As the recent post on the grim-conditions of the winter for photographing trains showed, I (Ben) hadn't had much luck with railway pics for months. Therefore I'd been looking forward like mad to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Spring Steam Gala as being the first decent opportunity to get some shots. Usually the weather is a bit dull, but at least there are lots of trains, and the usual pattern is to lineside on the Friday, and ride the trains on the Saturday and Sunday with the family.
For weeks the weather had been poor (localised flooding), and indeed on the day the visiting Large Prairie tank loco was deliviered, I was the only idiot out to photograph it in the heavy hailstorm which hit as the train was being moved, but it was all starting to clear as we went into the weekend.
I couldn't believe it on the morning, crispy, clear, and perfect blue sky. After dropping off the kids at school, I walked to Keighley Station and decided not to join The Gallery on the bank above the station as I was feeling a bit antisocial (before Social Distancing was de rigour). I headed instead for my favourite, slightly grotty spot on the climb out of Keighley for the departing Prairie on the goods train, which kicked-off the gala.
My chest was playing up a bit in the cold weather, so I broke with my usual tradition of walking the whole valley, and caught a service train up to Oxenhope and walked back down towards Haworth, getting some pics of my favourite loco on the line, S160 "Big Jim".
A stop off in Haworth for lunch, then down to Ebor Lane where to my surprise I got the prized spot looking down towards the tunnel. The number of locations where you can stand on public land looking at the railway is slowly declining, and I still haven't stumped up for a lineside permit so I can wear a snazzy orange vest beside the rails, so I was a little taken aback to get such a popular spot on a public footpath for the Prairie.
To be fair, a number of other photographers turned up after me and grumbled I was in the spot they wanted, but as they say, you snooze, you loose.
Down to Damems for "Bahamas"...
I think this is the first time I've had chance to photograph this very impressive loco in the sunshine...
Then along the footpath to the tower for the demonstration goods, to the annoyance of another photographer who clearly wanted the place to himself but who got their five minutes after me.
Then the walk back, with the goods returning from Damems station.
I was pleased to get a pic on the old Bridge 11 at Ingrow, as it would soon be replaced (at least that was the theory)...
Saturday was... odd. Not many photographs taken as we were actually on the trains. What was odd was the atmosphere; I'd been worried about the weather, but the Coronavirus was starting to loom a bit by the Saturday, with lockdowns abroad, and people starting to worry over here.
Well some people. My mood throughout the day dropped a bit witnessing how few people were taking hygeiene seriously. I don't like to stereotype, but railway enthusiasts (particularly males over about 50) aren't the best in my experience at taking care of that sort of thing, but on a weekend where a killer virus was starting to decimate Italy and spreading worldwide, I was annoyed (but sadly unsurprised) to see, whilst queuing for the loos, dozens of people not even washing their hands. I heard conversations along the lines of "this virus... its a conspiracy by Europe to cripple us back into the EU!" right the way up to "I'm not washing my ****ing hands just cus the ****ing Government tells me to!".
Middle and Younger Childs decided to have a fairly immense tantrum mid-afternoon too, which about put the final gloss on my bad mood, so we left Elder Child on the train with the in-laws, took the younger ones home, then I returned to collect Elder Child from a gloomy Ingrow later in the day. I had planned to go back after tea and get some night time shots, but by that point my mood was as gloomy as the weather so decided not to bother.
Sunday featured better weather, but worse news internationally, so a bit of an atmosphere. We (myself and Father-in-Law) took The Childs for a walk around the valley because we were rapidly realising that with the virus spreading this might be the last chance for normal railway photography for a while.
So overall? Lucky that the Gala was scheduled early enough that it was held before the lockdown. And being as it doesn't look like I'll be doing any railway photography for the foreseeable, at least we had a couple of days of beautiful weather and a lot of trains. Just a shame that there was an encroaching atmosphere of doom and paranoia hanging over the event...
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