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Page contents © D Swan 2008
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These recordings are intended primarily as a
supplement to the photographs on this site. However, I hope that some of them do stand as works in their own right.
The recordings should, in any case, provide a bit of audible atmosphere to go along with the photographs. I hope also,
that with practice, the quality will continue to improve! Happy listening.
Instructions
The sound files are arranged in chronological
order with a listing at the top of the page summarising all the recordings. It is then just a matter of scrolling down
the page to find the date of the recording in which you are interested. After a short description is a box containing
a summary of the recording including time and size of the file and a thumbnail of the action if available. I`ve tried
to keep the files at a manageable size for all users to avoid major downloads but the trade off is a slight loss in quality.
All files are in mp3 format sampled at 64kbs. The recordings are probably best listened to in headphones.
In the summary box is a large CLICK TO PLAY link.
Click the link to launch the track in your default media player (ie Windows Media Player (WMP), the track should load and
play. Do ensure that your media player is configured to play mp3 files. In WMP go Tools/Options/File Types and
tick mp3. If that fails you can right click on the CLICK TO PLAY link, this will bring up a standard Windows dialogue
where you can select 'Save Target As' (Internet Explorer), 'Save Link As' (Firefox).. Selecting this option will bring
up another standard Windows 'Save As' box. You can then choose where you want to save the file; you can then download
the file and play it in your chosen media player whenever you like!
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11 January 2008 35028 Clan Line passes Byfleet
01 March 2008 35028 Clan Line departs Brookwood
15 March 2008 4965 Rood Ashton Hall passes Culham
22 March 2008 35028 Clan Line nr Chalton
12 April 2008 60019 Bittern at New Barnet
28 May 2008 35028 Clan Line at Twyford
01 June 2008 6233 Duchess of Sutherland at Whiteball
03 June 2008 4247 departs Bodmin Parkway
03 July 2008 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley near Woolhampton
19 July 2008 6233 Duchess of Sutherland at Princes Risborough
23 July 2008 35028 Clan Line at Worting Junction nr Basingstoke
30 July 2008 6233 Duchess of Sutherland nr Albury
07 August 2008 34067 Tangmere leaving Guildford
13 August 2008 6233 Duchess of Sutherland departs Winchfield
& Basingstoke (2 runs)
20 August 2008 6233 Duchess of Sutherland departs Ascot
11 September 2008 70013 Oliver Cromwell departs Woking
14 September 2008 70013 Oliver Cromwell at Farnborough
27 September 2008 5029 Nunney Castle departs Guildford
29 November 2008 34067 Tangmere departs Beaconsfield
11 December 2008 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley at Shere Heath
13 December 2008 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe at Taplow
18 December 2008 30777 Sir Lamiel at Battledown Flyover and
Woking (2 runs)
11 January 2008
A wet and windy day relented for a couple of hours at lunchtime
and coincided with 35028 Clan Line passing Byfleet. The Merchant Navy Class loco was hauling a VSOE circular
tour from London Victoria via Guildford. As an 'up' express passes we pick up 35028 climbing up on to the main line
as it comes off the Addlestone line having just passed under the main line. 35028 makes good progress on the damp rails
and is following a service train just departed from Byfleet. We hear the usual Class 67 on the rear then pick up 35028
again before it is lost passing under the M25, a constant hum in this recording.
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35028 Clan Line at Byfleet Junction
11 January 2008
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01 March 2008 Regular visitors will know that we have visited Brookwood before with 35028 Clan
Line. Having seen 35028 at Fleet I didn't expect to be able to catch up with tour at the Brookwood stop
but in the event, managed to arrive just as the 'right away' was given. We hear the guard's whistle
along with Clan Line's as the loco opens the drain cocks and gets underway with a small slip. An 'up'
express overtakes and cars race around the car park as 35028 makes a very steady departure. No 67 on the rear, so all
the work of 35028 but we hardly hear the loco after the train has passed with this VSOE circular from London Victoria.
