S.A.C Martin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7oaN7CLgJg&feature=fvw Air Date: 20th December 2008 These are the stories they tell... Hawk the Western Pannier tank is enjoying his second stay at Copley Hill - shunting trucks with Gronk the diesel was fun. But when a train of vans goes missing, can the shunter turn hunter and find the thief...! "This Episode has been dedicated to the memory of a legendary film maker. Oliver Postgate, 1925-2008" I was rather devastated when I heard that Oliver Postgate had died, this time last year. He remains a constant inspiration to my work. Ivor The Engine was of course an early childhood favourite, and it shared time equally with Thomas on many occasions. His beautiful storytelling, and wonderful narration is something I wish I had even a modicum of. I dedicated this episode to him because I felt I had no other way of expressing my grief at his passing. It seems strange to grieve someone you have never met, but - and this is true perhaps of all performers and literary figures - his work was such an inspiration, and so magical, that it has, thankfully, remained with us in nostalgia, but still in public mind and spirit. The first episode for many months, and this time filmed on an entirely new set, covered in snow! The episode was intended to introduce Arthur the A2 Pacific (A.H Peppercorn in real life), reintroduce the series and continue from where things left off in Episode 11. Suffice to say, this episode was much more enjoyable to film than the previous snow episode, on the grounds that here, the engines worked properly! The set was built from scratch and especially for the three episodes (12, 13 and 14). Props, buildings and track work will be re-used, but on a new and specially prepared baseboard for the next installments of the series. This episode, and the two immediately following it, were filmed back to back in the weeks leading up to December 10th, and were released within a few days of each other to a larger, and wonderfully receptive audience. These episodes were the last episodes to be filmed using DC technology from Episode Fifteen onwards, and to the end of the series, the episodes will be made using DCC. This means that every locomotive would be specially chipped for use on the new set, and some other modifications would be made in a complete series revamp that will last to the very end of the final episode of the series. Several eagle eyed (or perhaps more appropriately, Hawk eyed!!!) viewers will notice several characters in the series reappear, or make a first cameo appearance. There are also a few engines as yet unnamed that appear, from other regions. One engine that has a very famous name makes an impossible cameo appearance: it was built in 2008, and the episode is set in 1953!!!

Thanks very much Tom, I'm trying to get this bog up to date, it may take a few hours tomorrow to get it up to Episode 16, in time for a full reveal and review on friday for 17...! I have been thinking over in my head remaking this episode next year, as the set has developed to the point where I could feasibly tell the story much better, and I've developed a few more techniques that would make it all rather different and more realistic in some ways. Kind Regards, Simon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRUJqdbu6VU Air Date: 17th August 2008 These are the stories they tell... It is the start of a new order on British Railways...the advent of the diesel locomotives. Gronk, the new diesel shunter, and Hawk, the western pannier tank, run into a spot of bother with the shunting... If I may make a confession...I love my 94xx pannier tank. I bought it on a whim a very long time ago, and when its motor died out some time after shooting Episode 3, I knew I wanted to remotor it. I did the normal thing, Bachmann 57xx chassis, and then it kind of snowballed from there...! Hawk is a character that has no place in the series whatsoever. While some of the 94xx class were built in Leeds (and it is this reason that assauged my guilty conscience when filming Hawk for the episodes), my feeble attempt at shoehorning Hawk in by "coming home from the Lickey Incline, VIA Copley Hill"...was historically inaccurate and totally and completely feeble. He shouldn't be anywhere near Leeds, let alone Copley Hill! So, I apologise for selling out in terms of the character Hawk (who then went on to star in another episode, 12, and then 14, then a series of BRWS shorts, and is due to return at some point when I figure out if I can write him into the series finale somehow...!), but I loved the idea of this character so much, and he ended up being one, if not the - most popular character of the characters on Youtube. I had to bring Hawk back. I intended this to be a short, humorous episode after the drama of Episodes Eight, Nine and Ten, and I sincerely hope that it made for great viewing. Gronk, the new diesel shunter was the first indicator of the intended historical nature of the series to shine through: the end of steam, and the start of rampant dieselisation. Many people have compared this meeting of a pannier tank and an 08 diesel shunter to that of the good reverend's "Duck and the Diesel Engine". It is a fair comparison on many levels. Both are shunters of GWR and BR origin. Both of the steam engines have bird related names (although entirely unintentional - when naming Hawk after his designer, Hawksworth, I must confess the idea that this was similar to Duck never entered my head. On my defense, I have made Hawk a very different character to Duck and likewise Gronk to Diesel). The differences are clear in terms of literary construct. One accepts the new order as equal, the other does not. I toyed around with this same idea later on in the series, in Episode 15... The models of the diesels at the start of the episode are of the prototype Deltic, a class 47 diesel in British Railways two tone green, and the Brush prototype Falcon, all of which became icons in their own right on British Railways, be it through the production of a much loved class of diesels (the Deltics), the sheer numbers of work horses throughout the system (the class 47 and their subsequent rebuilds), and the mystique in a short lived prototype (Falcon, the lone class 53). Another small confession - I do like my prototype diesels...and yes, I now have a Kestrel too...!