Berk and Hants Aqua Sulis: Solihull to Bristol

For anyone who likes this sort of thing, and who owns a pair of 3D glasses :cool1:, I have processed an extract from my video, from South Hinksey, into 3D.

The link to it is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZYf0qokbto

The 3D effect works pretty well, though the colours get a bit dark from the processing into Red and Cyan channels. It was shot with my iPhone - I am quite impressed with the end result! See what you think.

 

A great day out on Saturday with the Earl, even the weather was very favorable after a chilly start, with plenty of ground frost evident in the fields.

There was some very fine and spirited running on the homeward leg. Swindon let us out after a couple of minutes instead of keeping us hanging about for the booked 27 mins. We were held at Banbury to let a XC Voyager out, this meant we didn't have to stop at Leamington, so we chugged through there nicely non-stop. This meant an early arrival back at Solihul. A very pleasant end to a fine day out. Thanks to all the crews & VT.

A few clips of the day on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng-eLTPTJAk

Alan.

 

Hi Steve an interesting video, it works quite well.

[off topic]
I did a few experiments early last year with some 3D static object stills. I took a couple of shots at the AVR gala yesterday with the aim of creating 3D images, here's 1369 and the River Boyd bridge.





Last year I also created a 3D image of the 13 arches (at Eastville, Bristol) from two photo's taken by my dad 45 odd years ago.



[end of off topic]

Back on topic: 5043 at Corston on Saturday, not 3D!!

 

Could I respectfully suggest that you ask for your money back and next time find an informant who has got at the very least a slight notion of what he is talking about. As always there is a reason and that was that we got the advance warning for a TSR and accordingly shut off steam. It is not unusual to find that you get a lot of smoke with hard coal when you shut off suddenly and lose the considerable amount of secondary air which is normally being drawn through the firehole when working hard and which helps to burn off the volatile gases which otherwise appear as what you would call smoke. Do please feel free to apologise for inferring the crew "cocked it up" as for the record we do not do smoke to order - what you get is what we decide is appropriate for the working of the engine.

On a brighter note, fabulous set of photo's 5944.

regards
Bob

 

So the driver shut off steam for the Temporary Speed Restriction and then opened her up again 10 seconds later to accellerate at speed around the curve.
Very strange. Superb video all the same. I 'll send you a copy if you would like. <BJ>

 

It staggers me that those who stand in fields to watch passing trains expect the crews responsible for the operation of tons of metal and the safety of the hundreds of people they are dragging through the countryside to be even remotely aware of their presence, lest bothered in the slightest what they might think of their actions!

Can you imagine the unthinkable (and God forbid) scenario:- "I am sorry your honour (says driver wringing his BR(W) cap) that the train left the track on the speed restriction, and those lovely folks died, but you see, there were some photographers over by yerr (he's from 86C by the way) who were wanting to see lots of exhaust and hear a lovely beat from the loco, so I thought I didn't ought to slow down see..."

 

Sorry. No more requests for the Castle sequences from Saturday. It will take me a few days to edit and post the DVDs to you. <BJ>

 

I could hardly believe what I read from free2grice. What amazing cheek from somebody, who unlike us, hadnt got up at 330 am to drive to Solihull and paid £69 to travel on this fabulous trip, one of the best runs I have been on since the end of BR steam. The engine handling was superb throughout and timekeeping brilliant. There were no less than 5 checks for track work including one just after Bedwyn and another at Patney. I believe that also there were a few seconds when the engine was shut off at Crofton due to a quickly solved injector problem. I thought your reply was very restrained Bob

Don (not really a copper cap man at all but what an engine 5043 is)

 

Aagh sorry chaps.I didn't pay a tremendous amount of attention to the video clip to be truthful as once you have seen one you've seen most. Consequently I only watched a snatch of it and mistook tthe location. The TSR was further on and this particular item was that we had to ease the engine in order to reduce the back pressure on the exhaust injector to get it to start. It's a fairly common thing when working hard and explains the brief period before opening the regulator again. The comments about volatiles and smoke in previous post apply equally. And yes you are spot on Stu in Torbay, we don't often have the time to worry about folk in fields, just as long as they stay in the fields and keep off the railway!
Hopefully this clarifies the matter to the complete satisfaction of Mr FTG
Regards
Bob

 

Well I thought I'd heard it all here, but no. Clearly the crew were failing to keep a proper look-out in the fields and towpaths along the route and missed you and your photographer chum. I suggest in future that you should make yourselves more visible to the loco crew so that they don't "cock it up" again. I think that a large inflatable penis attached to the top of your head should the trick nicely and be entirely in keeping with your thoughtless and selfish comment.

Still no apology I note .......

 

Try to read my message again.

''I was informed that a photographer had made an earlier arrangement with the crews for black smoke.''

There is nothing about 'I' or 'a chum' had asked for black smoke. I know none of the crews that operate the trains and have never asked a loco crew for clag, I
tend to leave that to the people who organise photo charters. As for the particular location in question, I would have thought that a nice blast of white steam would have been sufficient, if not an improvement. From the hillside, the shot is not just of a train, it is a combination of the scenery, the Brunel pumping station, the Kennet and Avon canal and of course, the passing train. Clag, black or white is simply an added bonus. Thus the message ended, ''From the hillside it didn't notice but from the towpath I can appreciate that it was not so good from that particular angle.'' As far as I am concerned the matter is closed. <BJ>

 

Free2grice: It's pretty unfortunate that you choose to air a rather speculative view of what had happened, and imply the crew weren't up to the job.

I was on the same hillside as you, with a great view of the train. It didn't cost me anything, and I was delighted to have seen it and got some reasonable pictures myself. Thanks to all involved in the trip for what I saw of it on superb autumn day!

 

Thanks Sheff.
Having spoken to my colleagues on the day, we all plead guilty to the charge of failing to spot special photographers in the fields.

It is obvious that the penny still hasn't dropped with ftg and I am sure that he is blissfully unaware of what causes those of us who actually do the job to hold certain types of photographer in the very lowest of regard, but to quote one of my old great railway friends - "it's no use knocking when there's no bugger at home". There are many of you out there who, we know, appreciate what goes on, and send in phot's to us, which in turn allows us to see the views that we rarely if ever get to see, and which also help to fill up the occasional photo albums which we sell to support various projects such as putting 7029 back where it belongs. 7029's return should then give us the ability to get 2 crews to simultaneously cock it up.

regards
Bob