The Christmas White Rose

LMS Coronation Class 8P 4-6-2 no 46233 Duchess of Sutherland heads The Christmas White Rose to York from Cambridge. The Duchess joined the train at Peterborough for the run to York on the East Coast Main Line.

Filmed using DJI Osmo



Filmed using Panasonic GH4

Copyright: Original post from http://steamdaysblog.blogspot.co.uk/author M Garrett

60103 Flying Scotsman with The Waverley

Cruising towards Thirsk with the down Waverley

Copyright: Original post from http://steamdaysblog.blogspot.co.uk/author M Garrett

A Mixed Weekend

It should have been a good weekend for photographing and getting some video of steam train specials. It didn't quite turn out that way due to the rather wayward timing of Sunday's Tin Bath Special. 

Saturday's trip out was to see The Valentine White Rose running from London Kings Cross to York.

I'd got the timing from Real Time Trains just about spot on for our 45 minute trip out to Colton Junction near York. There were a good number of enthusiasts already in their chosen spots as we arrived. I think 34067 Tangmere was third choice locomotive for this tour behind 70000 Britannia and 60009 Union of South Africa. Actually it's a bit of a treat to see an Ex Southern Region locomotive working in this part of the country. 

 Tangmere sped by running a few minutes early but with a rather disappointing amount of smoke.

Sunday's plan was to capture The Tin Bath in Wakefield our local station. I've blogged before about the special charter steam train called the Tin Bath named after the Last of the Summer Wine television programme. On Sunday it was due to travel through Wakefield. This was too good an opportunity to miss so my plan was to pop down to the station to grab a quick video clip as it passed through. I knew from the Internet the train was running almost an hour late and so tried to judge our arrival time accordingly. Then at the last minute I decided more of an action packed video would be better rather than the train passing slowly through the station and decided on a spot out towards Horbury Junction. The trouble was I got the timing all wrong and we arrived just as smoke billowed over the bridge parapets. So as you've probably guessed there are no photographs of The Tin Bath.

To finish off this post the video of Tangmere heading The Valentine White Rose is included below.

Copyright: Original post from http://steamdaysblog.blogspot.co.uk/author M Garrett

Out To See Bittern

On a cold damp December morning we set out to the East Coast Main Line to see LNER A4 Pacific 4464 Bittern hauling the Cathedrals Express from London Kings Cross to York. Following the trains progress on Realtime Trains it was making good time and would be on schedule north of Templehirst Junction where we were planning to take some video and photos.

The clouds were low so the position of the sun wasn't going to be a problem. We didn't manage to get our usual parking spot. We had about twenty minutes to wait before the Cathedrals Express was due. A few test videos were made as main line services raced along the main line.

Then a problem as a tractor with an enormous piece of spaying equipment attached seemed as if it wanted to start crop spraying exactly where we were standing although there didn't appear to be a crop. It wasn't clear whether we would have to move position. At the same time I spotted smoke on the horizon. It turned out that we didn't have to move as the tractor did a 360° turn and headed away from us down the grass verge but by this time Bittern was into view. In a panic I pressed the photo shutter button instead of starting the video. Eventually I realised my mistake and I hit the right button and started the video.

This maybe a last video of Bittern for some time as it's due to be retired from service for a major overhaul at the end of the year.

However 4464 Bittern has one more journey planned before overhaul on the 30 December 2014 with The Bittern Farewell Tour once again travelling from London Kings Cross but this time to Lincoln.

The White Rose

On Saturday 12 April 2014 we decided on a trip out to the East Coast Main Line to see 60163 Tornado in action with the The White Rose tour from London Kings Cross to York and return.

I still haven't found a good spot on the ECML for photography. The railway heads north through mainly flat agricultural land. The weather wasn't particularly good either as it was cloudy and windy.

We decided on a spot we've used before near Temple Hirst Junction between Doncaster and York. It's about the nearest location for us to the ECML. For anyone who doesn't know there are ways to follow the progress of most trains operating in real time so there isn't a need  to arrive at a location long before a train arrives. The on line schedule for 60163 on Saturday looked like this, well the portion of the route we were interested in did.

The first time after the location name is the planned time of arrival with the actual time given next to it. At Temple Hirst Junction Tornado was due to arrive at 12:53 but actually arrived at 12:54 a minute late. The Real Time Trains web site can be found here.

This web site has saved us a few trips to photograph trains which have run very early or alerted us to trains running very late.

With this little App we didn't have long to wait for Tornado to arrive. The windy weather resulted in any exhaust smoke blowing away from the locomotive and over adjacent fields but at least we'd chosen the side where the train didn't disappear in the smoke.

I'd still like to get some better pictures of 60163 Tornado but I think the best opportunity will be when the locomotive is making an appearance on a Heritage Railway line rather than operating a main line tour. That might be when Tornado is scheduled to appear at the Nene Valley Railway in September.

More details regarding 60163 Tornado can be found on the A1 Steam Locomotive web site.

Copyright: Original post from http://steamdaysblog.blogspot.co.uk/author M Garrett

Christmas White Rose

It was freezing cold waiting at Colton Junction just outside York to see 60009 Union of South Africa in charge of the Railway Touring Company's Christmas White Rose on route from Cambridge to York.

In the bright sunshine both photography and videoing were pretty challenging. It was more or less aim and shoot and hope the locomotive was in the view finder. The timings for the journey had recently been updated with the route switched to the East Coast Main Line between Doncaster and York from the slower Doncaster - Church Fenton - York line. These timings made the biggest changes to the route further south with the train arriving in York around noon which had always been the intention.

In the end the results weren't too bad and we had our first pictures on 60009 Union of South Africa in serious action as it approached York. As you can see, from all the parked cars on the opposite side of the track, it proved to be a popular spot for railway enthusiasts to capture their shots of 60009 at speed.

The rather blustery wind from the north tended to blow the exhaust gases in the wrong direction which had a rather detrimental effect on the video soundtrack. It's the first time we visited this popular location for capturing steam charters on the East Coast Main Line.