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESLD-Y7c_Nk Air Date: 4th July 2008 These are the stories they tell... A few weeks after Scott's outburst, Stephen decides that now is the time to reveal the truth behind Sir Ralph's name...and the tragic story that follows... Stories from before the second world war, and the tragedy of the war and its effects on the railways of Britain, and the loss of a brother are recounted by Stephen, and finally, Scott sees, that the engine before him, is indeed his friend, and Sir Ralph Wedgwood... In this episode, there were many different scenes filmed on several separate sets: new buildings were also made to change the look of the set dramatically, and it was in the models that we found more detail the nameplates for Gadwall and Herring Gull were given close ups several times, and the liveries were changed to reflect the time period of the second world war and thereafter. In another change from the norm, this episode would be the first to be narrated, not by the erstwhile omniscient narrator as such, but by Stephen the Holden B12, who would recount the story in every epic detail. A little bit of trivia - the Dambusters Theme is played in every episode of the series! The end credit tune is one I had composed myself, but recorded for the series by a Loughborough student band. I love electric guitars, and had always wanted to hear that tune played by one...! The episode's opening credits was also an opportunity to use film that had not seen the light of day (for example, Tavish pulling a goods train and Stephen acting as banker on the hill), and to have the team's name appear at the start of an episode for the first time. The episode title screen was changed too, (the original layout would reappear for Episode Eleven, but it was felt that in order to give the impression of a half hour special, the episode needed that extra 'film' quality to it). This would also be the first episode in which real footage in this case, of British Military aircraft in action would be used to help tell a story. In homage to the film that lent its theme music, several shots of Dambuster aircraft (Lancaster Bombers) are seen, taking off or flying away. Not only that, but hundreds of photographs (used with full permission of course), were used to build up the story further it is never actually said in the episode which war it is, but of course it is the second world war, and the true, bloody details of the conflict are given, right at the end, in the sombre aftermath of the Baedeker bombing. I must emphasise at this point: all the real wartime shots used therein were either used with permission by their copyright owners, or copyright free in that they had been released into the public domain. The story which Stephen recounts is entirely in black and white first and foremost, this helps to distinguish the 'present-day' from the 'past', in terms of filming, and firmly puts Stephen's tale in the past. This was a distinction that needed to be made for the viewer in order to make full sense of the scope of the story. Black and white sequences had been used before, but only for the opening The London and North Eastern Railway.. opening sequence (which incidentally, did not appear in this episode). New models are everywhere: the apple green Scott model (which had made a previous appearance in a trailer for Episode Eight), the two garter blue A4s (Herring Gull and Gadwall), the apple green model of Stephen the Green Engine made its final appearance in the series, and of course, the wartime black model of Stephen that proved surprisingly popular with Youtubers. There were more models: Thompson the B1 made his first (non speaking) appearance, as did Holden the J83 tank engine. Arthur reappears briefly in the yard sequences, and every one of the main characters is mentioned in the build up to the main body of the episode. I debated with myself the script for some time before it was finalized for filming. The research done on the Baedeker bombings of York indicated that the locomotive 4469 (the hapless Gadwall), had not been destroyed in the station, but in York's Motive Power Depot indeed, all the evidence pointed this way. The problems with setting the bombing in the MPD would be ten fold: firstly, it would require that both Herring Gull and Stephen were present at Gadwall's death, and this would be more distressing in terms of viewing than Gadwall as Sir Ralph Wedgwood 'dying' alone. Secondly, York's MPD is, like its station, very distinctive, and I felt that it would be easier to recreate the station bombing than the MPD which would also require the damaging of more than one model locomotive (a neighbouring B16 was destroyed in the same blast), and thus I would have to acknowledge the other locomotive which was unnecessary to the script. This presented something of a dilemma: re-write history to suit the episode's needs? It went against everything I had done before (and yes, before its pointed out... excluding Hawk! ). However, several books and articles were found which firmly placed the bombing of the Night Scotsman, hauled by 4469, in the station, at platform nine and we decided to go against the majority view and use these articles and books as a reference to our story. Therefore, the actual bombing in the story is not the actual bombing itself: 4469 was destroyed, separately to the Night Scotsman (which was indeed at platform nine, and damaged badly), in the MPD in reality. The actual station bombing was exceedingly difficult to shoot the station was actually 'blown up' using various powders and snaps (tiny explosive charges used for film making), and the fact that very little of the actual explosions can be seen in the shots is down to the editing. Shots of the model of 4469 being destroyed had indeed been filmed, but it was felt that, as with the crash sequence in Episode Six, this was going too far to present to a young audience, and thus the bombing of the station was cut down, and the damage implied more than actually seen. It was a chance editing session with a Loughborough music student, Fiona Grey-Staff, that the music "Danny Boy" (this