A Brief Encounter

One of the great railway films of all time is Brief Encounter, a classic and timeless story that showed how an unexpected meeting can set off a chain reaction that would never have occurred had just one of those people not been in a certain place at a certain time.

My own brief encounter happened in June, and I recounted the full story here.  Briefly, I was on duty at the Nene Valley Railway quite by chance as I was covering for a colleague who was sick.  A photographer and model (Siân) came to the NVR for a photoshoot and I mentioned that I met them quite by chance, as they needed a guide to take them into the yard.  At the end of the piece I flippantly wrote, ‘I personally wish Siân great success with her future career; perhaps one day she might get to star in a Grumpy Git Production, the pinnacle of any model’s career.’

Well, fact can often be stranger than fiction.  After some thought I contacted Siân through one of her website portfolios and asked if she’d be interested in doing a photoshoot with me, bearing in mind that I am a complete amateur and have no experience at working with models whatsoever.  As a photographer I have to be honest (as indeed I was in my communications with Siân) and say that I am at the bottom rung of the profession.  Well, I’m looking up at the bottom rung, but it gives me something to aim for.  My photographic kit is restricted to one good quality point-and-shoot style camera (Panasonic TZ6), a Fuji Finepix S1500 that I don’t much care for, a tripod that accompanies me everywhere and a reflector, which is actually a silver sunshield, scrounged out of a car at work.  When I say basic, that’s exactly what I mean.  This was brought to home in January at the Great Central Railway Winter Steam Gala when I joined a line of photographers who looked as if they were filming a Hollywood blockbuster.  Out came my diminutive Samsung point n’ shoot (at the time) and tripod which I set up in all of 30 seconds.  A group not ten feet from me openly scoffed between themselves at turning up with such kit, although when I glared across at them with a lorry driver’s hard stare, they shut up.  For these reasons I didn’t I really think that a professional model would be interested in a shoot, but Siân had seemed a very pleasant and outgoing person at the railway, and I felt that if I didn’t ask I could miss out on a great opportunity and regret it later.

Therefore, I was delighted when Siân replied the next day, which impressed me a lot, and agreed to a shoot.  Many emails passed between us, and I was struck by her helpful advice and suggestions as things progressed.  It was clear from her emails and portfolios that she loves her job and gets a real buzz from it, but what makes her stand out is that she wants the best possible results for the photographer as well.  Frequent communication also built up a rapport in readiness for the shoot, which meant things were relaxed from the moment we met on the day.

I have no studio experience at all, and as I mentioned above, I’m somewhat lacking in the equipment department.  I enjoy working in the field, shooting variations on landscapes or transport scenes, particularly railways.  So a location shoot was required, and I have a reasonable imagination when it comes to composing pictures.  Therefore I planned a shoot that would be varied and hopefully interesting for both of us, set on a local farm that sits in a beautiful and undulating valley.  Perfect – and everything was set for the shoot.  Except, being Britain, the prolonged heatwave and clear skies over Lincolnshire turned dramatically into storms five days before the shoot.  It soon became clear (to me, not the weather) that conditions were going to be ‘unsettled’ as the BBC weather Wombles like to say.  They meant, ‘It’s going to rain a lot’, and it did.  Wednesday was crunch time – the forecasts were poor and an evening thunderstorm rather proved the point.  I cancelled the farm as they didn’t have any boats to get up to the meadows, and hurriedly devised Plan (b).  This was, of course, the Nene Valley Railway.  It was a natural choice – I’m familiar with it, and could work around poor weather with undercover shoots if necessary.  I hurriedly blagged some Peterborough deliveries at work on Thursday and popped down via Wansford to sort out a shoot.  As always, I got terrific and enthusiastic support from my colleagues at the railway with access to the locos, yards and a bundle of useful props for the specific shoot I had in mind.

Siân wasn’t put out by the sudden change of plan, in a flurry of texts she proved that she was game for anything and looking forward to the shoot regardless.  That was a relief; it’s not very professional to change things around at short notice, but needs must in the circumstances.

Friday dawned with bright and sunny skies, ironically enough, and the forecast had changed from unsettled to bright spells with showers – which is the same thing as far as I’m concerned.  Siân arrived early, which was great – good timekeeping is a fad of mine – and turned up with a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of clothes and props.  This girl comes prepared for anything, and in a suitcase and two large bags had an entire wardrobe available to suit any kind of look at a moment’s notice.  She was accompanied by her chaperone and fiancé, Spike – who is also a photographer and occasional model.  Some photographers dislike chaperones; personally I found it useful to have people who could add ideas and enrich the shoot with their experience.  Spike in particular spotted some brilliant photo opportunities that I’d have missed, and these were fantastic shots that look amazing.  He was unstinting with suggestions and ideas that added a great deal to the shoot, and I really appreciated his enthusiasm to help me get some great pictures.

I’d planned a shoot that would be structured and themed, as this is how I create videos.  Plan the work and work the plan, always allowing for those unexpected issues that crop up along the way, of course.  Many models are photographed on heritage railways as they provide a nice, historical background for a shoot.  I was after a totally different theme; by dressing Siân in appropriate uniforms I’d picture her undertaking the various jobs we do around the railway.  When I say uniform, I should point out that I wasn’t exactly after historical accuracy here.  If the sort of people who go to model railway exhibitions point out that her cap badge doesn’t match the era of the type of tail-lamp seen in some pictures, deal with it.  Preferably a long way away from me.  Yes, there really are some people out there who notice these things, and are only to happy to wax lyrically about them ad infinitum.  I know; in a previous life as a trader at railway exhibitions I’ve met them.  My costumes would be a nod to traditional railway dress, but with a twist to make the shoot light hearted, humorous and sexy.  Imagine St Trinians on the Orient Express and you’re on the right lines.

