West Somerset Steam Express 2016

Three shots from the WSR today..

Robin

 

Really?

Robin

 

My shots of Scots Guardsman at Crofton and 53808 at Bye Farm near Washford. Enjoy.

 

Thinking about the thread about getting young people interested in Preservation, I was at Frome with Adam_Box and the few spectators were a pretty mixed bunch of ages and ethnic origin. Including a baseball caped teenager on his BMX bike who came over to take pictures

 

How do we connect with folks like that? A leaflet?

Robin

 

46115 seen passing Long Sutton.https://stephenleek.smugmug.com/Railwayphotos-1/Mainline-Steam-2016/i-Whcrf9J

 

Most excellent day. First visit to the WSR and loved it. Enjoyed the run behind the 7f each way. Charters involving a heritage line get a massive thumbs up from me. The run back to London was generally brisk and the diesel was just idling for 99% of the day. Stewards were all great. Seemingly no issue with being in a vestibule either so long as you abide by the rules. Given the amount of branches and foliage brushing along the side of the train, I completely get the need to enforce it. Hmmm now which tour to do next....

 

Well what can i say, a marvelous day out with the Scot, 7F & RTC! Pictures/films to come later

 

who the the baseball capped teenager on his BMX bike who came over to take pictures?

Leaflet wont cut it. You need to hand out baseball caps, preferably the ones with the peak on the back, and hoodies with the logo FYE in bold letters on them.
Then you need to kit out the staff on your heritage railway with trousers that are falling off their bums showing their FYE branded underware, and all must wear bright white trainers. Then you make a rap or hip hip video using the words F* YOU EMU with all your staff dancing in the 4 foot and put it on snapchat and vimeo and youtube.

F* rude word

 

If they are taking a picture you already have

Just tell them you can find pages online that tell you where things are going to happen - they will find it out from there if they have an interest..

The biggest thing to help people connect? No pushing, no shoving, no setting up ladders in front of people with cameras, no rudeness....etc etc. So many times when I've been out to see things or take pictures I've met some lovely people, but quite a lot of the time some enthusiasts behaviour is just incredible and unbelievably rude!

 

All joking aside, more visits by Secondary (not primary) schools to heritage railways would be a great idea - they do so many subjects - science, maths, drama (think kids filming their own murder mystery on a train), photography, design technology (restoration and making things), graphics (leaflets, posters) - all of which would be great to do on a properly organised day trip for particular subjects.

When I worked in a secondary school a couple of years ago, they would make a point of going to all sorts of places. The main line through Cornwall passed by the bottom of the lower fields of the school - the science department and photography organised 65 kids to go and stand by the line side to watch 34067 and 70013 go past double headed - the science department did a 2 week project on the physics behind a steam loco and photography used to for explaining how to photograph something at speed..

 

My photos throughout the day can be seen on my flickr page, videos should be coming up later on
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138610562@N02/

 

Next weekend possibly.
Sat 46115 on WSR express
Sun 46100 on Torbay express

Two Scot locos thru Taunton in a weekend. Hopefully flying scotman soon

 

Anyone know who drove on the outbound?

 

Alan Hodges drove the outward as far as outside Westbury where he swapped roles with another driver (didnt get his name)

 

Part 1 of the trip to Minehead and my god did 46115 give it all up Savernake!

 

Part 2 of the run back to London, a fantastic day out with lovely staff, passgengers & crew members, totally reccomenable!

 

Some video of the return yesterday evening, arriving and departing the water stop at Woodborough

NOTE - the first scene on the vid are the two 73s that came back from Paignton a little earlier in the evening

 

A couple of shots from me, taken at Savernake and near Blackworthy Hill, just west of Castle Cary.

 

I ventured out on Saturday night to see the return - I mean, whats not to like about the sight & sound of steam working through the night?............

Although the Scot is a bit more muted than the Jub, it was still worth it.

Any way, my effort from then......... https://www.flickr.com/photos/duty_druid/28259792032/