A UK Steam Holiday

[faulcon1]

In September 2017 I took some excess holiday leave and came to the UK for a steam holiday for part of that leave. I took some rather amateurish video, so be warned. Even though I traveled on very few preserved railways I always bought a ticket as to me it seems wrong to film and not contribute in monetary terms. I will have to go back sometime as footage I took of the Bluebell, Foxfield and other railways didn't survive the trip. The memory card in the camera got damaged and i didn't have a separate hard drive to put the raw footage on. Anyway here are a series of videos. We start at what I thought was the Autumn Gala on the NYMR. Actually is was the Annual Gala.

I stayed at the Horseshoe Inn at Levisham which coincidentally is the only commercial business in Levisham. 

 

 

The shot or take at 4:40 is unique as I was the only person there at that location. It was one of the earlier shots when rain threatened to ruin the day. I was able to get the approach and departure shots simply because there was no one else there to avoid getting in the way of. The ending shot at 9:10. Note that the three photographers in the foreground who stopped filming as soon as the locos went past. But they missed the glorious chorus of whistles provided by the locos. That was often hard to get. As soon as locos went past, people would start to talk to me. "So how long have you been in the UK? AAAARRRHHHHH!!!!!!

 

 

Edited September 21, 2018 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

Next I went to the Llangollen Railway and stayed at the Berwyn pub in Glyndyfrdwy.

 

At 9:52 when the 2-6-2T 5199 departed the platform shook from the locos powerful exhaust beats. Berwyn platform would be a good place to go on a honeymoon. Parking was free "yipeeee" and the station staff were very friendly and welcoming. The station cafe food was very good too.

 

At 8:21 it was nice to hear a low note whistle from the more usual high note whistle on an ex GW loco. The sun was shining and it was raining. It must be Wales.

 

6:57 is another place where I was the only person there. I was standing behind the gate of a foot crossing not on the railway's land. I was told of the location by locals in the area and there is a business car park nearby but you have to be engaged with that business in order to park there. I didn't get a line side pass as for me they're not worth the money. If the line side pass was current for ten years then yes. But they aren't so I didn't. If I film from the line side it's always outside the railways' land. I don't believe in trespassing on private land just to get a shot of a train. As I walked down country lanes I always asked if I could cross someones land and they said yes although they seemed most surprised but happy that I asked them. If they'd said no then I wouldn't have gone onto their land.

The signals only returned to danger once the whole train had passed the signal. Here in Australia the signal returns to danger as soon as the loco has passed. It makes no difference if the signal is a semaphore or colour light.

 

At 2:02 this chap seeing I was a foreigner told me that only about two rebuilt Bullieds had been preserved. I think ten have survived but I didn't enlighten him.

I had two rides in the auto coach one where I filmed along with nearly every other passenger and on the second run there was this older man sitting opposite me. He had a note book and pen and would often scribble in tiny writing into this note book looking out of the coach window with a worried look, then check his watch, glare at other passengers in the coach me included and still with the worried look scribble more notes into his note book. He seemed to be fiercely concentrating on this most vital of tasks and although I was dying to ask him what he was doing I was afraid of breaking his concentration and therefore mucking up his entire task. If he was noting if the loco was running to time then I could have enlightened him that it wasn't. The Bullied started the late running when the light up crews had trouble raising steam and that threw the whole timetable out. Nobody seemed to mind though. All in all it was a great day. I think that chap in the auto coach was short of a full boiler of water.

Edited October 7, 2018 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

I went to the Churnet Valley Railway and only one loco was in steam. The USTC 2-8-0 5197. I rode aboard on this one. I stayed at the new Premier Motel at Matlock.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2018 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

Welsh narrow gauge was not forgotten and I visited three railways. The Ffestiniog Railway, Talyllyn Railway and Bala Lake Railway I saw the baby Garratts on the Ffestiniog/Welsh Highland Railway and I rode the full length of the Welsh Highland from Caernarfon to Porthmadoc and back. I was staying at Llanberis. I didn't go up the Snowdon Mountain Railway as only diesels were operating but had a wonderful if slightly knackering walk to and around the former slate quarry at Dinorwic. I climbed the steep path from the power station only to find that there's a far easier entrance to the quarry via Dinorwic village.

I was at a loss for accommodation in Tywyn for the Talyllyn until the station master at Tywyn came to the rescue and told me of a B&B run by Talyllyn volunteers. So I rode 1st class from Tywyn to Nant Gwernol and back. It was only an extra two pounds to ride first class but others balked at paying extra.

For the Bala Lake Railway I stayed at a hotel on Talyllyn Lake.

 

 

 

The planes at Llangower made me jump a bit. As if there wasn't enough noise from the wind. Apparently pilots have to fly along the valleys and pass a sort of test before being allowed to fly in Afghanistan.  Edited September 23, 2018 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

I also paid a quick visit to the Severn Valley Railway filming at Hampton Loade and Highley. I stayed at a Pub at Chelmarsh.

 

[birdseyecircus]

Wow looked like you had a great time.

 

Paul

[faulcon1]

Wow looked like you had a great time.

 

Paul

Thanks Paul I did. Luckily some of the preserved railways operate mid week even out of school holidays. Alright there maybe only one engine in steam but that's better than nothing at all. I don't even mind diesels. There were only a few days of drizzling rain and one where it pelted down all day. Other than that there was a lot of sunshine. I spent quite a lot of time in the Peak district as there's a lot to see. Chatsworth House was a disappointment and a tip for you all. If you get Shanghaied into going to Chatsworth then take your own food and drink. What's on offer there is nothing special but you pay through the nose for it. It reminds me now of Billy Beefeater in the Tower of London who said to a group of people that what was once a torture chamber still is. It's a gift shop now but he was told to say that shopping in their gift shop is a wonderful and pleasurable experience. He added I suppose it is especially if you like spending your hard earned money on cheap tat at extortionate prices. Chatsworth House is like that.

I want to go back and I will for I want to go deeper into the old Dinorwic Quarry and also take a look at Llanberis Quarry which is on the other side of the valley and ride up Snowdon in a train being pushed by a steam engine of course. I also want to go to the East Lancs Railway as i was going to go there this time but one of the annual galas I went to clashed with an East Lancs gala. I think it may have been Llangollen. I certainly lost some weight in the UK trudging over fields looking for a good spot to film the trains. One chap said to me that railway enthusiasts do a lot of walking when there's a gala on. All the weight is back on now.

[birdseyecircus]

I would take a chance on whatever loco was on the Snowdon railway as in high winds it only goes so far up. I need to do it again after doing it half way!

 

Paul

[faulcon1]

I would take a chance on whatever loco was on the Snowdon railway as in high winds it only goes so far up. I need to do it again after doing it half way!

 

Paul

In 2000 Paul on my first visit to the UK I went up Snowdon on a train pushed by a diesel and we didn't go right to the top because at that time the summit station was undergoing major refurbishment. We stopped just short of the last major climb. One could have walked to the summit but as you said the mist was rolling in so I wouldn't have seen much anyway. I was glad to have rugged up taking heed of a warning given by Jeremy English in one of his Railscene videos years ago. "The mist can come in quite quickly making warm clothing desirable at all times" He was right about that, some of the passengers were quite lightly clothed and they were shivering as we stood on the mountain side. I could have done with my "Ugg Boots" but made do with my railway work boots and two pairs of socks. When I left the railways in Australia having taken a redundancy package one of the store men said to me "oh I hear you're going to the UK. So you'll need some new steel capped work boots to trudge around soggy England". Those boots like the ones I now wear were heat, acid and oil resistant.