The shoot began in the glamour of the yard amongst bits of old scrap components, boilers and machinery.  So much nicer for a model than a beach in Barbados!  Spike spotted the hand trolley beloved of old movies from the Buster Keaton era.  Indeed I discovered only on Saturday that this particular trolley had just returned from a far less exotic photoshoot of its own, as it had just been filmed for a role in Coronation Street as part of Haley’s wedding.  I don’t follow Corrie, but if you watch it that will no doubt make sense.  Siân jumped straight onto this and struck a fantastic pose without even being asked; she knows a prop when she sees one and instinctively interacts with it to create the look you want.  Indeed, as the day wore on and we got to know each other, I’d often start a sentence to suggest the next pose and she’d be in it before I’d got half the sentence out!  She’s definitely a natural model and made the shoot easy to direct as a result.  Even her throwaway moments between shots were great; so much so that I then asked her to repeat them for the camera.

From the yard we moved to the rolling stock itself.  Donning a grey driver’s jacket to go with her rakish cap, heels and short skirt, this was her moment that every girl dreams about - yes, I’m talking about driving and firing real locomotives.  First call was for some exterior shots on a class 14 diesel, mimicking the sort of pose struck by models at the Motor Show on brand new Ferraris.  The difference here was that Siân was posing on enough horsepower to give Jeremy Clarkson wet dreams for a week.  Leaving that pretty picture behind, we moved onto the Polish tank loco for some firing shots.  This meant shovelling coal and Siân got stuck right into the task.  Having earned her stripes with a shovel, she was rapidly promoted to driver on our flagship loco, Standard 5 City of Peterborough.  Siân settled straight into the role and soon got to grips with the intricacies of the regulator and brake, whilst keeping a close eye on the gauges.

A spot of maintenance beckoned, and as we passed the Fowler 4F with the smokebox door wide open, Siân asked if she could pose inside it!  It was an inspired moment on her part, and the pictures look fantastic.  How many girls can claim to have been inside the smokebox of steam loco?  One for the grandchildren, that.  Another great set of scenes were filmed around her job as an oiler on 73050, getting stuck into the valve gear with some amazing facial expressions.  Siân’s hands-on involvement with the task was now literally showing with coal, grease and general muck all over her legs and hands, so with a couple of dabs to her nose, her initiation as a railway-woman was complete.  It seemed like a good idea to break for lunch and general clean up, so we retired to Jayne’s café for sustenance and soap.

Once fortified, it was a change of outfit for one of the most important railway jobs – signalwoman.  Our regular signalman doesn’t often sport white high heels, but once he’s seen the set I hope that this might signal a change of direction at the NVR.  Together with an appropriate tie and dinky waistcoat Siân set off to learn another new job in Wansford Signalbox.  This would be quite a tricky shoot for me, being indoors but backlit with daylight streaming in through the ‘box that is entirely glazed on three out of four sides.  It took a while to do this bit of the shoot, as I took many identical photos at different settings to cope with the lighting.  Some fantastic pictures came out of the box; I particularly like the reflections in the mirror, the close up headshots and the raunchy pose taken opposite the ‘box as she stood on the window sill giving me a ‘don’t mess with me’ look.

One task remained; one of the most prolific railway jobs available.  This was, of course, Guard.  I had a rake of coaches available and the traditional task of waving the train off with the green flag suited Siân admirably.  She had some interesting moments placing the tail lamp on the bracket, as it was far heavier than either of us expected.  She doesn’t give in, however, and created a great look by swinging the lamp in a pendulum movement to get it in place.  She also managed to get herself onto the headstocks and pose ballet style next to the gangway – no mean feat, I can tell you.

Siân had never been inside an old ‘proper’ train like the Mk1 coaches and was really keen to take a look inside.  She adored the compartments, and instantly presented me with a great photoset that I hadn’t considered.  Discarding her hat, waistcoat and kicking off her shoes, I got a great end-of-the-shift look as she languidly stretched out and reclined on the seats.  These are lovely, natural photos and really capture the moment of ending your duty after a busy day and relaxing ‘on the cushions’ as the train returns to the depot.

That was the main shoot of the day completed, but Siân was eager to carry on modelling; she has real passion and enjoys her work immensely.  I was surprised as modelling is incredibly hard work and thought she’d be ready to drop by now.  There is a general assumption that modelling is easy, simply a case of posing whilst having your picture taken.  Well, I am happy to dispel that myth.  During the day Siân had clambered in, out, under and on steam locos, old boilers, piles of ash and coal, dirty and greasy machinery and balanced one legged on a bufferstock.  Throughout this she’d had to hold and change pose time and time again, and have the same photo taken several times at different settings.  The idea that models are airheads was also totally turned on it’s head.  Siân brought incredible concentration to her roles, and as we walked around the site she was constantly looking for and suggesting ideas or props that could be used.  She gives herself totally to the shoot, and throws herself into roles with great enthusiasm.  She enjoys new things; well she certainly got that!

The shoot ended with a bit of freestyle modelling in the fields near Wansford Station, where Siân put on her own clothes and posed as if on a picnic in the countryside.  We tried some ball games for action shots and ended with some relaxing poses next to the river.  To add in a really authentic British picnic feature it began to rain at that point, although in fairness it was the first rain we’d had all day.  We carried on shooting in the rain for ten minutes, but then it turned into a deluge so that was that.