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35028 Clan Line departs Brookwood
01 March 2008
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15 March 2008
A first (and for sometime, last) recording of 4965 Rood
Ashton Hall with the '4965 Adieu' tour from Solihull to Didcot. On a very wet day in Oxfordshire, 4965 had
a final outing on the main line before being withdrawn for overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works. Arriving late after
a long drive in atrocious weather we have little time to set up on the 'up' side of the station. We join the action
on this returning northbound leg as a southbound DMU, possibly Class 166 gets underway as 4965 sweeps around the
curve under the A415. 4965 is checked as it enters the station allowing the the DMU to get clear. As the
'Hall' passes it is at walking pace but opens up and starts to accelerate away up a short rise towards Radley and Oxford.
Shortly an express passes following 4965 which lets out a distant whistle. Finally, some people pack up gear as the
loco fades into the distance. We're not going to see Rood Ashton Hall for a while but this is a nice recording
to remember this main line stalwart.
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4965 Rood Ashton Hall passes Culham
15 March 2008
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22 March 2008
Arriving in the South Downs in blizzard conditions didn't bode
well for 'The Southern Sunset' tour. The tour ran from London Victoria to Salisbury before returning via Eastleigh,
Havant and Guildford. In clearing but very windy conditions we manage to locate a reasonable spot for photography but
very exposed for sound recording near Chalton. With the wind blowing towards 35028 Clan Line at the
head of this trip we hear the passing loco right at the start of the recording as a Pheasant sounds off. The buffeting
wind is very evident throughout the recording but if we keep listening the Merchant Navy Class loco lets out a long melancholy
whistle as it climbs towards Petersfield.
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35028 Clan Line nr Chalton
22 March 2008
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12 April 2008
I had intended to catch newly restored A4 60019 Bittern
pounding through the suburbs at dawn with 'The North Briton' at New Barnet. In reality 60019 was checked and coasted
into the station almost coming to a halt. In any case I was unable to find a suitable position for a photograph.
About half way along the platform the A4 got a better (signal) aspect and suddenly turned on the power. As the
crowd dispersed I turned to look at my mic as the A4 powered away towards Hadley Wood and the north. Not much to
look at today but something to listen to.
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60019 Bittern at New Barnet Station
12 April 2008
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28 May 2008
After several failed attempts at sound recording recently and chasing 35028
Clan Line around today, we eventually manage the semblance of a recording in atrocious weather at Twyford Station.
The evening rush hour is in full swing on the Great Western main line. HST's pound up and down on the through lines.
The 'up' relief has all the stopping services to Reading. The 'down' relief has through HST's and bi-directional
local trains. Hardly much space to fit in a steam rail-tour. Given the cacophony this is something of a sound-scape
of Twyford Station in the rush hour. We pick up the action with the platform announcements in full song as 35028 is
heard picking up speed towards us in the distance. A stopping service to Reading is just pulling in in front of us and
we are about to be 'eclipsed'. 35028 just picks up enough speed to get past us and under the Waltham Road Bridge as
the Class 166 slows to a halt. Steam fans can stop there as we next hear the 166 pulling out of the station before a
London bound HST blazes through behind us. 35028 was returning to London Victoria following a VSOE trip to Bristol.
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35028 Clan Line at Twyford
28 May 2008
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01 June 2008 'This must be Whiteball' I spluttered, hauling my gear through a narrow stile.
The vista opened up in front of me, here was the famous bank where 3440 City of Truro was claimed to be the
first locomotive to break the 100mph barrier, descending the bank with the 'Ocean Mails'. Today, we were
here to see 6233 Duchess of Sutherland climbing the bank with this 'Locomotive Exchange Special' for 'Steam
Dreams'. I'd arrived far too early, so found a suitable spot to set up and settled down to wait for the train.
Slowly, people began to file onto the hillside as if assembling in some great auditorium. At the due time of 6233
a sizable crowd was present, scattered as individuals and small groups. An almost eerie silence then descended across
the fields and hillside as the crowd prepared the witness the performance. It was nearly 20 minutes after
the booked time that a puff of exhaust was seen just behind the road bridge before 6233 boiled into view. In dull and
damp conditions 6233 was in fine form and passes by on the 1/80 climb with something of a shrug. The crowd pack
up and disperse. I am the last to leave. Having been on the hillside for over two hours the recording lasts just
1 minute 20 seconds. Enjoy it, I did.