version, sung by Carly Simon), was added to the bombing sequence, which had been intended originally to be silent, save for the sounds of the explosions and the air raid sirens. This made, in my opinion, the sequence so much more powerful, particularly with the close up of the battered nameplate at the end. Certainly by the end of the month, I had lots of Youtube PMs flooding in commenting on that scene. The end of the episode brought with it the end of the first story arc in the series the back story to Sir Ralph had been told, finally, explaining his behaviour in Episode Five, his sadness in Episode six, and his erratic and timid behaviour in episodes Eight and Nine. Ultimately, the Episode's drawback came in the limitations of Youtube of the time the account used by myself was allowed a maximum of ten minutes per video, so the episode came in four parts (and incidentally, is the longest episode to date, at the time of writing).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztps7k3iISE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIerCm2KPJw&feature=response_watch Air Date: 6th April 2008 These are the stories they tell... Scott and Sir Ralph argue over the rights and wrongs of missing headlamps...and when Scott pulls a train with the wrong headcode, as does Sir Ralph, Scott decides: now is the time to reveal Sir Ralph's infamy.. Episode Nine and Episode Eight were made one after the other, so the similarities in film style and the shots used are shown explicitly. The basic premise of Episode Nine was split between the story about Sir Ralph's past history, and the subject of headcodes, which I felt would be a nice historical and educational link with regards railways (and accordingly, has been adhered to in every episode since this episode). The head codes were not a nightmare but the editing was! There are several occurrences where the head codes on Sir Ralph are wrong, especially in the last few minutes of the Episode. So much for head code accuracy...! As far as episodes are concerned, Episode Nine had the least going on in it very few moving shots are seen, and most of it is dialogue preparing the viewers for the plot twists and surprises to follow in the next episode, which would appear a month later. The reasoning is simple: Episode Nine had a simple plot, and was ultimately a sacrifice of sorts it was an average episode, which was used more to build up suspense, and prepare the viewer for the main event of the series, the episode which I had worked the hardest on in scripting Episode Ten, The Legacy of Gadwall. The station sequence was filmed on a set that was later modified for Episode Ten to represent York Station and it is here that we see Arthur the A2 pacific in the series for the first time (although not named, he is still seen later on, pulling Sir Ralph's train). Further, this is the first and last time that the model for Sir Ralph is seen by Episode Ten, this model had been replaced by an extremely accurate version single chimney, blue livery, weathered, with correct number and nameplate added. This would be the kick-start to the debate about accuracy in the series, and by Episode Twelve, every locomotive would have correct number and names emblazoned on their sides. It was a tense, deliberate cliff hanger that kept many viewers waiting for the third installment of the Sir Ralph Wedgwood Trilogy with anticipation but what was the secret behind Sir Ralph...?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWEVLLYwFJw&feature=channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt5KTw7ti4c&feature=channel Air Date: 25th March 2008 These are the stories they tell... A bright blue pacific, of class A3 arrives at the yard: his name is Flying Scotsman, but he prefers to be called Scott and is rather put out when he discovers he is not as famous as he thinks he is! Then Sir Ralph arrives, and leaves in terror at the sight of Scott! To which, a mystery beckons for the engines... It was inevitable, given the nature of the series, that a Gresley pacific other than a streamlined A4 pacific would appear, and who else other than the world famous Flying Scotsman could it be? The fact of the matter is, it wouldn't be a series about the End of the London and North Eastern Railway without 4472, which epitomises everything about the Eastern Region of British Railways: an iconic locomotive that was presented with a twist here. Having of course read the Reverend W.Awdry's "Enterprising Engines" as a child, I felt there was the opportunity to portray the Scott character in a different light. In the 1950s, the real 4472 (by then 60103) was "just another engine" - its exploits forgotten post war, and a period of rationing meant that the racehorse became a full and proper workhouse for its new owners, British Railways. I felt having the youngest (chronologically) character, Allen (W.P Allen), be unaware of Scott's heritage would gain an intriguing insight into one of the preservation world's favourite sons. Episode Eight was markedly different from Episode Seven, both in atmosphere and in set. The set had been re-designed for Episode Eight to accommodate the new characters who were going to be in and around the series (for example, Scott the A3 Pacific, Arthur the A2 Pacific, and the used, but only introduced by Episode 11, Thompson the B1...), but also for ease of access, and better filming potential. The signal gantry made a reappearance, as did the sheds, but some new buildings cropped up: a factory, opposite the sheds, an old burnt out shed and a new set of water towers. The use of "George" from Episode six solved a few problems: originally, Herbert and Nigel were to have debated cricket, but Herbert's model (a Bachmann Green Arrow model) was damaged beyond repair, and not suitable for filming. Therefore Herbert was cut from the Episode completely, and would not return until Episode Nine, by which time another V2 model had been procured, and modified to represent Herbert's intended double chimney prototype further. The storyline was re-written many, many times. How would Scott meet Sir Ralph? How would the confrontation scene play out? Eventually, the simplicity of the episode was the best part of it: nothing of the real story (that is to say, Sir Ralph's back story) was revealed. This story arc, which I had started hinting at in the very first episode, and had been hinted at throughout the first six episodes; with references to Sir Ralph's previous identity as Herring Gull, and the loss of his brother engine, the former Gadwall, are two such examples of a very lengthy and mysterious series sub-plot. The episode ended on two separate lines, "no herring gulls" from Scott, and from the ever omniscient narrator, "but for Sir Ralph, his story is just beginning"...and of course, so was our association with the mysterious A4 Pacific...