Surprisingly, the shoot had gone for eight hours, but where the time went I just don’t know.  It was great fun, particularly working with Siân who loves modelling and has incredible energy and dedication.  The nerve racking came bit at home when I uploaded the 753 photos I’d taken – would any of them actually be any good?  Fortunately the overall result was pleasing, and I ended up with around 350 pictures that I like.  I got good and very complimentary feedback from Siân and Spike, particularly about my creativity regarding the locations, theme and style of pose.  I have a penchant for full-length shots of a model, sometimes taken from a striking angle.  I favour a model to be pictured in a setting so that she becomes part of a scene as a whole and not just standing in front of something.  In many of my scenes Siân is interacting with various props to create striking poses that look in keeping with her surroundings.  I went for a teasing look to the railway set to suit the idea of a young girl taking on the traditionally male dominated roles of the industry, and with Siân’s impish facial expressions and natural coquettishness this came across beautifully.

Overall I found the entire experience a fantastic challenge, extremely creative and great fun to undertake.  It has taken my photography to a new level that I would like to develop further.  Both Siân and I have many ideas for great shoots in the future; indeed I was so impressed that I immediately rebooked her for a second shoot the following week.   Perhaps our initial brief encounter could become from here to eternity!

These sample photos clearly demonstrate Sian's enthusiasm and versatility as a model.  A good selection from her extensive portfolio may be seen here.

Update: The full set of photos from this shoot may now be seen in my Modelling Portfolio.

Please, Mr Postman

After a few hours sleep – well, time spent in bed trying to sleep in the sort of heat associated with market day in Basra – I was off again to the Nene Valley on Sunday morning.  I wasn’t on duty today, as I wanted to attend the Bus Rally that I wrote about here.  However, I also had another pet project on the go, which was filming some of the Mail by Rail event on the railway.

The NVR regularly operates working Travelling Post Office (TPO) trains that demonstrate how mail used to be collected, sorted and dropped off from trains in the days of steam.  In the sixties it became possible to post a letter in the evening and have it delivered to another part of the country the following morning.  Imagine if that were feasible today – well, the possibilities are endless.  You could post a birthday card the night before someone’s big day and they’d receive it over breakfast the following morning!  Instead of which it either gets crushed in the sorting machines or buried under 18 tons of mail left over from the last strike or can’t be delivered because your front door has three steps that can’t be negotiated for elf n’ safety reasons.  But never mind.  You can celebrate your birthday with an offer for the new Capital One credit card offering balance transfers for 41% interest or wonder how you’re going to fill the ‘Cash Your Gold’ envelope that always manages to get through any disaster striking Royal Mail.

That aside, you can come and watch how mail used to be collected on the move.  Although The Great Central Railway and Didcot Railway Centre offer TPO services, it takes the NVR to do it justice.  And I’m not just saying that because I’m biased.  The NVR uniquely has two sets of lineside apparatus, one at Sutton Cross and the other at Yarwell.  Both sites have a public viewing gallery that offers a grandstand view of proceedings, and at each demonstration the train performs three or four run pasts so that the public don’t miss anything.  Access to the sites is on board the TPO itself, so visitors can really savour the whole experience rather than just watch a drop off.  All that for £4 can’t be bad, or free if you’ve purchased a day ticket for the railway as a whole.

My plans for shooting the TPO went awry before I’d even arrived.  The previous day, as I mentioned here, the railway was affected by a steam loco ban between Wansford and Peterborough due to lineside fires.  The decision was taken to continue running the Yarwell services behind 73050 City of Peterborough and cancel the Sutton segments.  This worked out well for me, as I really needed a steam loco for the project I was working on.

I travelled to Yarwell on the first passenger train of the day so as to be in position for the TPO emerging from the tunnel later on.  I covered the mailbag drop and pick ups, then jumped the return service to Wansford.  There was a great photo opportunity here, as one of the visitors to the Vintage Vehicles event had brought an early GPO van and bicycle – and even dressed up for the part!  As our resident postie, Paul, was also in uniform from TPO duties, I was able to get some nice shots.

Following this I then headed for the Bus Rally at Sacrewell Farm before returning to film the afternoon TPO runs.  Having already captured the action shots earlier in the day I simply needed some shots of the train itself to add into the film.  The interior scenes on the coaches had been filmed in June so I was now ready to create the video.

As soon as I thought about filming the TPO I’d decided that there was only one soundtrack to use – W.H. Auden’s Night Mail, of course.  The prose echoes the beat of the locomotive and wheels on the rail joints perfectly, and the version I chose to use had a great musical arrangement that fitted in perfectly.  The end result is quite pleasing, as I feel it captures the atmosphere of the TPO whilst maintaining continuity and relevance to the narration.  So I hope you enjoy Grumpy Git’s visual interpretation of Night Mail.

Frying Tonight

It was a hectic weekend down at the Nene Valley once again.  With the annual Vintage Vehicles Weekend at Wansford Station, a Mail by Rail event, an evening dining train on Saturday and a bus rally at Sacrewell Farm with vintage buses shuttling down to Wansford on Sunday there was something for everybody, not to mention normal train services trying to cope with the stultifying heat.

So where to start?  Well, I was ticket inspector on Saturday, and the booked train consisted of the Danish coaches hauled by the PKP tank 5485.  Unfortunately the windows in these coaches only open wide enough to pass a credit card through, so conditions inside the train resembled an oven.  Indeed, I took some yeast and flour on board the first train, left them in the Guard’s compartment and had a loaf of bread by lunchtime.

