Sheena Easton

I was watching some old music videos yesterday and watched one from Sheena Easton does any one know were it was taken it was 1n 1980 ?

thanks

 

488 at Bluebell

 

I'm assuming the OP is asking about this one



As per D7076 post it was filmed at the Bluebell.

 

Shock Horror! No Hi-vis, riding on the front of an engine, climbing signal masts with no harness.....how did they get away with it....

 

I still think this one has the more interesting H&S aspects.....

 

The Sheena Easton video was shot at the Bluebell in 1980.

There was a bit of corrspondence in The Bluebell Times during lockdown (issues 2 and 3) as to who the driver was, as follows:

Driver Mick Blackburn, who has been involved in organising filming at the Bluebell Railway along with his wife Heidi Mowforth, has come up trumps. Here’s his answer.

“I have just watched the Sheena Easton video to remind me of it. It was nice to see 488 in steam in the good old days - who knows, one day?!

The driver was an actor and nothing to do with the Bluebell. The actual driver was the late Freeland Eastwood, a man of few words who did not suffer fools gladly. I can only imagine his comments about riding in front of the smokebox etc.

Freeland was a true Sussex character, very much the driver and a turn with him could be quite daunting to a young fireman. I remember a turn with him and, upon arrival at Horsted Keynes, he turned to me and said, ‘Do you want a biscuit, boy?’ so I then knew that my firing must have been OK.

As an aside for those who did not know Freeland, he was a master builder and was responsible for the brickwork on the loco running shed and rebuilding the loop platform facework at Kingscote. His brickwork was superb, but it was no good trying to hurry him up - he took his time and made a splendid job. His company was the Buxted Building Company and he was very much a one- man band.”

Former fireman Roger Barton adds: “The driver shown was an extra. The actual driver was Freeland Eastwood and I was fireman. Bill Bird was guard. The first question the film crew asked was which one is Sheena Easton – she wasn’t famous then unless you had watched the TV programme (The Big Time: Pop Singer).”

Loco department chief clerk Russell Pearce adds: “The driver was, I am certain, an actor. If you look carefully, you will note that you never actually see him doing anything.”​

Photo: Bluebell Railway Museum Archive

Tom

 

With any luck Sheena's bloke will be working from home these days, so she won't have to hang around stations any more. BTW, I bumped into Cilla Black at Horsted Keynes a long time ago. She was filming a TV advert, though I can't remember what it was for.

 

William Adams showed great foresight in designing No 488 with such a large platform in front of the smokebox for song and dance acts.

 

You wouldn't do it on a 56xx, that's for sure (just another black mark against GWR designs ...)

Tom

 

I’m guessing your someone else who’s just been watching SLIP’s then Tom?

 

Not a regular watch of mine, I must admit. I've had one go on a 56xx ... anyway, moving swiftly on.

(I do recall it came with a plank of wood to lay across the buffers to form a platform, that being the only way you could shovel the smokebox out. That was far from the worst feature ergonomically ...).

Tom