Steam
Age Pictures Volume 17This volume includes coverage of most of the events mentioned above: the departure from Eastleigh, WSR Autumn and Spring galas, East Lancs winter gala, the test run, the stop-over at Didcot and light engine movement to Minehead and 8 of her 11 main-line tours.
Running time 63 mins approx. All proceeds donated to Eastleigh Railway Preservation Society.
Main
Line Album 1999
Highlights include 8F 48773 unassisted on the Lickey Bank, Canadian Pacific (in blue) at Southampton Docks, Green Arrow in the West Country, 80079 around Bristol and banking 45110 on the Lickey, Flying Scotsman's return to traffic after her £0.75 million overhaul (including the test run in grey undercoat), Rood Ashton Hall's first main line run, King Edward I in trouble on a long tour to Bournemouth, and long sequences of 73096 and Clan Line.
Running time 90 mins approx.
Steam
Age Pictures Volume 15The tour took 9 days, from Good Friday 6th April to Saturday 14th April, and used 7 steam locomotives, mostly over routes that they worked in steam days: 71000 Duke Of Gloucester, 5051 Earl Bathurst, 6024 King Edward I, 6233 Duchess Of Sutherland, 60009 Union Of South Africa, 61994 The Great Marquess, and LMS 8F 48151. Starting from London, it visited Bristol, Penzance, Plymouth, Exeter, Abergavenny, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Chester, Preston, Carlisle, Glasgow, Stirling, Perth, Inverness, Kyle Of Lochalsh and Thurso. Along the way it climbed some of the most famous (notorious?) banks in the country, including Hemerdon, Dainton, Llanvihangle, Shap, Beattock, Druimuachdar, Slochd, Luib and County March.
(By the way, in case you are worried that you have missed something,
Vol. 13 is a short programme produced for some MNLPS members to show when
giving presentations, and Vol. 14 seems to have got lost in the works somewhere...)
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Main
Line Album 2006, Part 1: LMS & BR Locos
All the locos are red or black - apart from 71000 Duke of Gloucester! Highlights include 6233 Duchess of Sutherland in Surrey and Westmoreland, 5690 Leander on the Lickey, BR Standard Class 4 76079 on the Cambrian Coast, and 6201 Princess Elizabeth at Whiteball, Dainton and Rattery in fabulous sunshine! (on Volume 11. Approx. run time 73 mins) |
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Main
Line Album 2006, Part 2: GWR, LNER & SR Locos
Here are the rest of the green ones! 30777 Sir Lamiel "up North", 35028 Clan Line's test run run and first VSOE tour, 850 Lord Nelson leaving Eastleigh, 34067 Tangmere at Littlehampton, 6024 King Edward I on the GWR main line, two Halls on the Lickey and Green Arrow on the East Coast Main Line. (On Volume 12. Approx. run time 57 mins) |
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Sunny
Days on the Bluebell Railway
I made two visits to the Bluebell during 2006. On both occassions the sun shone all day. Here are the results. (On Volume 12. Approx. run time 28 mins) |
Main Line Album 2000
2000 was a transition year, being the last year that I was using a Super-VHS camera, and I don’t consider it to be a vintage year, exactly. From a technical point-of-view, I was struggling with different microphones that were either not picking up much sound or else were picking up too much camera and handling noise. I have cleaned the audio up a bit where necessary (but hopefully not so much that it sounds unnatural). From a personal point-of-view, I was busy with other things and many tours passed unrecorded. Also, there are one or two shots that I have included because they are of historical interest rather than great artistic merit. However, there were some true high points as well, not least Bodmin’s return to the main line in June, Blue Peter’s run over the Devon Banks in July and my move to a digital video camera in November. I have put the Digital footage towards the end. I think you'll notice the improvement in picture quality!Steam On The Met, 1992 - 2000
Most years between 1990 and 2000, London Underground opened a section of the Metropolitan Line between Watford, Rickmansworth and Amersham to steam for a weekend of special trains. These were run to a frequent schedule amongst the regular Underground electric and Chiltern Railways DMU services and were driven and fired by volunteer crews.Running time 70 mins approx.
(approx. running time: 82 minutes)Main Line Album 2002
This programme completes the back-log of digital footage (apart from last 2 months of 2000), and it was a vintage year. Star of the show, with nearly 28 minutes all to herself, is 35005 Canadian Pacific. We see her on Steam Dreams crew-training specials at Easter and on a number of Cathedrals Express runs. The supporting cast includes 6024 King Edward I, three different Halls, Black 5 45407, 60009 Union of South Africa, 4472 Flying Scotsman and a rare appearance from B1 61264.
Mid-Hants Album 2002
Loco Trials: 34016 Bodmin and 6024 King Edward I get to grips with 9 coach trains on the 1-in-60 gradients during the summer gala.
An Autumn Day on The Watercress Line: "Mickey Mouse" 2MT tank 41312 assists 35005 with the Green Train early one morning, and 34016 and 41312 run the normal service trains, including The Countryman.