It has been consistently hot and humid in Cambridgeshire for weeks now, and the lineside vegetation is tinder dry and brittle.  It didn’t take much to ignite it, and after four fires it was reluctantly decided to replace steam with diesel locos until further notice.  The trusty class 14 driven by the ever trusty Thunderbird James was called out to rescue services, whilst the A1A Society members on site laboured under extremely uncomfortable conditions to get 31108 ready for the evening dining train that had been booked initially for 73050 City of Peterborough.

5485 & 73050 quietly head for the depot 

as Billy Joel performs 'We didn't Start The Fire...'

The dining train was The Wansford Fryer, a service which picks up passengers on an evening run down the line before heading back from Peterborough to Yarwell non-stop, whilst passengers dine on fish n’ chip suppers that have been collected from Peterborough Station.  It is a service that requires exacting timekeeping – if the train is late at Peterborough then obviously the fish n’ chips will go cold.  And that isn’t good.

I’d stayed on after my turn as TTI to travel on the Fryer and assist with dishing out the meal.  A group of us – Team Jayne – set up the Mk1 coaches with tablecloths, cutlery, condiments and sauce baskets.  This is posh fish n’ chips; well, we are in the deep south after all.  Back home in Sunderland it’s fingers and paper bags, but I’ve adapted to my new environment quite well.  The meals would be served in two TSO coaches, whilst the four compartment coaches were available for anyone who just fancied a ride on the train.  For some inexplicable reason the TSO’s were marshalled at each end of the train and not coupled together.  This would mean someone (guess who?) would need to run the length of the train at Peterborough with the box of 60 fish n’ chip dinners and keep them warm.  What’s that old army saying?  Oh yes, never volunteer…

31108 at Yarwell after running round.  Nice headboard!

The train left Wansford 20 minutes late behind 31108 due to operational reasons that I have conveniently forgotten, so don’t ask.  Thanks to some nifty running round at Yarwell and some good thrash from the crew, we actually arrived at Peterborough only 4 minutes adrift.  The van was waiting for us, and I grabbed the first big box and legged it down the platform.  About halfway down, I suddenly wondered if I had the correct box ….. oh well, too late now to worry about that.  Fortunately it contained the suppers, and they were dished out to the diners on board.  As we cleared the tables on the return trip, I was pleased to hear so many complimentary remarks about the food – and proof of this was that there were no leftovers from any table.  Beat that, Gordon Ramsey!

The end of a busy shift.

After the non-stop run, the train ran the whole service again to drop off passengers who’d joined at intermediate stations.  Then a final run back to Wansford where we arrived around 22:15, and saw the end of a hectic but pleasant day – and a chance to try out some nocturnal photography.  I headed for home and some shut eye, as tomorrow I'd be back for another go!

The NVR turns in for the night.

Many Happy Returns!

Things have been that busy lately that I just haven’t had the time to record all of them.  The weekend deserves a mention, however, as it was the hugely successful Thomas’ Birthday Weekend at the NVR.  Although I was down for Booking Office and TTI, the Thomas crowd needed a hand with various activities – and as this entailed being outside in the stifling plus 30° heat it certainly beat staying indoors in the stifling plus 30° heat.  There was an advantage somewhere, I think ….. Anyway, I was off like a shot.

Three trains ran on Saturday, all sell-outs, and were great fun to be part of.  Sunday required a bit more work, but thankfully only two trains would run as the 3 pm service was cancelled due to a lack of bookings.  Apparently there was some football game on TV, and rather than come out and enjoy themselves, people preferred to stay indoors and watch a ritual national humiliation that was only ever a matter of time.

The Thomas event was kept separate from the main line trains, and comprised of a 3 coach Wagon-Lit train hauled by Thomas to Yarwell where all the families de-trained for the birthday party.  Here they gathered for photos around Thomas and the Wansford Controller (formerly the Fat Controller but his local Burger King closed down).  

Then they all sang a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday whilst Thomas responded with blasts on the whistle.  The children were given the opportunity to present the birthday cards that they’d brought with them; all of these went onto some large pin boards to be displayed throughout the weekend.  Finally everyone trooped into the marquee where an excellent entertainer, Mark, performed some juggling and tricks.  He had a great line of patter with the kids, and pitched it well – with just enough one liners that the adults appreciated to keep everyone amused.

And you thought that the original 

Rubik's Cube was difficult!

One of several reasons why I'm 

barred from the Kings Arms.

I admire any man who can do this with his balls.

At Wansford I generally did the meet-and-greet bit, before travelling down on the train to take pictures.  Down at Yarwell I manned the birthday card boards, and there were some hugely creative cards coming in.  This was an excellent idea and really got the kids involved.  

Some of the many cards received from children at Yarwell.

Yarwell only has rail access, so the following morning three of us took the first service train out of Wansford to set up the marquee.  As we rolled up the doors, a tidal wave of trapped heat swept out and engulfed us in seconds.  My shirt was soaked through already, and the clammy heat outside did nothing to help much, either.  The other removable walls were taken down, and everything set up in record time, which was just as well as the first Thomas was only 20 minutes behind us.  There was just time neck a bottle of water (thanks Hannah) before the train arrived.  I took photos and managed the birthday card boards again as I enjoyed the interaction of this activity.

Back to Wansford on the return Thomas, followed by a light lunch and several cans of Fanta.  It said Fanta on the tin, but in the heat I knew I’d been tango’d.  The 1pm Thomas was out next, so some platform duties to get people on board, then jumped on myself for the next part of the day – the really hot and sticky part.  After the party, everything bar the marquee itself had to be dismantled, packed and stacked and returned to Wansford in the brake compartment of the service train.  This was really not a day to be lugging plastic stacker chairs down gravelled platforms, but we managed it – with yet another Fanta as a reward once everything reached the platform.  At Wansford everything had to be taken off again, and then returned to its rightful place.  Finally, a group of us stripped the decorations and balloons from the coaches used during the party, and we were done!  None of us were in any state to have done the 3pm service and all of this clearing up afterwards, so for once in my life I was grateful for the lads having a kickaround in South Africa.  I bet it was warmer in Wansford, though!