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6233 Duchess of Sutherland at Whiteball
01 June 2008
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03 June 2008
A visit to Cornwall enables us to have a brief stop at the delightful
Bodmin and Wenford Railway. Just time for a single round trip behind GWR '42xx' Class 2-8-0T no 4247. We're onboard
4247, immediately behind the locomotive. 4247 is departing from Bodmin Parkway, smokebox first, heading for Bodmin General.
We hear the 'right away' and the loco gets underway on level track. Soon we clear the station and the 2-8-0 turns on
the power and starts the 1/40 climb. With just three coaches behind the tender this powerful loco is more than up to
the task, making steady, if wheezy and slightly monotonous progress. Later, 4247 pounds under the A38 bridge before
continuing the climb to Bodmin General. A visit to the Bodmin and Wenford is highly recommended and I could have spent
all day at the railway.
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4247 departs Bodmin Parkway
03 June 2008
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03 July 2008
A selection of sound here from 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley as
it heads west near Woolhampton with a 'Cathedrals Express' tour from London Victoria to Bristol and return. We are next
to the picturesque Kennet and Avon canal but have the constant traffic from the nearby A4 road. Overhead an assortment
of airliners, light planes, military helicopters and private helicopters go about their 'business' on a day of light winds
and sunny spells. Such is the din that the steady beat from 60007 catches me somewhat unawares for a moment and I think
it's another noisy intrusion! We hear the approaching 'pacific' for some time before it heads past, following a service
train and presumably being checked by signals. 60007 slows as the last of stock clanks by. A short fade is followed
by the loco picking up speed as I try and make an adjustment to my gear. Another quick fade and we hear 60007 in the
distance now but really putting the hammer down as it heads off towards Newbury. In hindsight this could have been a
much better recording but we do get to hear 60007 quite well.
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60007 Sir Nigel Gresley near Woolhampton
03 July 2008
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01 June 2008
We don't often get the chance for two takes at a main line steam
run but we do today, well kind of. At Princes Risborough I hoped to get 6233 Duchess of Sutherland charging
through the station and away up the climb to the summit at Saunderton. It getting late on a fine but breezy summer evening
in the Chilterns. The 8.41 to Birmingham has just pulled into Platform 3 on the far side of the station from our recording
position down in the car park. On time 6233 comes into view and all on Platform 3 are 'bowled'. 6233 travels slowly
into the station with two crew members leaning out of the cab and paying special attention to the trip through the station.
This is an unusual route for 6233 and with a clear signal aspect and plenty of steam I wonder if there may be a tight gauging
issue at this point? We first hear the 8.41 coming to rest before we pick up 6233. The loco comes off the power
as heads through the station soon 'blowing off' and then starting to accelerate. The loco sounds good as it passes before
we get some noise as the power comes on and we head off towards Saunderton Summit. So, two takes? Two different
recording systems but one recorded at at somewhat higher level than the other giving us a bit more sound on the climb.
I tried mixing the two tracks but it just didn't sound right. So (Take One) has good sound on the climb but we lose
a little detail as the loco passes by. (Take Two) has a little less on the climb but more detail in the passing.
Take your pick and enjoy the action. Both takes have quiet starts and need the volume up a little and perhaps headphones
to pick up all the detail. 6233 was hauling the return leg of a Cathedrals Express trip heading for London
Paddington having started the trip from Chester. The outward leg had been diesel hauled.
