5043 - white rose - saturday 12th dec

Dramatic scene just after noon today at the bridge south of Colton Junction, just south of York. 5043 was due from the Milford Junction direction, to be followed by 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley on the East Coast main line. There were about 100 photographers, spreading their positions between the two lines. The sun was shining at an awkward angle for the ECML so I concentrated on 5043. Just after 12.15 a chime whistle was heard, followed immediately by the sight of a huge cloud of steam on the Milford line. They both arrived within 90 seconds of each other. Gresley at full speed: I managed only a quick going-away shot against the light. 5043 had slowed for signals and its smoke and steam were trailing on our side. So the photographs are rubbish, but they serve as a memory of a dramatic few minutes in the winter sunshine - an early Christmas present.

 

The Earl was immaculate as always, seen HERE rushing past Burton Salmon.

 

Looks like everybody got 'bowled' by drifting smoke,nice shots guys,i gave up on 60007 when i got the call that 5043 had gone through Church Fenton,wish i hadn't of bothered!

 

This is most certainly a case of 'What might of been'!

5043 passing Colton:
http://mark-walker.fotopic.net/p62493508.html

and awaiting dep from York tonight.

http://mark-walker.fotopic.net/p62493521.html

I'm just glad i've got me 40D back!

Cheers,
Mark

 

I was onboard Gresley, and we could see the consternation of the photographers on the bridge. Their body language and some of the running around (someone appeared to fall over his tripod) suggested that they weren't too sure which one to shoot first particularly if they were videoing

 

Yeah,my dad heard shall we say some unsavoury language from where he was standing!

 

Our vid now up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LApjbLJM3G0

The plods were on site again,obviously they can do as the want,i was stood behind the line with my tripod,at the end of the video all 3 of them insisted on walking right on the edge in front of me! If i had of done the same i'd probably be down the nick!

They also did their usual trick of making everybody stand behind the sign of Plat 11,has noone told them that this actually makes it more unsafe seen as though everyone is sqaushed into a smaller space while they stand in a huge open part of the platform!

Then all of a sudden they feel so ignorant as to walk in front of everyone to look at the loco,your there to do a bloody job not admire the loco,you already spoiled that for all the passengers etc!

Cheers,
Mark

 

Thanks for that Mark, I never tire of seeing "Gresley" on the main line.

 

Excellent shots guys. And as someone said earlier we were about 90 seconds short of Colton Junction as 60007 passed there, unfortunately we were behind something coming off the Leeds line otherwise the shot of the century would have been possible...two steam trains running side by side on the mainline!!!!
As it happens we did catch up with 60007 about a mile and a half outside York Station, she was held at a red signal and we had a red too and stopped alongside her for about two minutes and there was no vantage point nearby.
Sods law in operation!!!!!

 

The strange thing about that is that when 60007 was waiting to depart everyone was crowding around the engine and no sign of our uniformed friends,yet when 5043 appeared so did they.
Definitely anti GWR bias.
And yes it was noticed that after herding everyone back one of them seemed to take great delight in a very close 'rivet counting' exercise.
Just total thoughtlessness. After 'doing his job' there was no need for him to stand where he did.
This is my personal opinion and should be seen as just that.

 

If it weren't for the actions of some foolish idiots, they wouldn't even need to be there at all. We've all been tarnished by the same brush, and now we have to live with it.

Furthermore, I don't know why they need a whole division of the BTP to stop people wandering off the end of the platform. All they need is one guy on the end, and theres no need to stand behind the yellow line when the train is actually stopped in the station. Anyway, the more serious acts of trespass are happening elsewhere further down the line, perhaps one of these Community Support Officers with nothing to do should go down and stand at foot crossings and the suchlike, I've seen people stand with their tripods on the running lines. It's ridiculous.

 

Whats best is that we were all behaving on 11 whilst on 9 people were going down the ramp because they couldn't see the front of the loco!

 

Great shot Toni.

 

Yes great shot Toni. You always take good pictures, but that one is so good I felt the need to comment.

 

Much easier/closer to the the next bacon sandwich to police photographers on York station ,than go in search of the cable thieves etc.

 

Cracking images there you got mark, 10/10

 

This has been said before but it irritates me so much that I will repeat the point. Until comparatively recently it was considered perfectly acceptable to stand on the ramp. Now it is not; why? Before the rule was clear. Anywhere on the platform was acceptable; but off the platform was definitely unacceptable. Now, there is uncertainty. Is there a notice? Where is it placed? is it enforced? Etc etc.
With reference to an earlier point, draconian rules imposed in response to the actions of a minority are invariably in the long run counter-productive. Rant over.
Merry Christmas
Alan

 

There is a sign on one of the lamp posts about 15 or 20 yards from the end of the platform saying passengers are not permitted beyond this point. And it was definitely being enforced by 3 BTP officers including a seargeant last night.
Quite why the sign is so far from the end of the platform is beyond me.
Once again these are my own personal thoughts on the matter.

 

A similar arguement elsewhere brought about the general opinion that the "passengers must not cross the line" signs are what staff seem to be using to mark the limit, problem is these damn things can often be stupidly sited halfway down a platform, no consistency from NR on the siting of these is the issue, ideally ought to be the top of the ramp in ALL cases.

I suspect the issue with the ramps is because there's a tendency for photters to go "just behind the guy already there" if the first guy is already on the ramp then the 4th or so must be virtually on the ballast.