Thomas was the only one of us who ended

 the weekend as fresh as he'd started.

The weekend was a huge success, and as people got off at Wansford the railway received many favourable comments.  Having seen what goes into these events first hand, I can say that Hannah, Bill and Paul put on a fantastic event that the public really appreciated.  If the NVR organised the Ingerland Team – well, who knows!

Branch Line to Poznan

Having made various films about railways in Britain, I decided to turn my hand to the scene abroad for a change.  Unfortunately time and mostly budget are working against me, not to mention the hazards of attempting to get to foreign climes with strikes, volcanic ash and the need to cross my legs for four hours to avoid having to spend a quid in order to spend a penny on the plane.  For those reasons, I decided not to travel abroad, but let abroad come to me.

The subject of the film was the Polish Slask loco 5485 on the Nene Valley that I’ve mentioned before, operating with a rake of Danish coaches in the Cambridgeshire countryside.  Quite a cosmopolitan mix, I’m sure you’ll agree.  Most of the footage was taken around the end of May during the monsoon season, and I wasn’t overly pleased with some of the results – particularly rain landing on the lens at Wansford.  On the other hand, there is a great moment at Ferry Meadows as the train lurches and gyrates into the scene amongst the lush green vegetation, and I quite like the tunnel shots as well.

The unusual loco and coach combination looks quite at home in many segments, and if you don’t look too  closely and suspend belief for five minutes, then it could almost be an Eastern European branch line.  Of course, there are several unmistakable British items that I couldn’t change – the NVR weren’t overly keen about my suggestion to cut down the signals and the station scene needed considerable editing to remove as much of the TPO set as possible.  But even the professionals get it wrong some times – the recent filming for ITV when remaking Murder on the Orient Express saw them use a BR Standard 5 on Belgian Wagon-Lits ostensibly at Istanbul!

The musical background needed to have an element of Eastern Europe about it to create some atmosphere and help set the scene.  After much searching and experimentation – none of which worked – I eventually settled on two pieces by Yann Tiersen, an artist who has composed several soundtracks – indeed I’ve used some of them previously in Grumpy Git Productions.  

The film is called Branch Line to Poznan, which is Poland’s fifth largest city.  I chose the place simply because it sounds Slavic and therefore the viewer expects to see an Eastern European branch line.  And if you think that that will disappoint, just be glad I didn’t use the working title of Pole Dancer.  Since editing began on this film, I’ve been out and about chasing 5485 again – and if you think the premise for this video is unlikely, just wait for the sequel …..

I’ve ended up with a quaint film featuring this interesting and quirky locomotive, and the best part is that the budget for the film came in at the same price as a having a number two on Ryanair.  Beat that!

A Family Affair

Saturday was family day down at the Nene Valley Railway, an annual event consisting of a beer festival as well as entertainers and activities for the children at Wansford Station.  It looked like a case of odd bedfellows to me, as the idea of a family day doesn’t seem ideally suited to a beer festival!  Perhaps it could be called ‘Compromise Day’ – as Dad gets steadily hammered on pints of Bishops Finger or Wags to Witches in the beer tent, Mum is letting the musicians and entertainers keep the kids happy over on the platform.

Well, the event was successful enough, if a little on the quiet side – possibly due to the start of the World Cup shenanigans.  Most beer festivals were probably taking place in people’s living rooms, fuelled with cheap supermarket booze rather than carefully brewed Fursty Ferret.

So what was on offer, then?  A free Routemaster bus service connected various participating pubs in Peterborough with the railway itself, and once at Wansford the wandering minstrels Pennyless, who are seen here with Thomas who was shunting the yard for the children’s benefit, serenaded visitors.  Pennyless also performed live on one of the trains; quite an achievement to keep their footing and play note-perfect in a lurching Mk1 coach!

A pair of entertaining and talented stilt walkers called Phillipe-Phillope (flip-flop – geddit?  It took me three days so don’t worry) kept the audience impressed with their repertoire of juggling and cycling antics, and rather surprised the passengers of one bus load by knocking on the windows of the top deck when the Routemaster arrived!  They clearly thought that the Nun’s Ruin was more potent than anticipated …

In addition to all this, the railway was also running travelling post office demonstrations throughout the weekend.  These utilised 31108 with an authentic rake of postal vans, and recreated the days of collecting and sorting mail by rail.  Lineside apparatus is installed at Yarwell, and on each trip passengers detrain at the station and walk down the line to view three operations as the train runs up and down on several passes.  It is an interesting spectacle to witness, and as it was a quiet day I joined the afternoon train to film events.  I chose to remain on the train and film the mail collection from onboard – I’ll do exterior shots another time.

The timing of the operation is critical, and the mailbags fly into the train with some force.  This was at 25mph – back in the sixties, trains would have been travelling around 80 mph in all weathers.  The job for the postal workers was backbreaking as levers control everything manually – not a push button in sight.  The sorting coach, where letters and packets were sorted by hand into their destination dockets, was dimly lit and quite claustrophobic.  Working on the trains can’t have been much fun, and it was always against the clock to get the mail delivered on time.  How times have changed; the only mail that arrives on time now is junk mail from car insurance companies and special offers to sell my gold.  The TPO immediately brings to mind the classic poem Night Mail by W.H. Auden.  The prose is superb as it is written in perfect time to the motion of a train.  If you listen to an audio recording of the poem you can almost hear the wheels on the rails and the hiss of steam as the locomotive arrives at the destination.