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(Take One)
(Take Two)
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6233 Duchess of Sutherland at Princes Risborough
19 July 2008
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23 July 2008
I haven't included a 'when it all goes wrong ' clip yet this year,
I've had a few, just not put them on the website. To 'redress' this, here's a clip of 35028 Clan Line
at Worting Junction near Basingstoke with a VSOE trip from London Victoria to Westbury and Bristol. I'd found
a quiet spot to set up and we hear the sounds of a summer meadow as a plane fades in the background and we pick the beat from
the Merchant Navy class loco. 35028 whistles as it approaches the nearby foot crossing as an airliner decides
to make a sudden flypast. The airliner is somewhat drowned out as 35028 passes before we hear 35028 and the airliner
fade into the distance. Thankfully the recording ends there as we return to the sounds of the meadow. This is
a near CD quality clip sampled at 128kps but I probably should have stayed at home and done the grass.
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35028 Clan Line at Worting Juction, Basingstoke
23 July 2008
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30 July 2008
In April 2006, this location near Albury had seemed promising
for tours climbing through the Surrey Hills. This spot has now become rather overgrown and very difficult to reach.
With several inquisitive dogs running about I'd have to keep very quiet indeed for any hope of some reasonable sound.
With just a gentle breeze blowing we are introduced by the smooth 'caw' of a nearby Rook before hearing the distant hooter
of 6233 on the climb below our position. A dog does indeed pipe up as the loco approaches but is no match for the 'frothing'
4-6-2 as it powers by below. We continue to hear loco as it heads towards the summit at Shere Heath. As I crashed
about packing up my gear the dogs went crazy and I may need to find a different location in the future.
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6233 Duchess of Sutherland near Albury
30 July 2008
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07 August 2008
A narrow and busy walkway just North of Guildford Station is the
location for this recording. It's late on a quiet evening just after a heavy rain shower as 34067 Tangmere
makes its way through the junction approaching the walkway. 34067 makes a steady approach as heard from our position
in a shallow gully on the north side of the walkway. 34067 bursts under the walkway and accelerates into the distance
heading for Woking and London Waterloo. 34067 was returning from Salisbury with a 'Cathedrals Express' tour. The
outward leg had run on the old LSWR route via Basingstoke, with the return running via Romsey and the Portsmouth direct line.
We are unusually quite lucky here with no pedestrians passing at the same time as Tangmere.
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34067 Tangmere leaving Guildford
07 August 2008
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13 August 2008
Another welcome opportunity to see 6233 Duchess of Sutherland
today hauling a 'Sunny South Special' for 'Steam Dreams'. This time we'd be getting some close up action of
6233. A day of strong winds and rain for the first recording here at the Winchfield water stop. 6233 hooter sounds
its departure just away to our right under the platform canopy. As the loco gets underway a London bound express sounds
its horn as it tears through the station. 6233 thunders past our position and away under the Odiham Road. As the
stock passes we can make out a carriage with seemingly square wheels and a noisy generator or kitchen car before we pick up
6233 again for a short time.
For the return we are at Basingstoke on what is now a much calmer
and clearing evening. Plenty of action here. We start with a spine tingling moment as 6233's hooter sounds
in the distance and echoes across the town. Soon a west bound Desiro slows to stop at the station. As the
hooter sounds again after 6233's water stop we hear the loco get underway as a DMU shuttle from Reading passes close
by heading for the bay at Platform 5. The sound of 6233 echoes around again and as the loco passes the crew acknowledge
the signal box before continuing their journey heading for Fleet, Woking and Clapham Junction. Great stuff.
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6233 Duchess of Sutherland departs Winchfield
13 August 2008
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6233 Duchess of Sutherland departs Basingstoke
13 August 2008
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20 August 2008
Ascot, again. Probably our last visit for 2008 with this
remarkable locomotive, 6233 Duchess of Sutherland, during its short season of trips for 'Steam Dreams'. Down
in the dark at the end of Platform 3 I hoped to escape the door slamming so evident in the car park at this location.
I assumed lots of station announcements but hadn't envisaged the late night inquisitive onlookers awaiting the Guildford
service. We start with a long hooter from the 'Stanier' followed by the rather pleasingly mechanical noise of the coal
pusher in the tender of 6233. As the loco gets underway we are free of announcements but I do have to shift my gear
to try and focus the sound away from other noises. With some success we hear the loco for a while making good progress
out into night on its way to Virginia Water, Staines and London Victoria. As the crowd disperse we can also hear
the support crew packing up the fire tender. 6233 had started the day at Clapham Junction with a trip to Exeter.