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUz5QzX5fLg&feature=related Air Date: 23rd December 2007 These are the stories they tell... In which Tavish and Sir Ralph learn why keeping the railway lines clear of snow is important... This episode is one of the shortest episodes in the series. This is not a reflection on the vast amount of planning, set adaptation, filming, editing, animating and lastly stressing that went into it! Tavish the J39 was chosen as the story's main character as it would introduce him properly, and hopefully give the audience a few much needed laughs after the drama of Episode Six. The snow set was carefully worked on, using an identical baseboard to the normal set (which was being re-designed for the Sir Ralph Wedgwood Trilogy of episodes) and re-used a lot of the components found on the normal set, such as the shed, the goods platform, the station, the signal gantry and the windmill. The snow was a mixtures of Scenic Snow (from the Scenic products range), talcum powder and soap powder, that was stuck down carefully with glue in selected areas, and powdered over other areas, such as the buildings and plant life. The most realistic shot of the set, the one that sums up the snow set's quality, was the shot of Tavish on the point work near the start of the episode. The problems came with keeping the tracks entirely clean for running, and this meant that from time to time, the film makers found they really did have to keep the tracks clear of snow!!! Life imitating art and all that! Tavish's snowplough was made from plasti-card and painted appropriately. It was felt that a more traditional design of snowplough should be used, although a new one (which is more Eastern Region looking) was been made for the 2008 Christmas special, Silent Night. As far as stories are concerned, this one was wholly more fun, with Sir Ralph and Tavish's back and forth argument being the highlight of the episode. It was also the first time that all the members of the main cast had lines in an entire episode together: the other episodes were of course, mostly two-parters and hence from part to part, not all of the engines spoke. Episode Seven was a monster to make, and, compared to the earlier episodes, a great improvement, both visually and in script (which I felt was tighter, and for the most part, funnier). It was such a boon to make this episode, terrific fun playing around with the models and lighting. It would be well over twelve weeks until the next episode; and then began the web of intrigue surrounding a certain A4 Pacific...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGDheG8rK0g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afx6KPpdsKE&feature=related Air Date: 24th September 2007 These are the stories they tell... In which Stephen talks to another engine, and hears of the Modernization Plan in the making. Meanwhile, Herbert is late with his passenger train, leaving only Stephen to take the fast goods train that evening... Of the original six scripts aired, this was the darkest script. With hushed whisperings of locomotives being cut-up on sidings, diesels making their first appearance (albeit, in the black and white sequences of the episode), this was a very different episode to that which had gone before. This was wholly intentional. I wanted to give a few hints of the history to come - steam locomotives eventually making way for the new order. This was, sadly, one of the few parts of my script which made the cut. One of the things which frustrated me was working with five other people on the series. We all had elements of our degree riding on this little series of videos, and for me it was my writing which suffered. All of the first six episodes were edited by another member of the team, and the overall tone of these episodes is far too cutesy, and a world away from the historical setting I had envisaged. After this episode, the module finished, we were graded, and the team split permanently. On occasion I have been helped by the best members of that select group, but preferred to work on my own in making the series from that point. It may never be professionally made as a TV series, but in making it myself I do know that my own creative vision is being upheld, something that is very important to me as the edits which occurred in my early scripts damaged by confidence in this concept early on. I am glad to say that it did not stop me from going on and trying my hand at making some more. Final points: this was the longest of the first six episodes, the episode was actually filmed both in the daytime and at night, the crash sequence being the biggest headache for the film makers. This was due in part to the question: do you show a crash sequence, which with 00 scale models will not look wholly realistic. The decision was made (by me) to imply a crash: the night time setting took most of the detail out of the shots, and blacking out to simply the sound effects of the crash was found to be more emotive than an actual showing of the crash. After an argument with a member of the team, I managed to get my way, emphasizing the difference in look and feel to the implied crash and the actual filmed crash (which was incredibly toy like and something I just couldn't see working on Youtube). Episode Six has of course, the biggest historical inaccuracy in it: no B12s were ever painted Express Passenger Blue (as far as I was aware - a friend has claimed that one was painted for a time in this livery, but I can find no record of it), as it was only to be used on locomotives of British Railways power classification 8P. Only the ex-Western Kings, ex Southern Railway Battle of Britain, Merchant Navy and West Country classes, ex-LMS Duchesses and Princesses, and ex-LNER A1s, A1/1, A3 and A4s were painted in the scheme, which started in 1950 and was replaced by the standard Brunswick Green in the mid-50s. If I were to remake it....Stephen would be in fully lined Mixed Traffic livery instead!