This mail has been waiting to be sorted since 1968.  I found a Christmas card from 

my Auntie Lucy in this lot.  So she wasn't the mean spirited old bat I had her down for.  Sorry.

I rounded off family day with a complete trip up and down the line, acting as tour guide to a party of pensioners on a coach trip.  They were great fun and we got quite a party atmosphere going on the trip.  With all of this, plus my foray into modelling during the morning, I can’t remember when I last packed so much into a single day.  There’s always something different going on at The Nene Valley.

Exchange of Goods

Here’s the sequel to Times of Austerity; a new J94 film entitled Exchange of Goods.  As the first film was very much about a contemporary restored loco in passenger service, I took a different approach to recreate the 1960’s and relive No. 22’s past glories.

Many Austerities spent the vast part of their working lives engaged in privately owned industries, where they would shunt wagons and make up freight trains that would travel down to exchange sidings for onward transit by a British Railways loco.  That is essentially the story depicted here, with the J94 collecting wagons and taking them down to Midford for collection by a BR class 14 and a Fowler 4F.  Some double heading is seen, as well as a couple of fast runs by the Austerity in fine form as it runs alongside the River Nene.  To provide a direct contrast with the previous film, I chose to work in black and white that was recorded onto a melodic and understated Beethoven soundtrack.

This was all filmed during the NVR’s Somerset & Dorset event in April; hence the appearance of Midford Station which is a nice touch.

Railway Modelling

It’s quite some time since I took any active role in railway modelling as my interest diverted to the real thing ever since I took up filming and then joined the NVR as a volunteer.  However, my interest in modelling was rekindled on Saturday during my shift at Wansford Station, although not in the way that might immediately spring to mind.

Although I wasn’t booked on duty, I’d volunteered at short notice to cover someone who couldn’t make it in.  I was on the relief turn, which is essentially a spare body ready for action wherever required.  It was the Family Day on the station and a beer festival was taking place in the marquee as well as various pubs in town, all linked by a free Routemaster bus service.  (More on this later).  In addition, we were running TPO mail train demonstrations along with the normal steam hauled passenger service.  Diverse events like this often need a spare body who can pitch in wherever there is a need, and as my body is more spare than most, I took on the role for the day.

As it happened, it was a lot quieter than expected – perhaps everyone in Peterborough had dashed round Asda in the morning, filling up trolleys with cheap beer ready for an afternoon slumped in the front of the World Cup.  Still, as it wasn’t particularly busy I had time to look around and chat to people.  I’d spotted a photographer taking pictures of a girl on the platform, this seemed to be a professional shoot rather than some snaps for the album.  We had a chat, and it transpired that they were doing just that.  Photographer Harry C was photographing model Siân for her portfolio, and wanted a location that would provide some interesting and different backdrops.  With many models jetting off to Barbados and Mauritius for photoshoots, Wansford certainly was different.

Harry asked if it would be possible to use the yard for some pictures – yes, of course, but only if you’ve got an authorised guide with you wearing a hi-viz jacket for insurance / health and safety purposes.  As luck would have it, I just happened to have my hi-viz jacket to hand, and I was in a position to escort the group round the yard after popping into the booking office to let Eddie know that he was on his own for a bit and good luck – see ya!

Various photoshoots were set up, with Harry requesting Bullied Pacific 92 Squadron and the brake van as scene setters – a good choice.  Harry was interested in the trains themselves and was clearly an established photographer who knew his subject well.  Siân came across as a very genuine, chatty girl who is enthusiastic about her work, professional and very personable.  They were accompanied by Siân’s chaperone, in this case her fiancé who was also interested in her work and very supportive.  It made for a friendly and pleasurable experience, the likes of which I have never been involved in before.   Siân took the unusual setting of an uneven, dirty and oily railway yard cheerfully in her stride – no Naomi Campbell tantrums here!  I asked if it would be acceptable to take photos for publication and she was quite happy to let me snap away – it is good publicity for both her career and the railway itself, so everyone came away happy.

I’ve always wanted to do a photoshoot with a model, and as we chatted during the filming I suggested some poses that would look good in the context of the railway background.  I also thought that the bulky dark green Polish tank 5485 would provide a good backdrop, as it was surrounded by spare wheelsets and bits of machinery that provided an interesting contrast to Siân’s petite figure and purple dress.  Looking at the photos, I can say that I was right.  I’m wasted driving a truck.  One suggestion that didn’t work came on the brakevan when I said, “How about a Brief Encounter pose.”  Siân replied, “What’s that?”  Ah, before your time pet.  I feel so old.

Siân herself wanted a picture with Thomas; by a stoke of luck he was shunting Wansford Yard at the time.  Oh, the gods were smiling that day.  Ironically enough, to illustrate a point in my blog post A Bird in the Hand, I’d mocked up a photo of a model giving Thomas a titillating glance to counteract his cheeky smile.  A couple of days later, a real live model was creating the perfect look right in front of me!  What are the chances of that happening?  And to think I’d only come down to Wansford to cover another volunteer who was ill.  It must be karma.  Or a reward for delivering to all those dodgy Leicester car dealers during the week.

Of course I thoroughly enjoyed the modelling experience, and Harry and Siân were fantastic people to have on the railway.  It just goes to show that there’s always something different happening on the NVR.  I personally wish Siân great success with her future career; perhaps one day she might get to star in a Grumpy Git Production, the pinnacle of any model’s career.  Indeed, I’ve already turned down requests from Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss – they just haven’t got what it takes.