In any case, the sight of sound of a 'Coronation Pacific' at Ascot on a Wednesday night is enough to stir the heart whatever
the efforts at recording the event.
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6233 Duchess of Sutherland departs Ascot
20 August 2008
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11 September 2008
I hadn't time to get on the platform at Woking to photograph 70013
Oliver Cromwell, so we find ourselves outside the station to catch the departure. Forty years after
hauling the final steam train for British Rail, 70013 has recently been restored to main line running standard and to find
it heading out of Woking on a Thursday night is somewhat astonishing. Rather like the 8F on Fleet Steam a few
years ago we've never heard a 'Britannia' Class locomotive and have no idea what to expect. First we hear a 'down' service
train pull past as 70013 whistles in the platform and gets underway. A truly momentous sound reverberates around us
as 70013 accelerates away and thunders past our position. I'm quaking in my boots in this hand held recording as
we pan with loco as it heads away towards West Byfleet, Surbiton and London Waterloo. A couple of commuters trudge by
seemingly oblivious to the cacophony as a car starts up and the recording ends. 70013 was returning to London Waterloo
following a 'Cathedrals Express' tour to Bristol.
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70013 Oliver Cromwell departs Woking
11 September 2008
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14 September 2008
A bright and sunny Sunday morning at Farnborough finds us waiting
for another run from 70013 Oliver Cromwell. Today, heading the outward leg of a 'Cathedrals Express' tour
from London Waterloo to Exeter. The station is busy with photographers and passengers awaiting the 9.38
Waterloo service. Most of the photographers are on the 'down' side, with us on the 'passenger' side, but we manage to
find a fairly quiet spot at the western end of the platform. A few minutes late we hear 70013 emerging into the station
from underneath the Farnborough Road Bridge whistling furiously. 70013 thunders past on the 'fast' line making
a fine spectacle to the many unsuspecting passengers on the platform. As the photographers pack up we continue to listen
to 70013 for a time as it heads for Fleet and Basingstoke. It's quite rare to get good sound on this fast and flat section
but Oliver Cromwell is on top from here and well worth a listen.
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70013 Oliver Cromwell at Farnborough
14 September 2008
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27 September 2008
The last thing I'd expected today was to have a usable recording
of 5029 Nunney Castle. 5029 was making a very welcome return to our area following an overhaul, 2005 the
last time we caught up with this loco. Departing Guildford for Solihull with the returning 'Mid-Hants Explorer' seemed
the best option for a photograph but worth taking the mic anyway. The bridge just north of the station is our location,
next to the university. The large number of photographers at this spot was swelled by a number of passing students
who where curious as to what was going on. We finally find a spot to record among the crowd just off the bridge and
behind some bushes. Indeed we start by hearing a student asking about the trip. 5029 whistles its departure
from the station some 1/4 mile away to our right. Listen carefully and you can make out the distinctive creaking
of 5029 as it gets underway. I'm not certain if this is unique to 5029 or indicative of the 'Castles' in general.
Despite the crowds there is little talking and we hear the approaching loco well before it passes beneath us and away around
the university campus heading for Farnborough and Reading. As the train passes beneath us, so does a 2 set 450
Waterloo bound service and we may be able to make that out heading over the trackwork. Considering the unfavourable
environment, this is a somewhat remarkable recording and we should certainly look forward to catching up with 5029 again soon.
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5029 departs Guildford
27 September 2008
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29 November 2008
Setting up my gear in the car park at Beaconsfield a car sped towards
me and proceeded do do handbrake turns around me! I moved to a different spot but then another car arrived.
