For quite a few years now I have always managed to visit the K&WVR just before the end of the year for a final breath of steam. In the past only flu or other similar ailments have kept me away. This year I didn’t manage it as I now live considerably further away than I did and, despite being much nearer to the NYMR I didn’t go there either – I thought about it but the very poor weather and inconvenient bus connections didn’t make it attractive.
However, a visit to Leeds early in the New Year did give me the opportunity to go to Keighley.
The rostered loco for Sunday 6th January 2008 was the Jinty, which I was looking forward to as I haven’t recorded it in quite a while. You can imagine my disappointment when, instead of the Jinty, the Taff Vale 0-6-2T No. 85 rolled into Keighley station with it’s 4 coach train. Still, as the first steam hauled train off Keighley was fairly quiet and the loco sounded a little more interesting than usual, I decided to do a bit of on-train recording.
This recording was made departing from Ingrow.
And why did I think that the loco sounded more interesting than normal? Well, isn’t that an absolutely spiffing wheeze!

I know quite a few people who hate Christmas, there's one in particular who is a real 'Bah, Humbug' type but for myself, I’m not really bothered, I can take it or leave it. However, while making this next recording I found a new reason to dislike the season.
Not far from Keighley station is a small industrial estate and, during this lineside recording of No. 85 departing you may be able to hear a number of children having been brought there by their parents riding their Christmas presents up and down the road, a public road too. It shouldn’t be allowed, disturbing the peace of a Sunday afternoon with mini-motorbikes! What is the world coming to?

My front page plea for recordings has, so far, produced these from my good friend Mike who was able to get out on a few weekends in the run up to Christmas to record some of the steam hauled charters visiting that ever popular Christmas destination; York!
The first of these recordings, made at the beginning of December is of a Vintage Trains Charter returning to the Birmingham area.

Mike writes:
Sheltering from quite a strong wind in a small wooded area, GWR Hall 4-6-0 4965 'Rood Ashton Hall' heads past Copmanthorpe with load 7 hauling a return charter train from York to Tyseley.

As I wrote with other recordings made the same day, on 9th December, after recording 45407 at Beeston and on the climb out of Sheffield Mike and I didn't fancy the idea of hanging about for the return but, despite a marked deterioration in the weather, Mike raised the enthusiasm to venture out again.

Mike writes:
On a foul evening trying to shelter the microphone between my car doors, 45407 is heard bursting under a road bridge at Ulleskelf station on the way back to York.

The long awaited and somewhat delayed return of 'Bittern' to the main line finally happened late in the year and it's first two revenue earning trains took it to York. Both trains running from Kings Cross had originally being advertised as having steam haulage in both directions but perhaps wiser heads decided that it would be safer to have steam haulage in one direction only.
Although neither Mike nor I were able to get out to record the first train on 1st December, unexpectedly though I did get a brief look at the loco after it's arrival in York as I passed through on the way to Scarborough, In theory, I should have been too early to see it but the A4 had an excellent run on it's old stamping ground and was very early arriving at York.

Mike was able to get out for the loco's return run to Finsbury Park a fortnight later and writes:
At last a recording made in still conditions at a location about a 1/4 of mile south from the spot where the 'Rood Ashton Hall' recording was made. This location was not through choice but as the York departure time approached two farm workers arrived in a land rover with some animal feed and started chatting to each other, hence the move.
In the distance 60019 can be heard accelerating as a Liverpool unit passes by, the A4 was not working all that hard and soon disappears from earshot but as the carriages rattle over Colton Junction, 'Bittern's chime whistle can be just heard echoing off the road bridge.

The last of Mike's selection is of Railway Touring Company charter running from the Midlands double headed by Ian Riley's stalwart pair. These two locos have proved absolutely invaluable to charter train operators this year, stepping in, often at short notice, where other locos have been unable to run. Without them, even more trains would have been canceled in the last few months!

Mike writes:
Running about 20 minutes late 45407 and 76079 speed past with a train for Derby. This recording was made on the site of Chaloners Whin Junction, now the site of a large Tesco. The date was December 22nd 2007.

As the train was booked to stand at Blackburn for some time we had plenty of time to find somewhere for a recording on the climb to Sough (pronounced Suff!).
We had tried recording once before on this climb and had a less than satisfactory result as we were too near Darwen Station and its passing loop so this time we found somewhere lower down the climb.
The location we found proved to be very close to the site of Lower Darwen loco shed although nothing now remains to mark the site.
Also not far away was Ewood Park football ground which, later in the day was to see Blackburn Rovers at home to Liverpool and, while we waited, we couldn't fail to hear lots of away supporters arriving at the ground entertaining themselves with frequent choruses of 'When the Saints go marching in'!. Fortunately they were far enough away to just add atmosphere to our recording rather than being a nuisance!
Once again running about an hour later than planned we eventually heard the train starting on the climb. Only 45407 was audible with 76079 coupled behind being worked very easily and, as you can hear, the Black 5 now has a cylinder cock stuck open.
With this load the 1 in 101 gradient presents no difficulty.
The match was a 0 - 0 draw, in case you are interested!

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.
Our next recording was made near to Beck Hole Bridge on the 1 in 49 gradient from Grosmont to Goathland and was of our second LNER loco of the day, the ex LNER K1 2-6-0 62005 recently returned from a season on the West Highland Line.
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. This is caused by the sound of the hard working loco echoing from the other side of the valley. This recording begins as 62005 is approaching the road bridge.
Despite the lack of a breeze, sound was carrying well and 62005 with its 7 coach load could be heard all the way to Goathland.

We stayed at Beck Hole for our next recording which 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.

As well as having trains running between Grosmont and Pickering, the NYMR also were running to Whitby and we returned to Beck Hole Bridge later in the afternoon for a recording of the ex LNER K4 2-6-0 61994 'The Great Marquess’ running from Grosmont up to Goathland prior to returning and running through to Whitby.
With just 5 coaches behind the tender there are no problem for this loco on the gradient.

For our last recording of the day we headed for Levisham and Newton Dale to try for a recording near Gallock Hill about half way between Levisham Station and Newtondale Halt.
I have already mentioned that the day was very calm and nowhere had we experienced more than the lightest of breezes (just as well since I had forgotten my wind shield!) but here there was no wind at all so, perhaps for the first time ever, I was able to risk making a recording with no wind shielding whatsoever.
Not only was there no wind but, aside from bird song and the faint sound of water in Pickering Beck, there were no other sounds to disturb us – until just before the train came when, of course, there just had to be a plane overhead!
Fortunately the sound of 61264 working hard on the gradient soon drowns out the aircraft noise and as it heads up the valley towards Newtondale Halt we are left, once again, with just bird song and the sound of the occasional Autumn leaf falling from the trees!

The 2007 3 day Autumn Steam Gala on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway was held between 28th & 30th September and, after the big disappointment that the intended Spring 'LNER' Gala proved to be earlier in the year the NYMR must have felt that they had something to prove.
Well, if what I experienced on the Sunday was typical of the previous two days, they certainly succeeded and provided us with one of the most varied and interesting steam events that I have experienced on the railway.
During the course of the day we were able to record no less than 10 different locomotives including LNER B1 61264 & K4 61994 'The Great Marquess' working trains on the Esk Valley Line.
And the weather was good too!