Field Recording» steam

A4 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’

jhuckle — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:34:20 +0000

Probably my best recording of an A4 chime. The loco Sir Nigel Gresley was the 100th built Gresley Pacific and was completed in 1937, built by the London and North Eastern Railway.

All the A4s have a distinctive chime whistle. Recorded on 27th November 2010 using a handheld Olympus LS-5. A windy and cold day.

More information about this engine from The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Preservation Trust.

60163 Tornado 26 September 2009

jhuckle — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:30:44 +0000

Trackside recording of the Peppercorn 60163 Tornado passing along the old LNER route in Bedfordshire. The recording starts with the sound of the whistle a few hundred yards away and the the locomotive and train passing very close at high speed.

60163 Tornado

jhuckle — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:42:33 +0000

60163 Tornado is a brand new main line steam locomotive built in Darlington, England. She is the first such locomotive to be built in the United Kingdom since Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by British Rail, in 1960. The locomotive is named after the Panavia Tornado military jet (paraphrased from wikipedia).

Tornado has becomes only the 3rd steam locomotive to haul the Royal Train after 6233 Duchess of Sutherland and 6024 King Edward 1st.

This is the engine passing through a local station, along with alot of excitement from kids (and adults) on the platform. Recording made on 7th Feb 2009 using a hand-held Zoom H2.

Tornado at speed near Peterborough on 7 February 2009

Watermill Open day

jhuckle — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:53:23 +0000

This is a collection of audio from an open day at a restored mill in Stotfold, Bedfordshire. Fields surrounding the mill are cultivated using Victorian era steam machinery and the harvested wheat is then processed in the restored water mill closeby. The wheat is then sold to the public to provide futher funds to support the ongoing work there. The mill boasted the widest water wheel when it was in it’s heyday.

The recording is of three sections, outside steam driven threshing machine and bag hoists, inside the mill, and a short talk on dressing flour by someone actually working the mill.

Mill Interior, used by permission of the Stotfold Mill Preservation Trust

The sound of being inside a working mill like this is mesmoric, and wouldn’t be suprised if after you get used to the volume, is probably very comforting. When I was recording I was listening to the many patterns of mechanical noise and it was easy to keep spotting new ones as the ears and brain tuned into a different frequency or rhythm.

More information about the Mill and the work of the Stotfold Mill Preservation Trust is availabe from their website.