Main Line Album 2005
What can one say about 71000 Duke Of Gloucester? She flattened Upwey, Parkstone, Honiton, Sherborne and Upton Scudamore banks, toying with her 11- and 12-coach loads. On more level ground, she cruised along at 75 for mile after mile with little apparent effort. But she wasn't alone: 34067 Tangmere took care of VSOE business again, and also visited Bournemouth and Winchester; Black Fives 45231 and 45305 and Jubilee 5690 Leander returned to main-line duties; 5029 Nunney Castle bowed out; 6024 King Edward I put up consistently good performances all year; 60009 Union of South Africa went up the Midland main-line on a perfect autumn morning; 4472 Flying Scotsman flew down to Didcot with a couple of Sunday Lunch specials. There are also brief appearances from 4965 Rood Ashton Hall, 5051 Earl Bathurst and 34027 Taw Valley.
After the main program, I have included a split-screen comparison of 6024 and 5029 over the same stretch of track on the approach to Sapperton Tunnel, filmed from almost the same spot, three months apart. I won't tell you who wins...!
(approx. running time: 82 minutes)
A Profile of 35028 Clan Line
More from the archive, both S-VHS and Digital: Merchant Navy class 4-6-2, 35028 Clan Line at work on the main line between 1990 and 2001, plus an afternoon spent at Southall depot with members of the MNLPS.
(approx. running time: 63 minutes)
Main Line Album 2003
Star performer of 2003 was the Mid-Hants Railway's Standard 5, 73096, which was the main stay of the Cathedrals Express and Daylight Limited services. Other highlights: Tangmere returned to the main line (several times!), Flying Scotsman was a regular performer on VSOE Pullman excursions, Princess Elizabeth returned to Euston, Nunney Castle enjoyed perfect weather in February, and 9600 bowed out of mainline work.
(approx. running time: 85 minutes)
Programme 1: Main Line Album 2004
The undoubted star of 2004 was GWR 4-4-0 no. 3440, City Of Truro. She gets two long sequences all to herself, one from the late spring/early summer, and one from the winter. Also: Tangmere delighted me on a series VSOE Pullman trains via Oxford to Worcester; The MHR's Standard Five once again punched well above her weight (see, for example, her climb through Chalford to Sapperton);The King and the Duke returned after overhaul; Nunney Castle struggled with 10 coaches on the climb to Tytherington Quarry; Taw Valley roared up Upwey bank as she turned a 30 minute late departure from Weymouth into a right-time departure from Eastleigh. All this and Union of South Africa, Flying Scotsman and Rood Ashton Hall too!
(Running time: 57 mins)Programme 2: Mid-Hants South Western Gala, 2004
I spent a day trying to dodge the showers (not always successfully, as you’ll see!) to record three visiting tank engines:
The NRM’s LSWR Beattie 2-4-0WT 30587;
LBSC Stroudley A1x “Terrier” 0-6-0 from the Kent & East Sussex Railway;
Port Talbot Railway 0-6-0ST 813 from the Severn Valley.
The MHR’s own BR Standard class 5, 73096, makes an appearance too.
(Running time: 7 mins)Programme 3: City of Truro, 1990 - 92
The last time that 3440 toured the country was between 1990 and 1992. Here are a few shots from my Super-VHS archive:
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway gala, 14th October 1990;
Severn Valey Railway gala, 21st September 1991;
Main line trip from Derby to Didcot, 3rd May 1992.
(Running time: 9 mins)
The
tour spent 3 days on the JingPeng pass, on JiTong Railway in Inner
Mongolia, in November 2004, with the first snow of the year on the ground!
The result: 1 hr 20 mins of massive QJ class 2-10-2 locos hauling 2000
tonne goods trains and our tour's 850 tonne sleeping car train up the 1
in 87 gradients. This line is justly famous for spectacular scenery and
high, curved viaducts. The week after the tour, more diesel locos were
delivered to Daban MPD, displacing steam from more trains over the JingPeng
pass. We were there just in time!
We
spent 18 days in China in total. This programme covers everything else
we saw away from the JingPeng pass:
Colliery lines around Tongchuan and Yuanbaoshan;BONUS: Click here to see some of Corinne Henman's excellent photographs taken on the same trip.
The eastern section of the JiTong Railway in Inner Mongolia - a look around Daban locomotive depot, and an hour or so spent at Chabuga;
The 2'6" (762mm) gauge limestone quarry line at Dahuichang;
Programme 1: Mid Hants Railway Gala, Sept 2003
Featuring four visiting engines: 34081 "92 Squadron", 473 "Birch Grove", 60009 "Union of South Africa" and BR Standard 4 tank 80104, as well as MHR's Ivatt 2-6-2T 41312 and converted Austerity "Douglas".
Approx. running time: 28 minsProgramme 2: Bluebell Railway Gala, Feb. 2002
Featured classes: Wainwright O2, Stroudley A1X Terriers, Billinton E4 Radial, Adams B4, Riddles Std 4,
Approx. running time: 27 mins
Programme 3: Profile of S15 E828
Archive footage of this Really Useful Engine at work on the mainline between 1993 and 1997, and on the Swanage Railway in July 1998.
Approx. running time: 37 mins
Back to TopProgramme 1: Main Line Annual 2001
Highlights include double-headed Halls and Panniers in the snow, Clan Line's last trip before overhaul, and Duchess of Sutherland in Devon.
Approx. running time: 43 mins
Programme 2: Well Tank Weekend
In April 2003, the Bodmin and Wenford Railway launched Beattie well tank no. 30587 into public service with a weekend of special trains. The weather was perfect, and the little engine is simply gorgeous!
Approx. running time: 42 mins
