engine majestically disappears towards Newcastle.

Mike was out again on the following day:

The spot on the river bank that I had used the previous day proved to be a busy place on Sunday and this made me look for a different location for Tornado's second run, this time running from Doncaster to Durham.
With a strong and bitter easterly wind blowing I could really have done with the wind behind me but the River Ouse prevents this without going too far away from York where I expected Tornado to be well into its stride and not making a lot of noise.
I ended up on the west side of the line at Poppleton. This location, on the east side of the village near a church, is very popular with dog walkers and also attracted several locals who had braved the weather to see Tornado steam past.
I'm not sure if it was the location or due to the strong easterly wind but Tornado's exhaust sounded to me to be a bit muffled, anyway there should be many other chances to be had with this superb engine.

I'm sure there will be plenty more chances and I hope I'll actually be able to be there next time!

My next chance for a recording in Scarborough came just two days later on 29th November 2008.
This was a train running from Carnforth and was booked to be hauled by 'Lord Nelson'. Now, I’ve recorded 850 in the past and found it pretty quiet and even when worked really hard all you get is a roar from the chimney so, had the booked motive power worked the train, I doubt that I would have bothered leaving my house on this cold and foggy day as I would have had very little chance of getting any kind of worthwhile recording of this particular engine. However, that morning, I received a message to the effect that it wasn’t Nelson that had left Carnforth with the train but the far more attractive alternative of the ex LMS Rebuilt Royal Scot 4-6-0 46115 'Scots Guardsman' so plans changed; here was a chance I wasn’t about to miss!
I’m pleased to say that my recording of the Scot that afternoon, made a little way west of the station was my best so far for this location and, while not exactly earth shattering thrash, is certainly worthy of inclusion. It’s probably going to be my last recording this year, although you never know, so it's an even an even more appropriate recording to end with as one of the earliest recordings in my collection was made on a cold and foggy November afternoon in 1978 of the self same engine leaving York with one of only two main line railtours it ever worked as a preserved loco.
Thirty years on, my collection of recordings seems to have come full circle!

Having been out for the new A1's first two test runs, as you can imagine that I was quite keen to complete the set and get out for the third which was to be a 75 mph run from York to Newcastle and back during the evening of Tuesday 18th November 2008.
These sort of events come all to infrequently so it's worth the expense and effort to do it and be able to look back and say, 'I was there!'.
There had been a slight problem with the loco on the previous 60 mph test run to Barrow Hill with some overheating so, prior to this run, the loco with its support coach ran to Milford and back just to make sure everything was Ok. Apparently it was as when I arrived from Scarborough just after five thirty the loco was in outside the NRM ready to go to Holgate to pick up its train of 10 coaches with a Class 67 diesel attached at the rear so we were able to set off north with some confidence that we would have a train to record that evening.
You can read below how my first attempt at a recording of 60163 was a little spoiled by other trains passing, particularly a freight train so for this run we headed to a spot not far from the village of Overton just a little way from where the ECML crosses the River Ouse north of York. The line here also sees quite a bit of freight traffic and a couple passed noisily while we waiting so it was a case of fingers crossed.
At about the time we expected Tornado, what should we see approaching from the north? Yes, you guessed - another freight train on the slow line. The only positive thing was that the signal just south of us was still on red and as the recording begins, you can hear the Class 66 diesel standing at the signal ticking over waiting for the a clear path over the main line to reach the goods lines avoiding York station.
The freight was actually being held for Tornado which I would guess was only a few minutes late when we saw it approaching from the south going very well on the main line heading north.
Taking into account the fact that York station is only just 3½ miles away Tornado seems to have reached a very respectable speed already and doesn't sound to be being thrashed to do it. I think this loco is going to provide some very entertaining running for us in the future.
Once again, very well done to all concerned!

The picture on the left was taken at York shed, I suspect, in 1966. Silurian was one of the last two A1s left, the other one was St. Mungo which was in the shed where it was too dark for a photograph.
On the other hand, the picture on the right was taken just a few days ago when they very kindly brought Tornado on its first main line test run, just engine and coach, to my home town.

Ok, so on to the main event.
While it was nice to see the loco in Scarborough, what I really wanted was to hear what 60163 sounded like. Shuffling about on a single coach just doesn't do it for me as far as sound is concerned!
The opportunity came two days later when Tornado was booked its first loaded test run from York to Barrow Hill and back, again in the dark.
In view of the way things were supposed to happen, we decided that a spot at Dringhouses would be our best bet. For one thing, being close to Holgate sidings, we thought that, although there isn't much of a view, we'd have a better chance of seeing what was happening as the stock for the run with a Class 67 diesel attached at the rear was supposed to be stabled there prior to reversing into York station with the A1 attached.
Aside from not having much of a view, the other problem with Dringhouses, as well as other spots south of York, are other trains which can pass at the most inopportune times, it just needs a bit of luck!
You know what they say about the best laid schemes...