I missed all but the last them minutes of Bake Off last night solely to catch the night steam train as it travelled the last leg to Lancaster.
The Fellsman runs from May until end of August every Wednesday from Lancaster via Preston a 260 mile round trip from Settle to Carlise crossing the 24 arched Ribblehead viaduct as seen in the Harry Potter films.
As you can see I failed miserably to catch the steam end....I did catch it but it's blurred & you can't see any smoke so this was the one I liked best showing the lit windows of the carriages as it passed.
You could hear the train approaching ...clackerty clack, clackerty clack. I stood along the canal bank & quite liked the cows in the field taking no notice at all of this lovely nostalgic train.
I was reminded of W H Auden's poem The Night Mail even though this is not the mail train.
This is the night mail crossing the border,
Bringing the cheque & the postal order.
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner & the girl next door.
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb,
The gradients against her but she's on time.
Lots of other verses but can't write them all here. Told beautifully with pictures on You Tube.
This poem was used in a TV advert quite a few years ago for British rail.
Three good things:
1. I came to,a decision today that this is the last year I am getting camp beds out! This weekend & once more in October & that's it!
2. 80,000 residents in Lancashire can now drink tap water from tonight.....unfortunately we aren't one of them!
3. A missed appointment this morning kindly re scheduled for this afternoon.....I wil be going in the naughty book as its the second time I have done it!
Love this with the cows and that poem takes me right back to Lark Hill - I could never say it the way they wanted me to but I loved it! Hope you had Bake Off on record! Tamal was robbed I thought.
@judithg I saw her amazing show stopper, most people are saying she was robbed. I didn't see any of the other stuff, will watch it on iplayer. Loved the rhythm that poem is said out ...sort of early rap!!
Beautiful shot Pat, the cows just make the image.. and I like the lights in the train,.. pleased you said that the poem is done 'rap' like.. I just reread it, don't think I have heard it before..
There's something romantic about the words, Night Train"! If you were in those carriages you would never know there was a steam engine. Much better to experience it going past - hear the whistle and the 'clack clack'! You get camp beds out for guests!?!? I suppose they wouldn't come if you couldn't fit them all in.
@maggiemae well only for children maggiemae....four in the top bedroom on Saturday night. Tractor Pulling weekend so really busy. You have to get camp beds out then end up charging less because they are in a family room but have to charge less but extra work....I am too old!
I thought it was a very average bake off last night Pat. Ian, Tamal and 1 other for the final unless they have a melt down. I like your shot. A steam train always puts a smile on my face, we are lucky to have them run across the meadow outside our house at weekends in summer.
Well captured. I checked out the poem on YouTube too and as David is sitting in the study with me he heard the poem and it brought back memories. He said "I remember that poem from school".
Beautiful shot and one of my favourite poems. I remember when we lived in Hest Bank watching the steam trains with windows all lit up. There was something magical about them even then. That was a very long time ago. My friends Father was the Station Master and the front of their house opened onto the platform and the back straight onto the beach! I expect it's closed and the house is turned into some very expensive residence by now.
@thistle could be true Joyce...sounds a very desirable place to live! I think if I'm right that this is the nearest to the sea that the main line rail gets. I remember traveling on the steam trains.. Preston station with the smoke puffing over the central bridge.....I was of course very young!!
@seanoneill Lucky you Sean.....that must be quite a sight! I enjoy the bake off but not just quite as glued as I used to be....we are perhaps getting a little tired dare I say!
nice blurry coaches