If railway modelling has evolved into activities like this, I might just take it up again.

~~~

HarryC Photography covers portraits, boudoir, weddings, model portfolio and special occasions.

Siân models Print Magazine, Swimwear, Gothic, Lingerie, Fashion, Parts Modeling, Catwalk and Hair and has portfolios at TFP Models and Net Models.  The gallery of pictures that I took may be seen here.

Times of Austerity

I’m pleased to announce completion of the film centred around the Austerity J94 that I wrote about below.  Back in April I captured some great footage of this loco on freight duties, but decided to wait until I had some decent passenger workings to throw into the mix.  As it happened, I was so pleased with the footage taken around Yarwell and Wansford last weekend that I ended up devoting the whole film to last weekend’s activities and the freight doesn’t get a look in.  Not that the footage is going to waste; I have a cunning plan in mind and it doesn’t involve a cabbage.

I was lucky to get a windless day during filming of these scenes, thus providing some excellent sound effects provided by No. 22.  These are particularly prominent during the climb from Yarwell to Wansford Tunnel.  This meant choosing a muted, gentle background score that simply links the scenes together rather than dominate the soundtrack.  Bach’s Air on the G-string seemed the perfect accompaniment to the peaceful countryside and branchline scenes.  So I present Times of Austerity, starring No. 22.

Austere Times - A Leap of Faith?

Our current lords and masters who reside in grace and favour accommodation with chauffeured cars to ferry them around inform us that we are now living in austere times and a new period of austerity lies ahead.  For us, not them, presumably.  Well, I’m ahead of the game, as this weekend was all about austerity, and it was by personal choice.

One of my favourite locos currently down at the NVR is Austerity J94 number 22.  This loco only arrived in April, and made her debut working some demonstration freight trains at the Pines Express event.  22 looked and sounded in fine form during the day, and the finish on the loco is superb – one of the best paint jobs I’ve ever seen anywhere.  The Austerity was then booked onto passenger duties in early May, but unfortunately failed with big-end problems on the first run.  Repairs were commissioned immediately, and at the weekend 22 made a triumphant return to traffic on passenger duties, hauling the six-car Mk1 rake with ease and producing some great audio and smoke effects into the bargain.

Naturally I hastened down to Wansford on the extremely hot Saturday morning for a photoshoot.  Because the weather conditions were favourable, I decided to try my hand at filming at Yarwell, the NVR’s westerly terminus.  The station is located at the site of Yarwell Junction, where the Northampton and Rugby lines diverged.  No station existed here, and for many years NVR trains used the line purely as a run round loop.  In 2007 the station opened, giving passengers the chance to alight and watch the locos couple up.  The former quarry adjacent to the station was converted into fishing lakes, and a number of attractive countryside trails start from here.

The station and short line in the area present interesting opportunities for the photographer – most notably because a path now exists from the station down to the TPO equipment and onto a viewing platform that provides excellent shots of the tunnel mouth.  I’d not used Yarwell as a location before, except briefly last weekend in torrential rain, but had seen the possibilities and fancied giving it a go.

5485 with the Polish Plumber's Special last weekend.

There’s only one way to reach Yarwell – by train!  By taking the first service out of Wansford I had an opportunity to film the runround and departure through the tunnel.  It would be two hours before the train returned, so I set off to climb the pathway that leads onto the top of the tunnel for a great view of the line.  Because the area around the Nene is so flat, this is the only place that offers a panoramic vista of the line.  How I spent the two-hour wait is covered in my other blog here, before the train reappeared and filming began.

22 runs round, viewed from above the tunnel - a cracking location.

Once the train had departed, I now had another 2-hour wait – or a walk to Wansford, which I reckoned would take around an hour.  Well, it was far too hot for that sort of thing, so I decided to wait at Yarwell and read a bit.  However, I met up with some walkers at the station and we got chatting, which passed the time pleasantly enough.  I’d intended to simply return to Wansford and go home – there weren’t really any more photo opportunities available down the line with half the services now run.  But once on the train I started chatting with the crew, of course, and decided I might as well go to Ferry Meadows for an ice cream, and then catch the train on its way back up the line.

As we approached Lynch Bridge, it was clear that the sunny weather had brought out the teenagers in large numbers.  A footpath runs on the bridge alongside the railway track, and on hot days it’s a popular hangout for the Peterborough teen scene.  Usually they’re pretty laid back, but there have been occasions in the past of lunatic behaviour, as well as vandalism and obstruction of the railway track itself.  A story told with some relish to all newcomers on the NVR is that several years ago, two clever idiots placed their bikes across the tracks at this spot.  The crew alighted from the loco, took one bike each and put them on the tender.  The bikes were then held at Wansford until the angry kids with even angrier parents turned up to demand their return.  They got them back, but only after paying a donation to the Railway!  There are many other tales about incidents down at Lynch Bridge.  The bridge itself has a speed restriction of 5 mph, which gives these youngsters plenty of time to devise up various forms of entertainment.  Between trains they amuse themselves by the sport known as ‘Tombstoming’.  This entails jumping off the bridge into the River Nene below.  It’s a sport confined to teenagers, which is a pity – I wish bankers, politicians and traffic wardens would take it up.  I have breezeblocks going spare …

The lads wished they'd checked first, as the M6 hurtled up to meet them ...