There was some noise and the cars left after a while. After Tangmere was nearly 45 minutes overdue on a cold,
damp night I was beginning to wonder if I should have stayed at home. Eventually 34067 arrived at the station for a
booked stop of a couple of minutes, nearly an hour down. Anyway, we set to work with soggy gear as the crew get ready
to continue to London Paddington. This 'Cathedrals Express' tour had originated at London Paddington in the morning
hauled by a Class 47 diesel, bound for Chester. 34067 was only hauling the return leg. 34067 waited for about
five minutes before a brief whistle on departure, which is where we join the action. The damp dreary night is transformed
into a breathtaking spectacle as Tangmere is virtually consumed by its own exhaust as it gets underway. 34067
is soon on top of us, down by the track, almost within touching distance. We hear the delightful, chain driven
melody of the light-pacific as it heads past and away towards Seer Green and London. As the train passes we lose the
sound for a moment, before we pick up 34067 again, really turning on the power now as it heads on through the night.
However, by this time, the passengers have started to filter away to their cars. With some irony we hear a car head
towards us to turn around us and head to the exit and we have to end the recording. In fact after the first car had
left I couldn't make out the loco anymore so little is lost in this track.
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34067 Tangmere departs Beaconsfield
29 November 2008
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11 December 2008
Another chance to listen to A4 Class 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley. Heading
a 'Cathedrals Express' tour from London Victoria to Oxford and return, we'd headed to the Surrey Hills for the outward
leg, only to be thwarted by a particularly persistent low flying helicopter. The occupants appeared determined to ensure
no suitable sound recording or video could be made, quite unusual. Knowing it wasn't my day (again), for some reason
we find ourselves in freezing temperatures, high up on the North Downs at night for the return run. Far below us, we
can make out the faint rhythm of the A4 as it trudges up the climb from Chilworth in the still night air. A couple of
cars buzz along the minor road behind us before all the transport arrives at the summit. The A4, accompanied by
the thudding wheel flats on the stock, a car and airliner overhead all combine as 60007 crests the summit in a cutting just
below us. The recording ends to the sound of the airliner but I was unable to make out any further sound from 60007
anyway. The exhaust drifts up, out of the cutting and disperses around us over the moonlit, frost covered ground.
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60007 Sir Nigel Gresley at Shere Heath
11 December 2008
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13 December 2008
When we decided to include sound recordings on Fleet Steam
the idea was to add some atmosphere to the images. This short clip, whilst short and somewhat interrupted, fits the
bill perfectly. The image of 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe charging through Taplow is fine but we would have
no idea how it sounded without this clip. Another wet day as we hear 5043 whistle as it approaches Taplow and an announcement
is started. 5043 thunders by and continues its trip to London Kensington Olympia. The announcement ends, people
are coughing and it's a flawed recording but we very much get the idea. Enjoy in near CD quality 128kps too. The
trip had originated at Birmingham Snow Hill.
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5043 at Taplow
13 December 2008
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18 December 2008
Two tracks from 30777 Sir Lamiel on a 'Cathedrals Express'
tour from London Waterloo to Sherborne and return. First, on the outward leg we are in a rather lonely and exposed field
beside Battledown Flyover near Basingstoke. One other photographer at this spot is David Smith whose excellent
model rail site is here. Rain threatens and the wind howls across the field. Around 10 minutes down 30777 tears by, whistles and plunges
beneath the flyover in this brief but exciting clip. Waves from some 'window hangers' help to lift the spirits too.
Sometimes, when you are behind a tour, you wonder how the train looks as it heads along the line as you cannot easily
tell. Well to anyone on this trip and reading these notes, you looked grand flying along the old LSWR there. (This track
is in128kps)
Second, we have a disaster at Woking in the evening. 30777
is some 20 minutes down and just about to depart from a setting down stop. As 30777 lets out that delightful Maunsell
whistle, what had been a quiet car park for ages suddenly has some Christmas shoppers fumbling for their car keys. As
30777 gets underway, I'm still trying to rearrange my gear. On the plus side, by the time the shoppers have left, 30777
is in full flight and we get to hear the loco working hard at close quarters. Those wheel flats are here again, towards
the rear of the stock before a couple of fallen leaves rustle by. Hopefully the antics at the start of the track won't
spoil you're enjoyment of the recording too much.
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30777 Sir Lamiel at Battledown Flyover
18 December 2008
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30777 Sir Lamiel departs Woking
18 December 2008
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