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZJiuk7Lp4o Air Date: 10th September 2007 These are the stories they tell... A new named express, "The Fair Maid" is up for grabs...in the clash of the A1 against the A4, will Allen win the hand of the fair maid - or will Sir Ralph triumph easily? In the beginning of the episode, it was clear that it was going to revolve around high speed express runs, and it was with that in mind that we wrote this episode. The Fair Maid express was a real express in the 1950s, pulled by Peppercorn A1s and Gresley A4s and other East Coast Main Line, and it was this named express we worked into the title and episode. This episode was the first major appearance of Sir Ralph's replacement model, and his repainted face softer features and a startlingly good natured ending gave perhaps the first major hint that a story arc revolving around Sir Ralph was about to begin (what had happened at the works?). Not only that, but this was the first time that the viaduct (in reality a cardboard section of background created, and the camera tilted for a better looking angle), appears, and is used several times to portray locomotives puffing over it. This episode was the last of the episodes to be filmed using the 35mm film camera. Bulky, ugly, hard to use and even harder to download from, it had to go! The episode is actually a mixture of the two cameras, the difference in film quality shows quite markedly in this episode as I was still learning how to edit using my editing software. Of the early episodes, this was admittedly the most rushed of the projects we were under orders to have six episodes completed before the end of September. As such, there are a few problems with the script one glaring mistake was the fact that Allen crossed the viaduct twice, on his trip to Newcastle with the Midday Express!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGJGPrRbDnY Air Date: 4th September 2007 These are the stories they tell... In which new engine Nigel is absent minded, and inadvertently upsets Herbert, who gets into a spot of bother with some cows... Of all of the episodes, this was considered to be the funniest of the scripts, and after watching the hilarious stop-motion with the cows walking down the track, and Herbert's terrified expression, it's not difficult to see why! Straight away, there is a noticeable difference in the quality of the film. The episode is slightly worse in picture quality than the previous three episodes, which were all filmed on a borrowed 35mm film camera. This episode was filmed using a digital camcorder, and while the quality is slightly worse, the turn around time for making this episode was much, much shorter. In fact, it was so much easier to make this way, that only Episode Five was then filmed using the 35mm film camera: every episode since has used the same digital camcorder (and thanks to editing software and much practice, the quality of the film for each episode has got better). This episode was a lot more historical than previous episodes. Rather than commenting generally on how a railway works (such as the references to the goods trains in Veto a V2!), the very real and imposing figure of the London and North Eastern Railway's late lamented chief engineer, Sir Nigel Gresley, and some background knowledge to his designs is given. This also directly explains the reasons behind Herbert's and Nigel's names: Herbert Nigel Gresley is the CME's real name. This episode saw a Britannia pacific locomotive used for the first time. This model would later form the basis of Stewart, the ???Clan??? class standard 6MT that first appeared in a non-speaking role in Episode Eleven. Not only that, but a clue as to things to come in Episodes Five and Six appear: Stephen appears incredibly briefly in his non-authentic express passenger blue livery. The shots of Herbert in the tunnel with the cows was one of the best scenes in the series, and this episode has always been popular with the fans on Youtube. It is also a personal favourite of mine, learning new techniques for filming the cows was an interesting experience and what ultimately led to my fondness for stop motion animation (but not, sadly, improving my prowess at the latter!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FzoUmtprZQ Air Date: 27th August 2007 These are the stories they tell... Sir Ralph has been sent away to be repaired, and the foreman has procured an engine from another region - a Great Western Pannier Tank - to help about the yard. Hawk and Allen argue, but realize their mistakes, make up, and Stephen is left tired - but triumphant. Straight away it can be seen that this episode means business: a new title opening sequence had been devised, and by now the regular cast was almost complete. Only Nigel, the V3 tank engine, had yet to make his first appearance. It is the first appearance of Scott in apple green (but sadly for the apple green lovers, in the black and sequences!), and with a double tender. This is quite a mistake, but a deliberate one: it was felt by members of the team, that despite the fact the real Flying Scotsman had only appeared with a second tender in the 1960s, and not the 1920s/30s as the black and sequences depict, it did sum up everything about the LNER and so the old Hornby two tender Scotsman was fired up to take part in the episodes. This episode also sees the first and last appearance of the King Class locomotive. Of all of the episodes, this episode proved beyond reasonable doubt, that good running models are an absolute necessity for filming a series. The old Lima chassis of Hawk was to be replaced for his Episode Eleven return by a Bachmann 57xx alternative, but it was not just poor chassis units: it was not cleaning the track, or wheels of the models enough. Eventually, it became a regular thing: before and after every episode filming session, the locomotives, the rolling stock and the track would be cleaned to make sure that the layout and its models worked perfectly for each session. This episode caused something of a headache for me after Hawk appeared for his supposed one and only one-off performance (which was my firm mantra, given the old Lima model's bad running qualities), there was a deluge of emails requesting his return. By the time Episode Eight had come around, it was clear that Hawk's stunning popularity was not going to go away, with almost five hundred emails received in total pleading by this point, for his return. You'll have to go and watch Episode 11 for his return...!