The most common activity is the age-old custom of ‘mooning.’  If I’m working as TTI on a sunny day I usually advise passengers that they can expect to be honoured by a 21 Bum Salute as the train crosses the bridge.  Reactions range from taking a sudden and deep interest in the Ferry Meadows brochure right up to, “I’ll get my camera.”  Forewarned, and all that … Personally, I think that as long as they don’t interfere with the running of the train or get abusive, then they can do what they like.  A bit of friendly banter out of the train is customary, and of course they just love getting attention.  It’s always nice to see pretty girls in bikinis in summer, and far more preferable than the sight of middle aged men in mandals.  I rest my case.

Down at Ferry Meadows I got my ice cream, which I ate in my customarily messy fashion.  I don’t know how I do it, but I cannot for the life of me negotiate my way round a Magnum in summer without wearing half of it and end up looking like a toddler who’s just put his face in his dinner.  I’ve learnt from this experience and always carry baby wipes with me in my camera bag.  They’re more important than a spare battery these days.

Ferry Meadows station lies opposite the golf course, which provided something to look at after I’d cleaned myself up with babywipes, now new and improved with ‘ello-vera and carbon monosodiumglutimates and enhanced with enricher VT7, for a longer lasting enrichness.  Yes, I watch all those ads on TV; they’re not wasted on me at all.  The course was doing good business, and it was interesting to see a lot of young blood enjoying the sport – and pretty good at it too.  It was in complete contrast to the tombstoners, and proves that there is always a balance, despite what the Daily Mail would like you to believe.  Golf is not my sport – setting up the DVD recorder to tape A Touch of Frost is my idea of activity – but I have dabbled in the past.  I could never get the ball through that damn windmill on hole 18, though.

I took the train back to Wansford, past the tombstoners who pushed a girl off the bridge as we trundled past – and I missed the shot!  (She was willing; I mean they didn’t just pick up a passer-by and chuck her off).  I decided to film departure of the train and call it a day, but I was invited into the signalbox and that was far too good an opportunity to miss.  Consequently, I stayed until the last train returned, and the railway closed down for the night.  It was an interesting and entertaining excursion, and as austere days go, not half bad.

Polish Plumbing Saves The Day

What do you do when your fifty-year-old boiler breaks down just before a bank holiday weekend?  There’s only one answer – call in a Polish plumber!  And that essentially was the problem down at the Nene Valley this weekend, with a three-train passenger service scheduled to run, but with the two principal steam locos (44422 and 73050) both sidelined with maintenance issues.  The Austerity J94 is out of action with big end problems thus compounding the shortage even more.  Whilst the ever dependable Thomas could be relied on for his Yarwell shuttles, the main line needed urgent assistance to provide the advertised service.  Unlike Notwork Rail, we don’t believe in simply giving up and going home at weekends with the vague promise of a bus to take you home.

Enter the ubiquitous class 14 diesels to work the Mk1 rake, and call in the Poles to provide us with a new boiler – in this case the recently overhauled PKP 0-8-0 Slask locomotive number 5485.  This would haul the Danish (DSB) set of coaches.  During the course of last week the loco has been named The Meg, but no one seems to know why. Or indeed, who Meg is.  This was great news for me as I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to film and travel behind this unusual machine ever since it emerged from the works in April after a lengthy rebuild.  5485 doesn’t generally work weekends, but instead works our midweek ‘Schools Specials’ with the four-car DSB rake.  These coaches are open saloons; for some reason the teachers of the schools groups prefer these to the compartments of the Mk1 stock!  I mean, what mischief could fifty schoolchildren possibly get up to in compartment coaches?  (Here’s a clue …)

A period poster advertising The Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery from 1966.  A lengthy and highly entertaining chase involving a number of trains was filmed on the former Longmoor Military Railway - well worth watching, with a top-notch cast.  Perhaps because of these scenes, present day teachers prefer to keep their pupils where they can see just what the little darlings are up to!

As 5485 works these services it usually has weekends off when the other locos take over.  So it made a pleasant change to be able to ‘go Continental’ over the Bank Holiday period.  Meg is an interesting loco, and has a highly individualistic character of her own.  Built specifically to move long and heavy coal trains back home in native Poland, finesse is not one of her strong points.  Control of the loco is all-or-nothing according to the crews who work her on a regular basis.  Open the regulator a little to move away and nothing happens.  Open a tad more – still nothing.  A smidgen more, and Meg suddenly leaps into a life like an unsuspecting MP who’s just picked up The Daily Telegraph on expenses day.  Once on the move, 5485 truly has a life of her own. The long body overhang extends fore and aft over the eight close-coupled small-diameter driving wheels, which means that the loco bounces, twists and sways along all at the same time.  Regular crews take seasickness pills along for the ride.  Every rail joint and piece of pointwork is transmitted and magnified up through the bodywork and onto the footplate.  Standing still is an achievement in itself – grab hold of a handrail as the cab twists and lurches, then gyrate in time to the unpredictable motion in an attempt to stay more on less upright.  The whole crew resemble a party night down at The Bigg Market on Saturday night – and of course all of this explains the origination of the term ‘Pole Dancer.’  See, you’ve learnt something.

I spent all three days down at the NVR, with Saturday nominated as a filming day (rained dawn till dusk, naturally), Sunday as TTI on the Mk1 rake and relief booking office on Monday.  These turns allowed some breaks to get the odd bit of filming done, in addition to the very soggy photography session on Saturday.  Indeed on Monday I finished early enough to lurch down the line as far as Ferry Meadows on Meg’s last turn, in order to film the return trip back to Wansford.  It was a varied and enjoyable weekend, and I plan to produce a Polish film in due course.  In the meantime my washing machine has developed a fault, so as soon as the lads have finished coaling up Meg ready for next week, I’m off to have a word.