Beasdale Bank - to succeed or fail? (DBLM Steam)

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Beasdale Bank - to succeed or fail? (DBLM Steam)

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Күн бұрын

More archive content, this time from May 2013 - from arguably one of the very best places to see steam hard at work on the national network - and let's hope it will return soon in 2020!
Filmed mainly during the first week of the Jacobite service, with 44871 as the main motive power - and featuring four successful climbs of the 1/48 gradient and two that didn't go to plan.
With a good bit of local knowledge there are some good vantage points, all the correct side of the fence, but usually necessitating steep tracks, occasional boggy terrain and if you are very unlucky, the midge.
For the two trains that didn't make it, I've hurried to different locations for the second attempt, including directly above the final tunnel, having always wanted to film a train going in, and then coming out, and with a very short sprint to reposition the tripod in the available five seconds between.
Many more videos in the DBLM Steam collection - accessed via the Landscape Moments website www.landscapemoments.co.uk or via the Dave Benjamin channel on KZfaq.........look for the icon of me on a mountain bike, then click Playlists/DBLM Steam playlist/etc.
Many thanks for viewing - and please feel very welcome to share any of the video links with those you think will be similarly interested!

Пікірлер: 14

@robertgaudry2826 Жыл бұрын

Beautiful landscape.

@robertgaudry2826 Жыл бұрын

I thank you very much for showing out this video with a grand scenery and impressive railway action.

@davebenjamin5380 Жыл бұрын

And Thank You for saying Thanks! This part of Britain has to be the very best for dramatic scenery and locomotive performance and it's arguably the greatest location to witness the 'pure steam landscape' of the 1960s.

@andrewwilliams2353 Жыл бұрын

Reminds me of a story told by my Grandpa who was on the footplate for the GWR and later Western Region. After Nationalisation the Western Region acquired the old LMS line from Swansea Victoria which ran down the coast to Blackpill and then crossed over the road and up the Dunvant Valley. In Autumn, the line was usually damp and littered with fallen leaves. If they had to stop at Blackpill, there wasn't sufficient momentum to climb the valley with confidence and so they sometimes had to roll back to the coast and take a run at it ! As Dickens had Joe Gargery put it "What Larks !"

@andrewwilliams2353 Жыл бұрын

Never heard of Beasdale before this - I'm from Carmarthenshire. We have a steeper climb there leading up to Cockett tunnel on the way East to Swansea from Llanelli, A real struggle in steam days when a banker was sometimes employed to get the train up there. But this knocks into a cocked hat for scenic splendour. It's as if it's in Middle Earth ! What a beautiful, wild, unspoiled place !

@davebenjamin5380 Жыл бұрын

I like your phrase "beautiful, wild, unspoiled place"! This sums up Beasdale perfectly. There may be steeper gradients elsewhere than the two miles at 1/48 here but the line twists and turns, with tunnels and rock cuttings aplenty, to say nothing of the tree cover, leaves, drizzle, rain, wind, etc. It's an epic journey where steam and the crews are forced to be at their best! I would thoroughly recommend a pilgrimage up to this part of the Highlands for the 2023 season! And many thanks for your comment!

@iankemp1131 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely right. The whole West Highland line from Glasgow all the way up to Fort William and on to Mallaig is well worth travelling, probably the finest scenic line in Britain (other might argue for the Kyle line - avoid the choice, do them both! And worth going on to Skye and up to Portree by road as well.) But having seen these videos I now want to go back and do it behind steam, evidently a real challenge. I've only ever done it in diesel days.

@gstmist9362 Жыл бұрын

Just gorgeous, such beauty, reminds me of the olden days, would love a trip on the train on that route, but alas I'm located in the once sane united states. What country is this? Thank you so much for a splendid look at the scenery and the fantastic train.

@davebenjamin5380 Жыл бұрын

Pleased you liked the video. Filmed in Western Scotland, in the U.K. - a part of Britain that takes you back to olden times - the landscape rules, the people are honest and friendly and you can feel completely safe away from the not-so-good aspects of modern life!

@black5f 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video, goof view points, been going up there since '75 when the line was in a very sorry state. The line has had steam working of some sort since 1984. Best trip was in early '90's when ironically the engine needed 3 attempts to attack the incline on the way back by Loch Eilt. I think it was 44767? They said she lost a balance weight and there was a speed restriction at the bottom. 44767 seemed to struggle a bit in later years but the drivers and firemen have got much better and the engines are much more looked after now. And Black Fives always sound like they are working hard. Friend of mine just passed away was a firemen on the Midland, every engine different, and you had to let the engine know there was an incline ahead and prepare, no instant 0 - 5000bhp knob in "them days". Great stories he told. 8f 48151 in'96 always made short work of the line, like there was nothing there to do and 45407 must have been in great care and great shape because the last time I saw her she flew up Beasdale.

@iankemp1131 Жыл бұрын

Great to see these. Certainly shows that Beasdale is not to be trifled with. Not so noticeable in a modern dmu. Would be interesting to know what went wrong with the two abortive runs - it looked as if both were going slower from the start - and what they put right at the second attempt. Good to see K1 62005 storming up the bank with the full 7 coach load, although there is another video showing it too stalling and having to make a second attempt.

@davebenjamin5380 Жыл бұрын

I've always assumed that the skill and experience of the driver attempts to get the optimum power out of the loco, to suit this particular gradient bearing in mind the multitude of weather and railhead conditions. It might seem obvious to go flat out to clear the summit - but wear and tear will be a major issue. And when the owner is the driver (very relevant now with Ian Riley and his Black Fives!) you can easily see the dilemma. I suspect for both the occasions featured, the driver may have been extra cautious and paid the price. More than anywhere else in the UK, in modern times, I reckon this is THE place to witness Man and Machine (Driver and Black 5) at their very best! It's certainly a tough place to fine tune your driving skill!

@iankemp1131 Жыл бұрын

@@davebenjamin5380 Certainly seems that way! Makes me want to go back to the West Highland now and experience The Jacobite for myself. I've only ever done it with diesels/dmus.

@davebenjamin5380 Жыл бұрын

@@iankemp1131 Make sure you travel on the Jacobite in 2023 and also watch the event from the bank! Wait until two-train operation begins, it's usually around mid-May. You wont have any regrets!