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-aXr1c_-cA Air Date: 20th August 2007 These are the stories they tell... In which we are introduced to Herbert, a nervous V2 engine (who is openly afraid of cows), and we are forced to listen to Sir Ralph's whinging...again! Herbert then shows Sir Ralph what mixed traffic engines can do (and why Sir Ralph shouldn't run hot while running!) Episode Two was made quickly on the back of a shed load of adrenaline and coffee! The series had been green lighted for ten episodes, and we had to make at least six of the ten episodes before the new year was out. The black and white sequences for this episode only, showed a flashback to the previous episode. It was felt this was not in context with the opening lines, and every sequence since has featured more LNER rolling stock, with regards to the series' title being "The End of the LNER". The episode featured Herbert as a named character for the first time: his first appearance came in Episode One as the unnamed, but nervous looking, V2. This is the first and last time that Market Harborough station is seen; it was a one-off set that nobody liked filming on, although the boards would be reused a year later to form part of the York Station scenes in Episode Ten, The Legacy of Gadwall. This episode is also the first time that a proper night time scene is made: the first episode had an evening scene, right at the end, but in this episode it is clearly at night, and makes quite a contrast to the very bright look of the series at this point. There's not many gaffes aside from the almost ever-present problems with nameplates and numbers, however one thing worth noting is Sir Ralph's original square face: the current face is based on the same mould, but painted more softly, with larger, curlier eyebrows compared to this frankly mean expression!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8unNDFvBx8&feature=PlayList&p=FABBA86024946A23 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fim6YMS9TC4&feature=response_watch Air Date: 17th August 2007 These are the stories they tell... In which we meet Allen the Peppercorn A1 Pacific, Stephen the Holden B12 and Sir Ralph the haughty A4 Pacific for the first time, as a locomotive from the Western Region requires help getting home... The first episode of the series, and the one which we (the original team filming it for our degrees) had the most fun on. Generally, as this is the earliest episode, and was the 'pilot' episode, there are many problems with the episode itself. For instance, in no particular order: the backgrounds (there were none), the lighting (was bad), the sound quality (terrible!!!), in the titles, locomotives with the wrong faces (Sir Ralph is seen wearing Scott's face several times), the script (fun but unrealistic), and lastly the use of lots of stock footage from the previous five trailers that appeared before its debut. These come in several forms, the aforementioned faces problem, then some original stock footage of Allen in the black and white sequence (minus his face). This story was necessary to introduce to the audience the characters of Allen, Stephen, and Sir Ralph. No other characters are mentioned, though there is of course, the old Western engine a member of the 43xx class that was known by the BRWS team (but never mentioned in the series) as "Jackson". In the title sequences, both Nigel and Herbert's models appear, but are wearing different faces to the ones they would eventually end up with. The standard 4MT seen at the end of the episode was seen wearing the face that Nigel would eventually end up with. None of the engines have correct nameplates or numbers at this point Sir Ralph's number is 60007, but the red nameplates (incorrect for this number) read Dominion of Canada, Allen's model is 60161 North British, not 60114 W.P Allen, and while Stephen's number is correct, the livery (LNER Green) would have had at the very least British Railways picked out in cream on the tender, and a British Railways number applied to the cab sides. Another surprising twist is that Scott is also seen, albeit in his final, 1964 form with green paint and smoke deflectors, in several shots throughout the episode. There are more gaffes, the tankers seen behind the old Western Engine appear and reappear at a whim (and for a series set in 1952, why are we using 1970s petrol tankers anyway?!). We were still developing our filming techniques, and looking carefully, there is a shot of the Western Engine pulling some coal trucks that is simply an inverted shot of a truck which should read MSLR - this is seen backwards as a result! Further, as a result of editing my script by another member - Nigel (who is introduced in episode four) is mentioned no less than twice...in fact the editing of the script was more than a little cut line, here and there. The title, and the ideas behind my original script (named "Tale of the Unnamed Engine"), were cut back so much that the episode was very basic in story structure and ideas. There are little or no locomotive lamps present in the series we would address the head codes problem in Episode Nine, "Birds of a Feather". Steam is seen in its minutest form, we used a series of piping underneath the tracks, which had pumped smoke from an ex-disco smoke generator. We also used in this early episode, a hot metal pipe (which glows at its end), which had steam oil applied and used for static smoke shots. This, the first episode, remains to date the most viewed of the series' episodes, although it would be another six months before we'd see an episode do quite as well in its first few days as this one.

