| I suppose I got the
job in about 1993. I didn't apply for it, it just happened. I have
referred elsewhere (Lads Trip South page) to the occupants of the front
compartment on the 1980's SLOA Steam Charters. One that I haven't
previously referred to was a certain David Bailey. Now we are not
talking here about the famous David Bailey, the photographer. We are
talking about the Infamous David Bailey, who is not only a photographer,
but a Sound Recordist specializing in Steam Locomotives sounds.
Although my "front Compartment" days ended in the late 1980's, David continued to send me from time to time cassettes of his latest recordings. So we kept in touch. And by the mid 1990's we were having an occasional short break together in North Wales. He would usually travel from Leeds to Porthmadog by rail, taking in 37's on the North Wales Coast, Met-Cams on the Conwy Valley line, then down to Port on the Ffestiniog. But one thing that David does not do is drive, so he is totally dependant on either public transport, difficult with equipment to carry around, or the help of a few friends who do drive. And so I was duly appointed Chauffer for North Wales and the Midlands. |
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| A typical session on
the Ffestiniog would comprise a drive from Porthmadog to Gwyndy to
record an up train, a quick dash to Tan-y-Bwlch for another recording, then a drive to Tanygrisiau for
the same train on it's return journey. Followed by a fast drive down the valley to repeat the process
again with a later train. If Rhiw Goch
loop was operational, excellent recordings could be made of up trains,
and Boston Lodge was also a frequent recording spot, though any form of
recording was dependent on gaps in road traffic.
Talyllyn trips usually started with recordings of the first three up trains on Cyfnal bank, then a quick drive up the valley, often calling in at Brynglas or Dolgoch, then to Abergynolwyn for a further recording. An essential part of the days itinerary was a trip to the Abergynolwyn refreshment room for a delicious "Talyllyn Turkey Sandwich". This was usually followed by a trip to Towyn and back on the last train of the day. Welshpool & Llanfair recordings were invariably made at Castle Caerinion, and Snowdon Moutain Railway recordings beyond the viaduct shortly after trains departed from Llanberis. |
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| In the Midlands, I
have been summoned to drive our illustrious sound recordist to the Norton
Junction area near Worcester, the Severn Valley Railway, the Gloucestershire
Warwickshire Railway, and, in December 2004 on a bitterly cold and windy
late afternoon, to an open area close to Solihull station, where a
Vintage Trains
trains return dining special was recorded departing on the final part
of its return journey to Dorridge.
The end result of all this activity is a collection of superb sound recordings, most of which now reside on David's Steamsounds website. My own favourites are 1) An on train recording of Palmerston departing vigorously from Boston Lodge during a Ffestiniog Gala, and 2) Lilla climbing Gwyndy bank with a train of Slate wagons, and making a lot of noise in the process. |
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| And all my Chauffeuring has not been one way traffic. I have received vast amounts of encouragement and help (and lots of criticism) in the setting up of this and my other websites. Any problems, e-mail David, and he usually knows the answers. The only difference of opinion we have concerns the respective merits of the Jubilee and Black 5 locomotives. He will insist that a Black 5 is superior. I sometimes wonder about his sanity. | ||||||
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