Great Western Steam - in Yorkshire!

Back in 'real', pre 1968 steam days the sight of a GW loco in Yorkshire would have created quite a stir. Indeed, it did on just a very few occasions when the products of Swindon did actually venture into God's own County! I even witnessed one such incursion with my own eyes.
In 1967 the preserved 7029 'Clun Castle' worked railtours which passed through Yorkshire and I saw the loco with an inspection saloon visiting various parts of Leeds to make sure that it would fit! And I have photographs too.
In more recent years the sight of a GW loco in Yorkshire creates no more of a stir than that caused by any other steam loco and the wider use of locos than was ever permitted in the past has allowed some interesting comparisons to be made.
Here are a few recordings of preserved GWR locos making some fine sounds in God's own County!

The most recent GWR visitor to Yorkshire was one of the Birmingham Railway Museum's 3 main line Hall 4-6-0s. Not only that, but the one of the three that I hadn't seen or recorded before, 4953 'Pitchford Hall'.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, York is always a popular destination for charter trains and on 9th December 2006 two steam hauled trains were due to visit the city.
The first of these was from the Birmingham area operated by Vintage Trains, a 7 coach train hauled by 'Pitchford Hall'.
For the return 4953 was a little late departing from York but sounds to be going well passing Dringhouses about half a mile south of the station.
As the sound of the Hall begins to fade away a northbound Voyager unit passes.

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway has had it's fair share of GWR visitors including 0-6-0 Pannier Tank 7752 which visited the railway from the Birmingham Railway Museum in 1988 to take part in, not Enthusiasts Weekend but Enthusiasts Month! Actually, it wasn't as exciting as all that as there was just one visiting engine, 7752, and only a slightly enhanced timetable.
In this recording 7752 is heard climbing between Haworth and Oxenhope. The driver makes good use of both whistles as the train heads for the terminus and, at the start of the recording there is an audible reminder that it is safer by train!

The K&WVR has it's own resident GWR loco, Pannier Tank 5775 which at one time carried a rather strange light brown, almost orange livery and it's London Transport number, L89.
It was back to being 5775 when I made this recording of the loco departing from Ingrow heading back down the Valley to Keighley.

Another GWR loco to pay a brief visit to the Worth Valley was Castle 4-6-0 5029 'Nunney Castle' which was at work on 13th March 1994 with a train of just 4 coaches.
On the previous day the loco had worked a train south from Carlisle over the Settle - Carlisle line but had proved itself incapable of completing the climb to Ais Gill, expiring in the vicinity of Kirkby Stephen. Most embarrassing!
On a somewhat less arduous duty the Castle seems to be coping Ok on the gradient as it leaves Oakworth for Haworth with a mid-afternoon train.

Our last GWR visitor to the K&WVR was there for the February 2004 Steam Gala.
This was the 2-8-0T 5224 and is heard leaving Keighley with a passenger train for Oxenhope.
Once the freight train had returned from Ingrow 5224 was able to work the next passenger train from Keighley to Oxenhope.
With 6 coaches makes a fine sound on the steep gradient out of the station.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway isn't a stranger to GWR motive power having both resident locos and visitors from time to time.
At the beginning of October 2004 the railway held a 3 day Steam Gala.
On the first day, 1st October 2004, the first train of the day was double headed by GWR locos with the railway's own 0-6-2T 6619 being piloted by Large Prairie Tank 5164 visiting the line from the Severn Valley Railway.
This pair are heard on the 1 in 49 climb to Goathland passing Green End recorded from near Dowson Garth at the other side of the Murk Esk valley.
From a sound recording point of view I'm not a great fan of double headers as with relatively short trains, 7 coaches in this instance, having two engines only serves to reduce the amount of work that each locomotive has to do which, of course, reduces the amount of noise!
At least in this case, thanks to the locos having differing driving wheel diameters both are clearly audible.

Now for a few more GWR locos working on Yorkshire main lines.
On 18th December 1999 Twenty First Century Trains and the West Coast Railway Co. ran another in the series of special trains from Hellifield to Carlisle and back and, on this occasion, motive power was provided by GWR Hall 4-6-0 5972 'Olton Hall'.
This is how the loco sounded passing Selside on the northbound climb to Blea Moor with 9 coaches behind the tender.
This train had originally been due back into Hellifield in the early evening but due to pathing and other problems ended up returning via Shap and Carnforth and it was almost the early hours rather than early evening when the train got back to Hellifield. Not the sort of thing to encourage Joe Public to travel again!

In 2002 'Olton Hall' had quite a few days out at the seaside when it was working trains between Scarborough and York along with 8F 48151 for the West Coast Railway Co.
During a very noisy run on 13th August our journey from Scarborough to York was interrupted when we were stopped by signals at Ganton not far into the run.
Not that I'm complaining you understand, since this meant more fine sounds from 5972 as it restarted the train from the check!
If you have a look at the Steam Jukebox page you'll find a link to a page from which you can download a free Steam Jukebox recording of 5972 during the same run. Unlike this clip, the recording is CD quality. And it really is free!

1998 saw the 50th Anniversary of the post war Locomotive Exchanges and all sorts of events were proposed.
The only one to actually run was a train on 22nd November 1998 from Leeds to Kings Cross with GWR King 4-6-0 6024 'King Edward I' running as 6018 'King Henry VI' which took part in the trials on this route in 1948.
This train should have been of great interest to enthusiasts and have been fully booked within a few days but the state of the enthusiast market is such nowadays that the train ran barely half full, and, of course the diners were at the front!
Back in 1948 the train chosen for the trials in the up direction was the 7.50 am from Leeds which arrived at Kings Cross with 15 coaches behind the tender. However, the booked load from Leeds was only 9 vehicles, a little over 300 tons, the rest being added en-route.
The load in 1998 was no less than 12, but to this was added the weight of a Class 86 attached at the rear but providing no power since its pantograph was down!
We went out to see the King on the 1 in 100 climb out of Leeds to Ardsley.
In 1948 6018 with its short train managed a minimum of about 25 mph on this climb but I would guess that 6024 was down to less when it passed us at Beeston about a mile north of the summit of the climb at Ardsley.
Even so, a good performance with well over 500 tons behind the tender.

As you have already heard, GWR locos have had mixed fortunes working trains 'Up North' and, aside from the run heard in the last recording, the visit by 6024 'King Edward I' in 1998 couldn't be described as a complete success!
Although there were no embarrassing failures similar to that suffered by 5029, runs over the S&C were at best, steady and at worst interspersed with stops to rally the boiler.
The King's final appearance on the S&C was a southbound run, which ran through to York, on 4th April 1998.
Having already made a steady if unspectacular ascent to Ais Gill with no danger of stopping short of steam this time, the King stopped for water at Hellifield.
Running just about on time 'King Edward I' is heard being worked rather more vigorously on the rising gradient away from the station.