Thank you very much sir! I'm hoping to show in this RMweb blog how anyone can make a decent piece of video for Youtube in the genre I adhere to - children's programming, and educational with respects history. Incidentally, the latest video - Fowler's Ghost - will be out on Youtube on Friday 30th October. It's a Halloween special

This is the RMweb Blog and Information source for The British Railway Series, an historical Youtube series set in the years 1950-1964, and in a railway yard named Copley Hill. I started making the series of videos with some friends for a module assessment in 2007, and while the rest of my team have gone onto better things, I found I enjoyed making the videos so much that I kept on making them! Over the last three years the series has improved greatly in terms of modelling and filming, evolving from the early, "filmed on a train set" video into the latest epsiodes, made as HD/Widescreen videos specifically for the constraints of Youtube. One of the most notable changes to the series has been in the length of videos, and how they are uploaded to Youtube. The original episodes (one to six), and episodes seven onto fifteen were all filmed as one, two, or in Episode Ten's case, a four parter! As the major constraint for a normal youtube account is that videos must be under ten minutes long. With the Youtube channel gaining partner status in June 2009, it has been possible to upload videos longer than ten minutes, and thus a few director's cuts have been uploaded to show the episodes as originally intended. The series has a finite length, as per the original directive of being historical. The series will finish in the year 1967, when the last of the ex-LNER express locomotives leaves the rails for the scrapyard, and it's a certainty that only a few locomotives (including Scott the A3 pacific) will survive. But that's a long way off, and of course, there are many, many stories still to tell...

Hi Hiesler, The moulded handrails will be the next to go. The problem with the tender itself is that the its width coulped with its height makes it look fine for a handrailed GNR tender but too large for the one which no.1 pulls (which is not an original tender, apparentally). I'm thinking about re-using as much of the kitmaster as possible while scratch building the sides and rear, perhaps. At any rate, I am glad I took the plunge to use the kitmaster frames as they look much better with the Emily chassis as a result.

While Andy's been fixing the image display problem (thank you Andy! :icon_thumbsup2: ), I've had the flu and have had little energy to do any modelling. However the last few days I have felt a little better, so cracked on with modifying the tender for my Stirling Single No.1 bash. First up, I have two plans - and am going to do both and fit whichever one fits the "look" better. First up then, is removing the coal rails from the Bachmann Emily tender. This is how the tender looked a month ago: The coal rails were removed with a scalpel blade fairly easily, cutting to each section of the coal rail and keeping a steady hand. They can be removed leaving a relatively smooth finish on the plastic which can be sanded down with wet'n'dry paper for the perfect finish. The frames have had a little modifications since I fixed the kitmaster sides on - using my Gamesworkshop green putty and some superglue "rivets" I have been attempting to fill in at one end the gaps in the frames. It's not too bad, but needs more work: All together, the tender and model currently looks like this: Straight away, I know the Bachmann emily tender is still too big for the tender No.1 currently pulls - the tender frames may be okay but the tank is too big in overall height and proportions. This is where I may re-use the kitmaster tender sides and top and see if they look the part on the Emily tender. Failing that, I am not adverse to scratchbuilding it in plasticard...! Until next time.

Hi Andrew, Thanks very much for the offer - I'm only on Sidcup Hill so its not too far away for myself. I've managed to get some photographs that I'm currently writing into a new blog post, I'll edit this post and link it back to here for your approval

Thats true Horsetan, but as indicated earlier in the thread, the Bachmann wheels are actually undersized for the prototype and actually come out to a scale 5'3", which is closer than the 2MT to scale size for the L1 conversion (oversize as opposed undersize).

You make some superb points as usual, Horsetan. Does anyone actually have an N class and a 2MT to hand to do some comparison pics? I think if we could see the difference in the wheelbase in the models, we'd have a clearer idea of how the proportions of the wheelbase would look against a V3 body and so on. The reason I'm advocating the N class chassis is simply based on ease of build and the size of the driving wheels being closer than the 2MT's. Of course, if we're cannabalising two chassis types anyway, one could re-wheel the 2MT chassis using the N class wheels and then use the coupling rods of the 2MT with the N class's coupling rods and valve gear...! Strange to think that in essence we'e doing what Thompson did sixty years to make the first L1!

Hi chaps - my apologies for not getting back to either of you sooner! Thank you for your kind comments. I was delighted with how this piece of scenery turned out - I am tempted to model the coaling facility and water tower should I be able to extend my baseboard one day.

Hi Roger, Looking at those dimensions, are you saying the N class chassis would be better in proportion to make an L1 compared to the 2MT? If that is the case, I'd find a spare set of B1 cylinders from somewhere and chuck them onto my N class chassis to see how it looked... Since the model is in effect a representation of an L1 (albeit trying to be as close to prototype as possible with RTR parts available), the thought occurs that the proportions of the N class chassis wouldn't be too far out to be completely wrong. I accept that the 2MT wheelbase is possibly closer, but Horsetan's suggestion of modiying the 2MT and N that much sounds costly (but with respect Horsetan, totally doable and probably the best way to represent the valve gear). What has swung it for me is the scaling of the driving wheel size - knowing that the N class wheels are closer to scale L1 size than the 2MT I think I'll be using an N class chassis for my build (which, the more we discuss, seems like it will happen!) Therefore I now need to find some B1 cylinders and a B1 bogie if your thoughts about those components are correct sean (and that sounds like Thompson to me - using standard parts to make a new class!) Thanks for the support RE the dissertation - its writing a little better today! Cheers, Simon

Hi Sean, Totally understandable, my apologies for being a tad grumpy - I'm currently working on a dissertation which isn't writing itself as I wanted it to...! I'm considering joining you on building an L1, perhaps vaguely in parallel. I've always liked the look of them (and if I build one, like the Clan and A2 before it either Bachmann or Hornby will make it next year!) and I do have an N class model spare. I'm considering re-wheeling the N class chassis and using that in combination with a spare V3 I have (motor is burnt out and was cheap second hand). The snag for me would be sourcing a suitable rear bogie. I'm fairly certain that I could use the front truck from the V3 on the N class with little modifications if I went for it. But I have to get a certain stirling single out the way first! In any event, I think using the N class valve gear is the way to go for accurate valve gear. I didn't realise how incredibly close it was until I started looking at some comparison photographs earlier last week. The driving wheel size (4in in real life, not sure of the scale down but it must be a tiny difference) seems okay for my own project, but wheel spacing of the N against the L1 (thanks horsetan, just noted your post with regards L1 spacing)could be similar enough for a bash. Kind Regards, Simon EDIT: With thanks to the LNER encyclopedia and SEMG, these pics are intended for educational and comparative reasons only. I've tried to scale them together in order to form a proper side on view for each engine. Straight away the N class valve gear strikes me as being spot on for an L1. Some bashing of the cylinder (or complete replacement?) would provide a perfectly reasonable representation of the L1's. The wheelbase - I'm not sure. The rear driving wheel on the N class looks a shade too far away to be spot on, but has got to be fairly close to the L1s. I've included the V3 to show that perhaps the boiler barrel needs a little lengthening (edit - no, its just the dome needs moving forward one band). The cab front looks almost identical (and of course a new set of side tanks and rear coal bunker would have to be made). Perhaps the body and cab from the V3, the front pony from the V3, the Chassis of the N class and its valve gear, and the tanks/bunker/cab scratch built with a suitable 4 wheel rear bogie found would make a reasonable L1?

Hi Sean and Horsetan, Not sure what to make of it, but I posted a few thoughts above which seem to have been completely ignored! RE valve gear, you may want to take a look at the Bachmann N class model. Cheers, Simon EDIT: and here's my post from the old RMweb...

The idea of Lion as an RTR is definitely one that appeals - forming a little trinity of prototype diesels in Heljan's reserve. I'm not sure after Kestrel you can aim the same "limited sphere of operation, interest" etc arguments at Lion, which I'm wondering if we could accurately predict its entry into the market in 2011... Unless Heljan have already been working on it, in which case roll on 2010! The point I'm making, is that both Falcon and Kestrel have sold enough surely to warrant a third unusual d/e prototype. Hell - having said that - who's up for DP2 from Bachmann?!